Top U.S. Soccer Official Reveals USMNT’s Hidden Advantages at 2026 World Cup

U.S. Soccer has had years to plan out every aspect of the tournament for the USMNT players and staff.

Matt Crocker (left) and Mauricio Pochettino have made detailed plans to get the best out of the USMNT in 2026. / Howard Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images, John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images

The U.S. men’s national team learned of its relatively favorable draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Kennedy Center, but other potential advantages, like the power to decide which stadiums to play in, also became clear to U.S. Soccer at the event in Washington, D.C. 

While playing at home in front of favorable crowds will clearly be the top advantage for the USMNT this summer, U.S. Soccer’s Sporting Director Matt Crocker had his eyes opened at the draw when speaking with the England men’s national team camp. 

“They (England) were frantically organizing flights for the day after the draw to be able to go and try and secure some of their base camps,” Crocker said in the U.S. Soccer Podcast with David Gass and former U.S. women’s national team star Meghan Klingenberg. “We were able to secure ours 12 months ago.”

The USMNT, alongside co-hosts Canada and Mexico, were officially assigned their group stage schedules and potential knockout paths in February 2024, allowing the federations to meticulously plan hotels, training facilities and other aspects of a World Cup camp before and during the tournament.

Other aspects include identifying the best places for family and friends to stay and ensuring that every element of the player experience allows athletes to focus on being their best come matchday.

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Locations, Hotels and Time Advantages

The USMNT will play two group stage matches under the roof at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The three co-hosts were able to choose locations that suited them. The USMNT will play two games at the covered SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and one in Seattle’s temperate summer climate, likely avoiding the worst of the weather issues in the Central and Eastern U.S. 

Canada, meanwhile, has chosen the climate-controlled BC Place Stadium in Vancouver as its home venue for two group stage matches and potential round of 32 and round of 16 games, should it win Group B. 

“We were able to pick locations which would be more suitable weather in terms of climate ... the hotel facilities that we want,” Crocker said. “Everyone thinks the training facilities are really important, and absolutely they are, but players will spend ... the majority of their downtime around the hotel, so you want that environment to feel like home, and you want them to feel comfortable.

“[There are] so many logistical things that you want to eliminate from the players having to think about and worry about, and we’ve been able to build a lot of those building blocks way in advance of any other nation.”

The USMNT will open the tournament on June 12 against Paraguay in Los Angeles, then take on Australia in Seattle on June 18 and return to Southern California for its group stage finale against one of Türkiye, Slovakia, Romania, or Kosovo on June 25. 

“It’s not just about beds or showers,” Crocker added. “You want their relaxation and their sleep environments to be as close to replicating what they would be at home as we possibly can, so we’re looking at the type of bedrooms, the airflow, the lighting, all of those things are critical ... sleep is as important as training itself.”

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