Ready or not, the World Cup is nearly here.
With the United States revealing their 26-man roster Wednesday, the Yanks have taken another major step towards Qatar 2022, which begins Nov. 20 when the host nation faces Ecuador. The 32-team, quadrennial tournament all builds toward a Dec. 18 final.
Below, get caught up on all you need to know with our watch guide, team overview and format explainer.
How to watch USA's Group B games
USA vs. Wales
- When: Monday, Nov. 21 (2 pm ET/11 am PT)
- Where: Al Rayyan Stadium | Al Rayyan, Qatar
- TV: FOX, Telemundo
- Streaming: Foxsports.com, Peacock
USA vs. England
- When: Monday, Nov. 25 (2 pm ET/11 am PT)
- Where: Al Bayt Stadium | Al Khor, Qatar
- TV: FOX, Telemundo
- Streaming: Foxsports.com, Peacock
USA vs. Iran
- When: Tuesday, Nov. 29 (2 pm ET/11 am PT)
- Where: Al Thumama Stadium | Doha, Qatar
- TV: FOX, Telemundo
- Streaming: Foxsports.com, Peacock
USA roster overview
This will be the USMNT's first World Cup appearance since Brazil 2014 after they failed to qualify out of their Concacaf (North America, Central America, Caribbean) region for Russia 2018.
This 2022 tournament offers a fresh start for the group, and their roster, which is among the youngest in the tournament, reflects the talent and ambition of a new generation.
Many of the team's core players – like Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Sergiño Dest (AC Milan) and Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund) – are under 25 years old and play for top clubs in Europe. The roster's not entirely foreign-based, though, as nine MLS players made the cut, and Inter Miami CF right back DeAndre Yedlin is the sole call-up with any World Cup experience after his 2014 breakthrough.
The question remains whether the USMNT's collective pedigree will balance out a relatively inexperienced roster that's trying to usher in a new era for American soccer.
The 2022 cycle
So far, results have been mixed under head coach Gregg Berhalter, who took over in December 2018 after leading the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer for five years prior.
Highs have included defeating arch-rival Mexico in back-to-back finals to win two continental trophies (Concacaf Gold Cup and Concacaf Nations League) in 2021. Lows have included failing to score against Japan and Saudi Arabia in the last two friendly matches before the World Cup, as well as defeats at Panama, Canada and Costa Rica in qualifying.
Overall, the USMNT's qualifying cycle falls somewhere in the middle. They achieved the ultimate goal of making the World Cup, but finished in third place behind Mexico and Canada during Concacaf's Octagonal (final stage).
The matches won't get any easier in Qatar, where the US will play Wales, England and Iran in Group B. That collection, according to FIFA's World Rankings, is the toughest group at the tournament (average rank of 15).
Tournament format explained
The World Cup features 32 teams – 31 of whom qualified out of their respective continental regions and one who gained automatic entry as the hosts (in this case, Qatar).
The first stage of the tournament is a "group stage," in which the 32 teams are divided into groups of four, and each team plays the other three within their group once.
After the group stage, the two teams with the best record in each of their respective groups will advance to the "knockout stage," a 16-team, single-elimination tournament. They're competing for a place in the Dec. 18 final and worldwide glory.
