Mauricio Pochettino to return as U.S. Soccer coach for 2030 World Cup

Mauricio Pochettino agreed to remain U.S. Soccer’s men’s national team coach through the 2030 World Cup, insisting there’s “tremendous potential” to bring America to the sport’s upper echelons, officials said Monday.

The new contract to keep Pochettino in red, white and blue came less than a month after the 54-year-old Argentine led the U.S. to the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup, played on home soil.

“Mauricio and his staff believe in the future of soccer in the United States and our new project allows us to build on progress of the USMNT and the momentum of U.S. Soccer,” U.S. Soccer CEO and Secretary General JT Batson said in a statement.

“We know we have a lot of work to do to achieve our clear ambitions, including competing to win Men’s World Cups and having soccer become the most played sport in every community. I couldn’t be more excited that Mauricio and team are committed to partnering with all of us to do the hard work to bring those ambitions to life.”

While the Americans failed to make it to the quarterfinals, Pochettino insisted his team’s World Cup run “only strengthened our belief in what is possible here.”

“Working together with U.S. Soccer over the past two years, it has become clear to us that there is tremendous potential to make the Men’s National Team program even stronger,” Pochettino said in a statement released by U.S. Soccer.

The statement added: “The passion we experienced from the fans throughout the World Cup only strengthened our belief in what is possible here. We are excited by the opportunity to bring all our experience and knowledge to even more areas of U.S. Soccer while helping strengthen the pathways for players, coaches and teams across the Federation. We want to try to have a lasting impact on the sport in the country that has welcomed us so warmly and for that impact to extend beyond results on the field.”

From Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain, Pochettino coached several of the world’s highest-profile clubs but had never led a national team before taking over the U.S. men’s program in 2024.

Early USMNT results for the former Tottenham boss were mixed, with a 15-10-1 record entering the 2026 World Cup as he tested multiple lineup combinations.

His attacking style quickly earned praise once the tournament opened as the U.S. won its group and scored a team record for goals. The U.S. beat Bosnia-Herzegovina in the knockout round of 32 before exiting in the round of 16 to Belgium in a deflating 4-1 defeat.

After that loss, Pochettino expressed gratitude for the working relationship he had built with the leadership of U.S. Soccer, which had extended a contract extension to the coach before the tournament.

Though he declared himself an Argentine first and foremost, Pochettino didn’t shy away from ingratiating himself with U.S. fans by singing the team’s chosen song of the tournament, John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” on the pitch after matches.

The new deal allows the U.S. to retain a highly regarded coach in hopes the team can continue the improvement Pochettino said he had seen take place over the previous year. Pochettino said in July the U.S. had been a “mess” after the 2025 Gold Cup.

“I am so proud because in one year … this team show that we can play football, we can play soccer, we can compete,” Pochettino said July 5. “We need to keep improving.”

Terms of Pochettino’s deal were not disclosed, but his initial deal was reportedly worth around $6 million annually in base salary, which was already the largest deal earned by any coach in U.S. soccer history.

To afford it, and lure Pochettino away from club jobs in 2024, U.S. Soccer rounded up private investors such as Ken Griffin to help pay.

The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by defending-champion Spain, Portugal and Morocco with some early matches in Uruguay, Pochettino’s native Argentina and Paraguay.