The U.S. men’s national team will face Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago and Saudi Arabia in this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup, a crucial final competitive test for the Americans ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Mexico, the defending Gold Cup champion, was drawn into Group A along with Costa Rica, Suriname and the Dominican Republic. Continental rival Canada will face Honduras, El Salvador and Curacao in Group B, while recent rival Panama was drawn into Group C alongside Jamaica, Guatemala and Guadeloupe. The tournament runs from June 14 until the July 6 final in Houston, but Concacaf did not announce specific dates or locations for the group games, nor was the knockout bracket set Thursday night. Those details will be revealed on Friday.
The Group D draw is a mixed bag for the U.S., with Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago accounting for two of the tournament’s weakest sides. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, could prove a decent test for the U.S. The Saudis are in the midst of World Cup qualification and are pushing Australia for an automatic berth, though a spot in the AFC playoff remains a realistic possibility.
Trinidad and Tobago hasn’t advanced out of the group stage of the Gold Cup since 2015 and is currently ranked 100th in FIFA’s global rankings. Haiti made waves in 2019 with a shocking run to the semis but has since slipped back to its historic form, having crashed out in the group stage in 2021 and 2023. Haiti is presently ranked 83rd.
Mexico, Canada, Panama and the U.S. were all placed in the same pot for the draw, ensuring that none of the four would end up meeting in the group stage.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of this tournament to the U.S., which is a little over a year away from co-hosting a World Cup on home soil. Anything less than making the final would be considered an abject failure, and winning the tournament could prove a huge morale boost to the U.S., which is still licking its wounds after a miserable performance in the Nations League finals last month, where losses to Panama and Canada resulted in a fourth-place finish.
It could prove a crucial test for head coach Mauricio Pochettino, as well. Previous windows with the U.S. have afforded him only a few training sessions with the full group, but the Argentine will get nearly a month with the USMNT before and during this tournament. He could have close to a full-strength group should he choose, with the exception of Weston McKennie and Tim Weah, who will remain with Juventus as they navigate the Club World Cup. FIFA granted priority to clubs over countries for those participating in the first expanded Club World Cup, which the U.S. will host simultaneously alongside the Gold Cup.
In addition to recovering from Nations League failure, the U.S. is also looking to bounce back from a fourth-place finish in the 2023 Gold Cup, among the team’s worst performances in the modern history of the tournament. The Americans finished fourth under Jurgen Klinsmann in 2015 as well, and fifth in 2000.
Overall, the U.S. is a seven-time champion, second only to Mexico’s nine titles.
This year’s Gold Cup is the 18th edition of the tournament. Teams qualified via the latest edition of Nations League while the Gold Cup prelims served as the qualifying path for the region’s smaller teams. Saudi Arabia is participating as a guest team.
(Top photo: Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
