Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino is the head coach of the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first foreign manager in modern history to lead the USMNT into a home tournament. Born on 2 March 1972 in Murphy, Santa Fe Province, Argentina, he was appointed by U.S. Soccer in September 2024 with a single brief: deliver a deep run on home soil.

A tall, ball-playing centre-back during his playing career, he came through Newell's Old Boys under the formative influence of Marcelo Bielsa before moving to Espanyol, where he became a Barcelona-derby cult hero. He earned 20 caps for Argentina and was part of the 2002 World Cup squad.

His coaching reputation was built at Espanyol (2009–2012), then forged at Southampton and Tottenham (2014–2019), where his high-pressing, youth-developing model produced four consecutive top-four Premier League finishes and an unforgettable 2019 Champions League final. He won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France at PSG, followed by a turbulent but tactically intriguing season at Chelsea (2023–2024).

The USA, automatic qualifiers as co-hosts, are in Group D with Australia and Turkey, opening against Australia at SoFi Stadium on 12 June. Pochettino's brief is unambiguous: turn a generation of young Europe-based talents around Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna into a side capable of reaching at least the quarter-finals — a result that would more than double the USMNT's best modern showing.