USMNT Hosts Portgual in Atlanta in Final Match Before Selection of 2026 FIFA World Cup Roster
USA-Portugal, presented by Bank of America, will take place March 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET
ATLANTA (March 30, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s National Team will take on sixth-ranked Portugal in the final match before the naming of the 2026 FIFA World Cup roster.
USA-Portugal, presented by Bank of America, will take place March 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, with the match broadcast live on TNT, TruTV, HBO MAX, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock. [TICKETS]
The match will be carried live on radio as Westwood One Sports delivers English language commentary while longtime partner Fútbol de Primera has the Spanish language call.
The encounter will provide the USMNT with one final opportunity to face an opponent in the top-10 of the Coca-Cola FIFA Men’s World Rankings in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium during this window.
In its first match of the year, the USMNT fell 5–2 to ninth-ranked Belgium at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The U.S. started off strong, creating several early chances and winning multiple promising corner kicks. The pressure paid off in the 39th minute when Weston McKennie found the end of an Antonee Robinson corner, giving the U.S. a 1–0 lead. The goal was McKennie’s first since March 24, 2023, against Grenada and his third against a FIFA top‑10 opponent, the most of any player on the March roster. The assist also marked Robinson’s first goal contribution since his last USMNT appearance on November 18, 2024, in a 4–2 win over Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. Belgium quickly responded, equalizing through a long‑range strike from Zeno Debast in the 45th minute. After halftime, Belgium added four unanswered goals to take a 5–1 lead. The U.S. pulled one back in the 87th minute when Ricardo Pepi dispossessed a Belgian defender and set up Patrick Agyemang, who finished calmly for his sixth goal in 13 appearances since debuting under Mauricio Pochettino in 2025. The USMNT now looks ahead to another difficult test against Portugal, following their scoreless draw with Mexico over the weekend.
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GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 13/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 53/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 17/1), Alex Freeman (Villarreal/ESP; 14/2), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 26/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 80/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 35/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 51/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 38/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 23/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 5/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 10/1), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 63/12), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 13/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 35/9), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 44/0), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 13/1); Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen/GER; 27/3)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 56/9); Patrick Agyemang (Derby County/ENG; 13/6), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 24/8), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 35/13), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 83/32), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille/FRA; 48/7)
THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
The USMNT returns to action on Tuesday against Portugal, following Saturday’s matchup with Belgium. The game featured two different U.S. goalscorers in Weston McKennie and Patrick Agyemang. A total of 56 players earned at least one cap with the USMNT in 2025, including 25 in this squad with senior team debuts from Patrick Agyemang, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Alex Freeman and Matt Freese.
As a host country, the U.S. didn’t participate in World Cup Qualifiers, instead focusing on playing significant opponents in preparation, ending the year on a five-match unbeaten run against teams ranked FIFA’s top 40, including four victories. During 2025, Pochettino rotated players through key match windows to continue building a roster capable of playing multiple styles, adjusting to diverse opponents and sustaining peak performance over the duration of a World Cup on home soil. The approach reflects a long-term plan to maximize depth, sharpen internal competition, and raise the overall ceiling of the program ahead of the FIFA World Cup this summer.
GOALS GALORE
U.S. strikers are leading the way for their respective clubs in Europe this season, with all three in this roster scoring over 10 goals during the campaign. Patrick Agyemang has led EFL Championship side Derby County with 10 goals in all competitions this season. In stellar form as of late, Folarin Balogun has contributed 13 goals in all competitions on his way to being named Monaco’s February Player of the Month. Ricardo Pepi has also been in fine form, with the striker bagging 13 goals in all competitions for PSV Eindhoven.
EUROPEAN PEDIGREE
The current USMNT roster includes 18 players from European clubs. Of those, nine players competed in a European competition this season. Folarin Balogun scored five goals for Monaco in this edition of the UCL, while Weston McKennie tallied four times for Juventus. Tanner Tessman is in the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa League with Olympique Lyon against Celta Vigo. Chris Richards is competing in the UEFA Conference League knockout stage with Crystal Palace against AEK Larnaca.
RETURN OF THE JEDI
In Saturday’s match, defender Antonee Robinson returned to the USMNT setup after 495 days, missing the entirety of international duty in 2025 through injury. The 2024 U.S Soccer Male Player of the Year recipient made an instant impact, securing an assist to Weston McKennie to open the scoring in the match. “Jedi” has 51 caps with four goals and seven assists for the USA since his debut in 2018, reaching the half-century mark in his most recent appearance in a 4-2 victory over Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinal on Nov. 18, 2024. Robinson recently became just the seventh American to make 150 Premier League appearances.
A MATCH TO REMEMBER
The last meeting between the USMNT and Portugal was a 1-1 draw in Leiria, Portugal. In the match against the reigning European champions and third-ranked Portuguese side, Weston McKennie made his senior team debut and scored the opening goal in the 20th minute of play. A member of the 2022 FIFA World Cup roster, McKennie has earned 63 caps since his debut in 2017. The midfielder opened the scoring for the USMNT in Saturday’s match against Belgium, netting his first goal since March 24, 2023, against Grenada.
ANCHORED IN ATLANTA
Georgia will serve as the new home for the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, set to open this spring. Prior to Saturday’s match, the USMNT had only played four times in Atlanta, with the first match a 1-0 win against Canada in World Cup Qualifying on Oct. 27, 1968. Remarkably, three of the four matches were in three different official competitions: FIFA World Cup Qualifying, the Concacaf Gold Cup and Copa America. The USMNT has only played once at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the home of Atlanta United, a 2-1 loss to Panama on June 27, 2024, in the 2024 Copa America.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
This year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup will take place in the United States for the first time since 1994. In the 1994 edition, the USA advanced from the group stage to the Round of 16 before being defeated 1-0 by eventual champions Brazil. The tournament games in the U.S. will be spread across 11 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle.
The USMNT will open the group stage in Los Angeles against Paraguay on June 12, before traveling to Seattle for the first time since 2016 to take on Australia on June 19. The team will close out the group stage in Los Angeles on June 25 against the winner of UEFA Playoff C between Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo, which will be determined during the March FIFA window.
ROSTER NOTES
DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers/ENG; 3/0), Rui Silva (Sporting CP/POR; 2/0), Ricardo Velho (Genclerbirligi/TUR; 0/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Tomas Araujo (Benfica/POR; 2/0), Joao Cancelo (FC Barcelona/ESP; 65/12), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United/ENG; 32/3), Gonçalo Inacio (Sporting CP/POR; 19/2), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA; 42/1), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City/ENG; 18/2), Antonio Silva (Benfica/POR; 19/0), Renato Veiga (Villareal/ESP; 10/1)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Samu Costa (Mallorca/ESP; 3/0), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/ENG; 86/28), Mateus Fernandes (West Ham United/ENG; 0/0), Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA; 21/3), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal/KSA; 64/1), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA; 36/0)
FORWARDS (9): Francisco Conceicao (Juventus/ITA; 14/3), Joao Felix (Al-Nassr/KSA; 51/11), Pedro Goncalves (Sporting CP/POR; 4/0), Goncalo Guedes (Real Sociedad/ESP; 33/7), Ricardo Horta (Braga/POR; 12/4), Pedro Neto (Chelsea/ENG; 22/2), Paulinho (Toluca/MEX; 4/2), Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA; 23/10), Francisco Trincao (Sporting CP/POR; 16/2)
NATIONS LEAGUE CHAMPS
Portugal enters Tuesday’s match on the back of a scoreless draw with Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Prior to that, the Portuguese topped a competitive UEFA Group F with Armenia, Hungary and Ireland to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Portugal ended 2025 with silverware, defeating reigning European champions Spain in penalties during the UEFA Nations League to earn their second title in the competitions fourth edition.
Portugal is preparing to compete in its seventh consecutive World Cup and its ninth appearance overall, with the nation’s best finish coming in 1966 when it claimed third place in England.
MARTINEZ IN CHARGE
Os Navegadores are led by Spainard Roberto Martinez, who took charge in March 2023. Martinez has bolstered an already elite Portugal setup, going unbeaten in 31 of 37 matches he has been in charge for, including a victory over his native country Spain in the 2025 UEFA Nations League Final. Prior to taking over the Portuguese national team, the world-renowned manager coached the Belgium national team to a third-place finish in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
PORTUGESE CROSSOVER
Tuesday night’s matchup features two pairs of club teammates from both countries in Alex Freeman and Renato Veiga at Villareal in the La Liga and Weston McKennie and Francisco Conceicao at Juventus in Serie A.
FERNANDES ON FIRE
Currently captaining a ferocious Portuguese side, midfielder Bruno Fernandes has been in flying form for both club and country this season. In addition to eight goals and an English Premier League- leading 16 assists this season, Fernandes helped Portugal secure World Cup qualification with a hattrick in a 9-1 victory over Armenia in the final group stage game. The current Manchester United and Portugal captain has made 86 appearances for his country since debuting in 2017, with 28 goals during that period. Fernandes is currently Portugal’s sixth top scorer all-time.