# United States at the FIFA World Cup
The [United States men's national soccer team](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-mens-national-soccer-team) has appeared at twelve FIFA World Cups, from the inaugural tournament in 1930 to the 2026 edition it co-hosted with Canada and Mexico, and its best finish is third place at that first tournament in 1930.[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) The team has never won the World Cup; every title has gone to a European or South American nation.[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/has-usa-won-world-cup-soccer-usmnt-history-results-list/ngh0bzvajkdd7qfrwojd8tij)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 12: 1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022, 2026[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) |
| All-time record | 37 matches: 9 wins, 8 draws, 20 losses; 40 goals scored, 66 conceded[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) |
| Best finish | Third place, 1930, awarded retroactively because the inaugural tournament had no third-place match[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) • [3](https://as.com/us/futbol/mundial/esta-fue-la-mejor-participacion-de-la-historia-de-estados-unidos-en-una-copa-del-mundo-una-dolorosa-eliminacion-al-borde-de-la-gloria-f202605-n/) |
| Most appearances | Landon Donovan, 12 matches across the 2002, 2006, and 2010 tournaments[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) • [4](https://www.fifa.com/articles/usa-team-profile-history) |
| Most goals | Landon Donovan, 5[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) |
| Longest absence | Failed to qualify for every tournament from 1950 until returning in 1990[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/has-usa-won-world-cup-soccer-usmnt-history-results-list/ngh0bzvajkdd7qfrwojd8tij) |
| Hosting | Host in 1994 and co-host in 2026[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) |
## Early tournaments, 1930 to 1950
The United States was one of 13 teams at the first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, a field reduced from 16 when Egypt missed its boat in a storm.[5](https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/usmnt-history-at-the-world-cup-whats-u-s-mens-best-finish-all-appearances-results) The team won its opening matches, including a 3-0 victory over Paraguay on July 17, 1930, at the [Central Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-park) stadium in [Montevideo](https://www.edgepedia.org/montevideo), and reached the semifinals, where it lost to Argentina.[6](https://ussoccerhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SASH-Quarterly-8-Fall-1995-v2n4.pdf) • [3](https://as.com/us/futbol/mundial/esta-fue-la-mejor-participacion-de-la-historia-de-estados-unidos-en-una-copa-del-mundo-una-dolorosa-eliminacion-al-borde-de-la-gloria-f202605-n/) In that Paraguay match, forward Bert Patenaude scored the first hat-trick in World Cup history.[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) Because the 1930 event used a four-team knockout bracket with no third-place match, FIFA awarded the third place to the United States and [Yugoslavia](https://www.edgepedia.org/yugoslavia) retroactively.[3](https://as.com/us/futbol/mundial/esta-fue-la-mejor-participacion-de-la-historia-de-estados-unidos-en-una-copa-del-mundo-una-dolorosa-eliminacion-al-borde-de-la-gloria-f202605-n/)
In 1934 the Americans had to beat Mexico in a qualifier just to reach the finals in Italy; Buff Donelli, who later became a well-known [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) coach, scored four times in that qualifying match.[7](https://futsimulator.com/en/blog/usmnt-world-cup-history-every-tournament) The 1934 tournament was single-elimination, and the United States lost in the first round to the eventual champions.[6](https://ussoccerhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SASH-Quarterly-8-Fall-1995-v2n4.pdf) • [7](https://futsimulator.com/en/blog/usmnt-world-cup-history-every-tournament)
The team returned in 1950 and achieved its famous 1-0 victory over England, a result still cited as one of the great upsets in the tournament's history.[8](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/legacy-usa-94-why-two-big-misses-didnt-prevent-a-world-cup-hit) It then failed to qualify for every World Cup from 1954 through 1986; in the 1958 qualifying campaign the team went 0-4 against Canada and Mexico with a minus-16 goal differential.[5](https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/usmnt-history-at-the-world-cup-whats-u-s-mens-best-finish-all-appearances-results) • [3](https://as.com/us/futbol/mundial/esta-fue-la-mejor-participacion-de-la-historia-de-estados-unidos-en-una-copa-del-mundo-una-dolorosa-eliminacion-al-borde-de-la-gloria-f202605-n/)
## 1994 and the modern era
The 1994 World Cup, hosted in the United States for the first time, arrived amid hopes that the tournament would strengthen soccer's long-term place in the country. As a condition of awarding the tournament, FIFA required the creation of a professional league; [Major League Soccer](https://www.edgepedia.org/major-league-soccer) was founded in 1993 and began play in 1996.[9](https://guides.loc.gov/world-cup/united-states-1994) The tournament drew more than 3.5 million spectators across 52 matches, setting records for total and average attendance.[9](https://guides.loc.gov/world-cup/united-states-1994)
Since 1990 the United States has qualified for every World Cup except 2018, when it finished fifth in the final CONCACAF qualifying round and missed even the inter-confederation playoffs.[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/has-usa-won-world-cup-soccer-usmnt-history-results-list/ngh0bzvajkdd7qfrwojd8tij) • [10](https://time.com/5258984/is-the-us-in-the-2018-world-cup/) Its deepest modern run came in 2002, when it reached the quarterfinals; since the field expanded to 16 teams in 1934 and 32 teams in 1998, that is the only time the team has progressed past the round of 16.[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/has-usa-won-world-cup-soccer-usmnt-history-results-list/ngh0bzvajkdd7qfrwojd8tij) In 2014, goalkeeper [Tim Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-howard) made 16 saves in the round-of-16 loss to Belgium, the most saves recorded in a single World Cup match.[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa)
## 2026 as co-host
The United States qualified automatically as one of three hosts of the 2026 World Cup, its second time hosting, and played in Group D with Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye.[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) Under coach [Mauricio Pochettino](https://www.edgepedia.org/mauricio-pochettino), appointed in September 2024, the team beat Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0 before losing 2-3 to Türkiye, topping [Group B](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-b) standings reporting and advancing to the new round of 32.[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) • [11](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/usa-tops-group-b-and-advances-for-world-cup-round-of-32) There it beat Bosnia-[Herzegovina](https://www.edgepedia.org/herzegovina) 2-0 before losing 1-4 to Belgium in the round of 16, a fifth consecutive round-of-16 exit in tournaments it reached the knockout stage.[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) • [12](https://apnews.com/article/4e24540d12aba1cea59a8e1ebacbe450)
## Records and standing
Among Concacaf nations, only Mexico, with 18 appearances, has appeared in more World Cups than the United States' 12, and the United States' 1930 third-place finish remains the best World Cup result of any Concacaf nation.[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) • [13](https://www.si.com/soccer/every-usmnt-finish-world-cup-tournament-breakdown) The team's win rate is low by the standards of frequent participants: 9 wins in 37 matches, a rate of 24 percent, the second-lowest among teams with 30 or more World Cup matches, ahead of only Korea Republic at 18 percent.[1](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa) Reporting after the 2026 tournament described a quarter-century of stagnation, with the 2022 and 2026 squads eliminated in the same round as the 2010 and 2014 teams despite far greater investment.[12](https://apnews.com/article/4e24540d12aba1cea59a8e1ebacbe450)
## References
1. [FIFA World Cup 2026 Team Profile: USA, Concacaf](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-team-profile-usa)
2. [Have USA won the World Cup for men? List of USMNT results and complete history, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/has-usa-won-world-cup-soccer-usmnt-history-results-list/ngh0bzvajkdd7qfrwojd8tij)
3. [Esta fue la mejor participación de la historia de Estados Unidos en una Copa del Mundo, AS](https://as.com/us/futbol/mundial/esta-fue-la-mejor-participacion-de-la-historia-de-estados-unidos-en-una-copa-del-mundo-una-dolorosa-eliminacion-al-borde-de-la-gloria-f202605-n/)
4. [USA's World Cup history, records and 2026 fixtures, FIFA](https://www.fifa.com/articles/usa-team-profile-history)
5. [USMNT history at the World Cup, NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/usmnt-history-at-the-world-cup-whats-u-s-mens-best-finish-all-appearances-results)
6. [SASH Quarterly, Society for American Soccer History, Fall 1995](https://ussoccerhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SASH-Quarterly-8-Fall-1995-v2n4.pdf)
7. [USMNT World Cup History: Every Tournament From 1930 to 2026, FutSimulator](https://futsimulator.com/en/blog/usmnt-world-cup-history-every-tournament)
8. [USA '94 legacy: why two big misses didn't prevent a World Cup hit, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/legacy-usa-94-why-two-big-misses-didnt-prevent-a-world-cup-hit)
9. [United States (1994), World Cup, 1930-, Library of Congress Research Guides](https://guides.loc.gov/world-cup/united-states-1994)
10. [Why the U.S. Isn't Competing in the 2018 World Cup, Time](https://time.com/5258984/is-the-us-in-the-2018-world-cup/)
11. [USA tops Group B and advances for World Cup Round of 32, Concacaf](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/usa-tops-group-b-and-advances-for-world-cup-round-of-32)
12. [Same old story: US men's soccer team has been stagnant for quarter century, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/4e24540d12aba1cea59a8e1ebacbe450)
13. [Every USMNT Finish at the World Cup, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/soccer/every-usmnt-finish-world-cup-tournament-breakdown)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › FIFA World Cup › FIFA World Cup (men) › Nations at the FIFA World Cup › North and Central American and Caribbean nations at the FIFA World Cup*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license