The United States men’s national team will play two friendlies before the World Cup, facing Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6. Those results carry no tournament points; the USMNT’s first World Cup match is its group opener against Paraguay outside Los Angeles on June 12.
National teams schedule tuneups because FIFA permits them and because international windows are limited. Based on FIFA’s men’s international match calendar, there were only five windows available for every nation in 2025 and just two allotted for 2026 before this summer, leaving few opportunities for national teams to gather.
Federations also have commercial incentives to stage pre-tournament friendlies. The Senegal match is being promoted as the Allstate Continental Clasico and will be televised on platforms covered by U.S. Soccer’s broadcast deals. According to the Sports Business Journal, U.S. Soccer receives about $25 million for its English television rights, and such games help fund senior and youth national teams, employees and other federation expenses.
From a sporting perspective, friendlies help bridge the gap between club seasons and the World Cup. Many players in European leagues end their seasons weeks before the tournament. Folarin Balogun, expected to be a starting striker for the U.S., finished his club season on May 17, leaving nearly four weeks without competitive matches before the World Cup opener. Pre-tournament games reintroduce match intensity and allow coaching and performance staff to manage workloads.
The Aspetar Sports Medicine Journal noted that national squads are assembled from players with diverse training histories, competitive exposures and recovery states, requiring rapid assessments of readiness. Having roughly two weeks to tailor training and evaluate players in live competition can reduce uncertainty and gives athletes an opportunity to make impressions on coaches during rare direct observation.
