Now begins the journey back to FIFA’s most famous tournament.
The roster was originally expected to have 23 players, but the official rules-making body IFAB has confirmed that the roster will be expanded to 26 players, allowing teams to bring three more players than in the past. So who will be among the 26 players brought to football’s most coveted event and who will be left out?
Manager Gregg Berhalter and his USMNT coaching staff will spend the next few months preparing the final roster of talent, so we’ll dive into predicting who will make the final roster in mid-November. At the end of October, he brought some of the domestic players eliminated from the club competition to a mini-camp to keep them fit.
Of course, injuries will have a major say in how it turns out. The USMNT players are getting healthier as October progresses, but that can always change quickly with the World Cup just over a month away.
USMNT World Cup roster for Qatar 2022
World Cup rosters previously consisted of 23 players, including three goalkeepers, but FIFA this year expanded rosters to 26, meaning Gregg Berhalter has a little more space to bring players who can contribute in various areas.
Whittling down the U.S. player pool to the 26 best — or, most useful — players is going to be extremely difficult for Berhalter, taking team chemistry into mind.
The starting lineup and main contributors seem relatively set, but every roster spot is valuable, and the goal will be to maximize every position with players who can contribute in multiple ways on and off the field.
So, with that in mind, here are the 26 players The Sporting News predicts to be on the World Cup roster.
MORE: Will Jordan Pefok or Josh Sargent make the final USMNT World Cup roster?
Predicted USMNT roster
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps | 2022 World Cup Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Sean Johnson | NYCFC (USA) | 33 | 10 | 0 |
| GK | Zack Steffen | Middlesbrough (ENG)* | 27 | 29 | 6 |
| GK | Matt Turner | Arsenal (ENG) | 28 | 18 | 7 |
| DEF | Reggie Cannon | Boavista (POR) | 24 | 26 | 2 |
| DEF | Cameron Carter-Vickers | Celtic (SCO) | 24 | 10 | 0 |
| DEF | Sergino Dest | AC Milan (ITA) | 21 | 17 | 6 |
| DEF | Chris Richards | Crystal Palace (ENG) | 22 | 6 | 5 |
| DEF | Antonee Robinson | Fulham (ENG) | 25 | 28 | 13 |
| DEF | Sam Vines | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 23 | 8 | 0 |
| DEF | DeAndre Yedlin | Inter Miami (USA) | 29 | 74 | 9 |
| DEF | Walker Zimmerman | Nashville SC (USA) | 29 | 31 | 10 |
| MID | Kellyn Acosta | LAFC (USA) | 27 | 52 | 13 |
| MID | Tyler Adams | Leeds United (ENG) | 23 | 19 | 13 |
| MID | Luca de la Torre | Celta Vigo (SPA) | 24 | 10 | 4 |
| MID | Weston McKennie | Juventus (ITA) | 24 | 34 | 7 |
| MID | Yunus Musah | Valencia (SPA) | 19 | 18 | 10 |
| MID | Gio Reyna | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 19 | 11 | 3 |
| FWD | Brenden Aaronson | Leeds United (ENG) | 21 | 21 | 11 |
| FWD | Paul Arriola | FC Dallas (USA) | 27 | 46 | 5 |
| FWD | Jesus Ferreira | FC Dallas (USA) | 21 | 12 | 6 |
| FWD | Jordan Morris | Seattle Sounders (USA) | 27 | 47 | 6 |
| FWD | Jordan Pefok | Union Berlin (GER) | 26 | 9 | 3 |
| FWD | Ricardo Pepi | Groningen (NED)* | 19 | 12 | 10 |
| FWD | Christian Pulisic | Chelsea (ENG) | 24 | 50 | 10 |
| FWD | Timothy Weah | LOSC Lille (FRA) | 22 | 24 | 9 |
Predicted USMNT starting XI
