Nicholas MendolaWed, November 26, 2025 at 5:29 PM UTC·8 min readThe United States men's national team have qualified for 12 World Cups — 10 through he gauntlet of qualification and two more as hosts.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis summer's World Cup makes it a dozen, and the expanded 48-team field, matches on home soil, and talent on the team and in the coaches' box have fans and the federation dreaming big.
But before Mauricio Pochettino's men take the field, let's take a look at how the Americans have fared in the last 95+ years.
What was the United States men’s best World Cup performance?
There are a couple of ways to slice this particular pie.
The Americans finished in third place at the first ever World Cup, though that was a pretty primitive affair; The 1930 World Cup was a 16-nation tournament that from which 13 teams competed in part because one, Egypt, missed their boat due a storm.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe home World Cup in 1994 was brilliant for the program, and the 2014 World Cup features perhaps the best delivery of performances, but you can't overlook 2002.
For one thing, it's literally the only knockout win the Yanks have at a tournament and it came against heated rivals Mexico. And they would've needed to find a goal at some point, but they were denied a chance at a penalty and the lead at the quarterfinal against Germany because not a single referee saw a clear handball on the goal line
What might've been.
USMNT World Cup history by the tournament
USMNT at the 1930 World Cup
Sixteen nations qualified for the first World Cup, with two withdrawing and a third, Egypt, missing their ship when a storm delayed their connection.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Yanks were in a three-team group and rode four goals from Massachusetts' Bert Patenaude to the semifinals, where they lost to Argentina. The Yanks were awarded third place.
Group 4USMNT 3-0 Belgium (McGhee, Florie, Patenaude)USMNT 3-0 Paraguay (Patenaude x3)
SemifinalArgentina 6-1 USMNT (Brown)
USMNT at the 1934 World Cup
All 16 teams made it to Italy for the second World Cup, and the tournament was played a single-elimination bracket tournament.
The hosts demolished the Americans in their first game, with Pennsylvania-born Aldo Donelli scoring the only U.S. goal.
Round of 16Italy 7-1 USMNT
USMNT at the 1950 World Cup
World War II threw a long pause at the World Cup, and the Yanks failed to qualify in 1938 as they withdrew from their intercontinental playoff qualifier with the Dutch East Indies.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThey'd finish bottom of their group in 1950 but begin their baffling World Cup mastery of England by beating the Three Lions 1-0 on a goal from Joe Gaetjens. The Columbia University student from Haiti had declared his intention of becoming a U.S. citizen and was thus allowed to play. He'd later return to play for Haiti. Sorry, England!
Group 2Spain 3-1 USMNT (Pariani)USMNT 1-0 England (Gaetjens)Chile 5-2 (Wallace, Maca)
USMNT in the World Cup desert: 1954-1986
1954 qualifying: The Yanks beat Haiti twice but were beaten twice by Mexico as El Tri took the lone spot from what would become CONCACAF in 1961.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement1958 qualifying: The U.S. went 0-4 against Canada and Mexico, finishing with a minus-16 goal differential.
1962 qualifying: A 3-3 home draw with Mexico did not see the scoring form continue in Mexico City, and El Tri won 3-0 to reach the second round.
1966 qualifying: The U.S. again drew Mexico at home but were beaten in Mexico City. They took two of three points from Honduras (wins were worth two points and draws one) to finish second and bow out prior to the final round.
1970 qualifying: Better! The Yanks won 3-of-4 from Canada and Bermuda, losing in Toronto. The second round saw home-and-away losses to Haiti to make it 20 years between World Cups. That number would grow.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement1974 qualifying: Bounced from Group 1, taking a point at home to Canada but losing their other three games.
1978 qualifying: This one stings. The Yanks were again in the North American Zone, but this time two of Canada, Mexico, and the USMNT would reach the next round. All three teams claimed four points with Mexico in first and both Canada and the Yanks boasting the same goal differential. A playoff in Haiti saw Canada smash the States 3-0.
1982 qualifying: Third again behind Canada and Mexico, eliminated even before beating El Tri in Fort Lauderdale for the final qualifier.
1986 qualifying: Beat Netherlands Antilles to reach the final round of qualifying. Needed a draw or win vs Costa Rica in California to reach the World Cup, five days after drawing Los Ticos 1-1 in Alajuela. Lost 1-0
USMNT at the 1990 World Cup
The Yanks returned to the big stage, ironically with Mexico missing out for using overaged players at the 1988 CONCACAF U20 Tournament. Beat Jamaica in the first round, then sealed their spot in Italy thanks to Paul Caligiuri’s “Shot Heard Round the World” vs Trinidad and Tobago.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGroup AUSMNT 1-5 CzechoslovakiaItaly 1-0 USMNTAustria 2-1 USMNT
USMNT at the 1994 World Cup
One of the many stories of hosts' getting good results in the tournament over the years.
The Yanks made it to the Round of 16 as the third-best third-placed teams, then kept Brazil scoreless into the 72nd minute in Stanford. A Bebeto goal sent the Yanks packing with a buttressed reputation.
Group AUSMNT 1-1 SwitzerlandUSMNT 2-1 ColombiaUSMNT 0-1 Romania
Round of 16Brazil 1-0 USMNT
USMNT at the 1998 World Cup
This tournament is best left discussed by others. Oof.
Group FGermany 2-0 USMNTUSMNT 1-2 IranUSMNT 0-1 Yugoslavia
USMNT at the 2002 World Cup
This was the year that minted thousands of passionate USMNT fans, as the Yanks surprised everyone by outlasting Deco's Portugal in the group opener and then knocked rivals Mexico out in the Round of 16. The painful thing is knowing that the Americans were far from second-best in the quarterfinals, a controversial 1-0 loss to a Germany team that barely beat the hosts in the semis. Why controversial? Torsten Frings handball to block Gregg Berhalter on the goal line was somehow not given as a penalty. Look it up if you haven't seen it, because you won't believe it could've been missed by a living, breathing, seeing human being (Yes, still mad).
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGroup DUSMNT 3-2 PortugalSouth Korea 1-1 USMNTPoland 3-1 USMNT
Round of 16Mexico 0-2 USMNT
QuarterfinalsGermany 1-0 USMNT
USMNT at the 2006 World Cup
Momentum was neither maintained nor built upon.
No, it wasn't an easy group. Yes, the Italy game was entertaining. No, we do not want to talk about two goals in 270 minutes — one from Italy and one from Clint Dempsey.
Group EUSMNT 0-3 Czech RepublicItaly 1-1 USMNTGhana 2-1 USMNT
USMNT at the 2010 World Cup
The tournament started with a Steven Gerrard fourth-minute goal before soccer remembered that England are not allowed to beat the U.S. at the World Cup. Sorry, we don't make the rules. We just like them. Unbeaten in the group stage and through to the knockouts because of that Landon Donovan stoppage-time goal, the Americans went to extra time with Ghana in the Round of 16, and it's best we speak no more.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGroup CEngland 1-1 USMNTSlovenia 2-2 USMNTUSMNT 1-0 Algeria
Round of 16USMNT 1-2 Ghana
USMNT at the 2014 World Cup
We're not supposed to say Group of Death any more because people are uncomfortable with mortality, but oh boy. This was a roller coaster ride. Revenge against Ghana required a late John Brooks winner, then Jurgen Klinsmann's Yanks looked set to go 2-0 all-time against Portugal at the World Cup when Silvestre Varela scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to force a 2-2 draw. Still, that was enough for a knockout round berth. Tim Howard's Matrix-like day was not enough.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGroup GGhana 1-2 USMNTUSMNT 2-2 PortugalUSMNT 0-1 Germany
Round of 16Belgium 2-1 (aet) USMNT
USMNT fail to qualify for 2018 World Cup
This team had so much talent and played with its food. A coaching change from Jurgen Klinsmann to Bruce Arena during qualification didn't stop them from losing at home to Costa Rica and drawing Honduras and Panama away. A blowout of Panama in Matchday 9 opened the door to the throne room if they could just beat Trinidad and Tobago's B team in Couva on October 10, 2017. Whoops.
USMNT at the 2022 World Cup
A disappointing draw with Wales was a point nonetheless thanks to Timothy Weah's first-half goal. Then England didn't even bother to show up to the second match because they know the rules about playing the U.S. at the World Cup and they drew to fall to 2D-1L all-time against the Yanks. Christian Pulisic, of course, then scored the lone goal against Iran and Berhalter's team were onto the Round of 16. Down 2-0 thanks to a nothing first half, the Yanks rallied to within one through sub Haji Wright and out-attempted the Dutch 18-11 but lost 3-1.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGroup BUSMNT 1-1 Wales — Recap & highlights | Analysis | Player ratingsEngland 0-0 USMNT — Recap & highlights | Analysis | Player ratingsIran 0-1 USMNT — Recap, highlights, analysis | Player ratings
Round of 16Netherlands 3-1 USMNT — Recap, highlights, analysis
USMNT at the 2026 World Cup
Hosts
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