England and USMNT in talks over pre-World Cup friendly

The Football Association (FA) and U.S. Soccer are in talks to stage an international friendly between England and the USMNT before the men’s World Cup in 2026.

The date and venue of the proposed fixture is yet to be decided but it is likely to take place on the east coast of America in June of next year. However, any games organised by U.S. Soccer with teams from Europe is dependent on results in the UEFA Nations League and World Cup qualifiers.

U.S. Soccer hopes the match will help build national interest in the men’s game ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting along with Mexico and Canada.

Attendances have been in decline for national team games amid the USMNT’s surprise group-stage exit at the Copa America earlier this year.

Canada’s 2-1 win over the USMNT in August — their first victory on American soil since 1957 — was watched by just 10,523 fans in Kansas City.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has been tasked with leading the team through to the World Cup after being named as Gregg Berhalter’s head coach replacement earlier this month.

The two countries last met in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Gareth Southgate’s side were held to a goalless draw before being eliminated by France in the quarter-finals.

The USMNT have beaten England twice in their 12 previous meetings.

Their 1-0 win at the 1950 World Cup remains the country’s most famous victory.

The two sides last met in an international friendly a year before the 1994 World Cup in America, which England failed to qualify for.

England have not played an international game in the States since 2005.

(John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)