U.S. men’s national soccer team coach Mauricio Pochettino has revealed the question Donald Trump asked him about the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking on the “Stick To Football” podcast, the Argentine manager recalled an exchange with the president ahead of the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., in December — when Trump was controversially awarded FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize.
“Do you think, coach, that we can win?” he said of the question that Trump asked him.
Pochettino said he replied, “Of course.”
Watch the comments from the 34-minute mark here on YouTube.
When asked by podcast host Gary Neville, the former Manchester United and England national team defender, if he truly believes the U.S. can win the tournament, Pochettino asked: “Why not? Why not?”
“Because it’s all about to believe,” he argued. “Look at Morocco in Qatar. No one believe and right to the semi-final or South Korea in Japan, and I think the semi-final too.”
The U.S. men’s team is currently ranked 16th in the world and has reached the round of 16 in each of the 2010, 2014 and 2022 World Cups.