The president Donald Trump personally called coach Mauricio Pochettino and the captain of the United States Men's National Team on Thursday night, the eve of the team's debut in the 2026 World Cup against Paraguay.
The video of the call released by USMNT, shared by the team on social media, shows how Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup 2026, facilitated the contact from Irvine, California, where the team was conducting its final training sessions.
At the beginning of the call, Giuliani said to the president: "Mr. President, I am in front of 26 champions and a great coach, Coach Pochettino. They are ready to go out and break through a wall."
Trump took the floor to directly praise the Argentine coach: "You're a fantastic guy, a fantastic coach... I know how great the players are. I think they have a very good chance of going all the way. I just want to wish them good luck."
Pochettino responded with gratitude and a promise: "Thank you very much for your support, Mr. President. We will do everything to make you and all the people of this country proud."
According to USA Today, Trump also conveyed a message of calm to the team: "The pressure is gone. Have fun."
The match took place this Friday at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles, with the USMNT placed in Group D alongside Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey. The team arrives at the tournament as the host, featuring players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Folarin Balogun, and Tim Weah.
Pochettino, appointed manager in August 2024, had warned before the match that the clash against Paraguay would be "very, very difficult," praising Paraguayan coach Gustavo Alfaro. In the only recent encounter between the two teams, the United States defeated Paraguay 2-1 in a friendly in November 2025.
Trump did not attend the inaugural game. He assigned Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead the official delegation of the government, accompanied by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Senator Markwayne Mullin. Rubio took advantage of the visit to Los Angeles to meet bilaterally with the President of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, to discuss regional security, trade, and investments.
The 2026 World Cup is the first tournament with 48 teams and the first to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. For the Trump administration, the event carries special political significance: the president has claimed to have "fought" during his first term for the United States to secure the tournament's hosting rights, and the White House allocated more than 1,000 million dollars in spending related to the event, including 625 million for security.
According to a White House official, Trump plans to attend the World Cup final on July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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