United States President Donald Trump spoke via phone with the U.S. men’s national team on Thursday night to offer his support ahead of the team’s opening game at the 2026 World Cup.Trump will not be in attendance for the team’s opener against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Friday night.Secretary of State Marco Rubio will instead attend the game, along with Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin.The call lasted around two minutes, a team spokesman told The Athletic.U.S. Soccer posted a 45-second clip of the call to its social media accounts. In the clip, only the White House’s World Cup Task Force CEO Andrew Giuliani, USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino and captain Tim Ream are shown, but all 26 players and staff were present, the team spokesman added.“Well, I just got to say you’re a fantastic guy, a fantastic coach, and you’re all about your record and your success, and I know how great the players are,” Trump said in the clip. “I think you’ve got a really good chance of going all the way. I just want to wish you a lot of luck.”
“Thank you so much for your support, Mr President,” Pochettino said in reply, alongside Ream.“We are going to do everything to make you and all the people here in this country proud.”
