The United States’ 26-man squad for this summer’s World Cup has been made official, with the team’s head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, making the announcement in a live television event from Pier 17 in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon.

The roster matches the one exclusively revealed by the Guardian on Saturday.

The most notable omission is Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna, who has earned the second-most minutes of any attacking player over the course of Pochettino’s tenure. Also coming as surprises were the exclusions of central midfielders Tanner Tessmann and Aidan Morris, and the inclusion of Club América winger Alejandro Zendejas, who has played just 139 minutes over Pochettino’s 19 months in charge.

Outside those decisions, the roster offers few surprises. The US had the second-youngest squad at the Qatar World Cup in 2022, and that spine – including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Chris Richards and Tim Weah – is back for this summer’s tournament. The roster includes 13 players with World Cup experience, and an equal number of debutants.

“We are confident this is the best group of 26 players to help us achieve success at the World Cup,” Pochettino said. “These were very difficult decisions, and we are thankful to all the players who were part of this journey. This group is very focused and ready to give everything they have to represent the United States and deliver performances that will make the fans and the country proud.”

The final squad comes after a compressed World Cup cycle, with Pochettino calling in 61 players during his time in charge. The players compete in 16 different leagues spanning 12 countries.

Next up for the US roster: a trip to the newly opened National Training Center in Fayetteville, Georgia, where they will prepare for a World Cup warm-up against Senegal in Charlotte, North Carolina on 31 May. The team will then return to Georgia for a second leg of training before departing for a friendly against Germany on 6 June in Chicago. They arrive at their World Cup training base in Orange County, California, on 7 June.

The US open the World Cup on 12 June against Paraguay in Inglewood, California, followed by a game against Australia on 19 June in Seattle. They close the group stage on 25 June against Turkey in Inglewood.

Full 2026 US World Cup roster

Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0 caps, 0 goals), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 14/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 53/0).

Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 18/1), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven; 37/2), Alex Freeman (Villarreal; 15/2), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse; 27/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 80/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; 36/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham; 52/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 38/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; 24/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic; 6/0).

Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth; 52/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps; 11/1), Weston McKennie (Juventus; 64/12), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach; 36/9), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 45/0), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen; 28/3).

Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United; 57/9), Folarin Balogun (Monaco; 25/8), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven; 35/13), Christian Pulisic (Milan; 84/32), Tim Weah (Marseille; 49/7), Haji Wright (Coventry City; 20/7). Alejandro Zendejas (Club América; 13/2).