The United States men’s national soccer team revealed the 26 players expected to carry the weight of an entire country on Tuesday afternoon during a live broadcast.
There was a large crowd, musical performances, and the players were introduced on-stage while holding their jerseys for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Most of the names were already known and expected. Names like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams. But there were a few surprises and one glaring omission.
USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino took a risk with his roster and oddsmakers actually lowered America’s chances of winning the World Cup because of it.
That almost never happens.
Most roster reveals create a temporary emotional surge. England’s odds to win the World Cup actually went up after their roster reveal video that collaborated with The Beatles.
But for the U.S., BetOnline actually moved the team’s odds from 80/1 to 100/1 to win the World Cup after the official roster was unveiled on Tuesday. Uruguay, Mexico, and Switzerland all jumped the U.S. in their odds to win the tournament.
That is not a market correction. That is a warning shot.
“USA’s true odds should probably be closer to 200/1,” BetOnline Brand Manager Dave Mason said bluntly Tuesday.
Now that the bluster, emotion, and patriotism of the television production has faded, the flaws on this roster are impossible to ignore.
The most glaring issue sits directly in the center of the midfield, the area where World Cups are usually won or lost. Pochettino decided to leave Tanner Tessmann off the roster due to potential fitness concerns. His decision to not replace him with another true midfielder was perhaps more shocking in the soccer world.
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Instead of adding someone like Aidan Morris, a ball-winning destroyer capable of surviving the brutal grind of a non-stop, six-week tournament, he added defender Joe Scally to an already crowded back line.
The move felt redundant. In fact, Scally might not even see the pitch.
Now, the Americans enter the biggest tournament in modern U.S. soccer history dangerously thin in the midfield behind Adams and McKennie. One injury. One red card. One bad tackle in the group stage and the team suddenly becomes more fragile than a three-week old bar of soap.
That uncertainty only magnifies the pressure on Pulisic, who hasn’t scored a goal in his last 24 matches. The World Cup has a way of exposing the truth about teams. They uncover weak depth, shaky roster balance, and overly cautious coaching decisions.
That’s all the betting markets needed to see on Tuesday.
And when sportsbooks start losing fath in the host nation before a ball has even been kicked, then that should make every American soccer fan uncomfortable.
Below are the new odds to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
2026 World Cup odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| France | 5/1 |
| Spain | 5/1 |
| England | 7/1 |
| Brazil | 9/1 |
| Argentina | 10/1 |
| Portugal | 10/1 |
| Germany | 16/1 |
| Netherlands | 25/1 |
| Norway | 33/1 |
| Belgium | 40/1 |
| Colombia | 45/1 |
| Morocco | 60/1 |
| Japan | 60/1 |
| Uruguay | 80/1 |
| Mexico | 80/1 |
| Switzerland | 90/1 |
| USA | 100/1 |
| Croatia | 100/1 |
| Ecuador | 100/1 |
| Turkey | 100/1 |
| Senegal | 100/1 |
| Sweden | 125/1 |
| Austria | 150/1 |
| Canada | 200/1 |
| Scotland | 250/1 |
| Paraguay | 250/1 |
| Bosnia | 250/1 |
| Czechia | 250/1 |
| Ivory Coast | 250/1 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 300/1 |
| Egypt | 300/1 |
| South Korea | 350/1 |
| Algeria | 400/1 |
| Ghana | 400/1 |
| Australia | 500/1 |
| Iran | 500/1 |
| DR Congo | 500/1 |
| Tunisia | 500/1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 750/1 |
| Qatar | 7501 |
| Iraq | 1000/1 |
| South Africa | 1000/1 |
| Panama | 1500/1 |
| New Zealand | 1500/1 |
| Cape Verde | 2000/1 |
| Uzbekistan | 2000/1 |
| Jordan | 2500/1 |
| Curacao | 5000/1 |
| Haiti | 5000/1 |
