NPR member station photographers captured images of World Cup watch parties outside stadium gates, on street corners and in public parks and squares as the World Cup became, for a brief period, a part of local life.
U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino said every match in the knockout stage is a final — win-or-go-home time. Jon Nelson explains how the U.S. team ended up.
The team was in the eye of a storm over a controversial phone call from President Trump to FIFA's head about a red card on a U.S. striker. But even with the U.S. at full strength, Belgium easily won.
The U.S. striker Folarin Balogun is expected to start against Belgium in a Round of 16 match after a surprise decision by FIFA to allow him to play despite receiving a red card last week.
In an unusual move, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee announced that it would delay Folarin Balogun's one-game red card ban. It came after President Trump spoke to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
World Cup watch parties in Santa Clara and the San Francisco Bay Area brought fans together for the United States vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina match, where the U.S. earned a 2-0 win to reach the Round of 16.
The U.S. men's team is favored in Wednesday's must-win Round of 32 match — but they haven't beaten a European team since 2021, nor won a World Cup knockout game since 2002.
The anxieties before the World Cup were many. But with the knockout round set to begin Sunday, it's fair to say: The North American World Cup has been a thrill.
Pochettino was the biggest name the U.S. men's soccer team had ever hired. His rebuild was bumpy at times — but now, with the U.S. headed to the World Cup knockout stage, the players are all in.
Two U.S. wins and two Turkey losses already on the books mean the Americans have won this World Cup group no matter the outcome of Thursday's game. Still, the Americans say they're playing to win.
This year's edition of the FIFA World Cup continues to be thrilling with unexpected performances from tournament first-timers and surprising results from some of the favorites.
The left winger Pulisic was key to the Americans' fluid and effective attack in last week's win over Paraguay. But he was kicked in the calf, left at halftime, and hadn't trained with the team since.
Friday's game, the first of three group stage matches for the U.S., has been eight years in the making as a generation of players has reached their prime just in time for a World Cup on home soil.
The U.S. is opening its 2026 World Cup on Friday evening against Paraguay. For the 26 Americans on the team, this match is the culmination of years of hard work and training.
