When U.S. Soccer announced the U.S. men’s national team’s pre-World Cup friendlies roster on Dec. 2, there was no opponent for a game in Charlotte on May 31. Today, U.S. Soccer revealed that Senegal will be the opponent in this match, with the two teams set to meet in the continental El Clasico at U.S. Bank Stadium.
As first reported in Sports by Yahoo’s Steven Goff two days ago, the game against Senegal will be the first of two “sendoff” games for the U.S. national team during the June window, which is designed to prepare the team for the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off on June 11 in Mexico City. This will be the first time the U.S. national team will face Senegal, which is ranked 19th in the world and one of the strongest teams in Africa. Senegal remained undefeated in World Cup qualifying and qualified for the 2026 World Cup as first place in the group. They were placed in Group 1 in last Friday’s FIFA World Cup draw, where they will face France, Norway and the FIFA Play-off 2 winners (Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname). The game was played before the draw, but only if the two teams were not drawn into Group D together, which is the group the USMNT is in. Once the draw is completed, the match can be finalized.
“We are delighted to have such a good team in Senegal as our fourth opponent in our pre-World Cup tournament,” head coach Mauricio Pochettino said in a statement. “We will play at least one team from five different leagues in the year leading up to the World Cup, which is very valuable in our preparation. We look forward to a great crowd in Charlotte.”
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This is the second time the U.S. national team has played in Charlotte, the last time being during the 2023 Gold Cup group stage against Trinidad and Tobago. This game will be a huge test for the U.S. National Team as they abandon their traditional setup against non-World Cup opponents in the send-off game. The match against Senegal is the final piece of the puzzle that has now been finalized for the U.S. national team. They will face Belgium and Portugal at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium during the March window. After a match against Senegal in Charlotte on May 31, they will travel to Chicago for their final game against Germany at Soldier Field before facing Paraguay in the World Cup group stage on June 12.
