Mauricio Pochettino is taking charge of the United States men’s national soccer team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The former Tottenham and Chelsea coach was appointed to lead the Stars and Stripes’ in September 2024 and has overseen a great start to the tournament for the hosts.
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The USA have won two from two in Group D to sail through to the Round of 32.
Now, Pochettino is hoping to inspire the States to World Cup glory, or at the very least, ensure they advance past the quarter-final stages for only the second time in their history.
Mauricio Pochettino’s USA contract situation
Pochettino succeeded Gregg Berhalter as USMNT’s head coach after the team’s poor showing at the 2024 Copa America, in which they were eliminated in the group stage.
In doing so, he reunited with USSF sporting director Matt Crocker, with the pair having previously worked together at Southampton.
The two-year contract he signed in September is set to expire in August 2026, shortly after the end of USMNT’s World Cup campaign.
However, the 54-year-old has previously admitted he would be open to staying beyond August should he be presented with a new contract.
“I think you can never say never. In football, everything can happen,” Pochettino said on March 30. “I am very happy here and of course, it’s tough, but it’s a massive challenge. It’s a bigger challenge than we really believed or thought [when starting] here.
“We love this type of challenge. It is never easy when you want to change things. You need to change, and that is why, I think that is the project of the U.S. Men’s National Team. U.S. Soccer is amazing.
“The new training facility is amazing. That is going to be one of the best in the world of football. It is always the motivation to have the possibility to work with an organization that has the vision to build something special.”
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“We talk about how the potential here is massive, with the legacy of the World Cup, I think, and in the way that soccer is growing here…I think this is very exciting for the future here.”
Mauricio Pochettino’s salary breakdown
When he was appointed as the USMNT head coach, Pochettino was awarded with a contract estimated at $6million-per-year.
This made him the highest-paid head coach in the national team’s history.
His predecessor Berhalter reportedly earned $2.3m in 2022, including $900,000 in bonuses when the United States qualified for the World Cup in Qatar and reached the Round of 16.
What is interesting is that U.S. Soccer appeared to indicate that they had received financial help from external sources prior to convincing the Argentine coach to sign on the dotted line.
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“Pochettino’s appointment is supported in significant part by a philanthropic leadership gift from Kenneth C. Griffin, Founder and CEO of Citadel and Founder of Griffin Catalyst,” a team statement read.
“Additional support has been provided by Scott Goodwin, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Diameter, and several commercial partners.”
Mauricio Pochettino’s past and future jobs
Regardless of who has contributed to his salary since taking his first ever international job, it is still estimated to be a pay cut from his time at Premier League side Chelsea.
Pochettino was appointed as the Blues manager back in May 2023, but left Stamford Bridge less than a year into his two-year deal, despite qualifying for European football.
He agreed to a £10m pay-off from the club to part ways.
Prior to his brief stint in west London, Pochettino was in charge of Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain where he won three major trophies in 18 months between 2021 and 2022.
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Before that he had spent six seasons at Tottenham Hotspur, in which he led them to their first ever Champions League final in 2019, and finished inside the top four on four occasions, including a second-place finish in the 2016-17 season, seven points behind winners Chelsea.
With his current contract due to expire at the end of the summer, Pochettino hasn’t ruled out a return to the English top flight.
“One day yes, because I really like England,” he said when asked on a recent appearance on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast whether he would like to return to coach in England.
“I think my profile – my human profile and my coaching profile – match very well with the Premier League.”
All 104 games at the 2026 World Cup this summer will be live on eSPORTY, eSPORTY 2 and the eSPORTY app.
