Photo by Jannik / Unsplash
Mauricio Pochettino is set to lead the USMNT into the 2026 FIFA World Cup – the first on U.S. soil in over 30 years. But it looks like he’s already thinking about what comes next.
Italian reporter Nicolò Schira posted on X claiming that Pochettino will leave the national team after the World Cup, and that his representation has already met with AC Milan to put his name forward for their vacant managerial role.
Mauricio #Pochettino will leave #USA National Team after the World Cup. He has been offered to #ACMilan by an intermediary in the last hours. #transfers
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) May 27, 2026
The Athletic‘s James Horncastle backed up that report shortly after.
According to Horncastle, the negotiations between Pochettino and Milan started well before the World Cup got underway – not after it.
“The meeting took place last week ahead of the USMNT’s World Cup camp in Georgia.”
That’s a significant detail.
Pochettino’s contract with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), signed in 2024, expires after this summer’s tournament. He was always considered a short-term appointment – a big name brought in to give the team direction heading into a home World Cup – so a departure was expected. The timing of these conversations, though, is another matter.
The 54-year-old Argentinian took over the USMNT after the federation parted ways with Gregg Berhalter in 2024. It was his first international job after a career spent entirely at the club level, with previous stints at Tottenham, PSG, and Chelsea. A return to club football was widely assumed to be in his plans eventually; Milan would represent a marquee landing spot.
Just months ago, Pochettino was painting a different picture publicly. Speaking in March about the team’s prospects, he said:
“In football, logic rarely holds. There are no mathematical equations to predict a result. That’s also why it’s the most beautiful sport in the world — because it can be unjust. It’s about being competitive, but also mastering the emotional factors. It’s a good blend of the logical and the illogical, the rational and the irrational.”
He also pointed to what South Korea and Morocco accomplished at the 2002 and 2022 World Cups as a reference point for what the USMNT could achieve with home support behind them.
Whether those words resonate differently now is up to fans to decide. What’s clear is that the U.S. may be heading into the biggest football tournament in its recent history with a manager who’s already working out his exit.
