The U.S. has appeared in eleven FIFA World Cups, including the first in 1930, where they reached the semifinals; their third-place finish, which was later awarded through overall tournament records, is the best result by a team from outside UEFA and CONMEBOL.

The U.S. began group play by beating Belgium 3–0, and then earned a 3–0 victory over Paraguay, with FIFA crediting Bert Patenaude with two of the goals.

There was no third place game; however, using the overall tournament records in 1986, FIFA credited the Americans with a third-place finish ahead of fellow semifinalist Yugoslavia.

Striker Joe Gaetjens was the lone goalscorer in the match, which was called "The Miracle on Grass" and considered one of the greatest upsets in the history of the World Cup.

[25] The national team spent the mid-to-late 20th century in near complete irrelevance in both the international game and the domestic sporting scene.

[26][27] Playing only two matches from 1981 to 1983, U.S. Soccer targeted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1986 World Cup to rebuild the national team and its fan base.

In the last game of CONCACAF qualifying for the 1986 World Cup, the U.S. needed only a tie against Costa Rica to reach the final qualification group against Honduras and Canada.

[27][31] On July 4, 1988, FIFA named the U.S. as the host of the 1994 World Cup under significant international criticism given the perceived weakness of the national team and the lack of a professional outdoor league.

Mexico had been disqualified from the CONCACAF Championship for using ineligible players in a youth tournament, which allowed a chance for the U.S. to qualify for their first World Cup in 40 years.

Defenders Jimmy Banks and Desmond Armstrong became the first African Americans to appear in a World Cup match for the United States.

[40] In the 1998 World Cup in France, the team lost all three group matches, 2–0 to Germany, 2–1 to Iran, and 1–0 to Yugoslavia, finishing last in the field of 32.

The team earned four points in the group stage, beginning with a 3–2 win over Portugal, followed by a 1–1 tie with co-host and eventual semifinalist South Korea.

The U.S. met continental rivals Mexico for the first time in a World Cup, and won the game 2–0, with goals from Brian McBride and Landon Donovan.

In the quarterfinals, the USMNT met Germany and lost 1–0 after being controversially denied a penalty when Torsten Frings handled the ball to prevent a Gregg Berhalter goal.

[43] In the 2006 World Cup, after finishing top of the CONCACAF qualification tournament, the U.S. was drawn into Group E along with the Czech Republic, Italy, and Ghana.

[51] In the fourth round of the 2010 World Cup qualification, Jozy Altidore became the youngest U.S. player to score a hat-trick, in a 3–0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago.

After drawing against England 1–1 and Slovenia 2–2, the U.S. defeated Algeria 1–0 with a stoppage-time goal from Landon Donovan, taking first place in a World Cup group for the first time since 1930.

[54] After losing to Mexico 4–2 in the final of the 2011 Gold Cup, Bob Bradley was relieved of his duties and former Germany manager Jürgen Klinsmann was hired as head coach.

[58][59] The winning streak ended September 6, when the U.S. lost to Costa Rica 3–1 in San José in the final round of qualification.

[65] In the round of 16, the U.S. lost 2–1 to Belgium in extra time, despite goalkeeper Tim Howard making a World Cup record 15 saves[66][note 2] during the match.

[72] In their third Copa América appearance,[72] the U.S. topped Group A on goal difference against Colombia despite losing to them, and then beat Ecuador 2–1 in the quarterfinals.

[79] The search for a permanent head coach was delayed by the USSF presidential election in February 2018 and the hiring of Earnie Stewart as general manager in June 2018.

[84] An influx of new young talent playing for top European clubs, widely described as America's golden generation,[85][86][87] entered the national team in the late 2010s and early 2020s, including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Timothy Weah, Sergiño Dest, and Gio Reyna.

[91] The United States automatically qualified for the 2026 World Cup as co-host in February 2023, and secured a spot at the U.S.-hosted 2024 Copa América by defeating Trinidad and Tobago 4–2 over two legs in November 2023.

A color scheme based on the U.S. flag—usually a shirt with red and white stripes with blue shorts—has been occasionally used (most prominently in the 1994 World Cup and 2012–13 qualifiers as well the 1983 Team America franchise of the North American Soccer League).

Thirteen months later, on November 11, 2016, El Tri defeated the U.S. in Columbus, Ohio for their second consecutive victory on American soil, in qualification for the 2018 World Cup.

[111][112][113] The impetus for the rivalry was a 2014 World Cup qualifying match played on March 22, 2013, at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado under blizzard conditions.

Costa Rica filed a protest with FIFA due to field conditions after the United States won the game 1–0, but were denied recourse.

Win Draw Loss Fixture The following table shows the United States all-time international record, correct as of October 15, 2024.

[135] Its best finish at the Copa América was fourth place at the 1995 and 2016 editions,[136][137] while it competed as the host nation in 2024, failing to advance past the group stage.