"Do you think, coach, that we can win?" That was Donald Trump's question to Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., in December. Pochettino's answer was simple: "Of course."
Speaking on Gary Neville's Stick to Football podcast, the Argentine laid out that exchange — and when Neville pressed him on whether he actually believes it, Pochettino didn't flinch. "Why not? Why not?"
"Because it's all about to believe," he said. "Look at Morocco in Qatar. No one believe and right to the semi-final. Or South Korea in Japan, and I think the semi-final too."
The case for and against US optimism
The comparisons are fair up to a point. Morocco and South Korea both rode home-continent momentum, organized defending, and tournament-bracket fortune to reach the final four. The US in 2026 will have the home crowd, a sprawling infrastructure of support across 16 host cities, and the kind of partisan atmosphere that absolutely distorts knockout football.
But Morocco had Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou, and a defensive structure that was genuinely elite. South Korea had Son Heung-min. The US at 16th in the world rankings is a better side than their recent World Cup exits suggest — round of 16 in 2010, 2014, and 2022 — but there's a gap between "dangerous host nation" and "legitimate title contender" that requires more than belief to close.
Pochettino's record at building cohesive tournament-ready sides — from his Spurs years through his time with PSG — suggests he understands the process. Whether he's had enough time with this group to actually deliver it is a different conversation entirely.
What this means for the odds
The US's World Cup outright price has been drifting in most markets — they're typically priced somewhere around 30/1 to 40/1, reflecting exactly that gap between host-nation threat and genuine contender. Pochettino's belief is genuine, but belief without a clear squad identity and a favorable draw won't move those numbers.
The real value question is how deep they can go. A semi-final run — the Morocco/South Korea ceiling Pochettino himself referenced — is the realistic upside. That's worth watching as the tournament format and draw shape up in 2025.
For now, at least the coach and the president are aligned. Whether the players are is what matters.
