Landon Donovan Talks 2026 World Cup, USMNT, FanDuel and More in B/R Interview

Scott PolacekJun 8, 2026

Landon Donovan played in three World Cups, scored one of the most famous goals in United States history and is an American soccer icon.

But he is still jealous of this year's team.

"I'm jealous I don't get to play," Donovan told Bleacher Report when discussing the United States' role as one of the 2026 World Cup hosts along with Canada and Mexico. "The crowds are going to be amazing. Even hearing the players talk about it, people are so excited and so ready. Sporting events and the World Cup in particular allow everyone to take a break from the world and just enjoy life.

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"I don't know if it's even conscious all the time, but people just want to go out and party and celebrate and enjoy the summer and watch amazing things. Live sports are the best because you don't know what to expect and what you're going to get. But you get to be a part of it when that moment happens, and people love that. I think the crowds are going to be phenomenal."

Those crowds and home-field advantage figure to provide a much-needed boost for the Americans, especially in Group D with Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye where many expect them to advance.

While nobody is going to mistake the United States for a soccer powerhouse such as France, Brazil or Spain, there is a baseline expectation it will be playing in the knockout rounds this year. After all, the Red, White and Blue advanced to the round of 16 in its last three World Cup appearances (2010, 2014 and 2022) and were quarterfinalists with Donovan in 2002.

The presence of the home fans this year adds another element that should only raise the ceiling.

So what would constitute a successful World Cup for the United States?

"A deep run, but I can't define what that is," Donovan said. "A lot of it will depend on who you play. If you play New Zealand in the round of 32, you better win. If you play Brazil, okay we'll see. … The other piece, and I know this because I lived it and have seen it many times, is iconic moments. Maybe an unbelievable save that helps you win or an incredible goal.

"Those kinds of things are what attract people and make them fans. So even if we lost in the round of 32 but we had two insane moments that pulled everyone together and made them proud to be American and support this team, I still think that's a success. Because ultimately what we're trying to do, and I see this through a bigger lens, is grow the sport."

Perhaps no iconic moment, at least on the men's side, has pulled Americans together more around soccer than Donovan's famous stoppage-time winner against Algeria in the 2010 World Cup that propelled his team to the knockout stage.

It was the third World Cup of his legendary career and the goal he remains the most remembered for, at least on that stage.

With time running out in a scoreless tie and the Americans needing a win to advance, goalkeeper Tim Howard played the ball forward to a streaking counterattack. While the initial advance was turned away, Donovan collected the rebound and buried a shot into the back of the net.

It set off celebrations across the country and elevated the sport to another level for many fans.

"The coolest thing is many, many people tell me a story about where they were, which is a great thing to be a part of," Donovan said. "The other part of it is when people say, 'I became a soccer fan that day. I was just watching with my buddies and I just wanted to be a part of it forever.' And that's really cool."

And now those fans who first embraced the sport that day will have an opportunity to watch another attacking goal-scorer who is the face of an American World Cup team lead the Red, White and Blue onto the international stage this year.

There is no doubting Christian Pulisic—who has played for some of the most notable clubs in the world in Dortmund, Chelsea and Milan—as the leader of the 2026 roster. He helped lead the United States out of the group stage and into the round of 16 in 2022 with one goal and two assists in four games and is looking to take another step this time.

At 27 years old, Pulisic is in the middle of what figures to be his peak playing years with the chance to cement his name among American soccer legends such as Donovan with an excellent performance in the World Cup on home soil.

The team and attack figures to go as far as he will take them, and he has plenty of individual momentum after ending a five-month scoring drought for club and country with a goal and an assist in a friendly win over Senegal.

It was Pulisic's eighth career game with a goal and an assist for the United States, which ranks behind only Donovan's 13 in the men's team history.

"I could not be more excited for Christian now," Donovan said. "I do think he needed to get the scoring monkey off his back. He's been playing well and competing well, but it's different when you score. It just is, I've been there in long droughts and when you finally hit the net everything changes. You relax, you're more aggressive, more assertive and willing to take chances.

"In our three group games, you can argue he will be the best player on the field in all three. He knows that and he gets to go into these games feeling that and feeling confident. And he'll be on the better team in at least two of the three games, too. So I have high expectations for him. Not in a pressure way, I just think he's going to have a phenomenal World Cup."

But Pulisic is going to need plenty of support for the Americans to advance, and Donovan believes that will arrive from multiple position groups with defender Alex Freeman and midfielder Weston McKennie as two players who are perhaps somewhat under the radar going into the World Cup but primed to become household names during the tournament.

"On the field, just purely how he's going to impact the team, is Alex Freeman," Donovan said. "He's a name nobody really hears about, but I would put money on him being one of the better two or three players in all of our games.

"And the player who I think, if he continues with the form he is in, which is the form of his life, is Weston McKennie. He's charismatic, he's fun, he's great in front of the camera. People love him, they're attracted to his energy. And he's also playing well. He's playing better than any of our players right now. If he performs, America is going to get to know him really fast."

McKennie was part of the 2022 team, but Freeman is among the 13 Americans who will be playing in their first World Cup. That is half of the announced 26-man roster, which means the team will have to overcome some inexperience on soccer's grandest stage.

Donovan is better equipped than most to give advice to players preparing for their first World Cup, as he scored two goals and helped lead the Americans to the quarterfinals in his initial one in 2002.

It was a sign of things to come for the American legend when he truly announced himself on the international stage, and he believes the young players on this year's team should embrace the moment.

"Half the roster. It's a lot," Donovan said. "It's a lot to play in a World Cup, period, but today especially with social media and the society we're in, there's a lot of pressure. But, personally, I would just be so excited. The chance to play in a World Cup was the biggest dream come true. The only thing bigger would be to play it in our country. So I'm so excited for these guys, and they have the biggest opportunity they'll ever have in their life. And I really hope they take advantage of it."

Soccer fans can also take advantage of opportunities during the World Cup thanks to FanDuel's promotions it is running throughout the tournament.

Donovan called his partnership with FanDuel "amazing" after he appeared in the company's World Cup ad campaign.

"We were able to find a way to make it a little more enticing for people to bet on FanDuel during the World Cup," he said. "The 90-minute markets are now extended into 120 minutes, so knockout games give you more opportunity to win.

"The other way is through the Super Sub, which is cool because a lot of times you get mad when your guy gets subbed out of a game. But now the bet still carries on with the person who replaces him and even more if he's replaced. So it just means the odds are a little more in your favor and it makes it more fun for people. It's going to be a great summer to gamble responsibly."

Bettors are surely looking for some potential darkhorse contenders in the World Cup, and Donovan has his eye on Norway and Colombia.

With Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard spearheading the effort, Norway figures to be a threat to anyone even in France's Group I. And Colombia is part of a potentially winnable Group K alongside Portugal, Uzbekistan and Congo DR with Luis Díaz and James Rodríguez leading the way for a formidable club.

"Norway is really intriguing to me," Donovan said. "… It's a very hard group, but Norway is a very good team. The other two I think are interesting are Colombia and Ecuador. Colombia and Ecuador will have massive followings here, especially Colombia when they play in the Southeast. It will be interesting to see how they handle that because they are a very talented team."

But all of those teams will be looking up at Spain when the tournament ends, at least in Donovan's eyes.

"Spain. I think Spain is the best team," he said when asked for a predicted World Cup winner. "France is the most talented team. Historically, France just falls apart for whatever reason, either on the field or off the field. It's just the way it is. When they keep it together, they win. When they don't, they lose.

"If they keep it together, they are so immensely talented. Their top eight attacking players would probably be the first- or second-best attacking player on every other team in the World Cup. If they can hold it together, they can give everyone a run for their money.

"But I think Spain is the best team. Spain has very, very good players. They're the best collective team, they've won together."

And now they have the chance to win the biggest World Cup in the event's history as all 48 teams have their eye on the July 19 final with the action set to kick off on June 11.