USMNT to Close 2026 Against Jamaica in Fort Lauderdale as MLS Players Get December Spotlight

The U.S. Men’s National Team will close out its 2026 campaign on Sunday, Dec. 13, against longtime Concacaf rival Jamaica at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. The Americans have opened the new cycle under head coach Mauricio Pochettino with four straight victories. This standalone meeting with the Reggae Boyz gives a group of MLS players one more chance to make their case before official competition returns in 2027, a year that could include as many as three competitions: the Concacaf Nations League Finals, the Concacaf Gold Cup and the start of qualifying for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

For Pochettino, the December date is as much about evaluation as it is about extending the winning run. “As we continue to build our group, this is an excellent opportunity to work with many of the MLS players and potentially see some new faces,” Pochettino said. “Jamaica is the type of team we could see in upcoming tournaments including World Cup Qualifying, so it’s a great opportunity and experience for these players. Of course, we love to play in Ft. Lauderdale and to have the support of the amazing fans in the area.”

Because the match falls outside a FIFA international window, the camp lets a host of MLS players and rising prospects play directly in front of the coaching staff, and recent history suggests those chances carry real weight. During the team’s perfect 4-0-0 stretch this fall, nine MLS players earned their international debuts and made meaningful contributions. With a pivotal year ahead, every performance in December will count toward who stays in the picture.

The gathering replaces the traditional January camp but keeps its purpose: giving MLS-based players an extended look and a platform to make their mark. That path has taken plenty of players from a winter camp all the way to a World Cup roster. Seven members of the U.S. squad at the 2026 FIFA World Cup earned their first or second cap in a January camp match: current captain Tyler Adams, forwards Brenden Aaronson and Alex Zendejas, midfielder Cristian Roldan, defenders Max Arfsten and Tim Ream, and goalkeeper Matt Turner. The camp’s alumni also include five members of the 100-cap club: Jozy Altidore, DaMarcus Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan.

The finale keeps the momentum going for a cycle that began with four wins, two of them against Concacaf rivals. It is also the next stop on the long road to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, with qualifying set to begin in 2027. That tournament will celebrate the sport’s centennial, with Morocco, Portugal and Spain as hosts and special opening matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay marking 100 years since the first World Cup.

Sunday’s match will be the first meeting between the United States and Jamaica since the USMNT’s 4-2 win in the 2024 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals on Nov. 18, 2024, in St. Louis, Missouri. That result completed a sweep of the two-leg series and gave Pochettino his first home match and first home victory in official competition. It will be the 36th meeting in a series that goes back nearly 40 years to 1988, when the two sides played to a 1-1 draw in Kingston, Jamaica. The United States holds a 22W-3L-10D record overall against the Reggae Boyz, including a 7W-1L-2D mark in non-official matches.

The USMNT returns to Fort Lauderdale for the seventh time, and this will be its first match against Jamaica anywhere in Florida. The Americans have never lost in the city known as the “Venice of America,” going 5W-0L-1D there, including four matches at what was then Lockhart Stadium. Their history in Fort Lauderdale dates to 1980, when they hosted Canada and Mexico back-to-back in FIFA World Cup qualifiers, drawing the first and winning the second. The U.S. has also won both of its matches at Inter Miami CF Stadium, beating El Salvador 6-0 on Dec. 9, 2020, and Venezuela 3-1 on Jan. 18, 2025. Three of its four wins in the most recent window came at MLS soccer-specific stadiums.

There’s a local storyline on the other side as well. Inter Miami CF homegrown defender Ian Fray has made four appearances for Jamaica since his debut against Curaçao on Oct. 10, 2025, and he could return to his home stadium wearing the opposing colors.

The match will air on TNT, truTV, HBO Max, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock, with radio coverage from Westwood One Sports in English and longtime partner Fútbol de Primera in Spanish. Tickets went on sale to the public on Friday, Oct. 23, at ussoccer.com. Fans can follow the action on X and Instagram at @USMNT, on Facebook and through the Official U.S. Soccer App.