With the United States set to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, it is worth revisiting the last time American soil staged the world's biggest sporting event — and just how far the nation's football programme had to travel to get there.

The depths of Italia 90

When the United States qualified for the 1990 World Cup in Italy, it marked the country's return to the tournament after a 40-year absence. Expectations were modest at best. The team arrived in Italy with little professional infrastructure behind it and a squad built largely on college football and a handful of players gaining experience abroad.

The results were brutal. The United States were beaten in all three group-stage matches — losing to Czechoslovakia, host nation Italy, and Austria — scoring a single goal across the entire campaign. It was an introduction to the modern World Cup stage that left little room for optimism.

Building from the ground up

Yet the humiliation of Italy served as a catalyst. American football officials recognised that simply showing up was not enough. The country needed a professional league, better coaching structures, and a development pathway capable of producing players who could compete at the highest level.

The awarding of the 1994 World Cup to the United States — confirmed in 1988 — provided a fixed deadline and a very public stage. It was both an opportunity and an obligation: the host nation would need to demonstrate that American football had moved beyond the embarrassment of Italia 90.

A transformed team by 1994

By the time the 1994 tournament kicked off on home soil, the United States had undergone a genuine transformation. The squad featured players with meaningful experience in European leagues, and the team was shaped by a more rigorous preparation programme than anything the country had previously attempted at senior level.

The United States advanced from the group stage and reached the Round of 16 — a result that would have seemed almost unthinkable four years earlier in Italy. The performance validated the investment made in the programme and laid the groundwork for Major League Soccer, which launched in 1996 as a direct legacy of hosting the tournament.

History about to repeat — with higher stakes

As 2026 approaches, the United States once again find themselves preparing to host a World Cup. The stakes are considerably higher: the expanded 48-team format, the weight of co-hosting responsibilities, and three decades of expectation built since 1994 all bear down on the programme.

The story of how the United States went from being outclassed in Italy to staging one of the most successful World Cups in history remains one of American football's defining chapters — and a reminder of what a home tournament can demand of a nation still finding its place in the global game.