The United States Soccer Federation has presented head coach Mauricio Pochettino with a proposal to extend for a second World Cup cycle, running until 2030, but any decisions will be deferred until after the 2026 tournament. Pochettino’s current contract is due to expire after the current World Cup but sources with knowledge of the situation, who remain anonymous as they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, have told The Athletic that conversations between U.S. Soccer and the Argentine coach have been ongoing for several months, with an offer presented to Pochettino to renew for a further four years.

The proposal was made to Pochettino for his consideration prior to this summer’s tournament, as U.S. Soccer made clear to their head coach they were eager to continue the working relationship. All parties preferred to wait until after the tournament to make any final decisions, which makes sense given performances and results at the World Cup were always going to shape opinions on both sides. However, U.S. Soccer wanted to signpost its interest to Pochettino, who could hypothetically be a free agent in less than a month.

There may have been a presumption that Pochettino, 54, may immediately seek to return to club soccer after the tournament. That suspicion was enhanced for many when Matt Crocker, the sporting director who worked with Pochettino at Southampton and helped to hire him for U.S. Soccer, suddenly quit the organization for a role in Saudi Arabia in April.

The USMNT has made a dream start to the tournament, exceeding expectations in their performances when beating Paraguay and Australia to secure progress through to the round of 32, and making Thursday night’s defeat by Turkey a dead rubber. The team also has a kind-looking draw and a nation is now dreaming of progress towards the latter stages of the competition.

The upcoming four years will not only build up to a World Cup but has broader appeal for a coach as it will also include a home Olympic Games in Los Angeles while Copa America in 2028 is also expected to be played in the United States, with the USMNT once again competing in the tournament. The federation will also be hoping that the new opening of a new $250 million national training center in Atlanta, along with the chance to further grow soccer in America after the exposure of a home World Cup, will entice Pochettino to extend his stay.

A renewal would also allow Pochettino more latitude to shape the direction and progression of players from the national youth team teams, as well as assisting on coach education, an area in which the Argentine has previously demonstrated interest.

It was reported before the start of the World Cup that Pochettino had held talks with Italian club AC Milan in late May, which U.S. Soccer chief executive JT Batson described as part and parcel of being in “the big leagues” by having an in-demand coach whose track record includes time spent at Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain. The federation can expect those approaches to come again, particularly if Pochettino continues to impress during this World Cup.

While Pochettino has had interest over the past year from several clubs, U.S. Soccer has always maintained an interest in keeping him beyond the home World Cup currently playing out in the United States. It remains to be seen if Pochettino will be convinced by a further four years in international soccer, or if he will ultimately crave another go at club level in Europe.

With that in mind, the federation has held continuous conversations with wealthy donors and sponsors to ensure that U.S. Soccer remains positioned and resourced to attract the very best coaches on the market. Before hiring Pochettino in September 2024, U.S. Soccer also had meetings with former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, demonstrating the federation’s ambition.

U.S. Soccer has previously said that the deal to sign Pochettino depended on support in “significant part” by a “philanthropic leadership gift” from Ken Griffin, the founder and CEO of hedge fund Citadel. The federation added that “additional support” came from Scott Goodwin of Diameter Capital and “several commercial partners.”

According to a historical tax filing published in March, covering April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, Pochettino’s pro-rated base salary projected at around $4m but bonuses and incentives could have pushed his total compensation package up between $5m and $6m, but that was in a non-World Cup year.

An extension would place his overall compensation in line with the highest-paid international coaches in the world, which is also competitive with what he could expect to command on the open market at the top end of European club soccer, although still less than the salaries paid out by the very richest European clubs.

Pochettino himself said earlier this week that he has not ruled out remaining beyond the World Cup. “It’s difficult to describe or know your future,” Pochettino said. “But when you are here, I think it’s difficult now to see yourself living in another place, because for sure, we will miss it if one day we don’t stay here in this country.”

“We told the federation we are open,” he said, “but we don’t want to distract when all the energy needs to be with my players.” In an interview with several outlets this week, he added: “If the American people start to show passion in our sport too, why not be here being part of something that can create a legacy?”

“The legacy is not to win the World Cup. Of course, we want to win, but that [connection] is the legacy we need if one day we want to be very successful and be consistent. Why not be part of that?”