Zlatan Ibrahimovic's World Cup Claim Draws Doubts From Former USMNT Player
The United States Men’s National Team achieved back-to-back wins to start their 2026 FIFAWorld Cup, taking down Bosnia-Herzegovina, 4-1, and then Australia, 2-0, to win Group C and qualify for the Round of 32.
It immediately raised the possibility that this edition of the USMNT is capable of making a deep run in the tournament, and perhaps, having a chance at winning the World Cup.
International football star and Fox Sports analyst, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, even delivered an exciting vote of confidence when he simply responded, “Yes” when asked if the USMNT could win it all.
Not so fast, said former USMNT player, Herculez Gomez, who appeared on ESPN and was asked about Ibrahimovic’s surprising claim about the team.
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“Great footballer. As a pundit, let’s talk about that,” Gomez said on “SportsCenter.” “Listen, only eight teams have ever won the World Cup in its illustrious almost hundred-year tournament. Eight teams. Nobody’s reached that barrier since the Spanish national team, and they had some of the best players in the world.”
Gomez reminded everyone that this is only the third time the USMNT has won their group, and also the farthest they’ve gone is the quarterfinal. He previously appeared on the USMNT roster in 2010, which won their World Cup group in South Africa.
“The Group phase is much more forgiving. Once you’re in the Knockout Round, it’s much more difficult to let alone get to the final, but win it,” he said. “Let’s go step by step. I believe as well, but step by step.”
Gomez makes a strong point to pump the brakes on the USMNT. While their wins over Bosnia-Hergezovina and Australia were exciting to watch, they weren’t necessarily the top-tier contenders at this World Cup.
Along with that, Gomez mentioned that the USMNT could have an easy path to start their tournament, but that will likely get tougher as they advance. Some of this year’s top contenders include France, England, and the reigning World Cup champs, Argentina.
Still, the United States has a home-field advantage, as they are one of the three teams co-hosting this year’s World Cup, along with Canada and Mexico. Both of those teams have also qualified for the Knockout Round of the World Cup, making for exciting times in these three nations.
The World Cup Final is in New York on July 19, which would be fitting for a UMSNT match, seeing as the New York Knicks just won their first NBA championship in over 50 years.
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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 1:02 PM.