The United States men’s national football team are set to begin the final stretch of preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a pair of international friendlies against South Korea and Japan this September, the US Soccer Federation confirmed on Tuesday.

The Americans will take on South Korea on 6 September at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, before travelling to Ohio to face Japan at Lower.com Field in Columbus on 9 September.

These friendlies fall within the first of four international windows between this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup and next year’s global tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The US previously played at Sports Illustrated Stadium — formerly known as Red Bull Arena — in the build-up to the 2014 World Cup. On that occasion, Fabian Johnson and Clint Dempsey were on the scoresheet in a 2-1 victory over Turkey. The venue also hosted a World Cup qualifier in 2018, where a 2-1 defeat to Costa Rica significantly contributed to the team’s eventual failure to qualify for that year’s tournament.

The clash with South Korea will mark the eighth meeting between the two nations, with their most memorable encounter taking place during the group stage of the 2002 World Cup. That match ended 1-1 in Daegu, with Clint Mathis and Ahn Jung-hwan finding the net.

South Korea currently lead their group in the third round of AFC World Cup qualifiers, three points clear of Jordan and four ahead of Iraq. With the top two teams securing automatic qualification for 2026, South Korea could seal their spot in June’s international window with matches against Iraq and Kuwait. Managed by iconic former defender and ex-LA Galaxy player Hong Myung-bo, the squad is headlined by Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min.

Japan, on the other hand, have already secured their place in the 2026 tournament. In March, they became the first non-host nation to qualify, and they are currently enjoying a 12-match unbeaten run dating back to February 2024. The Samurai Blue, who reached the round of 16 in each of the past two World Cups, are currently ranked 15th in the FIFA World Rankings.

The fixture against Japan will be played at Lower.com Field, home of MLS side Columbus Crew. It will be the US men's third appearance at the venue, having previously hosted two World Cup qualifiers there during their successful qualification campaign for Qatar 2022.