Jozy Altidore believes the US will win it all — and has a message for the doubters: "If you don't believe, get out"
The former American striker used the rout of Paraguay and the twilight of the Messi-Ronaldo era to make his case for a home-soil title
Jozy Altidore didn't mince words. The day after the United States hammered Paraguay 4–1, the former striker showed up at a sponsors' event and dropped the declaration: "The United States are going to win the World Cup. If you don't believe that, get out of here."
He was smiling when he said it, according to reporters in the room — but the argument that followed was dead serious.
For Altidore, the 2026 World Cup arrives at a singular moment. For years, any team chasing the title had to find a way past Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Not anymore. "Those guys are at the end of their careers. And I think that levels the playing field for everyone, because it takes away that otherworldly element," said the former forward, who also works as a television analyst in the US.
His case rests on two pillars: playing at home, with the crowd and infrastructure in their favor, and a global landscape more open than at any recent World Cup.
Altidore knows what it means to wear the American shirt. The third-highest scorer in US history with 42 goals, he played at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups and retired in 2023 at the age of 33, after a career that took him through the Netherlands, England, Spain, Mexico, and Canada — where he made his name at Toronto FC.
The numbers, however, urge caution. Golmetria's model gives the US just a 0.78% chance of lifting the trophy — well below Spain, the favorites at 18.42%. On the betting markets, the Americans are a long shot with some respect: odds of +6000, according to bookmaker data.
But Altidore isn't interested in probability. He's interested in momentum — and a tournament-opening rout gave him plenty of fuel for the home-soil dream.
Australia and Turkey still await the Americans in Group D. The path is there. But the title? That's going to take a whole lot more than one inspired night.