Ken Griffin's Philanthropic Support Continues to Help Shape the Future of U.S. Soccer
Ken Griffin is once again the lead philanthropic supporter of the initiative, building on the philanthropic leadership gift he made in 2024 to help U.S. Soccer secure Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Under Pochettino’s leadership, the U.S. Men’s National Team recorded the most FIFA World Cup victories by any U.S. men’s head coach, earned its first knockout-stage victory since 2002, and achieved its deepest World Cup finish in more than two decades.
Under the new agreement, Pochettino and his coaching staff will not only lead the Men’s National Team through the 2030 FIFA World Cup cycle but also expand their role across the federation, supporting player development, youth soccer, coaching education, professional league collaboration, and other technical initiatives that will help strengthen the future of the sport in the United States.
“The USMNT delivered one of its strongest World Cup performances in more than two decades—a testament to the talent of our players and Mauricio's leadership. I'm thrilled he is returning in an expanded leadership role and am proud to support U.S. Soccer's efforts to advance the sport and inspire the next generation of players and fans.”
“Working together with U.S. Soccer over the past two years, it has become clear to us that there is tremendous potential to make the Men’s National Team program even stronger,” Pochettino said. “The passion we experienced from the fans throughout the World Cup only strengthened our belief in what is possible here. We are excited by the opportunity to bring all our experience and knowledge to even more areas of U.S. Soccer while helping strengthen the pathways for players, coaches and teams across the Federation.”
Beyond helping U.S. Soccer secure Pochettino, Ken has been one of the country’s leading supporters of youth soccer through the U.S. Soccer Foundation. Earlier this year, the Foundation honored him with its prestigious #10 Award, recognizing him as its most impactful philanthropist. Since 2017, Ken’s support has helped fund the construction of 100 mini-pitches in Chicago and Miami, expanding access to the sport for more than 100,000 children and families.
Ken also served on the Board of Directors of the Miami Host Committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and, through his civic engagement initiative Griffin Catalyst, helped ensure the tournament created lasting benefits for communities across South Florida. Those efforts included funding multiple nonprofit-hosted community watch parties that transformed Griffin Catalyst mini-pitches into family-friendly World Cup celebrations featuring match broadcasts, soccer activities, music, food, and community programming. Griffin Catalyst also served as an Official Miami World Cup 2026 Host City Supporter and sponsor of the FIFA Fan Festival Miami. Together with Stephen Ross, Ken donated more than 1,200 FIFA World Cup tickets to youth served by Boys & Girls Clubs across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
For more information, read the U.S. Soccer annoucement
