Citadel backing of U.S. soccer coach highlights Griffin’s role in national team rebuild

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Citadel backing of US soccer coach

Highlights

Ken Griffin, via Citadel, made the largest financial contribution to hire Mauricio Pochettino as U.S. men's national team coach after Copa America exit.
Griffin and Stephen Ross donated over 1,200 World Cup 2026 tickets to Miami residents, continuing Griffin’s $8 million in past soccer philanthropy in Chicago and Miami-Dade.
Citadel manages $68 billion in assets, remains the most profitable hedge fund per LCH Investments for the fourth year, and its Wellington fund is up 5% through June 22.

Funding role in Pochettino hiring

As reported by Reuters, a Citadel spokesman confirms that billionaire investor Ken Griffin made the largest financial contribution toward hiring Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino to lead the U.S. men's national team. Pochettino was brought in on a two-year contract after the squad was eliminated from the 2024 Copa America, with a mandate to rebuild the team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Pochettino previously coached Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. The U.S. team now advances to the round of 32 and is set to play Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1, as interest around the tournament spreads from sports fans to Wall Street executives traveling to matches across the country.

Griffin’s philanthropy and Wall Street profile

Griffin, 57, is a lifelong soccer fan who began playing at age 6 and continued to play and coach as an adult, according to the spokesman. His support for the sport also includes a $3 million donation in 2017 to the U.S. Soccer Foundation for 50 mini-pitches in Chicago and a later $5 million gift to develop 50 mini-pitches in Miami-Dade County, where Citadel is now headquartered.

For the 2026 World Cup, Griffin and real estate developer Stephen Ross donate more than 1,200 tickets to Miami residents for matches in the host city. Griffin tells Reuters that hosting the tournament in America has been a special experience and says he and his children attended the Uruguay-Cape Verde match in Miami on Father's Day.

Beyond sports philanthropy, Citadel oversees $68 billion in assets and LCH Investments names it the most profitable hedge fund of all time for the fourth straight year in 2025. Its flagship Wellington multi-strategy hedge fund is up 5% through June 22, according to a fund investor.

Our earlier coverage of Polymarket’s surge showed how sports-driven trading has boosted demand across its U.S. regulated exchange and international prediction market, lifting annualized revenue above $1 billion. We also noted that a regulatory reset in the U.S. helped unlock faster domestic expansion, with World Cup-related activity pushing volumes sharply higher.

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