U.S. Draws Paraguay, Australia and UEFA Playoff Winner in 2026 World Cup Group
WASHINGTON — The United States will face Paraguay, Australia and the winner of a UEFA playoff featuring Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo after receiving a favorable group-stage draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The draw, held Friday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., brought the tournament’s expanded 48-team field into sharper focus for co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Group D Schedule Set for USMNT
The U.S. will open Group D play against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Mexico will kick off the tournament a day earlier in Mexico City against South Africa, a rematch of the 2010 opening match when South Africa hosted the World Cup.
Co-host Canada begins its campaign in Toronto on June 12, potentially against Italy—should the Italians advance through a UEFA playoff also involving Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The U.S. continues group play June 19 in Seattle against Australia before returning to SoFi Stadium on June 25 to meet the UEFA playoff winner. The Americans recently defeated both Paraguay and Australia by identical 2-1 scorelines in friendlies.
Pochettino Urges Optimism, Caution
“We played recently against Paraguay and Australia, so what we know is very fresh,” U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino told Fox. “We need to be optimistic, but we also know we must show respect. We cannot win before we play.”
Pochettino added that the message to the squad will be straightforward: compete with conviction. “We need to be strong in our beliefs, thinking big, but motivated to face very tough opponents.”
Tournament Landscape
The U.S. reached the semifinals once—at the inaugural 1930 World Cup—and has advanced to the quarterfinals only one other time, in 2002. As co-hosts, the Americans were seeded in Pot 1 and avoided top-ranked nations such as Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
A record 64 nations participated in Friday’s draw for the 48-team field. Six berths remain open, with 22 nations—including Italy—vying for the final spots through playoffs concluding March 31.
With the expanded format, the top two teams in each group and eight of the 12 third-place finishers will advance to the 32-team knockout stage.
Global Heavyweights Receive Paths to Late Rounds
The world’s top four ranked teams—Spain, Argentina, France and England—were placed to avoid meeting before the semifinals if each wins its group.
Defending champion Argentina, likely featuring Lionel Messi in his sixth World Cup, opens against Algeria before meeting Austria and Jordan.
England faces the toughest opening assignment of the top seeds with a rematch of the 2018 semifinal against Croatia.
France will open against Senegal, echoing the 2002 World Cup when Senegal stunned the defending champions 1-0. France, placed in Group I, will also face Norway, setting up a potential clash between global stars Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. Germany, drawn into Group E with Curaçao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador, could meet France as early as the round of 16.
Brazil, Morocco and Scotland landed in the same group for the first time since 1998—Scotland’s most recent World Cup appearance. Haiti rounds out that group.
A Star-Studded Draw Event
Retired sports icons Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky and three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge assisted with the draw alongside host Rio Ferdinand and broadcaster Samantha Johnson.
FIFA will release the tournament’s full match schedule on Saturday, citing the need to account for weather and time zones across North America. All games from the quarterfinals onward will be played in the United States, utilizing 11 NFL stadiums.
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