The USMNT will play Paraguay, Australia, and a European qualifier at the 2026 World Cup
The group draw gave the Americans at least two and potentially three rematches of recent games.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. men’s soccer team will open its 2026 World Cup group stage run against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, Calif.
That will mean a meeting right out of the gate with a team the Americans just beat last month, 2-1, at Subaru Park in Chester.
The game will be played on the second day of the tournament, with co-host Mexico playing the opener against South Africa on June 11 at Mexico City’s fabled Estadio Azteca.
The Americans’ second group game will be against Australia in Seattle on June 19. That will also be a rematch of a recent game, a 2-1 U.S. win in suburban Denver in October.
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The U.S.’ group stage finale will be back in suburban Los Angeles against the winner of a four-team qualifying playoff between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo. The playoff will take place in March.
Turkey will be favored on paper. If that’s the matchup, it would be another rematch, this one a 2-1 U.S. loss this past June, with an understrength American squad on the field.
The draw was set Friday at the Kennedy Center in D.C., with Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Aaron Judge, and Wayne Gretzky pulling the fabled balls out of the pots as is World Cup tradition. Philadelphia native Kevin Hart, actress Heidi Klum, English former soccer star Rio Ferdinand, and TV presenter Samantha Johnson performed the ceremony.
U.S. men’s soccer team 2026 World Cup group schedule
June 12: vs. Paraguay in Inglewood, Calif.
June 19: vs. in Seattle
June 25: vs. Australia in Inglewood, Calif.
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