United States

Few nations have a longer relationship with this tournament than the United States. The Americans were on hand for the very first World Cup back in the 1930s, and after a long mid-century absence they returned to become fixtures of the modern era, qualifying again and again from the 1990s onward. They staged a famously well-attended edition on home soil in 1994, pushed deep into the knockout rounds in the early 2000s, and brought an exciting young core through the group stage in 2022.

Now the World Cup returns to American soil, with the United States co-hosting alongside Canada and Mexico, and Group D hands the hosts a genuinely intriguing mix of styles. Paraguay arrive with classic South American grit and the hunger of a side back on the biggest stage, Australia have been one of the most stubborn and well-organized teams of recent tournaments, and Türkiye bring a technically gifted generation after a long wait between appearances. There is no easy afternoon in this group, but there is also no opponent the hosts should fear.

The schedule keeps the Americans on home ground throughout: they open against Paraguay — 12 Jun 2026, 18:00 local at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles (listed home), then head north to meet Australia — 19 Jun 2026, 12:00 local at Lumen Field, Seattle (listed home), before closing the group against Türkiye — 25 Jun 2026, 19:00 local at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles. Under the new 48-team format, the top two in Group D go through automatically and the eight best third-placed teams across the tournament also reach the Round of 32, so even a stumble along the way is survivable — though the hosts will want to win the group and take the friendlier knockout path.

For American fans, this is the tournament of a generation. A squad built around players in their prime at top European clubs gets to chase history in front of packed home stadiums, and expectations are higher than they have ever been. The journey starts in Los Angeles, and the whole country will be watching.