How far can the USA go in the 2026 World Cup?
The USA are one of the three nations hosting the 2026 World Cup and Mauricio Pochetino’s men are not just there to make up the numbers, this year they want to go further than ever.
Whilst the US team hasn’t been great in warm up games, a lot believe this team still has what it takes to make an impact.
Led by AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic and Juventus’s Weston McKennie, the USA believe they have what it takes to make waves at this summer’s tournament.
With the tournament underway on Thursday, World Cup 2026 sportsbooks are all open, so make sure you choose the right one.
The Group Stage
For the USA to qualify for the World Cup knockout round, they will have to finish in the top two spots or be one of the teams with the most points to finish third. Anything other than that, will see them out at the first hurdle.
The USA are in a group with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey.
Paraguay may not look like much on paper, with many players playing at the World Cup for the first time, but were one of the strongest qualifiers from South America. They head up north ready to prove themselves once again. Many may expect the USA to win this game, but it will be far harder than expected.
Australia return for another World Cup and the USA will see this as the game they have to win. The Aussies are ranked 11 places below them in the official FIFA rankings and whilst they have a number of proven players, they should not be able to match the strength the USA has.
The USA’s last opponent in the group will be their hardest, Turkey. The European side burst back onto the international scene two years ago at the Euros and have been growing ever since. They head to North America still ranked below the USA but have players like Kenan Yildiz and Real Madrid’s Arda Guler. This is the game that could easily decide the group.
Knockout Opponents
Should the USA do their job and get out of the group, they could face a number of teams in the knockout stages.
If the USA wins their group, they will face either Bosnia, Canada, Qatar, Switzerland or Curucao, Ecuador, Germany and the Ivory Coast.
If the USA finish second, they will face the second placed team from Group G, that includes Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand.
