The U.S. men’s national team can already secure first place in Group D with when they Australia on Friday in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The road here wasn’t always pretty, but the destination has arrived in spectacular fashion. When Mauricio Pochettino took over in October 2024, he inherited a team that had been badly exposed at the Copa America that summer. The Argentine coach had only 21 months to prepare the U.S. for not just any World Cup, but the first one on American soil in more than three decades. The early results were rocky, as were some of the results ahead of the World Cup, losing friendlies to Belgium (5-2) and to Portugal (2-0).
But momentum shifted with positive showings with a narrow loss to Germany and a win over Senegal right before the cup, and that carried over big time.
Then came June 12 at SoFi Stadium, and everything clicked at once. With a relentless attack, ruthless finishing, and an opening half to rival the best 45 minutes in U.S. men’s national team history, the Americans ripped through Paraguay 4-1 to start this home tournament in the sweetest of styles. Folarin Balogun scored twice in the first half, becoming the first American with two goals in a single World Cup match since 1930, and Gio Reyna added a stunning late golazo with the outside of his right foot. It was the most goals the USMNT had ever scored in a World Cup match, in front of 70,492 roaring fans, the largest crowd to watch the team at a World Cup since 1994.
That win did something that’s hard to manufacture — it has genuinely raised expectations. But can they keep it up, and what will be the status of Christian Pulisic ahead of the match, with the star still training individually?
Here’s what to know about the scenario for Friday’s game:
USMNT vs. Australia scenario
The USMNT will advance to the knockout stage if…
- They beat Australia
The USMNT will win the group if…
- They beat Australia AND
- Turkiye fail to beat Paraguay
Turkiye are set to face Paraguay on Friday, and if they lose, they would not be able to reach the USMNT on total points in any scenario that plays out.
Even if the USMNT secure three points against Australia, but Turkiye manage to beat Paraguay, the Americans would still lock up advancing to the knockout stage. A potential second-place finish in the group carries different paths for future opponents with different bracket positioning. With the World Cup expanded to 48 teams, first and second-place finishers in the group stages will advance, and eight of the 12 third-place teams will also reach the round of 32. Though with early wins by the USMNT and Australia on Matchday 1, both teams are already well-positioned to move on. The winner on Friday, however, will make another statement and head the group.
Potential opponents in the knockout stages
If they finish first in Group D:
They advance to play the best third-place team from Groups B, E, F, I, or J at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara (Bay Area) on July 1. A win there would send them to the round of 16 in Seattle on July 6, then a potential quarterfinal at SoFi Stadium in LA on July 10, and a potential semifinal at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas on July 14. Finishing first keeps the USMNT out west for as long as possible.
Potential third-place opponents from those groups could include:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Switzerland
- Canada
- Ivory Coast
- Ecuador
- Curacao
- Sweden
- Japan
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Senegal
- Jordan
- Austria
If they finish 2nd in Group D:
They would face the Group G runner-up at AT&T Stadium in the Dallas area on July 3. That winner would advance to the round of 16 in Atlanta on July 7, a quarterfinal in Kansas City on July 11, and a semifinal in Atlanta on July 15. Group G runner-up candidates include:
- New Zealand
- Iran
- Belgium
- Egypt
If they finish 3rd in Group D:
It gets complicated. The expansion of the tournament means the eight best third-place teams still advance to the round of 32, but with many different combinations of how those third-place teams get seeded into the bracket, the path becomes very hard to project. At this point, the scenario seems unlikely.
How things currently stand
Group D
| Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 3 |
| 2 | Australia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 3 | Turkiye | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 4 | Paraguay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
Friday, June 12
USA 4, Paraguay 1
Saturday, June 13
Australia 2, Turkiye 0
Friday, June 19
USA vs. Australia, 3 p.m.
Turkiye vs. Paraguay, 12 a.m.
Thursday, June 25
Turkiye vs. USA, 10 p.m.
Paraguay vs. Australia, 10 p.m.
How to watch USA vs. Australia
Date: Friday, June 19 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Lumen Field – Seattle, Wash.
TV: FOX (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Golazo 48 Nations: Follow the World Cup all summer long
Golazo 48 Nations is your all-access destination for the World Cup, with wall-to-wall coverage across the CBS Sports Golazo Network. From the first whistle to the final recap, the entire Golazo crew will guide fans through every moment of the tournament.
Each day begins with Morning Footy, setting the stage with the newest news, storylines, and previews ahead of kickoff. From there, Golazo Matchday and Golazo Matchnight deliver reaction and analysis as the action unfolds. Fans can also tune in for coverage of USMNT matches with the Call It What You Want team, as well as reaction to other marquee matchups.
The day wraps with Scoreline, a comprehensive nightly recap of every result, moment, and storyline from across the tournament. Altogether, the Golazo Network will deliver up to 12 hours of programming each matchday, available across the Golazo Network and its YouTube channel.
