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Who Will the USMNT Face in the World Cup Knockouts if They Qualify From the Group Stage?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Hartnett | Last updated Dec 6, 2025 12:34 PM ET

The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw handed the United States men's national team an achievable path to the knockout stage.

On Friday, the Americans were drawn against Australia, Paraguay and the winner of Turkiye/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo in Group D.

Mauricio Pochettino and his team will play their first World Cup group-stage game against Paraguay on June 12 at Inglewood, California's SoFi Stadium.

Next comes a date with Australia on June 19 at Seattle's Lumen Field. The third match will be against the winner of Turkiye/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo on June 25 at SoFi Stadium.

Who Could the USA Potentially Face in the Knockout Stage?

HARRISON, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 6: Christian Pulisic #10 of the United States runs downfield during a game between South Korea and the United States (USMNT) at Sports Illustrated Stadium on September 6, 2025 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)Photo by Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images

Should the United States win Group D, they will play on July 1 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. In this scenario, the Americans would face the highest third-place finisher from Groups B, E, F, I and J.

It's possible that Senegal or Norway could finish third in Group I should France win the group. If either ends up facing the United States, the Americans' backline would have its hands full defending Senegal winger Sadio Mane or Norway striker Erling Haaland.

If the United States finishes second in Group D, it will face the runner-up of Group G on July 3 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand make up Group G. It's likely that one of Belgium and Egypt will finish second in the group.

If the United States were to face Belgium, they would be pitted against the world's eighth-ranked team that relies on Leandro Trossard, Youri Tielemans and Jeremy Doku.

Should the Americans face 34th-ranked Egypt, they'll need to keep star forwards Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush quiet.

There are many different ways that the Round of 32 could unfold, but the USA should be able to advance to the knockout stage given its favorable Group D draw.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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