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For fans asking, ‘did the USA get a good group?’ We have great news for you. The United States men’s national team got perhaps the easiest group of the entire tournament.
The three nations set to compete against the USMNT in the 2026 World Cup group stage are Australia, Paraguay and the winner of Turkey/Kosovo/Slovakia/Romania.
USA Group for World Cup
OUR GROUP FOR THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP! @Visa | #NeverChaseReality pic.twitter.com/YwIM9puGEK
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) December 5, 2025
Full USMNT group stage schedule:
Fri. 6/12: USA vs. Paraguay (at Inglewood, CA)
Fri. 6/19: USA vs. Australia (at Seattle)
Thu. 6/25: UEFA Path C winner vs. USA (at Inglewood, CA)Start times will be revealed in a broadcast by FIFA tomorrow at noon ET.
— Sports TV News & Updates (@TVSportsUpdates) December 5, 2025
Here’s why American fans should be pleased about their group opponents.
1. The USMNT have played and beaten most of the group already this year
In a wild coincidence, the United States scheduled friendlies against Australia and Paraguay this fall. The USMNT won both games 2-1.
The two victories should instill confidence in the U.S. team that they can, rather they should take care of business in the group. Both of the wins came without star player Christian Pulisic in the squad as he picked up a hamstring injury just 30 minutes into the Australia game.
Keeping the emotions in check against Paraguay will be key. The last time these two nations faced off there was a brawl near the end of the game.
The end of USA vs. Paraguay got ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/LjkybUJA4B
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 16, 2025
2. The USMNT got statistically the easiest team from Pot 2
It’s no secret that we at The18 have a soft-spot for the Socceroos of Australia and have found ourselves rooting for them at past World Cups. That being said, it was an absolute thrill to get Australia in the group from Pot 2.
Pot 2 of the World Cup draw had several juggernauts including Croatia, Morocco and Colombia. Other tough opponents in Pot 2 consisted of Japan, South Korea, Uruguay or Switzerland.
Statistically speaking, Australia were the “easiest” team from Pot 2 as their FIFA rank had the Socceroos as the lowest Pot 2 nation. Australia were exactly the team the U.S. wanted.
3. The UEFA Playoff team isn’t terrifying
Every group is guaranteed to have at least one team from Europe. Four of Europe's spots are dedicated to nations competing in the UEFA Playoffs.
For the 2026 World Cup draw there were four UEFA Playoff slots allocated in Pot 4. The teams that qualify via the UEFA Playoffs are no pushovers with the likes of Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Ukraine and others vying for a spot in the World Cup.
The United States again avoided the bigger names and will get one of: Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.
It’s worth noting that the USMNT played Turkey in a friendly this summer and lost 2-1. While the U.S. didn’t get the UEFA Playoff with Italy, there will be plenty of work to do if a squad like Turkey qualify.
4. Even if the U.S. chokes they could still get out of the group
If the United States fails to qualify out of this group then it will without a doubt be the most shameful moment in the team’s history. YES, even worse than that night in Trinidad and Tobago.
Not only did the U.S. get a favorable group, but the expanded 48-team tournament now allows EIGHT third-placed teams to qualify for the knockout stages.
Even if the USMNT get off to a slow start to their group, there has never been more room for error at a World Cup. While the goal should be to win the group, getting out of the group stage shouldn’t even be a concern.
