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
Neymar accomplished a feat more akin to folklore on Wednesday as he scored a hat-trick in Santos’ 3-0 victory against Juventude which might’ve saved his boyhood club from relegation.
The 33-year-old Brazilian icon has been playing injured with a meniscus problem that will require surgery. Despite being told by doctors not to play, Neymar is refusing to see Santos get relegated and is playing through the pain for the final games of the season.
The USA World Cup group opponents will be revealed on Friday as the host nation holds its breath to learn the path to glory… or more so the odds of getting out of the group stage.
The 2026 World Cup draw will take place at noon ET on Friday in Washington D.C.
Here are potential groups (good and bad) the United States men’s national team could be part of for next summer’s tournament.
Quick things to know about the draw.
This fall The18 and the National Peanut Board toured six different college campuses to present students with exciting soccer challenges and celebrate the role peanuts play in fueling performance and recovery.
The Fuel Zone challenged students with soccer darts as well as vert jump. The goal was to find which campus had all the makings of a quality striker. Two events, all comers, highest aggregate score wins. Check out what happened.
Fuel Zone Tour 2025
The United States men’s national team only have four games left to play until the 2026 World Cup. That’s right, there are just four 2026 USMNT friendlies before the Stars and Stripes take on the planet’s best in the World Cup.
U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino will get to test his players against Europe’s elite next year with top European nations on the schedule.
Here’s a look at who the USMNT will face before the World Cup next summer.
2026 USMNT friendlies
Exact dates are still TBA.
The expanded 48-team World Cup for 2026 will be the biggest yet and include several newcomers on the world’s premier soccer stage. Here are the countries playing in their first World Cup at the 2026 edition.
For this list we’ll split countries into three different categories.
Let’s meet the new faces.
True newcomers
Mexico's generational talent also disappeared before our eyes.
During the match against Mexico on Saturday night, 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora came on as a substitute and was nearly wiped out in a shocking studs-up tackle by Nández — when the ball wasn’t seriously 'in play.' Rather than a welcome to senior international soccer, it was a brutal initiation.
Lionel Messi shocked his fans over the weekend when he made a secret trip to Barcelona and posted a photo of himself in the club’s Camp Nou stadium. The Messi Barcelona trip wasn’t on anyone’s radar, not even the club’s, as the Inter Miami star visited the place he called home for decades.
Following his brace on Saturday during Inter Miami’s 4-0 playoff victory vs. Nashville SC, Messi and Rodrigo de Paul took a brief trip to Barcelona to see the progress on the Camp Nou which has been under construction for three years.
The United States men’s national team will be without star player Christian Pulisic for the upcoming November friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay. For fans asking why is Pulisic not playing for US? Here’s why.
Pulisic is still recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered while playing for the USMNT against Australia on Oct. 14. The U.S. national team and Pulisic’s club AC Milan have made an agreement to keep the 27-year-old forward in Italy for the November international window.
Why is Pulisic not playing for US in November friendlies
Inter Milan maintained their pursuit of the Serie A title with a hard-fought 2–1 away victory over Hellas Verona, highlighted by a moment of individual brilliance from Piotr Zieliński.
The Polish midfielder opened his 2025–26 league account with what can only be described as one of the finest goals of the season — and, perhaps, one of the most aesthetically pleasing strikes in recent memory.
Watch: Piotr Zieliński incredible volley against Hellas Verona