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.
- Teams are put into four “Pots” based on FIFA’s rankings.
- The best teams in the world and the three host countries will be in Pot 1.
- The next-best teams will be in Pot 2, then Pot 3, etc.
- Each group will have a team from each pot.
- Two teams from the same continent/confederation can’t be in the same group (except Europe)
Teams in Pot 1 that can’t be drawn with the United States in the group stage include:
Argentina, Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, Brazil, England, Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico and Canada.
Here are all the pots with their respective teams.
FIFA has confirmed the procedures for the December 5th World Cup Draw.
The Pots are as follows ⬇️Join CanadaRED for your chance to earn access to Canada Soccer’s FIFA World Cup ticket allotment draw: https://t.co/oKDYprY0hD pic.twitter.com/HD1RBDpVCb
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) November 25, 2025
With that quick explanation out of the way. Let’s look at some potential groups for the United States!
USA World Cup group best scenarios
Dream scenario:
- United States
- Austria
- Qatar
- Cabo Verde
Great scenario:
- United States
- Australia
- South Africa
- Winner of Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo playoff
Good scenario:
- United States
- Iran
- Scotland
- New Zealand
Decent scenario:
- United States
- Ecuador
- Uzbekistan
- Winner of Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo playoff
In each of the four scenarios given, the United States would be expected to finish first in the group and at the bare-minimum take second place to advance to the knockout stages.
Now let’s get into the scary situations.
USA World Cup group worst-case scenarios
NIGHTMARE scenario:
- United States
- Croatia
- Norway
- Ghana
INCREDIBLY BAD scenario:
- United States
- Colombia
- Norway
- Italy* (Winner of Italy/Wales/Northern Ireland/Bosnia and Herzegovina playoff)
Scary scenario:
- United States
- Morocco
- Norway
- Jordan
Pretty bad scenario:
- United States
- Japan
- Norway
- Italy* (Winner of Italy/Wales/Northern Ireland/Bosnia and Herzegovina playoff)
You might’ve noticed a theme from the bad scenarios. NORWAY AND ERLING HAALAND ARE BAD NEWS.
Norway are a monster lurking in Pot 3 that every nation will hope to avoid.
Another trap that lies waiting is the UEFA playoffs. Sixteen European teams are still fighting for the final four qualifying spots in Europe. The draw will take place without knowing who those eventual teams are, meaning the United States could face a powerhouse like Italy or an unlikely underdog.
The United States drew one of the UEFA playoff teams in the previous World Cup with Wales. Those UEFA playoff teams are no pushovers. Two of the three UEFA playoffs teams at the 2022 World Cup advanced from their respective groups. (Portugal and Poland)
