2026 World Cup draw: USMNT to face Paraguay, Australia - ESPN

The United States will face Paraguay, Australia and the winner of a UEFA playoff featuring Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo after a relatively favorable group stage draw for the co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup.

That was the result Friday after soccer's biggest competition took a major step closer to reality with a star-studded draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

The opening game for the U.S. men's national team in Group D will be against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Mexico will kick off the tournament a day earlier in Mexico City against South Africa — a repeat of the opening game when South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010.

Group A also includes South Korea and the winner of playoff games among the Czech Republic, Ireland, Denmark and North Macedonia.

The other co-host, Canada, will begin in Toronto on June 12, with a potential blockbuster clash against Italy, if the Italians make it through a UEFA playoff route that also features Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The United States' other group games will take place in Seattle against Australia on June 19 and against the UEFA playoff winner back at Sofi Stadium on June 25. The U.S. have positive recent experience against Paraguay and Australia, having beaten both by the same 2-1 score in recent friendlies.

«We played recently against Paraguay and Australia, so what we know is very fresh and the fourth it will be against a very good team in Europe,» U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino told Fox.

«I think we need to be optimistic, but as we know the teams, we will see what is going on in few months.

»We need to show respect to our opponent, but we cannot win before we play. That is going to be our message to players.