USMNT draws Australia, Paraguay as World Cup opponents

The United States men's national team will oppose Australia and Paraguay in Group D action at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The fourth team in Group D will be the winner of an upcoming European playoff between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo.

Friday's World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., determined the composition of the 12 groups for next summer's 48-team extravaganza in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Americans are the No. 14 squad in the current FIFA world rankings. They open the World Cup against No. 39 Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

The second set of round-robin matches pits the USMNT against No. 26 Australia on June 19 in Seattle.

The U.S. returns to Inglewood on June 25 to face their European opponent, which will be known at the end of March.

Turkey hosts Romania and Slovakia welcomes Kosovo on March 26 in the semifinal round of their European playoff group. The victors contest a winner-take-all match on March 31.

Turkey is ranked No. 25 in the world, Slovakia is No. 45, Romania is No. 47 and Kosovo is No. 80.

The World Cup opens June 11 in Mexico City. Each group's top two finishers and the eight best third-place clubs advance to the 32-team knockout round.

The July 19 final will be played at East Rutherford, N.J.

--Field Level Media