The United States men's national team was placed in Group D for the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Paraguay, Australia and the winner of UEFA's Path C playoff during the final draw in Miami on December 13, 2024.[1][2]

The 48-team tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across 16 host cities in the three North American countries.[1]

The U.S. team, coached by Gregg Berhalter, will open its group campaign against Paraguay on June 12, 2026, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.[2]

UEFA Path C features Romania, Kosovo, Slovakia and Turkey, with playoff semifinals on March 20-21, 2025, and finals on March 23-24, 2025.[3]

U.S. soccer great Landon Donovan, who holds the national team record of 57 goals in 157 caps tied with Clint Dempsey,[4] said he expects the team to advance from the group and win it.[5]

"The assumption for all of us is that we will get out of the group stage, and, in fact, I think we should win our group. I think that is a realistic target for this team," Donovan told Fox News Digital.[5]

Donovan highlighted midfielder Weston McKennie, currently in his fifth season at Juventus where he has recorded four goals and four assists across all competitions in 2024-25 as of mid-December.[6]

The U.S. exited the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after finishing third behind England and Iran.[1]

Sources

1. FIFA, "FIFA World Cup 26™ groups confirmed: Full list", December 13, 2024, https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/groups-fifa-world-cup-26
2. U.S. Soccer, "USMNT 2026 FIFA World Cup Schedule Confirmed", December 13, 2024, https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2024/12/usmnt-fifa-world-cup-2026-group-stage-schedule-confirmed
3. UEFA, "European Qualifiers for 2026 FIFA World Cup: Play-offs explained", December 13, 2024, https://www.uefa.com/europeanqualifiers/news/0292-1d9e4b8b5a2a-0b0e4d6d4f4a-1000--european-qualifiers-for-2026-fifa-world-cup-play-offs-explai/
4. U.S. Soccer, "Landon Donovan", accessed December 2024, https://www.ussoccer.com/players/l/landon-donovan
5. Fox News Digital, "Landon Donovan expects USMNT to win 2026 World Cup group: 'Realistic target'", December 14, 2024, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/landon-donovan-expects-usmnt-win-2026-world-cup-group-realistic-target
6. Juventus FC, "Weston McKennie stats", accessed December 2024, https://www.juventus.com/en/teams/first-team/squad/weston-mckennie