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Everything You Need to Know: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage
The first-ever 48-team field is the largest in tournament history
The sport’s biggest tournament is upon us, and the U.S. Men’s National Team will soon begin its journey at FIFA World Cup 2026 on home soil.
As 17th-ranked USA begins play on Friday, here’s everything you need to know about the group stage of the tournament:
What’s different about this year’s tournament?
The expanded field also means an additional round in the knockout stage. After group play, the top two teams from each group plus the eight best third-place teams will go through to the Round of 32. Then, the tournament becomes single elimination.
That means the championship team will play eight matches, instead of seven as in previous editions.
Additionally, this year’s tournament is the first time that three countries have hosted the tournament. The United States, Canada and Mexico serve as the three co-hosts for FIFA World Cup 2026. Across the three countries are 16 host cities: 11 in the U.S., three in Mexico and two in Canada.
All of the 16 cities will host group stage matches:
United States: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco Bay area
Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey
When and where does the U.S. play in the group stage?
Each group in the tournament consists of four teams, and the three other nations in Group D with the United States are Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye. The U.S. has three fixtures, one against each team in the group, over the span of three weeks:
U.S. vs. Paraguay – Friday, June 12 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT in Los Angeles
U.S. vs. Australia – Friday, June 19 at 3 p.m. ET/Noon PT in Seattle
U.S. vs. Türkiye – Thursday, June 25 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT in Los Angeles
What do we know about the three USMNT opponents?
The three opponents for the U.S. in Group D are all teams the U.S. faced last year in its FIFA World Cup preparations. Here are the overall records and rankings for each of the three opponents the U.S. will see in the group stage:
Current FIFA World Ranking: 41
Championship Honors: Copa América (1952/53, 1979)
USMNT Record vs. Paraguay: 5-2-2 (12 GF, 7 GA)
World Cup appearances: Nine, most recently in 2010
Best World Cup Finish: Quarterfinals, 2010
Date Qualified: Sept. 4, 2025
Current FIFA World Ranking: 27
Championship Honors: AFC Asian Cup (2015), OFC Nations Cup (1980, 1996, 2000, 2004)
USMNT Record vs. Australia: 2-1-1 (5 GF, 3 GA)
World Cup appearances: Seven, most recently in 2022
Best World Cup Finish: Round of 16 (2022)
Date Qualified: June 10, 2025
Current FIFA World Ranking: 22
USMNT Record vs. Türkiye: 5-4-1 (20 GF, 17 GA)
World Cup appearances: Three, most recently in 2002
Best World Cup Finish: Third place (2002)
Date Qualified: March 21, 2026
How do teams advance to the knockout rounds?
The top two teams from each of the 12 groups will advance to the Round of 32. Finishing either first or second in Group D will secure a spot in the knockout round for the U.S. in FIFA World Cup 2026.
Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss for each match in group play.
A third-place finish in the group still means potential to advance. With the expanded field, the eight best third-place teams will move on to the knockout stage of the tournament.
Greatest number of points obtained in all group matches
Goal difference resulting from all group matches
Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches
Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained in all group matches
The two or more teams still equal on points will be ranked according to the most recent edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings
Are there penalty kick shootouts in the group stage?
Matches in the group stage will end after 90 minutes of regulation time. No extra time or penalty shootouts will occur. In the event of a tie at the end of regulation, both teams will receive one point in the group standings.
What’s the best way to watch and participate in the tournament?
Those in Los Angeles can take advantage of U.S. Soccer House presented by Bank of America. As the home for fans this summer, U.S. Soccer House located in Venice Beach will host watch parties, meet-and-greets, pre-match concerts, live podcast tapings, retail for sale and much, much more.
