Who will USA play at World Cup 2026? Dates, kick-off times and full schedule revealed

The 2026 World Cup draw has been completed, and now the United States know who they'll face in the group stage of the upcoming tournament.

The Americans are joined in Group D by Australia, Paraguay and the winner of UEFA's play-off C (Turkiye / Romania / Slovakia / Kosovo), all of whom are lower than the USMNT in the FIFA world rankings.

• Read next | World Cup 2026 full draw: Every group, all fixtures and knockout games

The  2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup sees history made, with a record 48 nations competing across three host nations in the USA, Canada and Mexico, at 60 venues.

It means for the first time, there will be a Round of 32 introduced at a World Cup. 

(Getty Images)

The USA's World Cup 26 Group: Who will the USA play?

In the expanded World Cup, there are now 12 Groups of four teams.

Each nation plays each other once, with the top two automatically qualifying for the knockout stages. Then the eight best third-place sides from the 12 Groups also go through.

The USA are in Group D and will face Paraguay, Australia and the winner of UEFA's play-off C (Turkiye / Romania / Slovakia / Kosovo).

Group D

The USA World Cup 26 fixtures: Dates, kick-off times, venue

The full FIFA World Cup 26 fixture list will be confirmed during a special FIFA programme on Saturday, December 7, 2025. Then we will know exact dates, venues, and kick-off times for every match.

The FIFA show will be broadcast live from Washington DC, U.S., at 12pm ET and 9am PT in the U.S and Canada, which is 5pm GMT in the UK & Ireland, 6pm in central Europe.

However, as one of the hosts of the tournament, the USA already know when and where they will play.

• June 12: USA vs. Paraguay, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
• June 19: USA vs. Australia, Lumen Field, Seattle
• June 25: Slovakia / Kosovo / Turkiye / Romania vs. USA, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood

Who could the USA play in the knockout stages?

The top two in each group qualify for the World Cup knockout stages, with the eight best third-placed also progressing. That means for the first time in World Cup history, a Round of 32 will be played.

With the USA in Group D, it means if they top the group, they will face the third-place team in either Group B/E/F/I/J. If they finish second, they will face the runners-up of Group G, who could be Belgium, Egypt, Iran or New Zealand.

If they finish as one of the best third-place nations, they will face the victors of Group E, I or K, which could be Germany, France or Portugal, among others.

If the USA progress from that first knockout match, they then face a Round of 16 game, followed by a quarter-final, semi-final in order to potentially reach the final on July 19, 2026.

(Getty Images

When is the FIFA World Cup 26?

The tournament kicks off  June 11, 2026, with host nation Mexico taking on South Africa at the famed Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Nearly six weeks later, the last of the 104 games - the World Cup 26 Final - will be played at MetLife Stadium just outside of New York City on July 19, 2026.

World Cup 2026 format and schedule

With 48 nations involved at this World Cup, there will be 12 Groups of four teams each.

The top two in each group qualify for the knockout stages, with the eight best third-place teams also progressing. That means for the first time in World Cup history, a Round of 32 will be played.

World Cup schedule and key dates:

• Group stages:  June 11-27
• Round of 32:  June 28-July 3
• Round of 16:  July 4-7
• Quarter-finals:  July 9-11
• Semi-finals:  July 14-15
• Bronze final:  July 19
• Final:  July 19

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