The USMNT has done nearly everything right in the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage. A 4-1 demolition of Paraguay on June 12, followed by a clean 2-0 victory over Australia on June 19, has the US sitting pretty atop Group D with six points from two matches.
But “nearly” is doing some work in that sentence. Despite two convincing wins, the Americans still need a specific result from another match to lock up first place in the group. Turkiye needs to beat Paraguay in their remaining fixture for the US to officially claim the top spot.
The Group D math
Group D features the United States, Paraguay, Australia, and Turkiye. After two rounds of matches, the USMNT’s goal differential is comfortably positive, with six goals scored and just one conceded across two games.
The final group match for the US comes against Turkiye on June 25.
