2026 FIFA World Cup: Group D preview, what to know

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·5 Juni 2026

2026 FIFA World Cup: Group D preview, what to know

By Cal Meachem

Group D at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature host nation USA, Australia, Paraguay and Türkiye.

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The top two teams from each group, as well as the top eight third-place finishers, advance to the knockout phase (Round of 32).

Here's what awaits in Group D during the expanded 48-team tournament, which will unfold from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Group D Schedule

June 12 - 9 pm ET: USA vs. Paraguay | Los Angeles, California
June 13 - 12 am ET: Australia vs. Türkiye | Vancouver, British Columbia
June 19 - 3 pm ET: USA vs. Australia | Seattle, Washington
June 19 - 11 pm ET: Türkiye vs. Paraguay | Santa Clara, California
June 25 - 10 pm ET: Türkiye vs. USA | Los Angeles, California
June 25 - 10 pm ET: Paraguay vs. Australia | Santa Clara, California

United States

FIFA World Ranking: 16th
How they qualified: Auto-qualified as host nation
Head coach: Mauricio Pochettino

Key players

Christian Pulisic: Already one of the USMNT's all-time greats, Pulisic has thrived for Italian giants AC Milan over the last three seasons, with 42g/27a in 134 appearances.
Weston McKennie: McKennie has spent the last six seasons with Italian powerhouse Juventus, making 230 appearances. He's coming off his best professional season (9g/8a).
Tyler Adams: A hard-nosed center midfielder, Adams currently plies his trade with English Premier League side AFC Bournemouth. He also spent time with Leeds United and Germany's RB Leipzig, after breaking out with Red Bull New York.
Chris Richards: A product of the FC Dallas academy, Richards began his professional career with Bayern Munich before joining English Premier League side Crystal Palace. He's become a staple in their backline and has won the FA Cup and UEFA Conference League titles in the last two seasons.
Folarin Balogun: Balogun looks set to lead the line for the USMNT this summer. He's produced 31g/13a for French giants AS Monaco over the past three seasons, after progressing through the Arsenal academy.

World Cup history

The United States will be making their 12th World Cup appearance and will host the tournament for the second time (1994).

The USMNT's best-ever finish came in the inaugural 1930 edition, where they finished in third; their best result of the modern era was a quarterfinal finish in 2002.

Expectations

The USMNT will enter Group D play as the likely favorites. With this group of players often labeled the "Golden Generation", can they make their way to a similar finish to 2002?

There's pressure to make a deep run after reaching the Round of 16 in their last three attempts.

Paraguay

FIFA World Ranking: 40th
How they qualified: Finished sixth in Conmebol qualifying
Head coach: Gustavo Alfaro

Key players

Miguel Almirón: The former Newcastle United midfielder and current Atlanta United legend is one of the most experienced players on the team.
Diego Gómez: A former standout with Inter Miami (2023-24), Gómez now stars for Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Premier League. The versatile midfielder was the club's Young Player of the Season this year.
Andrés Cubas: One of the strongest defensive midfielders in MLS, Cubas has become a cornerstone for club and country, helping lead Vancouver Whitecaps FC to new heights.

World Cup history

This will be Paraguay's ninth World Cup appearance, but first since the 2010 edition in South Africa. They reached the quarterfinals that year, which was their best World Cup performance to date.

Expectations

Paraguay will be underdogs in the group but will be confident in at least a third-place finish, which could push them towards the Round of 32. Plenty will depend on that World Cup opener against the USMNT.

Australia

FIFA World Ranking: 27th
How they qualified: Finished second in Group C of AFC third round qualifying
Head coach: Tony Popovic

Key players

Aiden O'Neill: A 2025 MLS Eastern Conference finalist with New York City FC, O'Neill also helped the Socceroos successfully navigate World Cup qualifiers.
Kai Trewin: O'Neill's NYCFC teammate, Trewin played himself into the national team mix in late 2025 and never looked back.
Lucas Herrington: Despite not featuring during qualifiers, the 18-year-old center back cracked Australia's World Cup squad amid a standout debut season with the Colorado Rapids.
Mathew Ryan: A legendary goalkeeper for the Socceroos, Ryan is third in Australia's history with 104 caps. He's played for some prestigious clubs across Europe and now features for LaLiga side Levante.

World Cup history

Australia have qualified for seven World Cups, including every tournament since 2006.

The Socceroos have reached the Round of 16 on two occasions, in 2006 and the last World Cup, in 2022.

Expectations

The Socceroos have big dreams after qualifying for the Round of 16 for just the second time in their history four years ago. They'll look to further that success this summer.

Turkey

FIFA World Ranking: 22nd
How they qualified: UEFA Path C winners
Head coach: Vincenzo Montella

Key players

Arda Güler: One of the world's top young talents, the 21-year-old attacking midfielder plays a key role for Spanish giants Real Madrid and netted 4g/9a this season for Los Blancos.
Kenan Yıldız: A teammate of USMNT star Weston McKennie at Juventus, the 21-year-old winger impressed with 10g/7a in Serie A this season.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu: Çalhanoğlu stands as a potential key contributor in the center of midfield. Turkey's captain has starred for Italian champions Inter Milan since 2021.

World Cup history

Türkiye have qualified for just three World Cups and broke a 24-year drought by reaching the 2026 edition.

They most recently appeared at the 2002 World Cup, where they reached the semifinals and finished third overall.

Expectations

Often considered a "dark horse" in major international tournaments, Türkiye have an abundance of impressive talent featuring at some of the world's best clubs.

They'll believe they can win Group D and will hope to make some noise in the knockout stages.