NYCFC's Aiden O'Neill and Kai Trewin's Australian World Cup path in knockouts | OneFootball

New York City FC's Aiden O'Neill and Kai Trewin, and the Australia national football team will be in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The national team secured their spot after a draw against Paraguay on Thursday. That result caused them to finish second in Group D, going 1-1-1 in the three games.

As such, Australia will follow the second-place schedule for the group, subsequently locking in their path if the Socceroos make it all the way to the finals. Of course, and this is just being realistic, that is highly unlikely. If anything, maybe the team can make the next round, but it also would not be shocking if they are eliminated in the Round of 32.

The major reason lies with who Australia is facing: Egypt. Egypt has some great players like Mohamed Salah, who would be a dream signing for NYCFC, but that will never happen, and Omar Marmoush. At the same time, the Socceroos have more players who play in top European leagues, so perhaps they will have an advantage. Still, if they make it beyond, the next probable opponent would take a miracle to beat.

What is Australia's path to the World Cup finals?

A reminder of the second-place schedule

Round of 32

Game 88: Friday, July 3; 2:00 PM ET; FOX

Round of 16

Game 95: Tuesday, July 7; 12:00 PM ET; FOX

Quarterfinals

Game 100: Saturday, July 11; 9:00 PM ET; FOX

Semifinals

Game 102: Wednesday, July 15; 3:00 PM ET; FOX

The third-place match is on Saturday, July 18, at 5:00 PM ET (FOX), and the finals will be on Sunday, July 19, at 3:00 PM ET (FOX).

NYCFC's Aussie players and their possible opponents

Round of 32

As mentioned, Australia will play Egypt in the Round of 32.

Round of 16

If Australia wins, their next opponent would be Argentina or Cape Verde. This is not a knock on Cape Verde, but the Socceroos would 99% likely play Lionel Messi and Argentina. The reigning World Cup winners would also 99% likely knock them out, and the NYCFC players would come home.

Quarterfinals

Alas, if that very miracle occurs, and Australia finds themselves in the quarterfinals, then they will play Switzerland, Algeria, Colombia, or Ghana. Of these four, Switzerland or Colombia will likely make the quarterfinals. They would be tough to beat, but there would be a higher chance compared to Argentina.

Semifinals

The semifinals would see the Socceroos play one of these eight teams: Brazil, Japan, Côte d'Ivoire, Norway, Mexico, Ecuador, England, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Of these eight, England or Brazil would be the ones that can easily be predicted to make it that far. However, Norway could be a dark horse.

Finals

All other teams not mentioned could be possible opponents in the finals. However, O'Neill and Trewin's Australia will likely not make it this far, but it is important for NYCFC fans to still know the possible schedule for their players.