USA v Australia: Prediction, team news, lineups and odds | OneFootball

Having produced impressive wins in their opening World Cup matches, the USA and Australia are now set to take to the field for the second time at this tournament.

Folarin Balogun netted a brace as the co-hosts beat Paraguay 4-1, while goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe gave Australia a surprise 2-0 win over Turkey.

The USA are currently top of Group D on goal difference, and the winners of the group will face one of the third-placed teams in the round of 32.

USA v Australia kick-off time

USA v Australia kicks off at 8pm BST (3pm local) on Friday, June 19 at the Seattle Stadium.

USA v Australia how to watch

The game will be shown live in the UK on BBC One, with coverage starting at 7.30pm.

BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT will both provide full match commentary.

USA team news

The only blemish from the 4-1 win over Paraguay came when Christian Pulisic, who set up two of the USA’s three first-half goals, was replaced at halftime after sustaining a kick to the left calf.

The substitution was a precautionary move, although Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that the winger was struggling to walk during the halftime interval.

On Monday, he didn’t train with the rest of his teammates and was limited to a modified training session that included individual work in the gym and separate on-field exercises.

But his teammates have since moved to allay concerns over his fitness, and the 27-year-old is still expected to start against Australia.

If Pulisic isn’t available, Giovanni Reyna would be the first choice to replace him after his goal-scoring cameo appearance against Paraguay.

There are no other injury concerns in the squad, and Pochettino should be able to name an unchanged starting line-up.

Australia team news

Australia coach Tony Popovic made two surprise decisions of his side’s opening fixture, dropping captain Mathew Ryan and vice-captain Jackson Irvine and replacing them with goalkeeper Patrick Beach and midfielder Paul Okon-Engstler.

But the gamble paid off as Beach made eight saves and kept a clean sheet, while Okon-Engstler got the assist for their opening goal.

The Socceroos still have a clean bill of health after their opening game and are also expected to name an unchanged starting line-up, sticking with a 5-4-1 formation.

They have a number of Championship players with Leicester City centre-back Harry Souttar, Swansea City centre-back Cameron Burgess, Watford winger Nestory Irankunda and Norwich striker Mohamed Toure all in the team.

USA v Australia odds

The USA are 8/13 to record back-to-back wins at the World Cup, while the draw is 10/3. Australia are 19/4 to take all three points.

The co-hosts are hoping to win a World Cup group for the first time since 2010 and are 40/85 to finish above Australia, Turkey and Paraguay. The Socceroos are 15/4 to win Group D.

In the outright betting, the USA are 45/1 to win the World Cup on home soil, and Australia can be backed at 200/1.

USA v Australia prediction

The USA’s performance against Paraguay was undoubtedly one of the most impressive from the opening round of matches at the 2026 World Cup.

But Australia will present a completely different challenge as the Socceroos will look to frustrate the hosts by sitting in a deep defensive block.

Pochettino’s side may have to bide their time before breaking the deadlock, so we’re backing Draw-USA in the Half-Time Full-Time market at 18/5.

The USA won 2-1 when these two nations played each other in a friendly in October 2025, and a repeat of that scoreline is available at 8/1.

If you want to play a little safer, the USA to win the game by a one-goal margin is 11/4.

Having netted a brace against Paraguay in the opener, Balogun will be full of confidence and is 6/4 to score again.