We’re getting excited about the 2026 World Cup and seeing the U.S. men’s national team take on the best teams from across the globe. Next summer’s edition of soccer’s marquee event will include 48 teams (the biggest field ever) and will be co-hosted by three countries: the U.S., Canada and Mexico.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But there are some questions we want answered. Who could be the team’s opponents? Could it possibly get roped into a Group of Death? How could Christian Pulisic and Co. reach the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium? We have you covered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
JUMP TO: <\/strong>Group of Death? <\/strong>| Schedule | Path to World Cup final? | Fourth of July Game? | History, Best Finish<\/p>\n The World Cup will run from June 11\u2013July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The FOX family of networks and the FOX Sports app are your complete home for World Cup content, including live matches, complete highlights, commentary and analysis, and full-match replays.<\/p>\n The USMNT will know their three group-stage opponents on Dec. 5 when the World Cup draw happens in Washington, D.C., at the Kennedy Center. The team does know its group already (Group D). This was to ensure that, as co-hosts of the tournament, the U.S. would play all three of its matches in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are several ways to look at this. Would it be FIFA’s latest world rankings? By history of the USMNT’s opponents at previous World Cup opponents? By the dark horse candidates? Let’s start off first with the pots.<\/p>\n First off, the rules. Each World Cup group will have one team from the four pots established by FIFA ahead of the Dec. 5. With the USMNT in Pot 1, they’ll have one opponent from Pots 2, 3, & 4. Also, teams from the same qualification zone \u2014 except for the European confederation (UEFA) \u2014 cannot be drawn into the same group. So don’t expect two South American teams (CONMEBOL), for example, in the same group. However, there could be up to two UEFA teams in one.\u00a0<\/p>\n These pots were determined by FIFA’s latest world rankings. Here’s the latest order:<\/p>\n So, if you take the top ranked team from each of the other pots, you get:<\/p>\n USMNT’s Group of Death (by FIFA rankings)<\/strong><\/p>\n Croatia, Norway, Jordan: <\/strong>That includes a Croatian side that features veteran midfielder Luka Modri\u0107 (who helped his country reach the 2018 final and the 2022 semifinals). And then there’s Norway with superstar striker Erling Haaland, who’ll finally be making his first World Cup appearance with a tough Norweigan side. The weakest of this foursome would be Jordan, which will be making its World Cup debut.\u00a0<\/p>\n USMNT’s Group of Death (if Italy qualifies)<\/strong><\/p>\n Croatia, Egypt, Italy: <\/strong>Ah, yes. Four-time World Cup champions Italy. The team that hasn’t directly qualified for the World Cup since 2014. And if they want to reach the 2026 tournament, it’ll have to do it by clinching one of the four pending European spots in March via the UEFA playoffs. If Italy does that, they’ll be the most dangerous team in Pot 4. \u00a0So the USMNT could have a group that includes Croatia and Italy (remember, only two European teams per group) and an Egyptian side that features superstar forward Mohamed Salah.\u00a0<\/p>\n USMNT’s Group of Death scenarios with top teams<\/strong><\/p>\n Morocco, Norway, Italy: <\/strong>Morocco ranks behind Croatia in the ranks, but make no mistake. Morocco is a talented and deep squad that reached the semifinals in 2022. Along with Norway and potentially Italy, this would be a nightmare group for the USMNT. Add the fact that Morocco has eliminated the U.S. in two junior World Cup tournaments in 2025 (the Under-17 and the Under-23 editions).\u00a0<\/p>\n Uruguay, Norway, Ghana: <\/strong>Whether Italy qualifies through Pot 4 or not, there is another familiar foe that would worry USMNT fans. Ghana, which struggled in African qualifying, always seems to be a tough opponent at the World Cup. The U.S. has already played Ghana at three separate World Cups, most notably losing to them in the Round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup. \u00a0<\/p>\n The three group stage games will be as follows:<\/p>\n June 12 vs. TBD \u2014 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles<\/p>\n June 19 vs. TBD \u2014 at Lumen Field in Seattle<\/p>\n June 25 vs. TBD \u2014 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles\u00a0<\/p>\n (Photo by Mike Stobe – FIFA\/FIFA via Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n With their group-stage dates known (even without opponents), we can map out the USMNT’s road to the final. There are in total five scenarios for the team to reach the final.<\/p>\n If the USMNT wins Group D:<\/strong><\/p>\n Round of 32 match \u2013 July 1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (San Francisco Bay Area)<\/p>\n Round of 16 match \u2013 July 6 at Lumen Stadium in Seattle<\/p>\n Quarterfinals match \u2013 July 10 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles<\/p>\n Semifinals match \u2013 July 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (Dallas Area)<\/p>\n Final \u2013 July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (New York City Area)<\/p>\n If the USMNT finishes second in Group D:<\/strong><\/p>\n Round of 32 match \u2013 July 3 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (Dallas Area)<\/p>\n Round of 16 match \u2014 July 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta<\/p>\n Quarterfinals match \u2013 July 11 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.\u00a0<\/p>\n Semifinals match \u2013 July 15 at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta<\/p>\n Final \u2013 July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (New York City Area)<\/p>\n Only if the USMNT doesn’t finish first or second in Group D and instead reaches the knockout stage as one of the eight best third-place teams. So it’s a tricky road. But here are the scenarios for seeing the USMNT play on Independence Day in Philadelphia.\u00a0<\/p>\n Scenario 1<\/strong><\/p>\n Round of 32 match \u2014 June 29 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (Boston Area)<\/p>\n Round of 16 match \u2014 July 4 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia<\/p>\n Quarterfinals match \u2013 July 9 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (Boston Area)<\/p>\n Semifinals match \u2013 July 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (Dallas Area)<\/p>\n Final \u2013 July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (New York City Area)<\/p>\n Scenario 2<\/strong><\/p>\n Round of 32 match \u2014 June 30 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (New York City Area)<\/p>\n Round of 16 match \u2014 July 4 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia<\/p>\n Quarterfinals match \u2013 July 9 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (Boston Area)<\/p>\n Semifinals match \u2013 July 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (Dallas Area)<\/p>\n Final \u2013 July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (New York City Area)<\/p>\n Scenario 3<\/strong><\/p>\n This scenario doesn’t have them playing on July 4 but still advancing as a third-place team:\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n Round of 32 match \u2014 July 3 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.\u00a0<\/p>\n Round of 16 match \u2014 July 7 at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada<\/p>\n Quarterfinals match \u2013 July 11 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.\u00a0<\/p>\n Semifinals match \u2013 July 15 at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta<\/p>\n Final \u2013 July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (New York City Area)<\/p>\n The USMNT has appeared 11 FIFA World Cups, qualifying in 1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994 (hosts), 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2022. The 2026 edition will be their 12th appearance and the second they host the event (this one alongside Canada and Mexico). \u00a0<\/p>\n The USMNT\u2019s best-ever finish came in the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Uruguay, where they reached the semifinals. Since no third-place match was held that year, FIFA officially lists the United States as finishing in third place.<\/p>\n In the modern era, the team\u2019s most notable run occurred in 2002 when they reached the quarterfinals. The U.S. defeated Portugal in the group stage and beat Mexico 2\u20130 in the Round of 16 before narrowly falling 1\u20130 to Germany in a match remembered for a missed handball call.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY We’re getting excited about the 2026 World Cup and seeing the U.S. men’s national team take on the best teams from across the globe. Next summer’s edition of soccer’s marquee event will include 48 teams (the biggest field ever) and will be co-hosted by three countries: the U.S., Canada and Mexico.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2070,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}