Is Australia good at soccer? How USMNT can beat Group D opponent in 2026 World Cup match

After a resounding victory over Paraguay to start the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the United States is riding high and has laid the groundwork for a strong group stage showing.

Yet the job is far from complete, as there are still two more games to go, which will determine the USMNT's knockout-stage fate.

Before the Group D finale against Turkey, the U.S. will meet Australia in Seattle on Friday, with kickoff at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT. The Socceroos recorded a stunning first-round win of their own, defeating Turkey 2-0 to put these two teams within a whisker of knockout-stage qualification.

A victory for either side will clinch a knockout-stage spot depending on the result of Paraguay's game with Turkey, while a draw likely puts both of them in as well, even if not for certain.

The Sporting News brings you a look at the next opponent for the United States of this summer's World Cup, how they stack up, what they bring to the table, and what the USMNT needs to do to win the game.

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Is Australia a good soccer team?

• FIFA world rank: 23rd
• AFC rank: 3rd (behind Japan, South Korea)
• Qualified via: 2nd place, AFC World Cup qualifying third round, Group C
• Head coach: Tony Popovich
• Captain: Mathew Ryan (104 caps)
• Notable players: Harry Souttar (Leicester City), Milos Degenek (APOEL), Jackson Irvine (St. Pauli), Nestory Irankunda (Watford)

Australia's move from the Oceania confederation to the Asian confederation in 2004 has been a masterstroke, as the uptick in competition has sent the Socceroos on an upward trajectory towards improving their overall global standing.

Despite this, Australia has still only advanced through to the knockout stage at a World Cup twice, reaching the Round of 16 in both 2006 and 2022. The team is hoping to become a more regular fixture in the elimination rounds, especially with the expansion to a Round of 32, with the performance in Qatar expected to be a jumping-off point for future improvement.

Still, while Australia has done well to develop a strong identity and team mentality, it struggles to develop top-line talent. A review of its squad actually finds one struggling to identify the best player, which is a problem when it comes to envisioning long-term growth and development. Australia needs to produce more star talent if it is to progress past its current station.

MORE: A closer look at Group D at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

USMNT record vs. Australia

• USA record vs. Australia: 2 W, 0 D, 0 L
• First meeting: USA 3-1 Australia (Jun. 5, 2010 | International friendly)
• Last meeting: USA 2-1 Australia (Oct. 15, 2025 | International friendly)

The United States has only met Australia twice ever in national-team history, and never in competitive action.

In the first-ever meeting back in 2010, Edson Buddle scored twice — two-thirds of his career international goals — and a third late from Herculez Gomez gave the United States a 3-1 victory, overpowering a 19th-minute goal from Tim Cahill.

They met again 15 years later, just last October in Colorado, where Jordan Bos gave Australia an early lead — also in the 19th minute — but a brace from Haji Wright bracketing halftime gave the United States a come-from-behind victory.

Australia team news, predicted starting lineup

5-4-1, right to left: Beach (GK) — Italiano, Circati, Souttar, Burgess, Bos — Metcalfe, O'Neill, Okon-Engstler, Irankunda — Toure

Australia head coach Tony Popovich made a number of shocking calls in the opening match, throwing the expected starting XI upside-down when he benched a number of regular veterans out of nowhere, including captain and presumed starting goalkeeper Mathew Ryan who was sat in favor of young Patrick Beach.

After the opening-round victory, it's believed that Popovich will stick with his changes, with the likes of Jackson Irvine, Milos Degenek, Cameron Devlin, Ajdin Hrustic, and Cristian Volpato all expected to remain on the bench.

The star of the opening victory was Nestory Irankunda, a 20-year-old speedster who plays for Championship club Watford in England. Norwich City striker Mohamed Toure was also bright up front, while veteran defender Harry Souttar anchored the back line and wore the captain's armband in Ryan's absence.

How the USMNT can beat Australia at the World Cup

The United States must stick to its approach from the opening-round win over Paraguay, as it will be the best avenue to victory in this match as well.

It was the aggressive counter-press that delivered victory last weekend, as the USMNT penned Paraguay in and neutralized the South Americans' counter-attack by aggressively winning the ball back as soon as it was given away. That will be how to approach this match as well, instead of relying on slow, methodical pressure to dismantle the opponent, as Turkey tried to do in vain. Australia can defend well while under slow pressure for long periods of time, using imposing physical and aerial prowess to stymie the opponent.

If the U.S. can create chaos with the counter-press, it will surely romp to victory in this match as it did in the opener. If it gets too cross-happy, however, it will find itself in real trouble against Australia's physically imposing defenders, so Mauricio Pochettino's players must keep the ball on the ground and use Folarin Balogun's exquisite off-ball movement to create passing combinations in the final third.

The key for the United States defensively will be on the right flank, where Sergino Dest and Alex Freeman are positioned. Australia will hope that right-back Jacob Italiano can defend Christian Pulisic one-on-one, or with help from right-sided center-back Alessandro Circati, which leaves Jordan Bos and Nestory Irankunda to attack with freedom down the left.

If Dest can get high up the field and pin Bos and Irankunda back, it will ease the defensive pressure on Freeman, but he will likely still have some one-on-one defending to do at pace. If Freeman can handle those moments without making errors, it will negate Australia's best attacking move, as they look to get out in transition down the left and find late runners into the area from midfield.

USA vs. Australia betting odds, predictions

• Moneyline lean: USA (-105)
• Score prediction: USA 3-1 Australia

Not only are the United States better than Australia on paper, but the team matches up extremely well with its next opponents, too.

Australia's biggest defensive strength is its physicality and aerial prowess. The former has historically not bothered the United States, whose forwards are happy to go toe-to-toe against defenders without being bullied. The latter won't matter, as the United States does not play a high number of crosses, preferring to create chaos on the dribble or pass through their opponent in the final third.

Turkey struggled to break down Australia's compact defensive structure, but it chose to play a slow, methodical possessional build-up rather than counter-press like the U.S. does. Australia will have a more chaotic match on its hands in this one, something that will cause it problems.

As long as Alex Freeman can effectively handle the pace of Nestory Irankunda on the wing, Australia will struggle to get out of its own half, and the U.S. should have a multi-goal victory.