USA next World Cup match: Schedule, start time, draw bracket and results as USMNT face Paraguay to open 2026

The U.S. men's national team will embark on a journey never seen before by soccer fans in this country as they play co-host to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Hoping to propel fandom in the sport to new heights as they trek across the nation, competing against the best the world has to offer, the USMNT will look to energize the United States soccer fanbase with a deep run in the competition.

Led by head coach Mauricio Pochettino and superstar Christian Pulisic, the U.S. are eyeing a deep run in soccer's most iconic competition, aiming to propel the federation to future success with a push through the competition on home soil.

The Sporting News brings you a closer look at their next match at the 2026 World Cup, knowing the trek is fraught with danger at every turn.

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When is USA's next match at World Cup 2026?

As one of the three co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, the United States will kick off their tournament early in the schedule.

The USMNT will begin its Group D slate with a match against Paraguay on Friday, June 12.

It will kick off at 9 p.m. ET from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

MORE: A deeper look at the USMNT squad for the 2026 World Cup | USMNT left dangerously thin in midfield

USA match schedule, results from World Cup 2026

World Cup Group D standings

How to watch USA matches at the 2026 World Cup

• TV channel: FOX
• Streaming: Fubo

USMNT matches at the 2026 World Cup will be televised in the United States on FOX network channel.

That, along with every other World Cup match through the 2026 tournament, is available to stream on Fubo.

Fubo offers a FREE trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)

USA World Cup 2026 draw bracket for Group D

As hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the United States were pre-drawn out of Pot 1 into Group D.

This is a traditional process, as the host of every World Cup is given Pot 1 treatment, and is pre-drawn into a group ahead of time to maximize the home nation's positioning amongst the venues and bracket.

They were then drawn alongside Australia from Pot 2, Paraguay from Pot 3, and late UEFA playoff qualifiers Turkey from Pot 4.

It was an extremely kind draw for the 2026 co-hosts, who secured two of the lower-ranked sides from Pot 2 and 3 and grabbed arguably the softest of the four UEFA pathways from Pot 4.

Should the U.S. advance through the group stage and into the knockout stage, their placement within the 32-team bracket will be dependent on their finish within the four-team Group D table.

Should the U.S. qualify for the Round of 32, either by placing top two in their group or being one of the eight third-place qualifiers, they have five potential places they could end up in.

Here are all five possible locations the U.S. could wind up slotting into, as well as their path to the final from each one.

Path for USA in World Cup knockout — 1st place in Group D

Path for USA in World Cup knockout — 2nd place in Group D

Path for USA in World Cup knockout — 3rd place qualifier

As a member of Group D, the United States have three potential places in the knockout stage bracket they could be sorted into should they qualify as one of the eight third-place qualifiers.

Until all qualifiers are known, it is impossible to predict where or when they could potentially play should this come to pass. There are 495 mathematical combinations of third place qualifiers, with 330 of them involving a participant from Group D. All of these have been spelled out in advance, and every potential outcome can be found in Annex C (pg. 80) of the 2026 FIFA World Cup regulations.

Potential path 1 — Face Winner of Group E

There are 202 total combinations of third-place qualifiers that would see the U.S. play the winner from Group E, which is by far the most likely result.

Potential path 2 — Face Winner of Group I

There are 111 possible combinations of third-place qualifiers that would see the USMNT face the winner of Group I in the Round of 32.

Potential path 3 — Face Winner of Group K

This is by far the least likely scenario for if the U.S. were to qualify as a third place finisher, with only 17 of the possible 495 combinations of third-place qualifiers resulting in this placement.