# 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D
**Group D** at the 2026 [FIFA World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-world-cup) was one of the twelve first-round groups of the 48-team tournament staged in Canada, Mexico, and the United States from 11 June to 19 July 2026. It contained co-hosts the United States, Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye, and was played entirely on the West Coast of North America, with venues in Los Angeles, Seattle, the [San Francisco Bay Area](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-bay-area), and Vancouver[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey) • [2](https://www.axios.com/2025/12/06/2026-fifa-world-cup-schedule). The United States won the group with six points; Australia finished second and Paraguay third[3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/all-of-the-world-cup-scores-so-far-at-the-2026-tournament) • [9](https://www.worldcup.org.uk/football/2026/groups/GroupD.shtml).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Teams | United States (co-host), Paraguay, Australia, Türkiye[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey) |
| FIFA rankings at the tournament | United States 16th, Türkiye 22nd, Australia 27th, Paraguay 40th[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey) |
| Final standings | 1. United States 6 points; 2. Australia 4; 3. Paraguay 4; 4. Türkiye 3[9](https://www.worldcup.org.uk/football/2026/groups/GroupD.shtml) • [3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/all-of-the-world-cup-scores-so-far-at-the-2026-tournament) |
| Venues | Los Angeles Stadium, Seattle Stadium, San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, BC Place (Vancouver)[4](https://www.fifaworldcup.ae/groups/group-d/matches/) |
| Head coaches | Mauricio Pochettino (USA), Gustavo Alfaro (Paraguay), Tony Popovic (Australia), Vincenzo Montella (Türkiye)[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey) |
| Notable result | Paraguay eliminated four-time champions Germany on penalties in the Round of 32, Germany's first ever World Cup penalty defeat[3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/all-of-the-world-cup-scores-so-far-at-the-2026-tournament) |
## Teams and how they qualified
The United States entered as co-host and therefore did not have to navigate qualification; it was the highest-ranked team in the group at 16th, with [Mauricio Pochettino](https://www.edgepedia.org/mauricio-pochettino), formerly of Tottenham Hotspur, as head coach[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey) • [5](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2026/06/04/2026-world-cup-group-d-preview-predictions-odds-top-scorers/). It was the Americans' 12th World Cup and their second as host after 1994; their best finishes were third in the inaugural 1930 tournament and a quarterfinal in 2002, and they had reached the Round of 16 at each of their previous three World Cups[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey). Key players included Christian Pulisic of AC Milan, Weston McKennie of Juventus, Tyler Adams of Bournemouth, and Folarin Balogun of AS Monaco[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey).
Türkiye was the second-ranked side at 22nd and qualified as winner of UEFA Path C, ending a 24-year absence from the World Cup; it had played only twice before, reaching the semifinals and finishing third in 2002[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey). [Vincenzo Montella](https://www.edgepedia.org/vincenzo-montella)'s squad featured 21-year-old Real Madrid attacking midfielder [Arda Güler](https://www.edgepedia.org/arda-guler), Juventus winger [Kenan Yıldız](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenan-y-ld-z), and captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu of Inter Milan, and the team was widely described as a potential dark horse[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey).
Australia, ranked 27th under Tony Popovic, qualified by finishing second in Group C of AFC third-round qualifying. The 2026 tournament was its seventh World Cup and its seventh in succession since 2006, with Round of 16 appearances in 2006 and 2022; veteran goalkeeper [Mathew Ryan](https://www.edgepedia.org/mathew-ryan), with 104 caps, anchored the squad[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey).
Paraguay, the lowest-ranked team in the group at 40th, finished sixth in [CONMEBOL](https://www.edgepedia.org/conmebol) qualifying under Gustavo Alfaro. It was Paraguay's ninth World Cup but its first since 2010, when it reached the quarterfinals, its best-ever result. [Miguel Almirón](https://www.edgepedia.org/miguel-almiron), Diego Gómez of Brighton & Hove Albion, and MLS-based defensive midfielder Andrés Cubas were among its key players[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey).
## Schedule and venues
When the match schedule was released in December 2025, the United States was placed in Group D and set to play its entire group stage on the West Coast, alongside Paraguay, Australia, and the winner of UEFA playoff C among Türkiye, Slovakia, Kosovo, and Romania; Türkiye ultimately took that slot[2](https://www.axios.com/2025/12/06/2026-fifa-world-cup-schedule). The six fixtures were[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey):
- June 12: United States vs Paraguay, Los Angeles
- June 13 (12 am ET): Australia vs Türkiye, Vancouver
- June 19: United States vs Australia, Seattle
- June 19: Türkiye vs Paraguay, Santa Clara (San Francisco Bay Area)
- June 25: Türkiye vs United States, Los Angeles
- June 25: Paraguay vs Australia, Santa Clara
As in every group, the two final fixtures kicked off simultaneously so that no team could gain an advantage from knowing the other result[4](https://www.fifaworldcup.ae/groups/group-d/matches/). Under the tournament's format, the top two teams in each group and the eight best third-placed teams across the 12 groups advanced to the newly introduced Round of 32[1](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey).
## Group stage results
The United States opened with a 4-1 win over Paraguay on June 13[3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/all-of-the-world-cup-scores-so-far-at-the-2026-tournament). On matchday two, Paraguay beat Türkiye 1-0 at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium while the United States beat Australia 2-0 in Seattle, leaving the co-hosts qualified with a game to spare and Türkiye eliminated with no points[3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/all-of-the-world-cup-scores-so-far-at-the-2026-tournament) • [6](https://www.fifa.com/en/en/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/match-schedule-fixtures-results-teams-stadiums).
The final matchday produced an unusual split outcome. Already through as group winners, the United States lost 3-2 to already-eliminated Türkiye on a goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time, while Paraguay and Australia played a goalless draw that sent both through on four points, two behind the co-hosts[9](https://www.worldcup.org.uk/football/2026/groups/GroupD.shtml) • [3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/all-of-the-world-cup-scores-so-far-at-the-2026-tournament). Türkiye thus left the tournament with three points from its win over the Americans, and the United States' defeat did not change its position at the top of the table[3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/all-of-the-world-cup-scores-so-far-at-the-2026-tournament).
## Knockout stage
Group D's second-place side delivered the round's biggest upset: Paraguay beat Germany 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, going ahead through Julio Enciso before [Kai Havertz](https://www.edgepedia.org/kai-havertz) equalized, and [Jonathan Tah](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonathan-tah)'s extra-time header was ruled out by VAR for a foul on goalkeeper [Manuel Neuer](https://www.edgepedia.org/manuel-neuer). Havertz missed the first kick of the shootout and José Canale converted the decisive one, handing Germany its first ever World Cup penalty defeat[3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/all-of-the-world-cup-scores-so-far-at-the-2026-tournament).
The United States' run ended in the knockout rounds with a 4-1 defeat to Belgium, a match in which an error by goalkeeper Matt Freese contributed[3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/all-of-the-world-cup-scores-so-far-at-the-2026-tournament).
## Pre-tournament expectations
Predictions before the tournament treated the group as tightly balanced. Commentators nonetheless expected the home side to do well: NDTV wrote that playing at home, the United States would be expected to perform, and [DraftKings](https://www.edgepedia.org/draftkings) noted it was the group's highest-ranked team with arguably its biggest-name manager[8](https://sports.ndtv.com/fifa-world-cup-2026/fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-teams-schedule-top-players-and-prediction-11619698) • [5](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2026/06/04/2026-world-cup-group-d-preview-predictions-odds-top-scorers/). The group's competitive balance was reflected in the final table, where the top three sides were separated by only two points[9](https://www.worldcup.org.uk/football/2026/groups/GroupD.shtml) • [3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/all-of-the-world-cup-scores-so-far-at-the-2026-tournament).
## References
1. [2026 FIFA World Cup: Group D preview, what to know, MLSSoccer.com](https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/news/2026-fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-usa-australia-paraguay-turkey)
2. [The 2026 World Cup schedule is set, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2025/12/06/2026-fifa-world-cup-schedule)
3. [World Cup 2026 Live Scores, Matches & Results, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/all-of-the-world-cup-scores-so-far-at-the-2026-tournament)
4. [Group D Schedule — World Cup 2026, fifaworldcup.ae](https://www.fifaworldcup.ae/groups/group-d/matches/)
5. [2026 World Cup Group D Preview: Predictions, Odds, Top Scorers, DraftKings Network](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2026/06/04/2026-world-cup-group-d-preview-predictions-odds-top-scorers/)
6. [World Cup 2026 match schedule, fixtures, results & stadiums, FIFA](https://www.fifa.com/en/en/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/match-schedule-fixtures-results-teams-stadiums)
7. [FIFA World Cup Predictions, 9 April 2026, SBS](https://assets.sbs.com.au/07/69/796b14374c579c3eae5db7ed4a6d/2026-wc-prediction.pdf)
8. [FIFA World Cup Group D: Preview, Teams, Schedule, Top Players And Prediction, NDTV Sports](https://sports.ndtv.com/fifa-world-cup-2026/fifa-world-cup-group-d-preview-teams-schedule-top-players-and-prediction-11619698)
9. [Group D Table and Matches – 2026 Football World Cup, worldcup.org.uk](https://www.worldcup.org.uk/football/2026/groups/GroupD.shtml)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › FIFA World Cup › FIFA World Cup (men) › World Cup editions and tournament stages › 2026 FIFA World Cup (Canada–Mexico–USA)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license