The United States wants to make history as the grand host of the World Cup next summer. Although the 2026 World Cup will be the first hosted by three countries, 78 of the 104 matches, including the final, will be played on American soil. The day after the group stage draw, FIFA presented the schedules and venues for each team in the tournament. The United States leads Group D as hosts, a sector it shares with Paraguay, Australia and a UEFA play-off rival to be decided in March and drawn from Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo.
United States – Paraguay, June 12 in Los Angeles
The United States will make its World Cup debut on June 12 at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. This is the first of three games played on the West Coast for Team USA during this phase.
United States – Australia, June 19 in Seattle
A week after their World Cup debut, those led by Mauricio Pochettino will face Australia on June 19 at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) at Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks and one of the loudest stadiums in the country. This is the only trip to the group stage for the American team.
United States – UEFA play-offs, June 25 in Los Angeles
After the duel against Australia, the Stars and Stripes team will return to SoFi Stadium to close its participation in the group stage against a European rival that will be known at the end of March, which will emerge from the qualifiers disputed between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo. The last match of the first phase of the American team will begin at 10:00 p.m. (Eastern time) and could set the course for the locals in the round of 16.
If the United States manages to advance to first place in its group, it would remain on the West Coast to face the top third-place finishers from Groups B, E, FI or J at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco. If they finish second in their sector, the United States will have to travel to Dallas to face the second place in Group G (Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand) for a ticket to the round of 16 at AT&T Stadium.