WASHINGTON — As a World Cup co-host, the U.S. males’s nationwide soccer workforce has lengthy recognized it was going to play within the match — no qualifying essential. It additionally knew the venues and dates for its group-stage matches subsequent summer time. What remained unresolved have been the opponents.
On Friday, they got here to gentle through the draw at Kennedy Heart — and the outcomes have been extremely favorable to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.
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The highest seed in Group D, the 14th-ranked People welcomed No. 26 Australia and No. 39 Paraguay – manageable foes that they defeated in residence friendlies this fall – and the winner of a March playoff between Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo. At No. 25, Türkiye is favored to advance.
The USA additionally performed Türkiye in a pleasant this 12 months, dropping 2-1, however the familiarity of presumably going through three latest opponents would assist ease preparations.
“It means much less work, as a result of we’ve already completed the homework, as a result of it is recent,” Pochettino stated. “Nevertheless it’s nonetheless six months [until the World Cup]. We have to replace all the pieces. We all know them, however they know us.”
The USA will open June 12 in opposition to Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, then face Australia on June 19 at Lumen Area in Seattle. The group finale is June 25 in opposition to the playoff winner again in Inglewood. At the least two groups will advance to the spherical of 32 in an expanded competitors that may function 48 nations enjoying 104 matches in 16 cities throughout america, Mexico and Canada.
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“We are able to go into it with an excellent feeling,” star ahead Christian Pulisic stated. “Clearly, we performed in opposition to these groups not too long ago, which isn’t all the time the case. So we all know, kind of, what they’ll appear like. We all know they’re robust opponents as effectively. We’re not taking anybody flippantly.”
It may have been an entire lot worse for america, which is looking for to not solely advance out of group play however attain the quarterfinals for the primary time since 2002. Australia was the lowest-ranked workforce in Pot 2 and Paraguay got here from the center of Pot 3. And whereas a European playoff winner was not the simplest pairing from Pot 4, the survivor is not going to come from a playoff involving Twelfth-ranked Italy.
“Regardless of who we drew within the group, we have been going to have that perception we may make a run and do one thing particular,” midfielder Tyler Adams stated. “There is no simple sport in a World Cup. In reality, a few of our hardest video games within the earlier World Cup have been in opposition to the lesser opponents [Wales and Iran]. For us shifting ahead, we have to proceed to organize in the precise manner, however it’s enjoyable realizing we have performed a few of these opponents earlier than.”
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Pochettino dismissed options it’s a light-weight group, saying, “I believe that may be a little disrespectful to assume this manner as a result of all of the opponents are essential and we have to respect all of the opponents.”
When advised by a reporter that his workforce landed in one of many simpler teams, Pochettino stated, “I believe that may be a little disrespectful to assume this manner as a result of all of the opponents are essential and we have to respect all of the opponents.”
That stated, the People will little doubt be ok with opening in opposition to Paraguay, which they edged 2-1 in Chester, Pennsylvania, final month. Most of the skilled U.S. gamers weren’t out there for that worldwide window, which additionally included a 5-1 romp over Uruguay in Tampa.
In October in higher Denver, america got here from behind to defeat Australia 2-1 on Haji Wright’s two targets. Türkiye was a distinct matter final June as a younger U.S. squad was outclassed in a pre-Gold Cup tune-up in East Hartford, Connecticut.
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Assessing the group, Australian coach Tony Popovic stated, “I am certain you’d count on the U.S. to be a favourite. They’d count on to undergo as a bunch nation, enjoying at residence. If that is the case, I am pleased for them, so long as we’re with them and be a part of them.”
By drawing Australia from Pot 2, the People dodged Morocco, a 2022 semifinalist; Croatia, a 2018 finalist and 2022 semifinalist; and Colombia, a South American energy that has dominated america through the years. The largest menace in Pot 3, Erling Haaland-led Norway, additionally landed elsewhere.
The expanded area of groups — 16 greater than 2022 — performed an element within the U.S. workforce getting a modest group. However as a result of all of the hosts are high seeds, the People prevented the highest 9 groups within the FIFA rankings: Spain, Argentina, France, Brazil, England, Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium and Germany.
In 2006, their group included Italy. In 2010 and 2022, they confronted England. In 2014, it was Germany and Portugal.
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“I’m optimistic, like earlier than and 1764982888 after,” Pochettino stated. “Wanting ahead to the World Cup is essentially the most thrilling second for us and we have to arrive in our greatest situation. … It doesn’t matter what occurs [in the draw], you need to be optimistic in regards to the future.”
USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino attends Friday’s World Cup draw on the Kennedy Heart in Washington, D.C., the place the People realized their 2026 group stage opponents.
(ROBERTO SCHMIDT by way of Getty Pictures)
Ought to they win their group, the People would have a Spherical-of-32 match July 1 in opposition to a third-place workforce in Santa Clara, California. Ending second would ship them to Arlington, Texas, to face the second-place finisher from Group G on July 3 — presumably Iran or Egypt.
The U.S. aim is to get past the spherical of 16, one thing it hasn’t achieved since 2002 in South Korea. With the World Cup on residence soil and plenty of gamers having gained expertise on the 2022 match in Qatar, expectations are rising.
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“It is truthful to say the final World Cup, we could not set a bar or commonplace for something – we did not know what to anticipate,” Adams stated. “We hadn’t been by means of the method. We did not know what it was going to be like. Now we’re much more mature. We have grown so much as people and as a workforce. Everybody’s going to need us to say profitable [the trophy] is clearly the aim .. however setting the benchmark of the furthest the U.S. workforce has gone can be life like. So we wish to go and make a run.”
Pochettino will be unable to regather his gamers once more till friendlies in Atlanta in opposition to Belgium on March 25 and Portugal on March 28. He then plans to pick his 26-man World Cup roster in late Might, simply earlier than the ultimate coaching camp, which is able to embrace friendlies in opposition to Germany on June 6 in Chicago and a yet-to-be-determined opponent Might 31 in Charlotte.
The revelation of the teams capped a drawn-out ceremony that includes heads of state, movies, musical acts and former athletes, together with Tom Brady and Shaquille O’Neal, taking part within the draw itself.
After Washington’s first snow of the season dusted arriving VIPs and media from all over the world, the festivities started with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performing “Nessun Dorma.”
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Co-hosts Kevin Hart and Heidi Klum launched FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who laid it on thick.
“FIFA is the official happiness supplier for humanity since over 100 years, proper?” he stated. The World Cup is “rather more than only a sporting occasion; it’s the best occasion mankind has ever seen and can ever see.”
Infantino, who’s getting ready to supervise his third males’s World Cup, launched President Donald Trump and First Girl Melania Trump, adopted by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Infantino then led the viewers in chants of “USA!”, “Canada! and “Mexico!”
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As a part of his continued embrace of Trump, which, upon its creation final month, was clearly earmarked for Trump.
“You possibly can all the time, Mr. President, rely on my assist,” Infantino stated.
“Gianni, an incredible honor,” Trump stated.
To start the draw, Carney, Sheinbaum and Trump ceremoniously plucked balls from bowls that simply occurred to have slips of paper displaying their respective nations. After Carney and Sheinbaum accomplished their “picks,” Trump reached into the bowl and, earlier than flashing the outcome to the gang, drew laughter by declaring, “That is surprising.”
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About two hours later, the U.S. workforce realized what lies forward within the first males’s World Cup in North America since america broke attendance information in 1994.
Mentioned Adams: “It makes it much more actual now.”