The USMNT will play Australia and Paraguay in Group D, as well as third opponent from Europe that will be determined in March

The U.S. Men's National Team will play a slate of international friendlies ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Here is the schedule and how to watch.

The top seed in Group D, the Americans welcomed Australia and Paraguay — manageable foes that they defeated in home friendlies this fall — and the winner of a March playoff between Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo.

On Friday, Dec. 5, soccer's governing body drew lots to determine the opening groups of next summer's World Cup. 48 teams were sorted into twelve groups of four, and with that, the tournament got a whole lot more real for the U. S. Men's National Team.

It's a statement victory for the USMNT as they stretched their unbeaten run to five games to end 2025. They've hit their stride under Mauricio Pochettino, and no matter who is in the lineup, an identity is forming. Let's take a look at the goals:

The United States will open the 2026 World Cup with an opponent it had some fireworks with in November. The USMNT drew Paraguay for their first match on June 12, 2026 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. When the two sides played a match that was supposed to be friendly on Nov. 15, tensions flared with a late-match brawl.

As the United States prepares for its most consequential tournament in modern history, the 2026 World Cup on home soil, the pressure is mounting on a generation defined by Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie,

Having automatically qualified as a host nation, the U.S. was helpfully put in Pot 1 of the draw, meaning that it will avoid most of the big-name soccer nations of Europe and South America that are quadrennial threats to hoist the trophy.

The United States will face Australia, Paraguay and a European playoff winner in group stage play when the tournament opens next summer.

Fox Sports analyst Alexi Lalas called the USMNT draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup "great". And though a lot can change and weird stuff can happen when they actually play the games, Friday could not have gone much better for American soccer.