Month: June 2026

The U.S. men’s national team became the second nation to secure a spot in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, it hasn’t won its group … yet. Following its 2-0 victory over Australia, the USA improved to 2-0-0 in Group D play, meaning that it only needs to draw in its next match against Türkiye to finish first. But the USA can also secure first place in Group D later on Friday. If Paraguay either wins or secures a draw in its match against Türkiye, the USA will win its group at the World Cup for the first time since 2010. As we’re in the midst of each nation’s Match Day 2, here is a closer look at the World Cup bracket and scenarios. JUMP TO: Group A | Group B | Group C | Group DGroup E | Group F | Group G | Group HGroup I | Group J | Group K | Group LThird-Place Rankings (All records are win-draw-loss) Group A Mexico’s win over South Korea on Friday meant it won Group A because the first tiebreaker is head-to-head results. Mexico’s result in its final game against Czechia won’t matter for its standing, although it will matter to the Czechs. Group B With strong goal differences and the top-eight third-place teams now qualifying, Canada and Switzerland will likely advance. The winner of Group B will be determined by the matchup between the two countries on Wednesday, June 24 (3 p.m. ET on FOX). Switzerland will have to win that game to win Group B due to Canada’s superior goal difference. Group C Morocco was able to secure three points following its draw against Brazil, getting a much-needed win over Scotland. With the victory, Morocco moved into first place in Group C, but Brazil still has to face Haiti. Group D The USA clinched its spot in the knockout stage. Its win over Australia on Friday also put it in pole position to win Group D, as it can secure first place with just a draw in its group match finale against Türkiye or if Paraguay is able to get a point in its match against Türkiye on Friday. Australia has the upper hand to finish second in the group. It defeated Türkiye, 2-0, in its first match of group play. Group E Germany is in a very strong position after its first game, which saw it beat Curaçao and get a plus-6 goal differential. The Germans’ matchup against the Ivory Coast on Saturday will go a long way in determining which country will win this group. Ecuador will need to beat Curaçao on Saturday to give itself a good chance to advance with a matchup against Germany on the horizon in its final match of the group stage. Group F Sweden is looking good after a blowout win over Tunisia in its first game, but it faces two difficult matches against the Netherlands and Japan to close out group play. The Dutch and Japanese played to a thrilling 2-2 draw in their matchup to open the tournament. Both teams still have a good chance of winning Group F, but that will likely require a win over Sweden. Group G It’s all up for grabs in Group G after two draws in the opening two matches. Belgium will still be favored to win the group with matches against New Zealand and Iran on the horizon. Group H Spain will still be favored to win this group, even after a draw against Cape Verde in what should have been its easiest matchup. Uruguay was the second favorite, but it dropped points against Saudi Arabia. Group I Advantage to France and Norway after one match day. Norway took care of business against Iraq, while France got a huge three points against Senegal in its opener. Those teams will play on the final match day. France can take a big step toward qualifying with a win over Iraq in its second match. A positive result for Senegal against Norway would also go a long way after its loss to France. Group J Argentina and Austria, the two favorites in this group, took care of business in their respective first games. They will meet on the final match day, when both teams may already have qualified for the round of 32. Algeria and Jordan, though, have work to do. Group K Portugal sputtered against DR Congo and now has work to do in order to qualify for the round of 32. Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. will be expected to beat Uzbekistan, but a game on Saturday, June 27 to close out group play against Colombia could be important. Group L England got a huge result with its win over Croatia. The Three Lions will now be favorites to win its final two group games against Ghana and Panama. Speaking of Ghana, it has England next. Good thing it found a late winner against Panama, because those three points were hugely necessary ahead of games against England and Croatia to close its group-stage games. Third-Place Standings The Netherlands sits atop the third-place standings at the start of Match Day 9 due to goals scored, which is the second tiebreaker after goal differential. The eight third-place teams with the most points advance to the round of 32. Round Of 32 Matchups​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

SEATTLE STADIUM — No Christian Pulisic? No problem. With the U.S. men’s national team’s best attacking player on the bench because of a lingering calf injury, Mauricio Pochettino’s squad qualified for the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a game to spare. The Americans beat Australia, 2-0, in its second group stage match Friday in front of a raucous home crowd in what many consider the best soccer city in America. For the second time in as many games, the U.S. struck first on an own goal to take a lead it would never relinquish. Defender Alex Freeman added the backbreaking second goal just before halftime; his third career U.S. goal was confirmed following a lengthy video review that reversed the call on the field after the assistant referee had initially ruled that Freeman was offside. Down by two, the Aussies poured on the pressure in the second half. But while the U.S. bent, it didn’t break, with the home team securing its first shutout in 11 games — an encouraging sign for the tougher tests that await them in the weeks to come. “One clean sheet sounds great,” said U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese, who posted his first World Cup shutout in his second career game. “Two, three, four clean sheets sounds a lot better.” Here are four quick takeaways following Friday’s victory. 1. USA Makes History By Advancing For any World Cup participant, no matter how successful historically, the first goal is obvious: Survive and advance to the second, win-or-go-home round and then take things game by do-or-die game from there. Plenty of soccer’s elite teams have failed this test. Take Germany, which was eliminated in group play in each of the last two editions of soccer’s quadrennial showpiece after claiming its fourth title in 2014. (Only Brazil has more.) With Friday’s win, the USA is off to the business end of the World Cup for the fourth straight time. Sure, that doesn’t include 2018, when the U.S. failed to get to the tournament at all, snapping a streak that dated to 1990. But the U.S. made history on Friday by clinching a place in the last 32 early. Never before had the team’s fate been decided before the final contest of the opening round. “It was an extremely tough game, very physical,” striker Folarin Balogun said post-game. “This is a World Cup, so it’s expected for the passion to sometimes spill over. But I think we kept our cool. It was a really professional performance.” 2. Americans Create Their Own Luck — Again Getting the first goal in this game was always going to be hugely important for either team. And just like in their tournament opening 4-1 win over Paraguay last week, the visitors were dangerous early, pressuring U.S. center backs Tim Ream and Chris Richards with abandon. But the home team struck first again, thanks to another own goal, this time by Socceroos center back Cameron Burgess. The U.S. became the only team in the almost 100-year history of the competition to profit from own goals in consecutive World Cup games. “If I can force an error that gives us the lead, then it’s [like scoring] a goal,” said Balogun, whose attempted pass to Ricardo Pepi Burgess turned past his own keeper. “It was a special, special start to the game to give us the momentum. And then I think we carried it.” 3. Alex Freeman Makes His Mark Just more than a year ago, the soccer-playing son of Super Bowl winner and Green Bay Packers great Antonio Freeman had never made an appearance for the senior USA squad. But in his first season as a regular starter for Orlando City in MLS, the 6-foot-2 fullback caught the eye of U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino and his staff, became a starter for the national team and never looked back. He ended 2025 with his first two international goals in a World Cup tune-up win over two-time champion Uruguay and moved to Spanish power and UEFA Champions League mainstay Villarreal over the winter. On Friday, he shined bright on the biggest stage in sports, scoring the second American goal just before halftime. “I thought it was offside,” Freeman, still in uniform, said afterward. “When it took really long time [to review], I was very anxious to see whether it was a goal or not.” It was, giving him his first goal at a World Cup. 4. Take A Bow, Seattle In sports, as in life, reality surpasses fantasy. But for a city that had been waiting more than 50 years to host the U.S. at a World Cup — men’s or women’s — Friday’s game and the lead up to blew whatever lofty exceptions there were beforehand straight out of Puget Sound. This scene in Seattle was hard to describe. From Pike Place to Pioneer Square, the Emerald City was awash with USA jerseys from every era. There were also plenty of yellow Australia shirts to be seen around town and in the grandiose, almost 70,000-seat downtown arena, with visiting supporters taking up a huge area behind one of the goals and in a sprawling corner in the far reaches of the upper deck. The excitement they created was off the charts. And, as predicted by the U.S. players on the eve of the contest, the overwhelming pro-American crowd played a major role in willing the World Cup co-hosts to another unforgettable victory on home soil. “The atmosphere was incredible,” said Freese. “It’s one of those things you dream of. I’ve heard that the 12th man is what they call the crowd here. It was definitely a 12th man for us today.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports