Ibrahimović backs USA to win 2026 World Cup on home soil after dominant group start

Zlatan Ibrahimović gave a one-word answer when asked whether the United States can win the 2026 FIFA World Cup: “Yes.” The former Sweden striker made the declaration after the USMNT’s 2-0 victory over Australia on Friday sealed their place in the round of 32, following an earlier win over Paraguay that gave the hosts six points from two group games.

Ibrahimović, speaking as a pundit on World Cup coverage, said his confidence was built on what he had seen across both performances — clinical finishing, quality through midfield, and a backline that protected leads without alarm. The U.S. scored five goals and conceded just one across those two matches.

But it was the atmosphere inside American stadiums that Ibrahimović cited as the most powerful factor behind his belief. “When you have this support it’s difficult to beat you,” he said. “That is what they need, and they just need to continue to bring confidence from game-to-game.”

“I said it before: Whatever happened before the World Cup is not as important as what happens now,” Ibrahimović added. “Now is the momentum they have. If you didn’t believe before, I will repeat: ‘Start believing.’ Have the country behind them.”

Thierry Henry, who won the 1998 World Cup with France on home soil, echoed that sentiment from personal experience. “I’ve been in there: home soil, World Cup,” Henry said. “Suddenly, when everybody starts to believe that you can, things can be done.”

Henry also pointed to a subtle but telling shift in the language used by USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino after the Australia match. “I want to go back to one thing that I heard and one thing only — Mauricio Pochettino said, ‘If you want to win the competition,’” Henry noted. “Before, he would have said, ‘Let’s see how far we can go.’ He said, ‘If we want to win the competition, we need to have everyone.’ Things have changed.”

The optimism is grounded in a strong start, but the scale of the task ahead remains clear. The United States would need five more victories to lift the trophy — a feat the men’s national team has never achieved. Whether the home advantage and growing momentum can carry them that far will be tested from the round of 32 onwards.