USA clinch knockout-stage berth at 2026 World Cup and lead Group D with two wins

The United States men’s national team secured their place in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a 2-0 victory over Australia in Group D, becoming only the second nation to clinch a knockout-stage berth at the tournament. The result moves the USA to a perfect 2-0-0 record in the group and puts them in pole position to finish first.

A draw in their final group game against Türkiye will be enough to top Group D. Alternatively, if Paraguay avoids defeat against Türkiye on Friday, the USA will automatically win the group — which would mark their first group-stage title since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Australia, who beat Türkiye 2-0 in their opening match, hold the advantage for second place in the group heading into the final round of fixtures.

Group A is already decided. Mexico’s win over South Korea secured top spot on head-to-head tiebreakers, meaning their final game against Czechia carries no bearing on their standing — though it remains significant for the Czechs’ own qualification hopes.

Group B looks set to send Canada and Switzerland through, with both sides boasting strong goal differences and the top eight third-place finishers now also qualifying. The group winner will be settled when the two sides meet on Wednesday, 24 June. Switzerland must win that game to claim first place, as Canada currently hold a superior goal difference.

Group C presents a stiff challenge for Scotland, who opened with a win over Haiti but now face Morocco and Brazil in succession. The Scots will likely need at least one point from those two fixtures to advance. Morocco and Brazil — both ranked inside the FIFA top ten — have already played each other, meaning positive results in their remaining games should see either side comfortably through.

Group E sees Germany in commanding shape after hammering Curaçao by a margin that gave them a plus-six goal difference. Their clash with the Ivory Coast on Saturday is expected to be decisive in determining who tops the group. Ecuador must beat Curaçao to keep their own qualification hopes alive ahead of a final-game showdown with Germany.