USA top Group D and qualify for round of 32 after Turkey loss
CALIFORNIA CITY, CALIFORNIA — The United States qualified for the knockout stage after finishing top of Group D with six points, despite a 3-2 defeat to Turkey in the final group-stage match. The USA was led by Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentine professional football manager who was appointed head coach of the United States men’s national team on September 10, 2024.
Before taking charge of the U.S, he led Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the English Premier League and took Tottenham Hotspur to the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final. Pochettino was hired to prepare the team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and under his leadership, the USA team finished top of Group D, securing a place in the Round of 32 despite a 3-2 defeat to Turkey. In response to the loss, Mauricio emphasized that the team’s main objective was to finish first in the group.
“We had one objective to finish first in the group. I'm happy we achieved our goal of reaching the knockout stage. The players tried their best. They worked hard, but we still need to go an extra mile and be ready for the task ahead of us," said Pochettino during an interview with Zenger News.”
Turkey won the final match against the United States. However, the victory came too late to save its World Cup campaign. After losing their previous two matches, Turkey was still eliminated with three points, while the USA progressed based on their earlier results. Under the World Cup group stage format, teams advance to the knockout stage based on points earned across all three matches.
The USA men’s team faces the pressure to prove it can challenge for the title despite being defeated in its final group-stage game. The team also received criticism, with some fans focusing on the defeat rather than on the achievement of advancing from a difficult group stage.
The final group D standings included the USA, Australia, Paraguay, and Turkey. The matches kicked off on June 25, 2026, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and at San Francisco Bay Stadium, respectively. The United States opened its campaign with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay. They then defeated Australia 2-0 in their second group-stage match. On the other hand, Turkey suffered back-to-back defeats, losing 2-0 to Australia and 1-0 to Paraguay, reducing their hopes of advancing to the next level.
The United States finished top of Group D with six points, while Australia finished second with four points to qualify for the Round of 32. Paraguay also ended with four points but was eliminated on the tie-break criteria. Turkey finished fourth with three points despite securing its first victory of the tournament against the USA.
The knockout stage is scheduled to kick off on Sunday, June 28. The 32 qualified teams will compete for places in the Round of 16; only 8 winners will qualify for the quarterfinals, while 8 losers will be eliminated from the tournament.
The United States is expected to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 on Thursday, July 2, in Santa Clara. The United States Soccer Federation has shown its confidence in USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino by proposing a contract extension until the 2030 World Cup cycle. However, Pochettino is still waiting until after the World Cup is done to make a formal decision.