Team USA’s potential opponents at the World Cup: round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final
The USMNT already knows their fate at the World Cup in a group where they aim to finish leader.
The United States’ path at the World Cup is now clear. Mauricio Pochettino and his team know their three group stage opponents, all of them familiar from recent meetings.
Team USA will begin their campaign in Los Angeles against Paraguay, a side they faced in the November FIFA window and defeated 2–1. They will then travel to Seattle to meet Australia, another team they beat by the same score. Their final group match will be back in Los Angeles against the winner of the European play-off featuring Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo.
From that point, the USMNT’s route through the knockout rounds depends on their final position in Group D.
If the United States finish first in Group D
Winning the group would place the USMNT in the 81st match of the World Cup, where they would face a third-place finisher from Groups B, E, F, I or J. Potential opponents include Canada, a UEFA play-off winner (Italy, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Macedonia or the Czech Republic), Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao, the Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania, France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq, Bolivia, Suriname, Argentina, Austria, Algeria or Jordan.
If the USMNT finish second in Group D
Finishing as runners-up creates a more straightforward path. They would move to the opposite side of the bracket and meet the runner-up from Group G. Possible opponents in this scenario include Belgium, Iran, Egypt or New Zealand.
If the USMNT finish third in Group D
A third-place finish would pair them with the winner of Groups E, I or K. Depending on results, this could mean Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, France, Senegal, Norway, Portugal, Colombia or Uzbekistan.
USMNT’s possible opponents in the round of 16
If the USMNT advance to the round of 16 as Group D winners, they would face the winner of a match involving the first-place team from Group G (Belgium, Iran, Egypt or New Zealand) and the third-place finisher from one of several groups. These include Group A (Mexico, South Korea, South Africa or a UEFA play-off team), Group E (Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast or Curaçao) and Groups H, I and J, which contain Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, France, Senegal, Norway, Bolivia, Iraq, Suriname, Argentina, Austria, Algeria and Jordan.
If they advance as runners-up
Should the USMNT progress in second place, their round of 16 opponent would be either the winner of Group J or the runner-up of Group H. Their potential rivals in that case are Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan, Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia or Cape Verde.
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