World Cup 2026 Group D: Standings, results, and who can qualify
After the USMNT clinched top spot in Group D, matchday three will witness a showdown for the section’s second automatic knockout-stage berth.
After the U.S. men’s national team secured last-32 qualification as Group D winners, Australia and Paraguay will now seek to join the co-hosts in the World Cup knockout stages on matchday three next week. However, Türkiye can no longer advance from the group stage.
What happened on Group D matchday two?
The USMNT made sure of progression from Group D on matchday two on Friday, beating the Australians 2-0 in Seattle to maintain its 100% start to the 2026 World Cup. Cameron Burgess’s own goal was followed by an Alex Freeman header shortly before half time, in a game that did not involve the USMNT’s star man, Christian Pulisic. The AC Milan forward was ruled out by a calf injury.
Later on Friday, Paraguay earned their first points of this summer’s finals with a narrow win over Türkiye, Matías Galarza’s early strike proving the only goal of the game in Santa Clara. Victory for the Paraguayans, who finished with 10 men after Miguel Almirón’s first-half dismissal, not only boosted the South Americans’ prospects of a place in the knockout stage; it also confirmed the Turks’ elimination, and guaranteed that the USMNT will win the group.
This is because Australia and Paraguay are now the only teams that can match the Stars and Stripes’ points total - and neither can surpass it. As both have lost to the USMNT, Mauricio Pochettino’s men hold the head-to-head advantage over the two teams.
Meanwhile, Türkiye can still finish level on points with the Australians and the Paraguayans, but would lose out to both on the head-to-head tiebreaker.
So who needs what on Group D matchday three?
While the USMNT will take on Türkiye in a dead rubber in Los Angeles next Thursday evening, Australia and Paraguay will meet in Santa Clara in a shootout for Group C’s second automatic-qualification spot.
The teams are tied on three points, but the Australians hold the goal-difference advantage over the Paraguayans, so a draw will be enough for the Socceroos to clinch second place.
Paraguay must win to claim a top-two berth, but a point would probably be enough for Gustavo Alfaro’s men to go through as one of the eight best third-place finishers.
What’s more, Australia and Paraguay could both still qualify even if they lose, depending on goal difference. However, the Paraguayans are less likely to advance with three points, given their current goal difference of -2.
Group D: results
Matchday one: June 12
Matchday two: June 19
Group D: standings
After two matchdays, the table looks like this:
| Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 |
| Australia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Paraguay | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| Türkiye | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
Group D: remaining games
- Türkiye vs United States (June 25, 10:00 p.m. ET)
- Paraguay vs Australia (June 25, 10:00 p.m. ET)
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