World Cup: USMNT opponents
USMNT World Cup 2026 roster released
On Tuesday, the United States men's national soccer team officially released its 2026 FIFA World Cup roster, featuring a mix of stars ahead of the tournament. LiveNOW's Anna Marsick brings FOX News digital reporter Tyler Thrasher into the conversation to discuss.
The United States is familiar with Australia, Paraguay and Turkey as they get ready for their World Cup Group D matchups.
The U.S. played all three opponents in friendlies last year. With the U.S. men’s national team roster made official last week, here’s a look at their opponents:
Paraguay
Coach:
Paraguay’s national team is coached by Gustavo Alfaro, who previously led national teams for Ecuador and Costa Rica, according to FIFA.
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How They Got Here:
The new, expanded format of this year’s World Cup guarantees six nations from the CONMEBOL region qualify automatically. A seventh team from the region qualifies in the intercontinental play-offs. Paraguay entered the World Cup with a sixth-place finish, upsetting Brazil 1-0 and Argentina 2-1 along the way. Paraguay’s last World Cup appearance was 2010.
A general view of FIFA World Cup 2026 signage at SoFi Stadium on May 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Roster:
Goalkeepers are Orlando Gill, Roberto Fernandez and Gaston Olveira.
Defenders are Juan Caceres, Gustavo Velazquez, Gustavo Gomez, Junior Alonso, Jose Canale, Omar Alderete, Alexandro Maidana and Fabian Balbuena.
Midfielders are Diego Gomez, Mauricio Magalhaes, Damian Bobadilla, Braian Ojeda, Andres Cubas, Matias Galarza and Alejandro Gamarra.
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Forwards are Gustavo Caballero, Ramon Sosa, Alex Arce, Isidro Pitta, Gabriel Avalos, Miguel Almiron, Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria.
Players To Watch:
According to FOX Sports, forward Julio Enciso; veterans Miguel Almiron and Antonio Sanabria; midfielder Diego Gomez, and center-backs Gustavo Gomez and Omar Alderete.
The backstory:
This year’s World Cup will be the 10th time the U.S. and Paraguay have played each other. They last faced each other in a November 2025 friendly in Chester City, Pennsylvania. The U.S. beat Paraguay 2-1.
Timeline:
The U.S. and Paraguay play Friday, June 12, in Los Angeles.
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Australia
Coach:
Australia’s World Cup team is coached by Tony Popovic, who played on the Australian national team when they reached the second round at the World Cup in Germany in 2006. He was appointed to lead the team in late 2024.
How They Got Here:
According to FIFA, Australia won six straight games to enter AFC qualification before entering the third round with a loss against Bahrain, a draw in Indonesia, a win against China PR and a draw against Japan.
They remained undefeated against Japan and Saudi Arabia to secure their spot in the World Cup. Australia’s last World Cup appearance was in 2022 in Qatar, when they reached the round of 16.
Roster:
Goalkeepers are Patrick Beach, Paul Izzo and Mathew Ryan.
Defenders are Aziz Behich, Jordan Bos, Cameron Burgess, Alessandro Circati, Milos Degenek, Jason Geria, Lucas Herrington, Jacob Italiano, Harry Souttar and Kai Trewin.
Midfielders are Cameron Devlin, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Connor Metcalfe, Paul Okon-Engstler and Aiden O'Neill.
Forwards are Nestory Irankunda, Mathew Leckie, Awer Mabil, Mohamed Toure, Nishan Velupillay, Cristian Volpato and Tete Yengi.
Players To Watch:
According to FOX Sports, central midfielder Jackson Irvine will be the man to watch, if he can stay healthy, along with longtime captain and goalkeeper Mathew Ryan.
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A veteran of three previous World Cup squads, Mathew Ryan is the longtime captain for Australia and remains to be the top-choice goalkeeper for 2026.
The backstory:
The U.S. and Australia last played each other in a friendly in Commerce City, Colorado, in October 2025, with the USA winning 2-1.
Timeline:
The U.S. and Australia play Friday, June 19 in Seattle.
Türkiye
Coach:
Türkiye’s World Cup team is coached by Vincenzo Montella. He was appointed in September 2023 as the fourth Italian to coach Türkiye.
How They Got Here:
Türkiye finished second in their qualifying group with four wins, one draw and one loss. They secured their place in the World Cup by defeating Kosovo 1-0 in the UEFA playoff final on March 31, 2026. Their last World Cup appearance was in 2002.
Roster:
Goalkeepers are Altay Bayindir, Mert Gunok and Ugurcan Cakir.
Defenders are Abdulkerim Bardakci, Caglar Soyuncu, Eren Elmali, Ferdi Kadioglu, Merih Demiral, Mert Muldur, Ozan Kabak, Samet Akaydin and Zeki Celik.
Midfielders are Hakan Calhanoglu, Ismail Yuksek, Kaan Ayhan, Orkun Kokcu and Salih Ozcan.
Forwards are Arda Guler, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Can Uzun, Deniz Gul, Irfan Can Kahveci, Kenan Yildiz, Kerem Akturkoglu, Oguz Aydin and Yunus Akgun.
Players To Watch:
At 20 years old, forward Kenan Yıldızhe, has already made 28 appearances for Türkiye, according to FOX Sports.
The backstory:
The U.S. and Türkiye last played each other in a June 2025 friendly in Hartford, Connecticut. Türkiye won 2-1.
Timeline:
The U.S. and Türkiye play Thursday, June 25, in Los Angeles.
The Source: This report includes information from FIFA and FOX Sports.