FIFA World Cup 2026 | Group D Preview

With just days to go before the world’s biggest football tournament gets up and running, we continue with our group previews for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to give you the lowdown on the teams participating in the tournament and how each side stacks up against the rest.

Here, we look at Group D of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, comprising co-hosts USA alongside Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye.

FIFA World Cup 2026 | Group D Teams

USA (CONCACAF)
Paraguay (CONMEBOL)
Australia (AFC)
Türkiye (UEFA)

The run-in

USA

Being one of the hosts, the US did not have to go through a qualifying campaign, but that has not deterred them from being in the spotlight for a myriad of reasons.

From alleged unrest in their ranks that led to the appointment of coach Mauricio Pochettino in 2024, they have been in the news. While results under the Argentine have been favourable (13 wins in 22 games), there have been misgivings about his possession-heavy style of play, which slows down the tempo of the attacks.

Regardless, with a home crowd backing them, the USMNT will hope to go deep into the tournament.

Paraguay

La Albirroja, who will be playing in the World Cup after 16 years, had a rather mixed qualification campaign. Staring down the barrel in the first half of the campaign with just one win, they appointed Gustavo Alfaro, who brought about a stunning revival and an incredible change in fortunes.

Paraguay went on a run of six wins and four draws in their final 11 games to seal qualification. The last time they played the World Cup, they made the round of 16, and they will be looking to emulate that, if not go one step further.

Australia

The Socceroos are another team whose qualification campaign was marred by a rocky start that eventually gave way to a strong revival. The midway resignation of Graham Arnold and the subsequent appointment of Tony Popovic gave a new lease of life to the team and their stuttering campaign, which eventually culminated in qualification.

This will be Australia’s sixth consecutive appearance in the tournament, and they will be looking to surprise quite a few of them.

Türkiye

The Turks qualified for their first World Cup since 2002, where they memorably finished third against all odds.

After finishing second in their qualifying group behind Spain, they had to go through the path of the play-offs to face Romania and Kosovo, both of whom they defeated with relative ease under the astute guidance of head coach Vincenzo Montella.

How each team stacks up

On paper, the USMNT have everything it takes to make a deep run in what is their home tournament: players with experience in Europe’s top leagues, a manager who has coached some of the top teams and won top prizes, and home support that will be behind them. They will be counting on a sizeable array of stars who can make a difference at any given point. The likes of Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Timothy Weah, Christian Pulisic, and Folarin Balogun will all be entrusted to provide attacking thrust and leadership to a relatively young side.

Paraguay, meanwhile, will set themselves up in a compact 4-4-2 that brought them success under the stewardship of Alfaro, but they will be reliant on the attacking skill and sorcery of cult hero Miguel Almirón and young star Julio Enciso, whose skills and quality in 1v1 situations give them an edge over many.

Elsewhere, Australia do not have many star names or any of their players plying their trade in the big leagues, but what they lack in star power, they more than make up for in discipline and intensity as a well-drilled side, and they will look to make life difficult for their opponents with physicality and robust defending.

Lastly, Türkiye are a bit of an underdog side, given that they possess two of the most precocious and talented youngsters in world football in Arda Güler and Kenan Yildiz, both of whom are touted to take the World Cup by storm. Apart from these two, experienced operators like Merih Demiral, Hakan Çalhanoglu, and Ça?lar Söyüncü will look to provide steel and leadership.

Who makes it out of Group D

From the get-go, it looks like a straight tussle between the USA and Türkiye for that top spot. These are two sides who boast superior squad quality, are led by two well-respected and highly regarded coaches, and are looking to make a mark on this tournament.

We back the USMNT to take the top spot, with Türkiye finishing second, and Paraguay and Australia rounding out the group in that order, but expect each and every one to make this group a thoroughly competitive watch.