Jesse Marsch will lead Canada at the 2026 World Cup that will be played on their home soil. A lot will depend on who will qualify in the last spot of the group. If Italy do, things will be much more difficult for Canada.

Mauricio Pochettino learned his first ever World Cup group opponents as a coach on Friday when the World Cup draw takes center stage in Washington, D.C. and he will be very happy with it.

The U.S. Men's National Team will play a slate of international friendlies ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Here is the schedule and how to watch.

The USMNT will play Australia and Paraguay in Group D, as well as third opponent from Europe that will be determined in March

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States has been drawn to play Australia in Group D of the 2026 World Cup. The U.S. team, often known as the USMNT, learned the first of its three group-stage opponents at Friday’s World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

First, it’s an opening game against Erling Haaland's Norway, which won every qualifier on their way to the World Cup. After that, it’s the winner of Bolivia, Iraq or Suriname, ending with a game against Senegal, a country so deeply connected to the French, who also did well in qualifiers.

And the requirement of a European team in each group denied the U.S. the chance to have beloved minnow Cape Verde in its group. The U.S. avoided some of the European teams looming as potential threats; Italy, Denmark, and Ukraine would head elsewhere.

The World Cup begins on June 11, 2026 as co-host Mexico plays the opener in Mexico City, with the USA (Los Angeles) and Canada (Toronto) kicking off a day later. The group stage runs until June 27, with synchronized start times in each group for the final matches in the round-robin.