On Friday, Dec. 5, the draw for the 2026 FIFA world cup was showcased in front of a large audience. The 48 teams were divided into 12 subgroups, with each team set to play three games against every other team in each group. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage. 

The teams in the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT)’s group consists of Paraguay, Australia, and the UEFA Path C playoff winner, which could either be Turkey, Slovakia, Romania, or Kosovo. 

The draw is favorable for the USMNT, since neither Paraguay nor Australia are in the top 20 of the World Football Elo rankings, and the USMNT team beat both Paraguay and Australia recently in 2-1 games. However, if Turkey, which is rated 15 by Elo, advances, they could pose a significant challenge for the U.S.

“We need to be strong in our beliefs, thinking big, but we need to be motivated to play with these guys [in the group stage] that will be really tough,” USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino said in an interview with Fox.