US to face Australia, Paraguay in FIFA World Cup next year

The United States on Friday learned that its men's soccer team will face off against Australia and Paraguay during the group stage of the FIFA World Cup next year, along with a country that will be determined early next year in a playoff.

The announcement comes after President Donald Trump participated in the ceremonial final draw earlier Friday at the Kennedy Center. The United States, Canada and Mexico will co-host the 2026 World Cup, which begins in June.

The U.S. is the highest-ranked team in its group bracket, ranking 14th globally as of November, while Australia is ranked 26th and Paraguay is ranked 39th.

The final team in the Group D bracket will either be Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo and will be announced in March, according to Fox News. 

Mexico will face off against South Africa, South Korea, and the winner of play-off D in the group rounds. Canada will face the winner of play-off A, Qatar and Switzerland. 

Argentina, which won the last World Cup four years ago, will face Algeria, Austria and Jordan, while Brazil, which is considered a titan in the sport, will face Morocco, Scotland and Haiti. 

The U.S., which has not had great success on the World Cup stage in the past, will hold its first match in Los Angeles on June 12, against Paraguay. Mexico will kick off the World Cup in Mexico City on June 11, in a match against South Africa. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.