World Cup Group D: Teams, Schedule, Outlook & Odds for 2026

Charlie Zschau Updated: May 20 2026 19:47

Co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, USA, headline Group D alongside Turkiye, Australia and Paraguay.

Group D forecasts to be a very tightly contested group, with only 24 teams separating the United States (#16) and Paraguay (#40) in the FIFA World Rankings. Turkiye is ranked 22nd with Australia coming in at 27th.

The United States and Turkiye are the favorites to win the group, but no team will go over easily in the group stage. Of the 12 groups at the 2026 World Cup, Group D is one of the favorites to have three teams advance to the knockout rounds of the tournament.

The most exciting players from Group D are the USMNT's Weston McKennie, Turkish baller Arda Guler, Paraguay's Miguel Almiron, and Australia's defender Lucas Herrington.

Group D Teams

Nation	World Ranking	World Cup Appearance
USA	16	12
Turkiye	22	3
Australia	27	7
Paraguay	40	9

USA

Former Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino will lead the USMNT in the 2026 World Cup in his second year as the United States' coach.

The Stars and Stripes competed in the first edition of the World Cup way back in 1930 and reached the semi-finals, finishing third in what is their best result to date. The USA qualified as hosts in 1994 and have been regulars ever since, only missing the 2018 edition.

Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, Weston McKennie, and Chris Richards will lead the Americans into battle on soil come June 11.

Read the USMNT's 2026 World Cup Odds on site.

Turkiye (Turkey)

Turkiye have only qualified for three World Cup tournaments in their history, but possess a potential dangerous team in 2026 spearheaded by youngsters Arda Guler from Real Madrid and Juventus' Kenan Yildiz.

Nicknamed 'The Cresent Stars,' the Turkiye National Team have talent spread across Europe, and if the stars do align for the team they could find themselves reaching the semifinal of the tournament for the second time in three attempts, after finishing third in 2002.

Inter Milan's Hakan Calhanoglu is one of the main veterans on the roster, and is expected to captain the Turkish team this summer.

Australia

The Socceroos will be making their seventh World Cup appearance in 2026.

The Australian National Team is built on grit and determination accompanied by composed youthful defenders. Colorado Rapids 18-year-old breakout star Lucas Herrington is already one of the calmest defenders in MLS, and will likely lineup beside 22-year-old Parma Alessandro Circati in the center of defense.

The two youngsters will protect the veteran goalkeeper Mathew Ryan.

Paraguay

Paraguay will be playing in their ninth World Cup after a three year absence from the tournament. The last time the Paraguay National Team qualified for the World Cup was in 2010, when the country achieved it's best ever finish (8th), getting eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Paraguay will be led by RC Strasbourg's 22-year-old attacking midfielder Julio Enciso and Atlanta United's winger Miguel Almiron. Both players have proven Premier league quality and make Paraguay a very dangerous team, ready to upset the clubs expected to finish above them.

Group D Match Schedule

Date
June 12	USA	vs.	Paraguay
June 13	Australia	vs.	Turkiye
June 19	Turkiye	vs.	Paraguay
June 19	USA	vs.	Australia
June 25	Turkiye	vs.	USA
June 25	Paraguay	vs.	Australia