USMNT 2026 World Cup draw reaction: Mauricio Pochettino gets favorable group but must overcome Paraguay

The U.S. were handed a fortunate draw with their Pot 2 team as they were matched up with a familiar opponent: Australia, who are ranked 26th in the world. That matchup comes on the heels of an October friendly that saw the U.S. defeat Australia, 2-1, at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

From Pot 3, the U.S. were given another familiar opponent: Paraguay, the 39th-ranked team. Like Australia, the U.S. played Paraguay in the fall, defeating the South American side, 2-1, in Philadelphia.

And then finally, from Pot 4, after navigating some conditions, the USMNT were finally paired with one of the winners of the European Playoff C: Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo. 

The USMNT's battle with Australia will be a fun one, largely because the Socceroos will no doubt show up. With the game being played in Seattle, Australia's fans should have a presence, as the West Coast is easier to travel to. 

There's also some added juice from the fall, when the U.S. saw star Christian Pulisic injured after a series of hard fouls from Australia in their friendly match in Colorado. 

The game against Paraguay will be dangerous - and, if last month’s clash is any indication, perhaps quite literally. The two teams squared up just before the final whistle after a tense match, and you wouldn’t expect anything less once the World Cup starts.

This will surely depend on who gets in as that Pot 4 team. Should Turkey qualify, the U.S. would face off with their world-class young stars: Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz. Should Turkey not advance, the main man to stop would be Paraguay's Miguel Almiron, a familiar face for fans of Major League Soccer as he stars for Atlanta United. 

You have to start as you mean to go on, right? First up for the U.S. is Paraguay in Los Angeles - arguably the toughest game of the group stage. Win that, and you set yourself up nicely for Australia in Seattle and, ultimately, a European opponent back in L.A.