OAN Staff Blake Wolf
5:31 PM – Friday, December 5, 2025
The U.S. men’s national team will kick off its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 12th at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood — a matchup confirmed during Friday’s official tournament draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Friday’s star-studded ceremony was attended by President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney — joining FIFA President Gianni Infantino onstage to assist with the proceedings. The three world leaders’ countries will be hosting the event, representing North America.
The U.S. men’s national team has been drawn into Group D and will open the 2026 World Cup against Paraguay in Inglewood, California. The Americans will also face Australia and the winner of a UEFA playoff path that includes Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo, and Romania.
“Everything that we know is very fresh,” stated U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino after the draw. “We need to build our journey step by step,” he continued. “And we need to prepare. When we start to play — I think the 12th of June — like it’s the last game, like it’s the last opportunity, like it’s the final of the World Cup.”
“That needs to be our mindset,” Pochettino added.
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Well-known athletes such as Tom Brady (NFL), Canada’s Wayne Gretzky (NHL), Shaquille O’Neal (NBA), and Aaron Judge (MLB) also assisted in the World Cup draw — as the league gears up for the highly anticipated tournament — is expected to draw over 5 million attendees, along with at least 6 billion global viewers.
The event also saw President Trump display his signature YMCA dance move, the “Trump shuffle,” to viewers throughout the globe, amid a performance from The Village People.
Trump went on to receive the FIFA Peace Prize, which is rewarded to individuals “who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino specifically lauded President Trump’s role in securing the ceasefire in Gaza.
The United States is set to host 60 matches across 11 U.S. cities out of the total 104 games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including the quarterfinals onward, with the final match being hosted at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The other groups are as follows:
Group A
- Mexico
- South Africa
- South Korea
- UEFA playoff D (Czechia/Ireland/Denmark/North Macedonia)
Group B
- Canada
- UEFA playoff A (Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland)
- Qatar
- Switzerland
Group C
- Brazil
- Morocco
- Haiti
- Scotland
Group E
- Germany
- Curaçao
- Ivory Coast
- Ecuador
Group F
- Netherlands
- Japan
- UEFA playoff B (Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania)
- Tunisia
Group G
- Belgium
- Egypt
- Iran
- New Zealand
Group H
- Spain
- Cape Verde
- Saudi Arabia
- Uruguay
Group I
- France
- Senegal
- FIFA playoff 2 (Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname)
- Norway
Group J
- Argentina
- Algeria
- Austria
- Jordan
Group K
- Portugal
- FIFA playoff 1 (New Caledonia/Jamaica/Congo)
- Uzbekistan
- Colombia
Group L
- England
- Croatia
- Ghana
- Panama
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