Nerves are jangling and anticipation building ahead of Friday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in which the USMNT will discover their three group stage opponents.
While they already know they will be contesting Group D, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are currently unaware of who they will face on home soil. They will be keeping their fingers tightly crossed for a favorable draw, but featuring in a potential ‘Group of Death’ remains a possibility.
The USMNT feature in Pot 1 owing to their host status and should, on paper at least, be gifted a simpler route to the knockout phase as a result. However, some extremely challenging opponents are still on the cards.
Here are their potential opponents for the World Cup group stage.
How Will the 2026 World Cup Draw Work for the USMNT?
With the USMNT placed in Pot 1, they know they will face one side from each of the other three pots during the group stage. They will avoid any nations in their own pot, which includes the likes of Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil and England.
They will face a team from Pot 2, 3 and 4 but they are not able to come up against any other CONCACAF side. That means they will avoid fellow co-hosts Mexico and Canada—who are in Pot 1 anyway—as well as Panama, Haiti, Curaçao, Jamaica and Suriname—the latter two yet to qualify but will feature in March’s inter-confederation playoffs.
The USMNT will not be able to be drawn against any side in the inter-confederation playoffs, ruling out clashes with not only Jamiaca and Suriname, but Bolivia, Iraq, New Caledonia and DR Congo, too.
Potential World Cup Group Stage Opponents for the USMNT
Pot 2
| Nation | Federation | FIFA World Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Croatia | UEFA | 10th |
| Morocco | CAF | 11th |
| Colombia | CONMEBOL | 13th |
| Uruguay | CONMEBOL | 16th |
| Switzerland | UEFA | 17th |
| Japan | AFC | 18th |
| Senegal | CAF | 19th |
| Iran | AFC | 20th |
| South Korea | AFC | 22nd |
| Ecuador | CONMEBOL | 23rd |
| Austria | UEFA | 24th |
| Australia | AFC | 26th |
Pot 3
| Nation | Federation | FIFA World Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Norway | UEFA | 29th |
| Egypt | CAF | 34th |
| Algeria | CAF | 35th |
| Scotland | UEFA | 36th |
| Paraguay | CONMEBOL | 39th |
| Tunisia | CAF | 40th |
| Ivory Coast | CAF | 42nd |
| Uzbekistan | AFC | 50th |
| Qatar | AFC | 51st |
| Saudi Arabia | AFC | 60th |
| South Africa | CAF | 61st |
Pot 4
| Nation | Federation | FIFA World Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan | AFC | 66th |
| Cabo Verde | CAF | 68th |
| Ghana | CAF | 72nd |
| New Zealand | OFC | 86th |
| Wales/Bosnia & Herzegovina or Italy/Northern Ireland* | UEFA | 32nd/71st or 12th/69th |
| Ukraine/Sweden or Poland/Albania* | UEFA | 28th/43rd or 31st/63rd |
| Slovakia/Kosovo or Türkiye/Romania* | UEFA | 45th/80th or 25th/47th |
| Czechia/Ireland or Denmark/North Macedonia* | UEFA | 44th/59th or 21st/65th |
*Successful playoff teams will only be confirmed in March 2026
Easiest World Cup Draw for the USMNT
Pochettino and his players will be hoping for the kindest possible group in order to avoid an early exit.
From Pot 2, their easiest opposition would be Australia based on FIFA’s world rankings, but every group must have at least one UEFA nation within it. That means Austria, who are 24th in the rankings, are the team the USMNT will want to come up against.
South Africa, the hosts of the 2010 World Cup, are the lowest-ranked team from Pot 3. The world’s 61st strongest international side have lost all three previous clashes with the USMNT.
Including nations involved in next year’s playoffs, who have all been put into Pot 4, OFC minnows New Caledonia are comfortably the worst team with a ranking of 149. But with the USMNT unable to face any inter-confederation playoff side, 86th-ranked New Zealand are the weakest side they can duel from Pot 4.
| Nation | Pot | FIFA World Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 2 | 24th |
| South Africa | 3 | 61st |
| New Zealand | 4 | 86th |
Hardest World Cup Draw for the USMNT
Croatia are the team from Pot 2 that everyone will want to avoid. They reached the final in 2018 and semifinal in 2022, boasting bags of experience and some terrific players. They are tenth in the rankings and would have ordinarily be in Pot 1 had only one country been hosting the 2026 tournament.
With UEFA the only federation from which two teams can be drawn into the same group, facing Pot 4 playoff hopefuls Italy would be a disastrous scenario for the USMNT. The Azzurri, who finished behind Norway in qualifying, will need to beat Northern Ireland and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach the tournament.
Norway are technically the toughest nation in Pot 3, but three UEFA sides cannot be in the same group. With Croatia and Italy already featuring in our hypothetical nightmare group, Egypt, who are 34th in the rankings, would be the sternest Pot 3 opponent.
| Nation | Federation | FIFA World Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Croatia | UEFA | 10th |
| Egypt | CAF | 34th |
| Italy* | UEFA | 12th |
*Playoff team
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USMNT’s Potential Opponents in 2026 World Cup Draw.
