The United States will open the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles on June 12.
The U.S. men’s national team learned its final Group D opponent on Tuesday, as Türkiye qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 1–0 win over Kosovo in Pristina, Kosovo. The victory marks Türkiye’s fourth World Cup qualification ever and the first qualification in 24 years, having most recently competed in South Korea and Japan in 2002.
That last foray into the World Cup saw the team finish third, beating co-hosts Japan and England along the way. Since then, Türkiye missed out on qualifying in each of the next four tournaments, before Tuesday’s euphoric victory away from home. Taking the final spot in Group D, Türkiye will open the tournament against Australia at BC Place in Vancouver on June 13, before facing Paraguay on June 19 at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium and completing the group stage on June 25 in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium against the USMNT.Currently ranked 24th in the FIFA World Ranking, Türkiye was the favorite entering the UEFA Path C bracket, escaping a tight match with a 1–0 win against Romania in the semifinal before sending a shock through Kosovo’s raucous crowd at Fadil Vokrri Stadium. Türkiye’s star players are Real Madrid midfielder Arda Güler and Juventus winger Kenan Yıldız, two talents that will look to lead them into the knockout stages this summer. Güler and Yıldız came off the bench in their 2–1 win over the USMNT in June 2025 ahead of the Concacaf Gold Cup., and with U.S. stars Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie leading the group under highly-regarded manager Mauricio Pochettino, the group will hope for an extended run on home soil.SoFi Stadium will host two of the USMNT’s group stage games. | Rich Fury/Getty Images for Hollywood Park Management CompanyBen Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings in-depth experience, having covered the North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for prominent outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer.
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