World Cup Group D Preview

Group D

USA → Auto qualified as host, ranked 16th in FIFA rankings

Paraguay → Qualified as a top CONMEBOL finisher, ranked 40th in FIFA rankings

Australia → Qualified as a top AFC finisher, ranked 27th in the FIFA rankings

Turkiye → Qualified through UEFA playoff, ranked 22nd in FIFA rankings


USA Team Preview

Co-hosts, The United States of America are coming into the World Cup after an extremely rocky 2025-2026, but still with a lot of optimism. They did well in the Gold Cup last summer before losing to Mexico in the finals, but have struggled against some great teams like Portugal and Belgium. Two great results were against Uruguay and recently Senegal, looking like the sharper and better team in both wins. Their most important recent results, in my opinion, were wins against Paraguay and Australia, two teams they will face in this group. I believe the USA will top their group and have a deep knockout run on home soil.


Paraguay Team Preview

Paraguay advanced comfortably in the CONMEBOL group stage which included wins over Brazil and Argentina. Since the qualifying stage, they have struggled to maintain their form, losing three games but picking up a win over Mexico. Their biggest strength in qualifying was their defensive prowess, giving up second fewest goals with 10. Their defense struggled to turn into offense as they also were tied for third fewest in goals scored of any of the teams in their group. They are going to have a tough out in this group, but I think they might be able to get through as a third place team.


Australia Team Preview

The Soceroos are ready to make a splash at the World Cup this year after advancing in their third round group of the AFC qualifying stage. They didn’t have the easiest group with Japan qualifying with them and Saudi Arabia eventually qualifying as well. They had an alright goal difference of +9 thanks to a 5-1 win over Indonesia. They have struggled to get wins against higher ranked teams, including Mexico, the USA, and Colombia, but did pick up a FIFA Series trophy from their group. I think they are a toss up with Paraguay for third place. 


Turkiye Team Preview

Turkiye were neck and neck with Spain in their qualifying group stage, but after failing to advance directly, they won their playoff games over Romania and Kosovo to qualify for the World Cup. Despite being a playoff team, this is a very dangerous squad. They only lost one game in qualifying, a 6-0 thrashing from Spain, but rebounded by outsourcing their opponents 12-4 over their remaining four games. Most of their team plays domestically in Turkiye, but have stars across the world like at Arda Güler Real Madrid and Hakan Çalhanoğlu at Inter. This is a team that can challenge for the top spot in the group and I would not be shocked if they did. 


Ben’s Predictions


Best Game: USA vs Turkiye

The final game of the group stage for these teams is going to be a fantastic one. I could see this being the game that decides the final group standings and wouldn’t be shocked if Turkiye is winning the group after the game. The US has the momentum in each of their games as hosts, but if they get ahead of themselves they’ll be in trouble. I see this game ending in a draw. 


Underrated Game: Paraguay vs Australia

This could be the deciding game for who gets third and potentially advances to the knockout rounds and who is sent packing. I think these are clearly the third and fourth teams in the group, but are still formidable opponents. I have Paraguay winning this one. They are the better defensive team and while they can struggle to score at times, one goal is all they need to send the Australian team home. 


Dark Horse: Paraguay

Looking purely at the numbers or the CONMEBOL standings, you might not have full confidence in the Paraguay team, but this is where they can beat you. They were level on points with four teams for third place in qualifying and can break teams down defensively. In a group that many might consider up for grabs, a draw and a win could see them in a top spot in their group. 


Let Down Team: USA

Tough pick for me as I want the US to do well and I do truly think they can have a really good tournament. When thinking about a potential let down team in this group though, the clear choice is the United States. The pressure and hopes are high from their fans, squad, and Federation, which could easily culminate in a disappointing tournament. I do believe they will qualify for the knockout round, but anything besides a first or second place finish will be a disappointment. 


Final Group Stage Results

  1. USA

  2. Turkiye

  3. Paraguay*

  4. Australia

*Paraguay advances as a top third place finisher.


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