World Cup 2026 pages
Sports · World Cup 2026 · Group D
Türkiyevs
USA
3–2
Full time · Thursday, June 25, 2026 · 10:00 p.m. ET · Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium), Inglewood, CA
Result
Türkiye snatched a wild 3-2 win over the United States in Los Angeles on Kaan Ayhan's header deep into stoppage time. Auston Trusty and Sebastian Berhalter scored for a much-changed USA side that out-shot Türkiye 18-9 and had already secured top spot in Group D, but Arda Güler, Barış Alper Yılmaz and finally Ayhan punished a leaky American defence. Türkiye finished bottom of the group despite the result.
Türkiye 3-4-2-14-3-3 USATürkiyeSubstitutions
At this Stage
With USA's place as group winners long since booked, Group D's final round was really a fight for the two seats behind them — and it came down to goal difference. Australia and Paraguay both finished level on four points, but the Socceroos' even record edged Paraguay's minus-two, taking second outright and leaving Paraguay to sweat out a best-third-place spot they may or may not get. Türkiye's stoppage-time win was the night's drama, not its meaning: bottom coming in, they were already eliminated, and three late points only flattered a campaign that never recovered from a flat start. The lesson the group keeps teaching — bank points early, and the last matchday becomes a free hit rather than a reckoning.
Group D
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +4 | 6 |
 Australia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 4 |
 Paraguay | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 4 |
| Türkiye | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
Top two (above the accent line) advance to the round of 32; the third-placed team is in the race for one of the eight best-third spots.
What we know now
Venue: Los Angeles Stadium
Attendance: 70,492
Watch: FOX in English (free over the air, or stream on Fox One) and Telemundo in Spanish (stream on Peacock); the free Tubi simulcast carries Telemundo's Spanish feed.
Watched by: 24.4M in the US
What I said beforehand
The preview, frozen at kickoff. Clearly dated, never rewritten — that's the deal that makes the predictions worth anything.
USA to win, narrowly. The hosts have been the story of Group D, winning both games to lock up top spot, so Mauricio Pochettino is likely to rotate and rest players carrying yellow cards. Türkiye, eliminated after a 1-0 defeat to ten-man Paraguay, are playing only for pride but have the individual quality — Arda Güler, Kenan Yıldız, Hakan Çalhanoğlu — to make a changed USA uncomfortable in front of a friendly SoFi crowd. With both sides' urgency dulled, this has the makings of a tight game, but home depth edges it. 2-1 USA.
My locked pick: USA win ✗ WRONG
“The USA have already won Group D on six points, while Türkiye are bottom on zero and all but out. Mauricio Pochettino's side will likely rotate with the knockouts secured, but their quality should still edge an out-of-contention Türkiye. USA to win, though a rotated side raises the chance of a draw.”
Locked 2026-06-24 10:01 UTC — rendered verbatim from the pick ledger; never a fresher, hedged version
The case for Türkiye
32% to winTürkiye have flattered to deceive — 32 attempts without a goal against Paraguay told the story — but the talent is real, with Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız among the brightest young attackers at the tournament and Çalhanoğlu controlling midfield. Against a USA side certain to make changes with qualification secured, Vincenzo Montella's players have the quality to salvage pride and finish with a win in Los Angeles.
The case for USA
38% to winThe USA have momentum and the luxury of resting key men, but the second string still carries real quality — Giovanni Reyna's creativity, Folarin Balogun's movement and the drive of Weston McKennie. Pochettino will want rhythm and a clean bill of health heading into the round of 32, and even a rotated XI roared on by a home crowd should have enough to see off an out-of-contention Türkiye.
Both cases written 2026-06-24, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 30% belongs to the draw.
Storylines
- The USA have already won Group D; Türkiye are eliminated, so both sides' stakes are muted heading into the knockouts.
- Pochettino is expected to rotate and rest the yellow-carded Adams, Balogun, Richards and Antonee Robinson before the round of 32.
- Christian Pulisic is a hamstring doubt after missing the win over Australia.
- Played under the fixed roof at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where the USA can expect strong home support.
The coaches
Vincenzo Montella Türkiye
The Italian has Türkiye built around young creators Güler and Yıldız, but back-to-back defeats have already ended their campaign.
Mauricio Pochettino USA
The Argentine has the host nation flying after two wins, and with top spot secured will rotate to manage cards and freshness.
Availability
| Christian Pulisic | Doubt — missed the Australia win with a hamstring strain; Pochettino weighing whether to risk minutes | RotoWire |
| Adams, Balogun, Richards, A. Robinson | Available but on yellow cards — likely rested to avoid a suspension that would carry into the round of 32 | RotoWire |
| Squad | No fresh injuries reported; Montella expected to name a strong side to salvage pride | Sports Mole |
Availability drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Weather: Fixed roof at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (Inglewood) — a controlled environment, no forecast needed for the late kickoff. (Venue (fixed roof), as of 2026-06-24)
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria). (FIFA match appointment via ESPN match officials, 25 Jun 2026, as of 2026-06-26)
Venue: Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium), Inglewood, CA, United States — FIFA strips sponsor names for the tournament; the everyday name is in parentheses.