USA closes group against Türkiye

The United States and Türkiye will meet for the first time in FIFA World Cup history.

LOS ANGELES – The FIFA World Cup 2026 continues with co-hosts United States of America facing Türkiye in Group D on Thursday, 10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local) at Los Angeles Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA.

USA has already won the group and has its spot secured in the Round of 32. Mauricio Pochettino’s squad will face a third-place team from either Group B, E, F, I or J on July 1 in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Stars and Stripes are looking to finish off a perfect group stage with nine points, as they beat Paraguay 4-1 in the opener, and then topped Australia 2-nil.

The latest win over Australia came thanks to a goal from Alex Freeman and an own goal from Cameron Burgess. USA star Christian Pulisic sat out that match due to injury.

Led by Folarin Balogun in attack and a stout defense that has only conceded one goal, the U.S. is poised to make more history in the tournament on home soil.

United States vs Türkiye – Match Facts

• The United States and Türkiye will meet for the first time in FIFA World Cup history.
• The five previous meetings between the two nations have produced a perfectly balanced record, with two wins for each side and one draw. Both teams have scored seven goals across those encounters. Their most recent meeting came in a friendly in June 2025, when the United States took the lead inside the opening minute through Jack McGlynn before Türkiye rallied for a 2-1 victory.
• The United States has won just one of its last 20 FIFA World Cup matches against UEFA opposition (1W 7D 12L). That lone victory was the memorable 3-2 win over Portugal during the group stage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
• The United States has recorded consecutive FIFA World Cup victories for the first time since winning its first two matches at the inaugural tournament in 1930. The Americans have never won three consecutive World Cup matches.
• The six goals scored by the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup already represent the nation’s third-highest scoring total in a single edition of the tournament, behind only the seven goals scored in 1930 and 2002. Five of those six goals have come in the first half.
• Alex Freeman is the only U.S. player to record both a goal and an assist at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His goal against Australia came from his only shot attempt of the tournament so far.
• Sergiño Dest leads the United States in completed dribbles at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with 14. He is also the only player in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad to reach double figures in that category.
• Mark Tillman leads the United States in expected goals generated from possession sequences at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a cumulative total of 1.44 xG. No other U.S. player has been involved in attacking sequences that have produced a greater scoring threat for opponents so far in the tournament.