USA sealed their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 following a dominant 2-0 victory over Australia in their Group D fixture at Seattle Stadium on Friday.
After a claiming a 4-1 win in their opening match against Paraguay, Mauricio Pochettino’s side continued their brilliant start to the tournament, ensuring they qualified to the next round with one game to spare.
It means that USA are now the second team to officially reach the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup after fellow co-hosts Mexico also achieved the same feat with a 1-0 win over South Korea.
Just like they did in their opening match, USA started the game really strongly, pinning Australia deep into their own half. Their early possession paid off as they took the lead 11 minutes in from an own-goal by Cameron Burgess.
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In the 43rd minute, the co-hosts doubled their advantage through Alex Freeman’s header. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but after a VAR check, it was given, making the scoreline 2-0.
Australia made three changes at the start of the second half in search of a comeback. Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, who both scored in the nation’s opening win over Turkey, were among those brought in.
Despite the changes, USA continued to dominate the game, but were unable to register a shot on target in the second half. On the other hand, the Socceroos had a couple of chances to reduce the deficit, but they were unable to really trouble Mauricio Pochettino’s side as they saw out the three points.
The result means that USA remain top of Group D with six points, while Australia sit second with three points. USA will face Turkey in their final group game on Friday, June 26 while Australia take on Paraguay at the same time, with their round of 32 spot not yet guaranteed.
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