Group D might not carry the glamour of some of the tournament’s so-called “Groups of Death”, but don’t be fooled — this could easily become one of the most unpredictable groups at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Hosts United States enter the tournament with huge expectations and the pressure of performing on home soil, while Paraguay arrive as one of South America’s toughest and most disciplined sides.
Add in the relentless energy of Australia and the technical quality and dark-horse potential of Turkey, and suddenly every match in this group feels capable of swinging the entire standings.
Who is in World Cup Group D?
The headline act is undoubtedly the United States men’s national soccer team. Playing a World Cup at home always brings massive attention and expectation, and the Americans will believe this is their best chance in decades to make a deep tournament run. With a squad packed with players competing across Europe’s top leagues, they enter Group D as favourites to finish first.
Paraguay are a side that has built its reputation on defensive organisation, physicality and frustrating technically stronger opponents. Paraguay may not always attract global headlines, but they are exactly the kind of tournament team nobody enjoys facing.
Then there is Australia, a nation that consistently exceeds expectations on the World Cup stage. The Socceroos thrive in difficult groups, relying on intensity, discipline and a fearless underdog mentality that has caused problems for bigger nations in recent tournaments.
Rounding out the group is Turkey, perhaps the most unpredictable team in the section. On their day, Turkey possess enough attacking flair and technical quality to win this group, but consistency has often been their biggest challenge. If they can find momentum early, they could quickly become one of the tournament’s surprise packages.
With home advantage, the USA are expected to lead the way — but with Paraguay’s resilience, Australia’s fighting spirit and Turkey’s attacking potential, Group D looks wide open heading into the tournament.
What are the latest Group D odds?
Odds via 10bet and correct at time of writing.
USA: 27/20 (2.35)
Paraguay: 15/4 (4.75)
Turkey: 7/4 (2.75)
Australia: 7/1 (8.00)
What are the Group D fixtures?
- June 13: USA vs Paraguay, Los Angeles Stadium
- June 14: Australia vs Turkey, BC Place, Vancouver
- June 19: USA vs Australia, Seattle Stadium
- June 20: Turkey vs Paraguay, San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
- June 26: Turkey vs USA, Los Angeles Stadium
- June 26: Paraguay vs Australia, San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
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Who are the key players in Group D?
United States: Christian Pulisic
All eyes will once again be on Christian Pulisic. The American captain is expected to be the face of the host nation’s campaign and enters the tournament with the pressure of an entire country behind him.
Pulisic’s pace, creativity and ability to produce big moments in crucial matches make him the USA’s most dangerous attacking weapon.
If the Americans are to make a serious run on home soil, ‘The Lebron James of Soccer’ will almost certainly need to lead from the front.
Paraguay: Omar Alderete
The South American nation will rely heavily on defender Omar Alderete. Paraguay have always built their identity around defensive organisation and physicality, and Alderete perfectly represents that style.
Strong in the air, aggressive in challenges and comfortable playing under pressure, he will be tasked with keeping some dangerous attacking players quiet throughout the group stage.
His steadiness at the back could be vital in what are likely to be tight, low-scoring matches.
Australia: Matthew Ryan
Experienced goalkeeper Matthew Ryan remains one of the most important figures in the squad. The Socceroos have built a reputation for resilience and discipline at major tournaments, and Ryan’s calmness and shot-stopping ability are central to that mentality.
Having already played in multiple World Cups, he could prove invaluable to Australia in pressure situations with his leadership and experience.
Turkey: Kenan Yildiz
Turkey will look to exciting young forward Kenan Yıldız to provide inspiration in attack. The Juventus youngster is regarded as one of Turkey’s brightest talents and possesses the flair and unpredictability to change games in an instant.
If he can deliver consistently on the biggest stage, Turkey could quickly become one of the surprise teams of the tournament.
What are the best bets for Group D?
Group D feels perfectly balanced for punters looking beyond simple favourites markets. While the United States are expected to top the section thanks to home advantage, there is enough unpredictability in the group to create value.
The standout outright bet is likely to be the USA to win Group D. Playing at home should give the Americans a major edge, especially with the attacking quality of Christian Pulisic leading the line. The USA have the deepest squad in the group and should have enough to edge tight games against Paraguay and Australia.
Another strong option is for Turkey to qualify from the group. Turkey possess arguably the highest attacking ceiling in the group, and much could depend on the impact of young star Kenan Yıldız.
Turkey’s technical quality could make the difference in decisive matches throughout the group games.
For bettors looking at goal markets, under 2.5 Goals in any of Paraguay’s matches could offer excellent value.
Paraguay are traditionally organised and defensive, with Omar Alderete central to their structure at the back. Their matches are unlikely to become wide-open shootouts.
Who will qualify from Group D?
- Turkey
- United States
- Paraguay
- Australia
In my opinion, Turkey will surprise a lot of people and finish top of Group D. With exciting young talent like Kenan Yıldız and Arda Guler, Turkey have the quality to edge some very tight matches.
I still expect the United States men’s national soccer team to qualify in second place, especially with home support behind them and some quality players themselves.
Paraguay and Australia will remain competitive, and it won’t be a walk in the park for the USA or Turkey. But the depth in quality will prove to be the difference here for me.
Check out our other 2026 World Cup Group previews:
- – World Cup Group A preview: Mexico, South Korea, Czechia and South Africa
- – World Cup Group B preview: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland
- – World Cup Group C preview: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland and Haiti
- – World Cup Group E preview: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curaçao
- – World Cup Group F preview: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden and Tunisia
- – World Cup Group G preview: Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand
- – World Cup Group H preview: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay
- – World Cup Group I preview: France, Senegal, Iraq and Norway
- – World Cup Group J preview: Argentina, Algeria, Austria and Jordan
- – World Cup Group K preview: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia
- – World Cup Group L preview: England, Croatia, Ghana and Panama
