The other two teams in the bracket – Turkiye and Paraguay will be hoping for a draw between the two Group D leaders as it will boost their chances of proceeding to the next round but that’s very unlikely to happen
Published: June 19, 2026, 8:11 PM IST
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Players of Team USA attends a training session at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Seattle, the United States, June 18, 2026. (Xinhua via IANS)
We are officially one week into the FIFA World Cup 2026 and there has been no shortage of entertainment and drama. From Lionel Messi netting a hattrick and equaling Miroslav Klose’s long standing goal scoring record to co-hosts Mexico becoming the first nation to qualify for the round of 32, the first-ever 48-team has delivered.
Tonight, something similar is on the cards as co-hosts and Group D leaders United States of America lock horns with Australia in both the team’s second 1st round game at the Seattle Stadium.
Both USA and Australia are level in terms of points but the Americans are ahead because of a better goal difference. The other two teams in the bracket – Turkiye and Paraguay will be hoping for a draw between the two Group D leaders as it will boost their chances of proceeding to the next round but that’s very unlikely to happen.
The way USA and Australia operated in their opening matches, it doesn’t seem that they would be going for a draw. Instead, the two teams will be looking to kill each other and join co-hosts Mexico as only the 2nd team to reach the last 32.
The man to watch out for tonight will be the returning Christian Pulisic who missed USA’s opener due to an injury. But even without him, the Americans did very well, thrashing Paraguay 4-1. Another player to watch out for would be Giovanni Reyna who had scored the 4th goal in that match. He will be a key player for head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
As for Australia, who had picked up an unexpected 2-0 victory against Turkiye, they could be going with the same defensive approach as Paraguay but on a much higher level. The Socceroos could field 5 defenders at the back and would want to soak as much pressure as they can and rely heavily on counter attacks.
How to watch and stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in India
Multiple group-stage matches that will take place simultaneously will be aired across Zee5 app and website.
