2026 FIFA World Cup Team USA odds, betting prediction
The United States (along with Canada and Mexico) hosts the men’s World Cup for the first time since 1994. The Americans are not legitimate threats to win their first championship, but it would be a disappointment not to get out of the group stage.
Team USA World Cup odds and history
With the World Cup expanding this year from 32 nations to 48 and 12 groups of four, there’s really no excuse for Team USA to not advance to the knockout round as it did at Qatar 2022, losing in the Round of 16 to the Netherlands, 3-1. With the additional 16 teams, now there will be a Round of 32 for the first time to kick off the knockout stages. The top two teams from each group along with the eight best third-place finishers advance.
The United States was drawn into Group D with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey – not exactly the Group of Death. The USA opens vs. Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles, meets Australia on June 19 in Seattle and closes group play vs. Turkey on June 25 back in L.A. To win the group, the Americans are +125 favourites, and they are the highest-ranked team in the world in Group D at No. 16.
The furthest the USA has gone in this tournament was the semifinals back in 1930, but that seems like a pipe dream in 2026. To get there, Team USA is +800. When the United States last hosted the men’s World Cup in 1994, the Americans advanced to the Round of 16 as one of the top third-place teams out of the group stage and then lost 1-0 to eventual champion Brazil.
Don’t forget to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of World Cup game odds and World Cup futures.
Coach Pochettino’s World Cup debut
It’s the first World Cup for Team USA’s Mauricio Pochettino, as the Argentine was named head coach in September 2024. He previously had a lot of success at the club level in Europe and lost the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final with English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. Pochettino lost his last major final with the USA in the 2025 Gold Cup against Mexico.
His squad is led by AC Milan attacking star Christian Pulisic and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie. Pulisic has a single World Cup goal career with Team USA’s all-time leader being Landon Donovan with five. Pulisic’s 32 career goals for the U.S. National Team are fifth in history, and he could pass No. 4 Eric Wynalda (34) in this tournament. Will Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards be ready for the start of the tournament? That’s not considered likely after Richards suffered two torn ligaments in his ankle in a Premier League match on May 17.
Who is the primary goalkeeper between Matt Freese and Matt Turner? It’s likely Turner as he was the main guy in 2022 and became the first U.S. keeper to record multiple clean sheets at a World Cup since 1930. The USA’s overall World Cup record is nine wins, 20 losses and eight draws in 37 matches with 40 goals scored and 66 allowed. That win rate of 24% is second-lowest among all countries with at least 30 matches played in the World Cup all-time.
Team USA 2026 World Cup Predictions
The Americans win Group D at +125 and could get as far as Round of 16 (-130) depending on the first knockout stage opponent but likely not to the quarterfinals (+270).