We are just days away from the biggest sporting extravaganza in the world, as the FIFA World Cup 2026 will kick off on Thursday, June 11 (June 12 IST). The competition will be hosted by the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico and will be the biggest edition of the tournament yet, with 48 teams participating.
These 48 teams, several of them having qualified for the World Cup for the first time, have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each.
Each side will go up against the other in a group once. After each team has played their three games, the nations that finish in the top two in their group will qualify for the Round of 32. But that just gives us 24 teams, leaving eight more qualification spots. And so, the eight best-performing third-placed sides will also make it to the knockout rounds.
World Cup Group D Predictions
Today, we will predict how Group D of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will shape up at the end of the group stage. This might be the tightest group in the competition, with Turkiye, Australia, Paraguay, and co-hosts USA being in it.
The United States, like the other hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2026, had a risk-free path into the competition. As the hoists, they qualified directly, surpassing their continental qualifications.
Meanwhile, Australia, part of the Asian Football Confederation, made their way through the long Asian qualifications. They started their journey from the second round of the AFC qualifiers, where they topped their group over Palestine, Lebanon, and Bangladesh. Then came the third round with three groups of six teams each. The top two teams from each group qualified for the World Cup. In Group C, the Aussies finished second behind Japan to book their tickets to North America.
Turkey, on the other hand, played in the much more challenging UEFA qualifiers. They were in Group E of the first round with Spain, Georgia, and Bulgaria, where they finished second, advancing to the second round. In the second round, 16 teams were put in four pathways of four teams each. To qualify, each team had to win their pot via knockout games to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Turkiye defeated Romania in the semi-finals and Kosovo in the final to win their path.
Finally, Paraguay, in CONMEBOL qualifiers, finished sixth out of 10 teams. The top six teams automatically qualified for the World Cup, so Paraguay was the last team to qualify, finishing on 28 points, the same as Brazil in fifth place.
Now, let’s see who will make it to the Round of 32 from Group D –
This one is not the strongest group in this competition, with no single team being leagues better than the others. This also means that every team is in contention for a playoff qualification.
The United States of America, under former Tottenham and PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino, has gone up against some of the strongest national teams in the world over the last year. While they defeated their Group D compatriots, Australia and Paraguay, last year, they have been defeated by stronger sides like Portugal, Germany, and Uruguay, losing to the latter 5-1. Despite that, with home advantage in tow, they will look to qualify for the knockout rounds.
This team will be captained by Charlotte FC defender Tim Ream. Some of the biggest names in the squad play in Europe, like “Captain America” Christian Pulisic of AC Milan, midfielder Weston McKennie of Juventus, Tyler Adams of Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Gio Reyna from Mönchengladbach as well.
Turkiye was one of the last teams to qualify for the World Cup, doing so as late as the start of April, a couple of months ago. In the last year, they have lost only a single international game, a 6-0 drubbing against Spain. They came back with a 2-2 draw against the European Champion a couple of months later. In the past month, they have won two friendlies, a 4-0 win over North Macedonia, and a 2-1 victory against Venezuela.
Turkiye are considered the dark-horse of the FIFA World Cup 2026, like they have been one for several previous international tournaments. This team has several big names in their squad. Captained by Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu and managed by former Milan and Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella, some of the biggest names in the team are attacker Arda Güler of Real Madrid, Kenan Yıldız of Juventus, Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayındır, and Ferdi Kadıoğlu of Brighton.
Australia tend to punch above their weight in World Cups. However, they have not been in their best form over the past few months. They have lost to Mexico, Colombia, and the USA in friendlies, but a positive draw came against a strong Switzerland. This team is captained by veteran goalie Mathew Ryan and managed by Tony Popovic. Some of the biggest names here are Parma defender Alessandro Circati and young Watford attacker Nestory Irankunda.
Finally, Paraguay, who have qualified for its first World Cup since 2010, look like the weakest team in this group on paper. They are managed by Gustavo Alfaro and captained by Palmeiras defender Gustavo Gómez. Some of the bigger players in this squad include midfielder Diego Gómez of Brighton and striker Julio Enciso of Strasbourg.
Last year, they lost to their fellow Group D team, the USA, 2-1 in a friendly, but defeated Mexico as well. More recently, they had lost to Morocco and defeated Nicaragua in friendlies.
World Cup Group D Predictions –
USA vs Paraguay: USA wins
Australia vs Turkiye: Turkiye wins
USA vs Australia: draw
Turkiye vs Paraguay: Turkiye wins
Turkiye vs USA: draw
Paraguay vs Australia: draw
Group ranking –
| Rank | Nation | Points |
| 1 | Turkiye | 7 |
| 2 | USA | 5 |
| 3 | Austrlaia | 3 |
| 4 | Paraguay |
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