Only one way for US men to play World Cup match in Bay Area — here’s how
The scene is mostly set for Northern California’s role in the 2026 World Cup, with Friday’s draw and Saturday’s full schedule unveiling by FIFA laying out the six matches that will be played in the Bay Area.
But will the U.S. men’s national soccer team play in any of those six?
The United States, co-hosting the global soccer supertournament next summer with Canada and Mexico, headlines Group D for the group stage matches. Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara will host five group stage matches: one from Group B, two from Group D and two from Group J.
However, as revealed Saturday, Levi’s Stadium will be hosting the three Group D teams other than the U.S. — Paraguay, Australia and a play-off qualifier that’ll be determined in March — while the U.S. men’s national team will split its three group stage matches between Los Angeles (June 12 and June 25) and Seattle (June 19).
The sixth and final World Cup match at Levi’s Stadium will be a Round of 32 game, kicking off at 5 p.m. July 1.
So how can the US play in Santa Clara?
When all the group stage matches conclude, the top team in the standings for Group D will go on to play in the Round of 32 at Levi’s Stadium.
Will that be the United States? Soccer analysts say: It should be, as the U.S. is the heavy favorite in Group D for several reasons.
The U.S. is ranked 14th globally by FIFA, with separation from No. 26 Australia and No. 39 Paraguay.
Australia represented the lowest-ranked team among its “pot” — the pool of possible that could have been drawn into Group D for that position.
The U.S. defeated Paraguay, 2-1, in their most recent match, a Nov. 15 friendly in Pennsylvania.
Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo will vie for the final spot in Group D via the UEFA Path C playoffs. Whichever of those teams advances into Group D, of course, would be at a distinct disadvantage. Australia, Paraguay and the U.S. can spend the next six months preparing for one another, while Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo have to spend the next three months preparing for the play-off tournament.
Who might US play in Santa Clara?
The winner of Group D will face the third-place finisher from either Group B, E, F, I or J.
The 20 teams from those five groups are: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar and a play-off qualifier (Group B); Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador (Group E); the Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia and a play-off qualifier (Group F); France, Senegal, Norway and a play-off qualifier (Group I); Argentina, Algeria, Austria and Jordan (Group J).
Which third-place finisher the Group D winner faces will depend on a complex set of tiebreakers based on group stage results.
Where and who could US play if not in Bay Area?
If the U.S. finishes second in Group D standings, the Americans would still advance to the Round of 32 — but they wouldn’t play in Northern California.
The Group D runner-up will face the Group G runner-up in Dallas on July 3 for their Round of 32 match. Group G is made up of Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand.
Under the new World Cup format, the eight best third-place finishers across all 12 groups will also advance to the Round of 32.
Which team the Group D third-place finisher would face depends on tiebreakers from the group stage.
And what if the US finishes last in Group D?
All fourth-place finishers in the group stage are eliminated from the tournament.
