The World Cup begins on June 11, 2026 as co-host Mexico plays the opener in Mexico City, with the USA (Los Angeles) and Canada (Toronto) kicking off a day later. The group stage runs until June 27, with synchronized start times in each group for the final matches in the round-robin.

The United States will begin its 2026 World Cup journey in June. The USMNT will be in Group D for the tournament. Group D will play five of its six group stage games in the U.S. The United States is looking to do something it has never done before: win the World Cup.

There are plenty of storylines to unpick in a potential Group G featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, not suspended, and Portugal. The 40-year-old is set to go up against his current adopted home, Saudi Arabia, while World Cup minnows Cape Verde was ruled by Portugal until as recently as 1975.

The FIFA World Cup draw ceremony begins at Noon ET on Friday, Dec. 5 in Washington, D.C. The 2026 World Cup draw is being held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

The groups for the 2026 World Cup have been announced. Here's where team USA is placed and their opponents for next summer.

ATLANTA — The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is moments away from beginning on Friday, but there's already one major piece of the puzzle we know for Atlanta in hosting five group matches: We won't see the United States, Mexico or Canada during this stage of the tournament.

After skipping the Gold Cup, Pulisic returned to the USMNT for the September international break. The 27-year-old struggled to have an impact in the team’s 2–0 defeat to South Korea, but then bounced back with an assist in the Stars and Stripes’ 2–0 win over Japan.