The run-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup began in earnest on Friday, with the group-by-group draw for the 48-team field revealed. (Eventually. After musical performances, the typical FIFA- and Kennedy Center-style bombast and, for some reason, Kevin Hart.)

The complete schedule won't be revealed until Saturday -- why rush, right? -- but we know who, where and when the tournament's hosts will play. Let's break down what the U.S. men's national team will face and make some immediate, ironclad and infallible predictions.

Game-by-game breakdown

There's a chance that the U.S. will end up in a group with three different teams it has already played in 2025. The Americans beat Australia in an October friendly and Paraguay in November; meanwhile, they lost to Türkiye in June -- Türkiye wi

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