The United States could hardly have asked for a better draw at the 2026 World Cup .

The co-host should expect to stick around at its own party until at least the round of 32 after being grouped with Paraguay, Australia and the winner of a European playoff between Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo and Romania in Friday's draw, attended by President Donald Trump in Washington.

U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino will take nothing for granted but with none of those nations ranked in the top 20 by FIFA it would be a major disappointment if his team failed to advance as one of the top two in Group D or via the safety net as a best-performing third-place qualifier.

Another co-host, Mexico, will also expect to progress from a group with South Africa, South Korea and one of Denmark, North Macedonia, Czec

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