USA - Australia / 2026 FIFA World Cup

Follow the LIVE broadcast of the USA vs. Australia match in Group D of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on ŠPORT.sk! The match, also broadcast live on JOJ Šport, kicks off at 9:00 PM CET.

While a draw would see both teams advance to the World Cup knockout stage, a fierce battle for group supremacy is expected in Seattle. The home side, the Americans, will push for a win with their offensive prowess, but the "Socceroos" clearly demonstrated in their opening match that their solid defense and lightning-fast counter-attacks can bring even a strong favorite to their knees.

The United States kicked off the tournament in grand style. They completely dominated their match against Paraguay (4-1), evidenced by a crushing 6-1 shots on target ratio. The fate of the game was sealed in the first half, which they controlled with a 3-0 lead. Folarin Balogun, in particular, was in superb form, scoring two precise goals.

The Americans even achieved a historic milestone, scoring four goals in a single World Cup match for the very first time. However, their defense remains their Achilles' heel. They failed to keep a clean sheet again, with both teams scoring in eight of the USA's last nine games, and seven of those matches exceeding 2.5 goals. Furthermore, key attacking force Christian Pulisic was substituted at halftime due to a calf injury, and his participation is now in doubt.

On the other side of the barricade stands Australia, who perfectly shocked Turkey (2-0) and finally broke their curse of opening World Cup matches after many years – their last victory in a tournament opener was back in 2006. The cornerstone of this triumph was Patrick Beach. The goalkeeper kept a clean sheet in his competitive debut, thwarted eight opponent attempts, and prevented chances totaling 1.46 expected goals.

Their fast-footed wingers were effective in attack. Nestory Irankunda opened the scoring before halftime, and Connor Metcalfe definitively sealed the win in the second half. With this performance, the Australians extended their unbeaten streak to twelve matches (eight away from home) and have won three of their last four World Cup appearances. Currently, only Mohamed Touré is a doubt from the squad.

Although the Americans have won the last two head-to-head confrontations, including a friendly in October 2025 (2-1), Australian confidence continues to grow. The sustained pressure from the home side will logically open up space for Irankunda's devastating runs into a disorganized defense.