The United States Men’s National Team is through to the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, even after falling 3-2 to Türkiye in its final Group D outing.
The result at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California, had little effect on the bigger picture for the Americans.
With qualification for the knockout rounds already secured thanks to back-to-back victories over Paraguay (4-1) and Australia (2-0), Mauricio Pochettino chose to rotate heavily for the last group-stage match, handing valuable minutes to several backup players.
The reshuffled U.S. side made an ideal opening. After only 134 seconds, defender Auston Trusty scored to give the Americans a 1-0 lead.
It was the second-quickest goal ever recorded by a U.S. player at a World Cup.
Türkiye, though already eliminated from knockout-stage contention, responded with real intent.
Arda Güler brought the score level in the 10th minute, and Barış Alper Yılmaz then scored in the 31st to send Türkiye into halftime ahead at 2-1.
The U.S. hit back quickly after the restart, with midfielder Sebastian Berhalter making it 2-2 in the 49th minute.
In search of a winner, Pochettino turned to Christian Pulisic in the 57th minute, and the winger was greeted by a loud ovation.
Pulisic, who had missed the previous match because of a minor calf issue, immediately gave the U.S. attack more urgency and nearly scored when he smashed the goalpost after a lively run shortly after coming on.
The decisive moment arrived deep into stoppage time. In the 98th minute, Türkiye’s Kaan Ayhan got beyond a tiring American defense and scored the winner to seal a 3-2 result.
Although the defeat ended any chance of a perfect group-stage campaign, the USMNT still finished Group D in first place after Paraguay’s result against Türkiye later in the day confirmed the standings.
Winning two matches in a single World Cup remains a rare milestone for the U.S. men’s program, previously achieved only in 1930 and 2002.
Attention now turns fully to the knockout phase, where every match is do-or-die.
The U.S. will head to San Francisco Bay Area Stadium for its Round of 32 match on Wednesday, July 1, where it will face a third-placed team from Group B, E, F, I or J. A victory there would send the Americans to Seattle for a Round of 16 clash on Monday, July 6.