America Doesn’t Play Today – But Here’s Who You Need To Root For In The World Cup

While the U.S. Men’s National Team doesn’t play on Wednesday, there are multiple outcomes that Americans should be cheering for during the remaining group stage games to clear the way for a deep U.S. run in the 2026 World Cup.

The United States officially clinched Group D after its 2-0 victory over Australia last week, securing a spot in the knockout round. However, America’s opponent in the Round of 32 is still uncertain. With 24 games remaining in the opening round of tournament play, the potential bracket is changing with every match result.

The United States finishes its group stage on Thursday night against Turkey, but the outcome will not affect the team’s standing or path in the knockout round. In the next round, America will take on the 3rd place finisher in Group B, E, F, I, or J, which will be decided in the coming days. 

If America wins in the Round of 32, it would face Egypt or Belgium. While all of this is subject to change, the route to America’s first quarterfinals since 2002 has never looked easier.

Games starting as early as Wednesday have major implications for who the United States will face in the next round.

The first and arguably most important match is Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar. The main thing to root for is that the match does not end in a draw. Both teams sit at one point apiece in Group B after a draw and a loss in their first two games. If either team comes away as a winner, it would set them up to play the United States in the following round. If they draw, however, both teams will likely be eliminated, and the most likely opponent for Team USA would become Senegal, a much stronger competitor.

If there is a draw, Americans should pull for Czechia or South Africa to win later on Wednesday to decrease the odds of playing Senegal. 

Moving onto a potential Round of 16 opponent, the United States would play the winner of Group G or a handful of third place teams. As it stands, the current matchup between Egypt and Czechia is the most likely and still very favorable for America.

Another scenario to keep an eye on is Uruguay vs. Spain on Friday night. If Uruguay were to beat Spain, Spain would move to the other side of the bracket and America would have an even easier potential quarterfinal matchup against Uruguay.