Pat McAfee doesn’t do subtle. So when he dropped a World Cup prediction for the USMNT during Friday’s match against Australia, it wasn’t some cautious take. He went all in.
“USA IS GONNA WIN THE WORLD CUP,” McAfee posted on social media as the game unfolded. No qualifiers. No hedging. Just the kind of unapologetic hype that has made him one of the louder voices in American sports media.
The moment that got everyone talking
The U.S. came into the Australia match riding a 4-1 win over Paraguay in their group opener. That result had already turned heads, but the real test was always going to be Matchday 2. Australia had beaten Turkiye 2-0 in their first game, so this wasn’t some pushover opponent. A win here would punch the Americans’ ticket to the knockout stage. And they got it done.
It wasn’t a blowout. The U.S. scored first on an own goal by Australia, then added a second in the 43rd minute when Alex Freeman fired one home. Officials checked the goal before confirming it, and the celebration that followed told you everything about how much this one meant.
The final score: 2-0. Job done.
Where the USMNT stands now
That puts the U.S. on top of Group D with six points, ahead of Australia, Turkiye, and Paraguay. They’re in control of their own path, but they still need other results to fall their way to lock up first place in the group and get a cleaner route through the knockout bracket.
Next up is Turkiye on June 25 at 10 p.m. ET. Win that one, and the momentum heading into the knockout stage becomes real. Lose or draw, and things get complicated fast.
McAfee’s prediction might sound like typical loud-guy-on-TV energy, but the U.S. has been playing at a level that makes it less laughable than it would’ve been a few years ago. They’re one of three host nations for the 2026 World Cup, and they’re playing like a team that knows the spotlight is on them.
Anyway, McAfee said it. The internet ran with it. And now the USMNT has to go prove him right.
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