The second round of group play at the 2026 World Cup kicked off Thursday with Mexico and Canada both winning. Mexico locked up a spot in the knockout stage, becoming the first team to do so. Canada’s win over Qatar was chaos — six goals, two red cards, a nasty injury, and a benches-clearing scuffle. Now it’s the third host’s turn.
The United States takes on Australia in Seattle on Friday with first place in Group D on the line. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. ET on Fox and Telemundo. The USMNT opened the tournament by dismantling Paraguay, and that win has people talking about this team as a potential quarterfinal or semifinal team. But Australia is a different kind of problem.
Can the USMNT handle the pressure?
Christian Pulisic might miss this one. That would have been devastating for past US teams. Not this one. This squad has real depth — guys like Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, and Yunus Musah can carry the load. And for the first time in a while, the manager is running modern tactics. Mauricio Pochettino has these guys playing with a structure that works whether Pulisic is on the field or not.
The talent gap favors the USA. But Australia is tough and disciplined. The Socceroos don’t beat themselves. They’ll sit in, they’ll make it physical, and they’ll wait for a mistake. If the USMNT comes out flat or tries to overcomplicate things, this could get uncomfortable. Pochettino has them playing confident soccer though. There’s no reason they shouldn’t win by a couple goals.
The Tartan Army took over Boston. Now Scotland has to prove it.
Scotland’s fans have been the story of the first week. Thousands of kilt-wearing, beer-chugging supporters flooded New England. They pretty much drank Boston dry. It’s been a party. But the soccer part gets real now.
Scotland looked good against Haiti. They controlled the game and won comfortably. But Morocco and Brazil are next. That’s a serious step up in class. If Scotland gets results in either of those games, they’re not just a fun story — they’re a real contender to get out of the group. If they get blown out, the narrative shifts. We’ll find out what this team is made of starting Friday.
Brazil and Morocco need to show us something
Their first match was a dud. Brazil and Morocco played to a 1-1 draw that felt like both teams were still in warmup mode. Neither looked like a team that could win this thing. But it’s the World Cup. Argentina lost its first game in 2022 and won the whole thing. Spain lost its first game in 2010 and did the same.
Both teams have the talent to go all the way. Friday’s match is about which one shakes off the rust faster. If Brazil clicks, they could put up four or five. If Morocco controls the midfield like they did in 2022, they could grind out another result. The winner of this game takes control of Group C. The loser is looking at a potential early exit.
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