The United States reached the Round of 16 in each of their past three appearances in the World Cup. If the club's performance in its first match of the 2026 tournament is any indication, the streak should continue.
Team USA opened this edition of the World Cup with a 4-1 victory against Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. on Friday. Folarin Balogun led the way with a pair of goals and Giovanni Reyna also scored after an own goal by Paraguay midfielder Damian Bobadilla gave the Americans their first tally.
The win put the U.S. atop the Group D standings with three points, although Australia forged a tie with its 2-0 triumph over Turkiye on Sunday. The Americans and Australians square off Friday at Lumen Field in Seattle.
Team USA are favored to win Group D at the major sportsbooks, with odds ranging between -220 and -250. Australia are the second favorite, priced from +300 to +350.
ODDS TO WIN GROUP D
TEAM | ||||
United States | -230 | -220 | -250 | -250 |
Australia | +300 | +330 | +350 | +350 |
Turkiye | +700 | +700 | +600 | +600 |
Paraguay | +2800 | +3000 | +2000 | +2200 |
The United States' best finish in the World Cup was third place, in the inaugural tournament in 1930. Their highest placement since then came in 2002, when they were eighth after losing to Germany in the quarterfinals.
Expectations for Team USA to win the tournament for the first time were not very high, as they entered the 2026 World Cup with +6000 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. The impressive victory against Paraguay changed the site's thinking a bit, however, as it now lists the U.S. at +3500.
The other major sportsbooks have similar odds for the United States, as they also are priced at +3500 at Caesars Sportsbook, +3300 at BetMGM Sportsbook and +4000 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Five of the top six favored teams have yet to play a group-stage game, while Brazil settled for a 1-1 draw against Morocco on Saturday. The Brazilians, who have won the World Cup a record five times, entered this year's tournament as the fifth favorite at FanDuel with odds of +850 but dropped one spot with the draw (+1000).
Reigning champions Argentina are not expected to join Italy (1934 & 1938) and Brazil (1958 & 1962) as the only squads to successfully defend their title, as the Argentinians are the fifth favorites at most major books with odds from +900 to +1000. Caesars lists them as the fourth favorite at +800.
ODDS TO WIN 2026 WORLD CUP
TEAM | DRAFTKINGS | FANDUEL | CAESARS | BETMGM |
France | +450 | +450 | +450 | +450 |
Spain | +450 | +450 | +450 | +450 |
England | +750 | +700 | +750 | +700 |
Portugal | +800 | +750 | +850 | +700 |
Argentina | +1000 | +1000 | +800 | +900 |
Brazil | +1100 | +1000 | +900 | +900 |
Germany | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
Netherlands | +1600 | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
Morocco | +3500 | +3500 | +4000 | +4000 |
Norway | +3500 | +3500 | +3000 | +3300 |
Belgium | +4000 | +3000 | +3500 | +3300 |
United States | +4000 | +3500 | +3500 | +3300 |
Colombia | +5000 | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
Mexico | +5000 | +5000 | +4500 | +5000 |
Japan | +6000 | +4500 | +5000 | +5000 |
Uruguay | +6500 | +6500 | +6000 | +6600 |
Ecuador | +8000 | +10000 | +10000 | +8000 |
Switzerland | +8000 | +8000 | +8000 | +6600 |
Croatia | +9000 | +7500 | +6500 | +8000 |
Senegal | +9000 | +12500 | +12500 | +8000 |
Turkiye | +11000 | +12500 | +8000 | +12500 |
Sweden | +12000 | +17500 | +15000 | +10000 |
Austria | +15000 | +10000 | +10000 | +15000 |
Australia | +20000 | +12500 | +75000 | +10000 |
Scotland | +20000 | +20000 | +30000 | +15000 |
South Korea | +20000 | +30000 | +15000 | +20000 |
Canada | +25000 | +22500 | +15000 | +15000 |
Ivory Coast | +25000 | +12500 | +30000 | +20000 |
Bosnia-Herzegovina | +30000 | +35000 | +40000 | +25000 |
Egypt | +30000 | +35000 | +40000 | +25000 |
Ghana | +30000 | +40000 | +40000 | +50000 |
Algeria | +35000 | +30000 | +35000 | +25000 |
Paraguay | +40000 | +30000 | +40000 | +30000 |
Czechia | +50000 | +60000 | +30000 | +30000 |
Tunisia | +50000 | +150000 | +75000 | +50000 |
Iran | +70000 | +75000 | +75000 | +50000 |
Cape Verde | +100000 | +250000 | +200000 | +100000 |
Congo | +100000 | +250000 | +100000 | +75000 |
Panama | +100000 | +250000 | +150000 | +100000 |
Qatar | +100000 | +250000 | +150000 | +100000 |
Saudi Arabia | +100000 | +250000 | +100000 | +100000 |
Iraq | +150000 | +250000 | +200000 | +100000 |
New Zealand | +150000 | +250000 | +250000 | +100000 |
South Africa | +150000 | +250000 | +150000 | +100000 |
Uzbekistan | +150000 | +250000 | +200000 | +100000 |
Curacao | +250000 | +250000 | +250000 | +250000 |
Haiti | +250000 | +250000 | +250000 | +250000 |
Jordan | +250000 | +250000 | +250000 | +100000 |
France, who won their second World Cup championship in 2018, and Spain are co-favorites at most major sportsbooks with odds of +450. The Spaniards, who captured their lone World Cup title in 2010, defeated the French for the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
England are the third favorite at the majority of the major books with odds between +700 and +750. They share the position with Portugal at BetMGM, as both teams are listed at +700.
Spain have their first group-stage match Monday against Cape Verde, while France and Argentina begin play the following day, as they respectively face Senegal and Algeria. England and Portugal are in action Wednesday, with the former taking on Croatia and the latter clashing with Congo.
