The United States will face Paraguay , Australia and the winner of a UEFA playoff featuring Türkiye , Romania , Slovakia and Kosovo after a relatively favorable group stage draw for the co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup.

That was the result Friday after soccer's biggest competition took a major step closer to reality with a star-studded draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

The opening game for the U.S. men's national team in Group D will be against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Mexico will kick off the tournament a day earlier in Mexico City against South Africa -- a repeat of the opening game when South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010.

Group A also includes South Korea and the winner of playoff games among the Czech Republic, Irel

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