2026 World Cup Group D: Australia vs Turkiye Preview, Odds and Predictions (June 14)
- When: Sunday, June 14, 2026. 12:00 AM ET
- Where: BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
- How to Watch: FOX
The 2026 World Cup is underway with the second matchup in Group D getting underway in Canada with Australia facing Turkiye. These two squads will likely be in direct competition for a qualifying spot in the group, meaning that there will be pressure on both nations on MD1.
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Australia Stats & Team News
Australia did enough to punch their ticket to the World Cup, finishing second behind Japan in their qualifying group in Asia. However, they only managed to win five of those 10 matches, showing a concerning shakiness to their overall form.
It also presents weaknesses toward their quality, having lost four of their last seven matches going into the World Cup. Mathew Ryan continues to man the starting spot at goal with 104 caps and counting. Meanwhile, Matthew Leckie, Jackson Irvine, and Harry Souttar hope to produce plenty of goals to give their team the best chance to advance from their group.
Likely Lineup:
(3-4-2-1) Ryan (GK); Circati, Souttar, Burgess; Italiano, O’Neill, Irvine, Bos; Leckie, Metcalfe; Toure
Turkiye Stats & Team News
Turkiye finally ended a World Cup drought of two decades, making their first tournament since 2002 after qualifying through the UEFA playoffs. Finishing second behind Spain in their group, they went on to take down Romania and Kosovo to punch their ticket.
Turkiye boasts experience across all areas, having taken part in the UEFA Euros in past tournaments. This will give them a significant advantage over Australia as the Turkish offense will look to exploit their opponent’s defensive weaknesses. Hakan Calhanoglu stands out as the leading scorer with 22 goals, while Arda Guler and Kerem Akturkoglu look to bloom with strong performances up front.
Likely Lineup:
(4-2-3-1) Cakir (GK); Kadioglu, Bardakci, Demiral, Celik; Calhanoglu, Kokcu; Yildiz, Guler, Yilmaz; Akturkoglu
Head-to-Head Stats
- This is the first meeting between USA and Paraguay.
- This will be the first competitive meeting between the nations.
Australia vs. Turkiye World Cup Picks
Australia seems to be the team that is most at risk of missing out on the knockouts. Despite reaching the Round of 16 in 2022, they have struggled to string together consistent performances to make themselves stand out as a threat. This paves the way for Turkiye to come out with big plays early on and control the momentum from there on. It would be safe to believe that Turkiye takes this one by a 2-0 score.
