World Cup 2026 Picks: Group D Winner Prediction, Schedule & Team Previews

The hopes of a nation will be on the USMNT at this summer’s FIFA World Cup, and Mauricio Pochettino’s side will compete in Group D alongside Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey. Find the odds and our World Cup Group D picks here.  

World Cup 2026: Group D Odds

Group D Team	To Win Group D Odds	To Qualify Odds
USA	+135	-840
Turkey	+170	-385
Paraguay	+480	-202
Australia	+900	+109

Group D World Cup Schedule

Matchday 1

• USA vs. Paraguay (June 12)
• Australia vs. Turkey (June 13)

Matchday 2

• USA vs. Australia (June 19)
• Turkey vs. Paraguay (June 19)

Matchday 3

• Turkey vs. USA (June 25)
• Paraguay vs. Australia (June 25)

Group D: Meet The Teams

USA

• Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
• Odds to Win World Cup: +10000
• Best World Cup Performance: Third-Place (1930)
• Key Player: Christian Pulisic

Mauricio Pochettino was appointed with one goal in mind- to take the USMNT as far as possible in this summer’s home World Cup. There have been mixed fortunes throughout his reign, including low points such as last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup final loss against Mexico.

However, bright moments have given fans the opportunity to dream, with a statement win against Uruguay being a standout. An experienced squad has been named this summer, including names such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams.

Folarin Balogun will be tasked with scoring the goals to fire the U.S. into the next round, and his confidence should be high after netting an impressive 13 in 30 appearances for AS Monaco in 2025-26.

Paraguay

• Manager: Gustavo Alfaro
• Odds to Win World Cup: +25000
• Best World Cup Performance: Quarterfinals (2010)
• Key Player: Diego Gomez

Paraguay will likely be the main competition to the USMNT for top spot in the Group D standings. The South American nation proved hard to beat in qualification, avoiding loss in 14 of their 18 fixtures. Converting chances was an issue, scoring just 14 goals.

However, their defensive approach could give them the best chance of success this summer after allowing ten goals in a testing South American qualification campaign. Recent results have been mixed for the nation, beating Mexico and Greece, but losing to Morocco. Due to goals being hard to score, Paraguay will likely sit deep in their formation, and look to rely on their prowess from set pieces to make the difference.

Australia

• Manager: Tony Popovic
• Odds to Win World Cup: +50000
• Best World Cup Performance: Round of 16 (2006, 2022)
• Key Player: Nestory Irankunda

Australia will be playing in their sixth straight World Cup this summer, and the signs from four years ago will be promising for their chances. The Socceroos won two of their four fixtures in Qatar before being eliminated in the round of 16. Once again, they cruised through qualifying, winning eleven of their 16 fixtures, showing an attacking intent after netting 38 goals.

Nestory Irankunda is a player to watch for the Aussies this summer, with the 20-year-old recording eight goal involvements for Watford in 2025-26. Meanwhile, he has an excellent strike-rate at international level, with five goals in 13 appearances.

Turkey

• Manager: Vincenzo Montella
• Odds to Win World Cup: +10000
• Best World Cup Performance: Third-Place (2002)
• Key Player: Arda Guler

Turkey will be back on the World Cup stage for the first time since finishing third in 2002. The nation’s recent record in major tournaments would be a concern this summer, which includes a group stage exit at EURO 2020 when heavily tipped up as a long shot contender.

Turkey finished second in their qualification group standings behind Spain, ensuring that they relied on playoff wins against Romania and Kosovo to book their spot in the U.S. this summer. Attacking threats will come from Arda Guler and dead-ball specialist Hakan Calhanoglu. Should present the U.S. with the most problems in their race for qualification.

World Cup 2026 Picks: Who Will Win Group D?

This is a challenging Group D for the USMNT, and three nations will be vying for top spot. At a bigger price, Paraguay’s defensive approach could upset the odds, with their compact nature likely to ensure that they are difficult to break down. However, we foresee the USMNT finishing second to keep their World Cup dream alive.

• Paraguay to Win Group D @ +480 with BetOnline