Today, on June 26, the final round matches of Group D of the 2026 FIFA World Cup took place. Despite defeating the USA 3-2, the Turkish national team failed to qualify for the tournament's playoff stage.
The match took place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, USA.
For the Turkish national team, Arda Güler scored in the 10th minute, Barış Alper Yılmaz in the 31st minute, and Kaan Ayhan in the 8th minute of added time. For the USA, Auston Trusty scored in the 3rd minute and Sebastian Berhalter in the 49th minute.
Despite this victory, the Turks finished fourth, i.e., last in the group with 3 points and left the World Cup.
In Group D, the USA kept first place with 6 points and secured a playoff berth. Australia finished second with 4 points. Paraguay, also with 4 points, took third place on tiebreakers. Their fate of advancing to the next round depends on results in other groups.
Now, the US national team will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on July 2 in Santa Clara, California.
Australia will face the team that finishes second in Group G in the playoffs. In that group, the national teams of Egypt, Iran, Belgium, and New Zealand are competing for a spot in the next round.
For reference, the Australian national team has reached the playoff stage of the World Cup for the third time in its history. The team previously participated in this stage in the 2006 and 2022 World Cups.
