World Cup 2026: USA, Australia aim for knockout stage, Brazil ready to bounce back

US forward Folarin Balogun celebrates scoring his team's third goal with teammates during the 2026 World Cup Group D match between USA and Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, 2026. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)

The United States and Australia aim to secure their spots in the World Cup knockout rounds on Friday. Brazil also looks to start their campaign strong against Haiti.

After Mexico, one of the tournament co-hosts, secured their place in the last 32 with a 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday, either the USA or Australia can join them with a win in their Group D match in Seattle.

The Americans began the World Cup with a strong performance last week, beating Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles. This victory has boosted the confidence of Mauricio Pochettino’s team and fans are rallying behind them as they prepare to face the Socceroos in the Pacific Northwest.

Australia feels good heading into the game with the USA after their surprising 2-0 win over Turkey on Saturday. Both teams know that a win will take them to the last 32, adding some tension to this match.

A US pundit’s remark that Australia would be an easy opponent has not gone unnoticed. Socceroos coach Tony Popovic responded, saying his team will show their strength on the pitch.

"We know that we want to earn our respect," Popovic said on Thursday. "We know that by our performances we can put Australian football on the world map, and that’s what we aim to do."

Brazil's Focus on Improvement

Brazil defender Gabriel Magalhaes said the five-time World Cup champions need to move on from their disappointing 1-1 draw with Morocco in their opening game. They are now preparing to face Haiti, who are still looking for their first point.

"We know what we have to do. We know that we didn’t have a good first match, but what we can expect from us is that we’ll be really committed tomorrow and we’re going to do our best to win," Gabriel said on Thursday.

"It wasn’t the match we wanted against Morocco, but this is in the past, and we’ve learned from it."

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti mentioned he will adjust the lineup and talked about the team’s slow start.

"Getting off to a good start is important in a World Cup, but the most important thing is that the team, rather than being perfect, has to be resilient," the Italian coach said.