© Joseph Maiorana/Imagn
After braving a cringe-inducing two-hour clown show of a spectacle that involved cameos from Kevin Hart, Matthew McConaughey, and Heidi Klum, the United States Men’s National Team finally received its draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group Stage on Friday afternoon.
Thankfully, both the USMNT and its fans were rewarded for their patience, and the U.S. was placed in a group that may believe it should not only advance from, but also win.
OUR GROUP FOR THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP! 🇺🇸 @Visa | #NeverChaseReality pic.twitter.com/YwIM9puGEK
— U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) December 5, 2025
USMNT Is Top-Ranked Team In 2026 FIFA World Cup Group
By virtue of co-hosting the 2026 event alongside Canada and Mexico, the United States was automatically placed in Pot A for the draw, alongside the top teams in the world. When the three host teams were drawn, the USMNT landed in Group C.
They were then drawn against Australia from Pot B, Paraguay from Pot C, and the winner of a four-team playoff between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo out of Pot D to round out the group.
According to the latest FIFA World Rankings, the USMNT will be the highest-ranked team in its group regardless of who advances from the European playoff.
Those rankings are as follows:
- United States: 14
- Australia: 26
- Paraguay: 39
- Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo: 25/47/45/80
Kosovo’s ranking is the highest in its country’s history, and the Kosovoans are hoping to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in history.
While the United States’ friendly draw received a lot of publicity, the biggest conversation was about just how bad the television presentation for the draw itself was.
Tuchel’s expression here mirroring how everyone feels about this draw pic.twitter.com/0J3N6oZeQC
— Rob Staton (@robstaton) December 5, 2025
After the show began at noon ET, it wasn’t until 1:30 p.m. that the draw itself began, and it did not wrap up until nearly 2:15.
“My cerebral palsy will be cured before this draw,” one viewer joked on X.
“This draw has been going on so long that Lauryn Hill ended up actually on time for a performance,” said another.
The event also included the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, which was given to U.S. President Donald Trump, for reasons unknown, and multiple musical performances.
Ultimately, the United States’ friendly draw made it all worth the wait. But it probably could’ve been easily reduced from nearly 2.5 hours to 30 minutes.