Seeking to end the group stage with a perfect record, co-hosts USA take on Turkiye in their final Group D outing of World Cup 2026 at Los Angeles Stadium on June 26.
Last time out, the USA triumphed 2-0 over Australia and made it two wins on the bounce, having beaten Paraguay 4-1 in their World Cup opener. With top spot in group D locked and qualification to the knockout rounds secured, this is a dead rubber match for Mauricio Pochettino’s side and will have no implications in the group standings or the broader tournament spectrum.
Meanwhile, Turkiye slipped to a 0-1 defeat to Paraguay that ended their World Cup dreams for this edition. They are at the bottom of group D with no points, having also lost to Australia. While their journey is over, Vincenzo Montella’s side will aspire to end the tournament on a high.
Turkiye vs USA
Team News
Mauricio Pochettino has delivered a positive injury update on Christian Pulisic, who missed the Australia victory due to a calf injury. While Pulisic is available for selection, Chris Richards, Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson and Folarin Balogun are unlikely to play to prevent yellow card accumulation as the quartet are all on a yellow card each. Pochettino says it is an “unnecessary risk” to use them with the USA’s round of 32 game scheduled for next week.
Maintain the identity. Maintain our principles. Maintain the momentum.
Mauricio Pochettino previews our third and final Group D match against Türkiye. 📽️#USMNT x @LaColombeCoffee pic.twitter.com/hSWrzf0Pma
— U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) June 25, 2026
Meanwhile, Cristian Roldan remains doubtful as he has been dealing with a minor muscle strain. Pochettino has a decision to make on the 31-year-old central midfielder. As for Turkiye, Kenan Yildiz should be available once again despite a calf strain sustained earlier.
Turkiye vs USA
Predicted Lineups
Predicted USA lineup (4-2-3-1): Matt Freese; Joe Scally, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, Max Arfsten; Weston McKennie, Sebastian Berhalter; Timothy Weah, Giovanni Reyna, Alejandro Zendejas; Ricardo Pepi
Predicted Turkiye lineup (4-2-3-1): Ugurcan Cakir; Mert Muldur, Merih Demiral, Ozan Kabak, Ferdi Kadioglu; Salih Ozcan, Hakan Calhanoglu; Yunus Akgun, Arda Guler, Kenan Yildiz; Deniz Gul
Turkiye vs USA
Odds
As per Kalshi, the USA are hot favourites to win the contest. They have a 55% chance of winning, while there is a 26% chance of the game ending in a draw. Turkiye have been given a 23% chance to claim their first win of the showpiece event.
Folarin Balogun has netted twice in as many games, and he has been considered the favourite to score anytime during the game at 34%, even though the striker is unlikely to start the game. Christian Pulisic is the next in line at 33%. For Turkiye, wonderkid Arda Guler has odds of 20% to get on the scoresheet, followed by Hakan Calhanoglu at 13%.
Turkiye vs USA
Prediction
This is a dead rubber for the USA and the chance for Pochettino to test his bench strength. Due to injury and yellow card accumulation, several key players are unlikely to start this game. Nonetheless, the co-hosts will want to make history by winning all their group-stage fixtures and head into the round of 32 full of confidence.
Turkiye have got nothing to play for except pride. The golden generation of players will not want to return home without breaking the duck. As Pochettino is set to rotate his squad, Montella and Co. will sense a glorious chance to get a positive result at Los Angeles Stadium.
