World Cup 2026: 13 Rules That Define the American Dream

The group also includes Turkey and Australia. Coach Mauricio Pochettino's squad is eager for a strong start. Although the two teams met in a friendly outside Philadelphia last November (a match the US won 2-1), the intense competitive atmosphere of the World Cup will create an entirely different story.

Paraguay brings resilience and determination as they return to the World Cup for the first time since 2010. Meanwhile, the USMNT enters their World Cup opener with high confidence after a 3-2 win over Senegal and a narrow 1-2 loss to Germany in a match where they were evenly matched. This game is not necessarily a "must-win" for the USMNT. Four years ago, the US only drew 1-1 with Wales in their opener but still advanced to the knockout stage.

The expanded World Cup this time makes advancing from the group stage easier. However, any result other than a victory would still be disappointing, as the following matches will only become tougher. A win in the opener would earn the US team strong support from people across the country.

To prove that the US team can certainly move deeper into the tournament and even claim the title, leading US sports channel ESPN has presented 13 interesting and entertaining statistics based on World Cup history:

1. The No. 1 team in the FIFA world rankings has never won the World Cup: None of the five teams ranked No. 1 before the last five World Cups—Brazil (2022), Germany (2018), Spain (2014), Brazil (2010), and Brazil (2006)—reached the semifinals. In fact, two of them were eliminated in the group stage. This year, the US team is ranked 17th in FIFA.

2. The reigning Ballon d'Or winner has never won the World Cup: Since the Ballon d'Or award began in 1956, the current holder has never won the World Cup. The team eliminated is France because the most recent Ballon d'Or winner is France's Ousmane Dembélé. No American player has ever been nominated for the men's Ballon d'Or.

3. No first-time World Cup participant has ever won: Apart from the first two World Cups won by Uruguay and Italy, no debutant has ever won. This means Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan cannot win this year. This is the 11th time the US has participated, so they are not in this group.

4. No team that had to go through a playoff to qualify for the World Cup has ever won: Teams that had to navigate playoffs or additional qualifiers have never won. This eliminates Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Turkey, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Iraq. The US qualified directly as the host.

5. No coach has ever won both the Premier League and the World Cup: Many coaches succeed at the club level, but that does not guarantee success with a national team. The only coach at the 2026 World Cup with a Premier League title is Carlo Ancelotti, who currently leads Brazil. Therefore, Brazil is eliminated. US coach Mauricio Pochettino has never won the Premier League.

6. No coach aged 60 or older has ever won the World Cup: The oldest coach to win was Vicente del Bosque at age 59. Thus, the following teams are eliminated: Scotland, South Africa, Austria, Colombia, Netherlands, Spain, Iran, Uruguay, Algeria, Mexico, Paraguay, Belgium, and Ghana. US coach Mauricio Pochettino is only 54.

7. Since 1966, only one team has won their first major title by winning the World Cup: That was England in 1966. Teams that have never won the World Cup or a continental championship are eliminated: Croatia, Norway, Switzerland, Ecuador, Haiti, and Panama.

8. England has never won a major international tournament outside of England: The 1966 World Cup is England's only major title and was held at home. Therefore, England is eliminated.

9. No team outside the FIFA Top 18 has ever won the World Cup: The lowest-ranked team to win since the FIFA rankings began was France in 1998, ranked 18th. This eliminates New Zealand (85), Egypt (29), Ivory Coast (33), Canada (30), South Korea (25), Australia (27), and Tunisia (45). The US is ranked 17th.

10. No player over 40 has ever won the World Cup: The oldest player to lift the trophy was legendary goalkeeper Dino Zoff at age 40. Cristiano Ronaldo is now 41 and likely to start for Portugal. Portugal is eliminated. The oldest US player is Tim Ream, aged 38.

11. The champion always has a player from Bayern, Milan, Inter, or Liverpool: In the last 11 World Cups, the winning team always had at least one player currently playing for Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Inter Milan, or Liverpool. Among the remaining contenders, Senegal and Morocco have no players from these clubs. The US has Christian Pulisic, who plays for AC Milan.

12. No team that was eliminated in the group stage in two consecutive World Cups has won the next one: Germany was eliminated in the group stage in the last two World Cups, so they are eliminated. The US was eliminated in the Round of 16 in the previous World Cup.

13. The champion always has a player with at least 17 international goals: In the last 10 World Cups, every champion had at least one player who had scored 17 or more goals for their national team. Japan's top scorer is Ayase Ueda with 16 goals, while Christian Pulisic has scored 33 goals for the US. Japan is eliminated.