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Save the date. The U.S. men's national team is scheduled to take on a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the World Cup round of 32 on July 1 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
The Stars and Stripes burst out of the gates in the tournament on home turf, and they have no intention of slowing down. The Americans steamrolled Paraguay and Australia to claim the top spot in Group D and secure complete peace of mind heading into their group stage finale, a dead rubber, against Türkiye on Thursday.
As the group winner, the No. 14-ranked USMNT earns the right to face a third-place finisher from another group — one from either Group B, E, F, I or J — guaranteeing the most favorable path forward. Under the new, expanded tournament format, the top eight third-place finishers across all 12 groups advance to the knockout rounds.
Here, Sports Illustrated breaks down every potential third-place opponent the USMNT could encounter in the round of 32, ranked from least to most difficult.
11. Curaçao
The USMNT would welcome a matchup against Curaçao in the round of 32. The World Cup first-timers, who became the smallest nation by both population and land area ever to compete in the tournament, have already cemented their place in history simply by qualifying.
The Caribbean underdogs, ranked No. 81 by FIFA, suffered a crushing 7–1 defeat to Germany in the Group E opener before bouncing back with a creditable goalless draw against Ecuador. It is unlikely that Curaçao will leapfrog Côte d'Ivoire or Ecuador for a third-place finish, though it isn't entirely impossible. They would need to upset Côte d'Ivoire or see Germany demolish Ecuador by a wide margin.
10. Iraq
Iraq, returning to the World Cup for the first time in 40 years, has struggled considerably this summer, falling to European powerhouse France 3–0 and Norway 4–1. Their defense has been vulnerable and could easily be exploited by American attacking stars Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic.
The Lions of Mesopotamia, ranked No. 60 globally, require an improbable win against Senegal to secure third place in Group I.
9. Sweden
Sweden, who endured a dismal World Cup qualifying campaign without a single win, are simply happy to be part of the competition this summer.
Graham Potter's squad is the expected third-place finisher in Group F, behind Japan and the Netherlands; however, the race remains tight. Japan needs at least a draw against Sweden to lock in third place for the Scandinavians.
Should Sweden and the USMNT meet, the Americans would look to capitalize on the team's recent inconsistency — Sweden thrashed Tunisia 5–1 in their opener before being hammered 5–1 by the Netherlands less than a week later.
8. Ecuador
Ecuador arrived at the tournament in strong form, fresh off their best-ever qualifying campaign and bolstered by two of the world's top defensive players — Chelsea's Moisés Caicedo and Paris Saint-Germain's Willian Pacho.
Yet La Tricolor, ranked No. 29 globally, have disappointed since arriving in North America. The side fell to Côte d'Ivoire 1–0 in their Group E opener before a frustrating draw with minnows Curaçao. They remain the most likely team to finish third in Group E.
7. Senegal
The USMNT would be comfortable facing Senegal, having recently met the Lions of Teranga in late May and coming away with a 3–2 victory.
Since that pre-tournament loss, Senegal has struggled in North America, despite their No. 19 global ranking, largely due to a tough Group I draw. They fell to France 3–1 before losing to dark horses Norway 3–2. Senegal enters the final group stage match with zero points and everything to play for, needing a win over Iraq to have any chance of progressing.
6. Algeria
Algeria is back on the World Cup stage after a 12-year absence. A draw or defeat against Austria would see them finish third in Group J.
The Algerians, ranked No. 28, opened their tournament against the brilliance of Lionel Messi, who scored a historic hat trick to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Algeria responded with a 2–1 win over Jordan on Monday and will aim to beat Austria on Saturday to secure a top-two finish.
5. Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bosnia & Herzegovina are the lowest-ranked European qualifier and sit at a modest No. 62 in FIFA's rankings, but they shouldn't be underestimated.
They have impressed this summer, locking up third place in Group B with four points — a tally likely to make them one of the top third-place finishers and strong candidates to advance. As a result, Bosnia currently stands as one of the most probable opponents the USMNT could face next week.
The team drew Canada 1–1 in their opener and bounced back from a loss to Switzerland with a convincing 3–1 victory over Qatar to wrap up group play.
4. Austria
A defeat to Algeria would send Austria down to third place in Group J. The nation makes its return to the global stage for the first time in 28 years and plays a high-press, high-intensity brand of football that would make for an explosive contest against an equally aggressive American side.
Austria, ranked No. 23 globally, opened their World Cup campaign with an impressive 3–1 win over Jordan before falling to defending champions Argentina, 2–0.
3. Cote d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire have never made it past the group stage at a World Cup; however, the nation appears ready to rewrite that narrative this summer. They are actually projected to finish second in Group E and secure automatic qualification. Should Côte d'Ivoire be upset by Curaçao, however, the West Africans could slip to third and find themselves facing the USMNT.
The team, ranked No. 30 globally, has been in fine form this summer, beating Ecuador 1–0 in the opener before pushing Germany to the limit. The European powerhouse required a stoppage-time goal to edge past Côte d'Ivoire 2–1.
2. Japan
Although the USMNT beat Japan 2–0 last September in a friendly, the Samurai Blue are a formidable World Cup opponent. Just ask Germany and Spain, both of whom were knocked out by Japan in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Like the USMNT, Japan is chasing a deep run this summer and would pose a serious challenge to the Americans in the round of 32.
Japan, ranked No. 16 globally, earned a commendable draw with the Netherlands to open Group F before cruising past Tunisia 4–0. Should they win or draw against Sweden on Thursday, they will secure at least second place and automatic advancement. Should Sweden pull off an upset, however, Japan would drop to third.
They would still be strong favorites to advance with four points and, therefore, more likely than most other third-place contenders to face the USMNT.
1. Netherlands
A matchup with the Netherlands this early in the knockout stage would be far from ideal for the USMNT. The serious World Cup contenders, ranked No. 8 globally, are widely expected to top Group F, but technically the race is still open. Should the Netherlands somehow lose focus against Tunisia, they could slip as low as third place and land directly in the USMNT's bracket.
SI answers is our AI answer engine trained on human-created content.
Following their draw with Japan, the Netherlands made a ruthless statement against Sweden, dismantling the Scandinavians convincingly.