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As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, the U.S. men's national team could make history by squaring off against England this summer at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The USMNT has already secured its place in the round of 32—topping Group D with a game to spare—and could potentially face England as early as the quarterfinals if circumstances align perfectly. Otherwise, only a World Cup final showdown would be possible, however unlikely that may seem.
Beyond their shared history on the battlefield during the American Revolution, the two nations share a compelling soccer rivalry, having been drawn together in the same group at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and playing out a memorable 1–1 draw in South Africa in 2010, a result that helped the USMNT advance as group winners.
Here's how the two sides could meet on American soil this summer.
Option 1: Quarterfinal in Los Angeles
The USMNT claimed top spot in Group D, and if the Americans advance through both the round of 32 and round of 16, they could find themselves in position to take on England at the quarterfinal stage.
In the round of 32, the U.S. will face a third-place finisher from one of Groups B, E, F, I or J. That could be Bosnia & Herzegovina from Group B or a resilient Ecuador side from Group E. Group F remains wide open, with Sweden, Japan or the Netherlands all in contention. Group I is similarly unpredictable and potentially the toughest draw, with Norway and Senegal both capable of sneaking through in third. Group J could produce Algeria, Austria or even Jordan.
The round of 16 opponent would be the winner of a match between Group G's top finisher and a third-place team from Groups A, E, H, I or J. This could set up a meeting with Belgium or Egypt in Seattle, or a tough test against Senegal or Norway, among numerous other possibilities.
For England, the route would involve finishing second in Group L, which would pit the team against the runner-up from Group K in Toronto—featuring Portugal, Colombia, DR Congo and Uzbekistan—before a round of 16 encounter with either the Group H winner, comprising Spain, Cabo Verde, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, or the Group J runner-up, which includes Argentina, Algeria, Austria and Jordan.
It would require a handful of upsets, but this represents the earliest opportunity for the two teams to collide.
Option 2: The Final in New Jersey
SI answers is our AI answer engine trained on human-created content.
Should England also finish as group winners, the earliest the two sides could meet would be in the World Cup final itself, as both nations would occupy opposite halves of the 32-team knockout bracket. The final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., and would make for a truly patriotic occasion.