Check out our other previews: Group A | Group B | Group C
USA
(Best result: Third place, 11 appearances, 16th in world rankings)
The USA's best result at a World Cup was a third-place finish in the inaugural event back in 1930.
They have made 11 appearances at the tournament overall, reaching the quarter-finals just once (2002) since their run to the last four 96 years ago.
Path to the finals
As the co-hosts, the USA qualified for the tournament automatically.
Key player
Mauricio Pochettino will be banking on AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic. 'Captain America' has 32 goals in 84 games for his country, and his quality in the final third will be the determining factor in how far the USA will go.
However, he heads into the World Cup with little form, after failing to score a goal for Milan in 2026. He also came under some scrutiny last summer for skipping the Gold Cup.
Despite this, he remains the star of the show for the Americans, and he will have the weight of a home nation on his shoulders.
Editor’s view
The USA are a very top-heavy team, and Pochettino has been looking for a way to protect their questionable defence, explaining his switch to a back three. The defensive midfield area also lacks depth, and they will really be relying on the likes of Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Timothy Weah.
A recent win over Senegal in a friendly has given them a confidence boost, though, with Pulisic and Balogun both starring.
Ultimately, they will be very pleased with their group, which gives them a strong chance of reaching the knockout stage. There are no real heavyweight teams to be feared.
Flashscore prediction
With home advantage and the group's makeup, the USA should make it into the knockouts and could even advance past the round of 32. However, the last 16 is probably where their tournament will end, and to be honest, they should be pretty pleased with that.
Fixtures
13th June, 03:00 CET: USA vs Paraguay - SoFi Stadium
19th June, 21:00 CET: USA vs Australia - Lumen Field
26th June, 04:00 CET: USA vs Turkey - SoFi Stadium
Paraguay
(Best result: Quarter-finals, eight appearances, 40th in world rankings)
Paraguay have been at the World Cup eight times before, with their best result coming in their last appearance back in 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals. They head into their first World Cup in 16 years ranked 40th in the world.
Path to the finals
Paraguay secured their spot at the World Cup in the penultimate round of South American qualifiers, finishing in sixth place to clinch automatic qualification.
Key player
Paraguay are a team known for their strong defence and being very hard to beat, but their main man is Strasbourg attacking midfielder Julio Enciso. The 22-year-old enjoyed a very good campaign in France, contributing 12 goals and 10 assists across competitions.
A player who is often at the heart of all things good for his nation, he is not afraid to have a shot from long range when the opportunity presents itself. During qualifying, he scored three goals, while he has four goals in 31 appearances overall for Paraguay.
Editor’s view
Paraguay look like a team really well set up and prepared for a World Cup. They are powerful defensively, illustrated by the fact that they conceded just 10 goals in qualifying. Only Ecuador (five) performed better. However, with 14 goals to their name, only two teams scored fewer, which may be an issue.
But much like everyone else in this group, they will fancy their chances, just because it is so open.
Flashscore prediction
Getting out of the group is a real possibility for Paraguay, especially with third place potentially allowing teams to reach the knockouts. If they can do that, it seems unlikely that they will be able to make it past the round of 32.
Fixtures
13th June, 03:00 CET: Paraguay vs USA - SoFi Stadium
20th June, 05:00 CET: Paraguay vs Turkey - Levi's Stadium
26th June, 04:00 CET: Paraguay vs Australia - Levi's Stadium
Australia
(Best result: Round of 16, six appearances, 27th in the world rankings)
Australia have qualified for the World Cup six times before, with their best result being runs to the round of 16 in 2006 and 2022. Their current world ranking is 27th.
Path to the finals
After ending their qualification campaign with four straight wins, Australia secured a second-place finish, earning them automatic qualification for their seventh World Cup.
They started their campaign with just one point from two games, but after the appointment of Tony Popovic, they turned things around excellently.
Key player
Captain and goalkeeper Mathew Ryan remains a crucial figure for the Socceroos. Coming off the back of a strong personal season for Levante, keeping nine clean sheets and helping his club stay in LaLiga, he now heads into his fourth-straight World Cup.
He was an ever-present for Australia at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 tournaments, and has 10 World Cup appearances - a joint national record.
His leadership and security in goal could be the decisive factor over whether Australia make it out of the group.
Editor's view
Australia are probably the weakest team in this group, and will find it tough going. Yet, because there are no real standout sides, they will be hoping to snatch a win somewhere, which might be enough to clinch third place.
Despite Popovic being a coach who demands his teams to be defensively strong and robust, they do actually possess some exciting young attacking talent, like Nestory Irankunda, Mohamed Toure, and Jordan Bos. Will that be enough to see them make it to the knockouts?
Flashscore prediction
If they can make it out of the group, it would be a major success for Australia. Getting past the round of 32 would be a dream. Unfortunately, it seems a bottom-of-the-table finish is the most likely outcome.
Fixtures
14th June, 06:00 CET: Australia vs Turkey - BC Place
19th June, 21:00 CET: Australia vs USA - Lumen Field
26th June, 04:00 CET: Australia vs Paraguay - Levi's Stadium
Turkey
(Best result: Third place, two appearances, 22nd in the world rankings)
Turkey head to their third World Cup this summer, and will be hoping to match the exploits of the heroic team in 2002 that managed to reach the semi-finals, eventually winning the bronze medal match after beating South Korea. They are ranked 22nd in the world.
Path to the finals
Following a second-place finish in their qualifying group behind Spain, Turkey headed for the European play-offs, where they defeated Romania 1-0 in the semi-finals, before another tight victory over Kosovo by the same scoreline in the final to qualify for the World Cup.
Key player
One of the most highly-rated young talents in the world, Real Madrid's sensational playmaker Arda Guler will lead the charge for a team blessed with tons of attacking talent. Possessing a wonderful left foot and incredible vision, he started to assert himself as a key player for his club, registering six goals and 14 assists in all competitions.
During World Cup qualifying, he managed a goal and four assists in seven games. He will unquestionably be the creative hub for Turkey.
Editor's view
Even though they were the only nation in this group to have gone through the play-offs to reach this stage, they are the strongest team on paper. With offensive weapons like Arda, Kenan Yildiz, Hakan Calhanoglu, Can Uzun and Baris Alper Yilmaz, to name just a handful, they are going to be a real threat to opposition defences.
Vincenzo Montella has done an excellent job of creating a united squad and a real collective outfit, but there do remain some issues in key areas.
Turkey have lacked a quality number nine since the days of Burak Yilmaz, using either Kerem Akturkoglu or Baris up front - both wingers. They are also not the strongest defensively, which might hurt them further down the line.
Flashscore predictions
Turkey should get out of this group comfortably, and anything less would be a major failure. They will even be hoping to clinch top spot, which is likely to be a battle between themselves and the USA.
A run to the last 16 is very possible for a very talented generation of Turkish players. Could they even make it to the quarter-finals?
Fixtures
14th June, 06:00 CET: Turkey vs Australia - BC Place