United States vs Australia Preview

Friday’s Group D top-of-the-table clash at Lumen Field sees the United States host Australia, with both sides level on three points after opening victories. The winner here takes a commanding position in the group, while a draw would leave the door open for Turkey or Paraguay to capitalise in the final round of fixtures.

The United States opened their campaign with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on 13th June, a result that showcased their attacking strength in front of a home crowd. Prior to that, they lost 1-2 at home to Germany in a pre-tournament friendly. Before that, they beat Senegal 3-2 at home. Earlier in this run they lost 0-2 at home to Portugal, and in their oldest result here they were beaten 2-5 at home by Belgium. The Stars and Stripes have shown they can score goals freely but their defensive record against top-tier opposition remains a concern heading into this tougher test.

Australia also opened with a win, beating Turkey 2-0 at home on 14th June. Prior to that, they drew 1-1 away to Switzerland in a warm-up friendly. Before that, they lost 1-0 away to Mexico. Earlier in this run they won 5-1 at home against Curacao, and in their oldest result here they beat Cameroon 1-0 at home. The Socceroos have looked well organised defensively and carry a physical presence that could trouble the US backline.

The head-to-head record clearly favours the United States, who have won both of the last two meetings with no draws or wins for Australia. Most recently, the USA won 2-1 at home in October 2025. In the previous encounter, they also won at home, 3-1, in June 2010.

A USA win here would move them to six points and likely secure top spot heading into the final round, while an Australia win would do the same and flip the group on its head. Both sides currently sit on +3 and +2 goal difference respectively, with USA’s superior attacking output giving them a slight statistical edge.

In the United States, this match is live on FOX Network and available to stream via fuboTV. In the UK, viewers can follow the action on BBC One or BBC iPlayer. Australian fans can watch on SBS or SBS On Demand.

Lineups & Injuries

United States (4-2-3-1) Freeman, Richards, Ream, Adams, Dest, McKennie, Tillman, Balogun, Robinson, Pulisic, Reyna

Australia (3-4-2-1) Beach, Souttar, Circati, Burgess, O’Neill, Toure, Irankunda, Italiano, Metcalfe, Bos, Okon-Engstler

United States: Christian Pulisic (Doubtful) Australia: No missing players.

The US carry a slight injury concern over star man Christian Pulisic, who has been training individually and will be assessed late, with Gio Reyna ready to step in if needed. Australia head into this one with a clean bill of health across the squad.

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Group D Table

Pos	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P
1	USA	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3	3
2	Australia	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	3
3	Turkey	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0
4	Paraguay	1	0	0	1	1	4	-3	0

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United States Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	USA	4-1	Paraguay	World Cup	13.06.26
❌	USA	1-2	Germany	Friendly	06.06.26
✅	USA	3-2	Senegal	Friendly	31.05.26
❌	USA	0-2	Portugal	Friendly	01.04.26
❌	USA	2-5	Belgium	Friendly	28.03.26

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Australia Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Australia	2-0	Turkey	World Cup	14.06.26
🤝	Switzerland	1-1	Australia	Friendly	06.06.26
❌	Mexico	1-0	Australia	Friendly	31.05.26
✅	Australia	5-1	Curacao	Friendly Series	31.03.26
✅	Australia	1-0	Cameroon	Friendly Series	27.03.26

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Head-to-Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
USA	2-1	Australia	Friendly	15.10.25
USA	3-1	Australia	Friendly	05.06.10

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
USA	FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo
Great Britain	BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live
Ireland	RTE 2, BBC One, RTE Player, BBC iPlayer
Australia	SBS, SBS On Demand
Germany	Das Erste, SRF zwei, MagentaTV
France	M6, M6+, beIN Sports 1
Italy	DAZN Italia, RAI 1, RaiPlay
Spain	DAZN Spain, DAZN Mundial
Canada	TSN1, TSN+, RDS
Mexico	ViX Mexico