USMNT chases 6 points in 2026 group stage

USMNT 6 – After a 4-1 opening win over Paraguay, the U.S. men’s national team has set up a rare opportunity in the 2026 World Cup: two group-stage wins for 6 points—something it hasn’t done since 1930. The next chance comes against Australia on June 19 at 3 p.m. ET, wit

The U.S. men’s national team didn’t just start the 2026 World Cup with a win—it started with momentum that could become history.

After beating Paraguay 4-1 in its opening match. the USMNT is positioned to do something it hasn’t managed for nearly a century: win two group-stage games and finish with 6 points. The math is simple, but the timing is not. Two group matches remain. and the outcome of this stage could define whether the team turns a promising opening into a breakthrough.

One of the next turning points comes against Australia on June 19 at 3 p.m. ET. Another comes on June 25 against Turkey. Both matches are projected as tough tests, with the co-hosts of the 2026 tournament favored in both contests, according to BetMGM at the time of writing.

That “could” matters because the U.S. has rarely been able to string together enough results in group play to push itself into the kind of territory it’s reaching now.

In the 1930 World Cup, the U.S. beat both Paraguay and Belgium to finish atop a three-team Group 4 with a 2-0 record. If that performance is adjusted for soccer’s current points system, it would translate to 6 points. Since then, the U.S. has never won more than one game in the group stage, and it has never finished with more than 5 points.

The past is a mix of flashes and near-misses. In 1950, the U.S. shocked a heavily favored English side 1-0, but then lost to Spain and Chile and finished bottom of Group 2. The 1-2 finish would be equivalent to 3 points today. The U.S. didn’t qualify for the next 40 years. When it returned in 1990, it went 0-3 in group play and finished with 0 points.

At home in 1994, the team drew Switzerland and beat Colombia, producing a 1-1-1 run and 4 points in Group A. Because that World Cup sent the best four third-place teams to the knockout stage, the U.S. advanced to the Round of 16, where it lost to eventual champion Brazil.

Since then, results have been uneven. The U.S. posted 0-3 in 1998 and 0-2-1 in 2006—two of the worst group stages in recent years. In 2002 and 2014, the U.S. repeated a 4-point 1-1-1 record. The 2002 team made the quarterfinals, marking the best run by a U.S. squad since the 1930 team reached the semifinals. In both 2010 and 2022, the U.S. collected 5 points via one win and two draws. The 2010 team topped its group—the only time the country has done so since 1930—and in both of those years. the USMNT’s group included England. adding another layer to the long. ongoing story between the two nations.

All of that history helps explain why this moment carries weight. The U.S. has already claimed the kind of opening result that makes the next steps feel achievable. Two wins would deliver 6 points. a total it hasn’t reached in nearly a century—and it’s not just about chasing an abstract milestone. The U.S. needs to win at least one of its two remaining matches to reach a group-stage points mark it hasn’t hit in that same stretch of time.

USMNT 2026 World Cup Paraguay Australia Turkey group stage 6 points World Cup history BetMGM