The U.S. men’s national team has learned where a knockout-stage run in the 2026 World Cup would potentially bring them.
On Wednesday, two years to the day until the World Cup begins, FIFA announced the remainder of the schedule for the 48-team tournament, following the initial schedule release in February.
The only countries to qualify for the tournament so far are hosts USA, Canada and Mexico, which now all know their path through the knockout stage should they finish first or second in their respective groups.
The USMNT already knows where it will play its three group-stage games, as it will open its World Cup campaign in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium on June 12. That will be followed by a game at Seattle’s Lumen Field on June 19, before another game at SoFi Stadium June 25.
Now FIFA has outlined the path through the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
Should the USMNT, Mexico or Canada finish third place in their respective groups, they could still reach the knockout round, which will include the eight best third-placed teams out of the 12 groups.
In the event of a third-place finish, the teams wouldn’t know where their knockout-round games would be held until after the group stage.
Below is the knockout-round path for the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup.
USMNT 2026 World Cup knockout path
First place in group
- Round of 32: San Francisco Bay Area – July 1
- Round of 16: Seattle – July 6
- Quarterfinal: Los Angeles – July 10
- Semifinal: Dallas – July 14
- Final: New York/New Jersey – July 19
Second place in group
- Round of 32: Dallas – July 3
- Round of 16: Atlanta – July 7
- Quarterfinal: Kansas City – July 11
- Semifinal: Dallas – July 14
- Final: New York/New Jersey – July 19
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