'They have stumbled': Former US star labels Socceroos 'lay-up' as World Cup group stage draw revealed

The Socceroos received a stroke of luck in the group stage for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, drawing host nation the USA and Paraguay.

It could have been much worse for Tony Popovic's men, who have been spared from facing one of the top teams from Europe or South America, with the Americans ranked 14th in the world and Paraguay 39th.

The fourth team in Group D will be the winner of an upcoming European playoff between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo.

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Australia will need to win at least one game in the group stage and maintain a decent goal-differential.

If Australia wins its group it would face one of the best third-place teams in the round of 32, with Belgium in their path in the round of 16, followed by a potential quarter-final with Spain.

Speaking to media after the draw was released, Socceroos coach Tony Popovic said he's "excited" to face the home nation US at Lumen Field, Seattle, one of the loudest stadiums in the country.

Facing the US would not be deemed as difficult as playing a top European nation, with fans Down Under confident about the Socceroos' chances.

However, it appears some members of the US sports media feel the same way.

Former US men's player Mike Grella, who now works as an analyst for CBS Sports, called drawing the Socceroos a "lay-up".

"Take nothing away from the Socceroos they've always been competitive - but they stumbled a little during qualifying and weren't that impressive," he said.

"This is an amazing first team to have for the US."

The first ever 48-team World Cup saw 12 groups of four nations each drawn under a strict set of rules.

The World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, determined the composition of the 12 groups for next summer's 48-team extravaganza.

The Americans open the World Cup against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, just outside Los Angeles.

The second set of round-robin matches pits the US against the No. 26 Australians on June 19 in Seattle.

The US returns to Inglewood on June 25 to face their European opponent, which will be known at the end of March.

Turkey hosts Romania and Slovakia welcomes Kosovo on March 26 in the semi-final round of their European playoff group. The victors contest a winner-take-all match on March 31.

Turkey is ranked No.25 in the world, Slovakia is No.45, Romania is No.47 and Kosovo is No. 80.

"My message to the players is: We need to compete better than Paraguay. That is going to be difficult. Australia is going to be difficult. The team that is going to join us is going to be difficult," USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Fox Sports.

"We need to build our journey step by step, and we need to prepare, like, when we start to play the 12th of June, it's going to be like it's the last game, the last opportunity. It's like the final of the World Cup. That needs to be our mindset."

Each group's top two finishers and the eight best third-place clubs advance to the 32-team knockout stage. The July 19 final will be played at East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Australia and Paraguay are familiar foes for the USMNT, which downed both countries by 2-1 scores in international friendlies over the past two months.

The Americans are scheduled to host Belgium and Portugal for friendlies in Atlanta at the end of March that run parallel to the European qualifiers.

The United States' last World Cup tuneups come May 31 in Charlotte, NC, against an undetermined opponent and June 6 in Chicago against Germany.

"We need to be strong in our belief, keep improving, thinking big, of course, to go on to win the World Cup," Pochettino said on Fox Sports. "But I said this before: We need to play and be motivated to play with these guys that are going to be really tough."

The United States' fellow host nations headline Groups A and B.

Mexico's confirmed opponents in Group A are South Africa and South Korea. They also will face the winner of the European playoff between Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia and Ireland.

Switzerland and Qatar -- the host of the 2022 tournament -- were drawn with Canada in Group B. Battling to join them are Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The last team of the group will be one of four European qualifiers to be determined in March.

SOCCEROOS GAMES 2026 WORLD CUP (All dates AEST)

June 14 - Match day 1: UEFA Qualifier C (Turkiye, Slovakia, Kosovo or Romania) at BC Place, Vancouver.

June 20 - Match day 2: USA at Lumen Field, Seattle

June 26 - Match day 3: Paraguay at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara

WORLD CUP 2026 GROUPS

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, UEFA Playoff D (Denmark, Czechia, Ireland or North Macedonia)

Group B: Canada, UEFA Playoff A (Italy, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Northern Ireland), Qatar, Switzerland

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, UEFA Playoff C (Turkiye, Slovakia, Kosovo or Romania)

Group E: Germany, Curacao, Cote d'Ivoire, Ecuador

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, UEFA Playoff B (Ukraine, Poland, Albania or Sweden), Tunisia

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Group I: France, Senegal, FIFA Playoff 2 (Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname), Norway

Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan

Group K: Portugal, FIFA Playoff 1 (DR Congo, New Caledonia or Jamaica), Uzbekistan, Colombia