USA vs. Australia Lineups Confirmed for World Cup 2026 – Starting XIs

The USA vs. Australia lineups are officially confirmed for today’s 2026 World Cup Group D match at Lumen Field in Seattle — a huge spot for the USMNT after opening the tournament with a 4-1 win over Paraguay.

After both USA and Australia national teams won their first World Cup games, both have a chance to win the group with a win in Seattle today. A win for USMNT would be the first time since the first-ever World Cup in 1930 that USMNT opens the a World Cup with back-to-back-wins.

Christian Pulisic has been ruled out officially with a calf injury after training separately all week. That leaves the USMNT without its biggest attacking creator, putting more pressure on Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Weston McKennie, and Malik Tillman to carry the attack.

Below are the official USA vs. Australia lineups for today’s World Cup match, set to start at 3 p.m. ET on FOX.

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Confirmed USA Lineup vs. Australia for World Cup 2026

USMNT will go with a back 3 vs. Australia, with Robinson and Dest playing as wing backs and McKennie manning the middle.

Formation: 3-4-2-1

• Goalkeeper: Matt Freese
• Defenders: Alex Freeman, Tim Ream, Chris Richards
• Midfielders: Sergiño Dest, Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman, Antonee Robinson
• Forwards: Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, Folarin Balogun (striker)

USA subs vs. Australia: Chris Brady, Matt Turner, Auston Trusty, Joseph Scally, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, Brenden Aaronson, Cristian Roldan, Giovanni Reyna, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Timothy Weah, Alex Zendejas, Haji Wright

USMNT Players to Watch vs. Australia

Data via FIFA Match Report Hub.

Folarin Balogun: Scored twice in the USA’s 4-1 win over Paraguay, giving him 11 goals in just 28 caps since switching to USMNT. With Pulisic out, Balogun becomes the undoubted biggest finisher in this lineup.

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Ricardo Pepi: Starts alongside Balogun, giving the U.S. two true striker profiles against Australia’s back three. If the Socceroos sit deep, Pepi’s box movement and finishing touch could be key.

Weston McKennie: Starts higher up in the attack, which makes sense with Pulisic unavailable. McKennie gives the U.S. a late-arriving runner, a physical presence in the box, and another player who can attack crosses from Dest and Robinson, while controlling and pacing the offense.

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Confirmed Australia Lineup vs. USA for World Cup 2026

Formation: 3-4-2-1

Goalkeeper: Patrick Beach

Defenders: Cameron Burgess, Harry Souttar, Alessandro Circati

Midfielders: Jordan Bos, Patrick Okon-Engstler, Aiden O’Neill, John Iredale Italiano

Forwards: Nishan Velupillay, Mohamed Touré, Mathew Leckie

Australia subs vs. USA: Mathew Ryan, Paul Izzo, Aziz Behich, Jason Geria, Lucas Herrington, Milos Degenek, Ajdin Hrustic, Cameron Devlin, Connor Metcalfe, Jackson Irvine, Kai Trewin, Nestory Irankunda, Awer Mabil, Cristian Volpato, Tete Yengi

Australia Players to Watch vs. USA

Patrick Beach: Delivered a standout World Cup debut vs. Türkiye, helping Australia survive 30 shots without conceding. If the U.S. controls possession again, Beach could be busy.

Harry Souttar: Australia’s captain from the middle of the back three. Against a U.S. attack starting Balogun and Pepi together, Souttar’s aerial defending and box presence will be a major part of Australia’s plan to sit deep and limit USA’s big chances.

Mohamed Touré: Starts up top for Australia and gives the Socceroos a direct outlet. If Australia plays without much possession again, Touré’s runs behind the U.S. back line could be one of their best paths to chances.

Mathew Leckie: Starts on the right side of Australia’s attack and brings experience, work rate, and transition threat. If Robinson pushes high for the U.S., Leckie’s space on the counter is worth watching, which is where Australia will look to strike.

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The United States and Australia national teams both enter with 3 points from Matchday 1, but the paths looked completely different. 

The USMNT dominated Paraguay, scored four goals, and showed the kind of attacking edge fans have been waiting on. But now, they’ll be without Pulisic, a key attacking piece. 

Australia upset Türkiye by being tough to break down, absorbing pressure, and punishing mistakes on the counter decisively.

Now, the U.S. has to do it without Christian Pulisic. That makes this confirmed lineup even more important, because it shows how Mauricio Pochettino is adjusting in a match that could put the USMNT though to the knockout stage with a win.

Now that the USA vs. Australia starting lineups are confirmed, it’s time to lock in your World Cup picks. On PrizePicks, you can select your players, choose More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right; or pick winners, total goals, both teams to score, and more on PrizePicks Team Picks! 

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