USMNT could make World Cup history vs. Australia. Here's how.

After a 4-1 win over Paraguay in its opening match of the 2026 World Cup, the U.S. men’s national team has set itself up to achieve something for the first time since 1930: win two group-stage matches and earn 6 points. The U.S. could do so against Australia on June 19 at 3 p.m. ET, or on June 25 against Turkey. The co-hosts of the 2026 tournament are favored in both matches, per BetMGM at the time of writing. In the 1930 World Cup, the U.S. beat both Paraguay and Belgium to finish atop the three-team Group 4 with a 2-0 record. Adjusted for soccer’s current points setup, that group-stage performance would’ve earned the U.S. 6 points. Since then, the U.S. has never won more than one game in the group stage and never finished with more than 5 points. In 1950, the team shocked a heavily favored English side 1-0 but 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. then didn’t qualify for the next 40 years. And in its first tournament back, in 1990, it finished the group stage 0-3 and with 0 points. At home in 1994, the U.S. drew Switzerland and beat Colombia en route to a 1-1-1, 4-point performance 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, the performances have been mixed: The team's 0-3 record in 1998 and 0-2-1 mark in 2006 were the worst group stages in recent years. In 2002 and 2014, the U.S. repeated the 4-point 1-1-1 record. The 2002 squad made the quarterfinals, the best performance by a U.S. team since the 1930 squad made the semifinals. And 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. Both years, the USMNT's group included England, writing another chapter in the two nations’ collective history books. So, the 2026 team has put itself in a prime position to achieve history by collecting two wins and 6 points. But two matches remain, and the U.S. needs to win one to reach a group-stage points mark it hasn’t hit in nearly a century. Methodology note: U.S. group-stage point totals collected via FBref. Tournaments prior to 1994 were adjusted to the 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw format for consistency across eras. Prior to 1994, teams earned 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.