USA Round of 32 Possible Opponents at World Cup

As Group D winners, the USMNT is projected to face one of five third-place teams in the round of 32.

The draw will place Mauricio Pochettino’s side against the third-place finisher from one of the following groups: B, E, F, I or J.

Entering Matchday 3, the following teams sit in those positions for the respective groups: Bosnia, Ecuador, Sweden, Senegal and Algeria.

However, all five of those groups could see new teams finish third depending on the results. For example, Qatar could overtake Bosnia with a win in their head-to-head.

Ecuador is the likeliest team to finish third in Group E. To avoid third place, the South American side needs a win over Germany and an Ivory Coast loss to Curacao.

A lot remains in play for Group F. Sweden can overtake Japan for second if Graham Potter’s side takes all three points in their head-to-head. Otherwise, they’ll finish third.

In Group I, Senegal faces a big lift to even qualify as a third-place team. They’ll need a win against Iraq, which still possesses a far-fetched shot at third, in blowout fashion.

Finally, Group J will see either Austria or Algeria qualify in third. Austria only needs a point to finish second, while Algeria needs all three against Austria to overtake them for second.