Australia booked their place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while co-hosts the United States finished top of Group D despite suffering a dramatic late defeat to Turkey in a thrilling final round of group matches.
The final standings saw the USA finish first in the group, Australia secure automatic qualification in second place, and Paraguay remain strongly positioned to progress as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
At San Francisco, Australia played out a tense goalless draw against Paraguay, a result that ultimately worked in favour of both sides.
The Socceroos entered the match knowing avoiding defeat would likely be enough to secure progression, and they successfully managed the contest to finish on four points. Their superior goal difference over Paraguay earned them second place and direct qualification for the Round of 32.
Australia’s players celebrated wildly at full-time after confirming their return to the knockout rounds, where they will face the runners-up from Group G.
Paraguay, meanwhile, adopted a cautious approach and focused on defensive discipline. They struggled to create opportunities in the opening stages and did not register an attempt until the second half after switching to a back-three system.
Their best opportunity arrived late on when substitute Mauricio came close to snatching a winner that would have dramatically altered the qualification picture and left Australia in danger of elimination.
Despite settling for a draw, Paraguay remain in a strong position in the third-place standings and look well placed to advance.
Meanwhile, Group D leaders USA ended their group campaign with their first defeat of the tournament after Turkey claimed a dramatic 3-2 victory at SoFi Stadium.
Although qualification had already been secured for Mauricio Pochettino’s side before kick-off, the Americans looked set to maintain their unbeaten record after Auston Trusty opened the scoring from a corner inside three minutes.
Turkey, already eliminated after consecutive defeats to Australia and Paraguay, responded impressively and finally found the attacking edge that had deserted them earlier in the tournament.
Arda Guler levelled after 10 minutes before Baris Yilmaz completed the turnaround midway through the first half.
USA responded quickly after the restart as Sebastian Berhalter struck from the edge of the box to restore parity.
The second half also saw the return of captain Christian Pulisic from a calf injury, and the forward came close to making an instant impact when he struck the post.
However, Turkey had the final word.
Deep into stoppage time, substitute Kaan Ayhan bundled home from close range in the 98th minute to secure a memorable 3-2 victory and give Turkey a positive ending to their World Cup campaign despite their elimination.
The defeat did little damage to the USA, who still advanced as Group D winners and will now face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32.
Final Group D standings saw USA finish first, Australia qualify automatically in second, while Paraguay remained hopeful of joining them in the knockout stage.