The USA kick off their World Cup campaign on BETDAQ EXCHANGE WORLD CUP in Group D! While Mexico drew relatively kindly and Canada landed Bosnia and Qatar, the United States got the toughest draw of any co-host. That being said, they are still favourites to win Group D given it’s so open. This is the first Group where you feel anyone could win it – Turkey are ending a 24-year World Cup absence with a squad built around two of the most exciting young players in world football. Paraguay are the most disciplined defensive unit CONMEBOL produced this cycle. Australia are not here just to make up the numbers after reaching the Round of 16 last time out. The USA need a big performance to deliver on home soil. It’s hard to know what to expect from them too!
Group D
• USA
• Turkey
• Paraguay
• Australia
🇺🇸 USA (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 16th)
As co-hosts, the USA received their automatic berth back in February 2023. They open the World Cup on June 12 against Paraguay. The home advantage is obviously substantial in an open Group, but their biggest asset is Mauricio Pochettino who has been in charge since 2024 and has restored some belief after a turbulent period, but there are genuine concerns heading into the tournament though. An automatic spot means we don’t fully know their level – they suffered a 5-2 thrashing by Belgium and a 2-0 defeat to Portugal in their March friendlies, but obviously those two sides are levels above them. 21 of the last 22 host nations have reached the knockout stages. The pressure is immense, and history is on their side, but I feel this USA side could struggle a little in a very open Group. They are trading around 2.52 to win Group D, and that looks a good value lay.
🇹🇷 Turkey (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 22nd)
Turkey are back at the World Cup for the first time since their extraordinary third-place finish in 2002 – a 24-year absence that now finally ends. They qualified via the UEFA playoffs, finishing three points behind Euro 2024 winners Spain in their qualifying Group before beating Romania 1-0 in the Semi-Final and Kosovo 1-0 in the Final. Their playoff route could have been called easy, but they performed very well in qualifying. The story of this Turkey team is built around two of the most exciting young players in world football. Arda Guler playing for Real Madrid and Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz provides another layer of match winning quality. Behind them both is captain Hakan Calhanoglu (pictured below) of Inter Milan. They have a good squad, and surely they will fancy their chances of topping this Group. They meet USA last and it will be interesting to see is that a straight shootout for the Group winner!
🇵🇾 Paraguay (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 40th)
Paraguay are back at the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when they reached the Quarter-Finals – still their best ever finish. It’s hard to see them getting that far this time; they are trading around 400.0 in the Outright market. They qualified through the CONMEBOL round robin, finishing sixth and securing the final automatic spot in what was a hard-fought campaign. They tend to focus on defensive discipline; conceding just 10 goals across 18 qualifying matches, the same as group winners Argentina, while grinding out results with an efficient, physical style that frustrates. You can see them causing sides problems, especially in a Group where there isn’t a huge level of attacking talent. It’s hard to see them winning games though. They are a side you don’t want to underestimate, but like I said they will be setting up to play in a very cagey fashion to grind out games.
🇦🇺 Australia (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 27th)
Australia might be higher in the FIFA rankings compared to Paraguay, but they are the outsiders to win Group D here. They qualified through the AFC third round as runners-up in Group C, having lost just once in their qualifying campaign, but obviously it’s quite a low level. Matthew Ryan in goal is Premier League proven, central defender Harry Souttar (pictured below) provides an aerial threat at both ends, and in attack they have exciting young winger Nestory Irankunda of Watford and midfielder Riley McGree of Middlesbrough. It’s hard to see them having the quality to go far in the tournament, but obviously we have quite an open Group here so we can’t write them off. They will look to hit teams on the counter, and we’ll have to wait and see what success that brings.
GROUP D BETTING PREDICTION
Who Will Top Group D And Who Will Qualify From Group D?
The USA are favourites to win Group D, trading around 2.52 to top the group. Turkey are their closest challengers at around 3.0, with Paraguay next at 45.1 and Australia the outsiders at around 8.8. Group A, B and C all had odds on favourites to win; this one is the first real open betting heat. The USA’s home advantage is obviously a big factor and should not be understated, but I do feel that the 2.52 is worth taking on to win this Group.
Mauricio Pochettino is a world class coach, but the defensive set up has shown real fragility against quality opposition, and the midfield injury problems – with Johnny Cardoso out for the tournament after ankle surgery – I think Pochettino has less depth than he would have hoped when taking over. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Turkey top the Group – they have quite a strong squad but at the same time, I do feel Paraguay might be able to grind out results here too. This is a genuinely fascinating group that could go right down to the final round of fixtures on June 25th – I’m happy with the USA lay.
The Ultra Says:
Two points lay (liability) USA Group D Winner at 2.52 with BETDAQ EXCHANGE WORLD CUP
