USA Confirm Round of 32 Clash as Australia and Paraguay Battle for Knockout Spot

The race for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 intensified on Friday as Group D witnessed two crucial fixtures, with the United States taking on Turkey and Australia facing Paraguay in a high-stakes qualification battle.

The United States, who had already secured top spot in Group D, confirmed a Round of 32 clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, their final group-stage match against Turkey remained fiercely contested after Arda Güler cancelled out Auston Trusty's early opener to make it 1-1.

Trusty's third-minute strike also created history, taking the total number of goals scored at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to 173, surpassing the previous tournament record of 172 goals set at Qatar 2022.

Meanwhile, Australia and Paraguay entered their decisive showdown level on points, with the winner expected to claim the second automatic qualification spot from Group D.

Australia made a bright start, with Cristian Volpato producing an impressive run into the penalty area, while defender Harry Souttar was booked early after fouling Gabriel Ávalos. Paraguay also looked dangerous from set-pieces, but neither side managed to break the deadlock in the opening exchanges.

With the United States already through and Turkey eliminated from the competition, all attention remains on the outcome of the Australia-Paraguay clash, which will determine the second team advancing directly to the World Cup knockout stage from Group D.

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