The United States Men’s National Team has had a complicated history at the World Cup. From appearing in the very first World Cup in 1930 to their 40 year drought to the modern era, they have had some ups and downs when playing in the world’s biggest tournament.
A lot of a team’s success at a World Cup can hinge on how they fare against the teams in their group. Whether you’re in a so-called Group of Death or you’re placed in a group that an opponent’s fans consider to be “EASY,” the USMNT has had
to claw and scrap in just about every World Cup they’ve been in. And, against the best teams in the world, their record hasn’t been great.
But, when you break down the USMNT’s World Cup record by confederation, we get a further glimpse at which teams they may hit a bit above their batting average and where they fall flat. We take a look at the USMNT’s record by confederation at the World Cup compared to how they’ve done all-time against teams from that region.
UEFA – 3W-14L-7D, 16 group stage points (27% win rate)
Starting with UEFA makes sense because at a World Cup, it’s normally guaranteed that you have at least 1 team from Europe in your group. With 16 teams at the 2026 World Cup, UEFA will have 8 groups with 1 team and 4 groups with 2 teams. For the USMNT, it feels almost certain that they will be in a group that contains 2 teams from UEFA. The only times the USMNT were in a group that did not have 2 UEFA teams at a World Cup were 1930 – only Belgium was in their group – and 1934, which did not have a group stage and only had a bracket. The USMNT lost to Italy in the first round of that tournament. In 1950, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2022, the United States was placed with 2 other UEFA teams. In 1990, the USMNT – returning to the World Cup for the first time in 40 years, was placed in a group with 3 UEFA teams.
It’s no wonder that they have played 24 of their 37 World Cup matches against European teams, and their record against Europe explains why there hasn’t been a ton of World Cup success for the United States. Their 27% win rate far underperforms their all-time record against Europe (58W-100L-44D – 39.6% win rate) and that is what needs to improve quickly for the team to become a major force down the line.
Oceania – 0W-0L-0D (—)
The USMNT doesn’t play Oceania often. They’re 2W-0L-2D (75% win rate) against New Zealand, the only current Oceania member that they’ve played in soccer. Of course, Australia was a part of Oceania until 2006, and they were 0W-1L-1D against them before they joined the Asian Football Confederation. The United States has never played an Oceania team at a World Cup.
Concacaf – 1W-0L-0D (100% win percentage)
Of course, Concacaf is the home confederation for the USMNT where all-time they hold a 231W-97L-83D record (66.3% win rate). However, they’ve only faced a Concacaf opponent once in their World Cup history, and we all know which match that was: Dos A Cero in Jeonju. The USMNT’s 2-0 win over Mexico in the 2002 World Cup Round of 16 remains to date the lone time they have faced a Concacaf opponent, and it’s easily the biggest win in the history of one of the fiercest rivalries in the world.
AFC – 1W-1L-1D, 4 group stage points (50%)
The USMNT hasn’t faced that many Asian teams at the World Cup. The United States have only faced two Asian teams in the World Cup, all in the group stage: Iran (1998, 2022) and South Korea (2002). The USMNT lost against Iran in 1998 and exacted revenge in 2022, while they drew South Korea in 2002. Their 50% win rate in the World Cup against Asian teams is just slightly off their all-time 57.9% win rate (21W-14L-9D). With the AFC getting 8 direct spots in the World Cup, plus a potential 9th through the inter-confederation playoff, the USMNT should prepare to see one at some point during the World Cup.
CAF – 2W-2L-0D, 6 group stage points (50%)
Like Asia, the United States have only seen 2 African teams in a World Cup: Ghana (2006 group stage, 2010 Round of 16, 2014 group stage) and Algeria (2010 group stage). Between 2006 and 2022, the USMNT only faced African or European teams at the World Cup in 13 straight matches, including 3 straight against African teams. Their 50% win rate and 6 group stage points earned against Ghana and Algeria is slightly off their 65% all-time win rate against African teams (12W-6L-2D). The CAF will have 9 teams directly slotted into the World Cup, with a possible 10th team entering via the inter-confederation playoff.
CONMEBOL – 2W-3L-0D, 6 group stage points (40%)
The USMNT have had their issues all-time against South American teams, with a 30W-59L-30D record (37.8% win rate) in their matches against CONMEBOL. However, this is the confederation that the USMNT has performed slightly better than their batting average when it’s in the World Cup. The United States have a 40% win rate against South American teams in just 5 matches, beating Paraguay at the 1930 World Cup and famously beating Colombia at the 1994 World Cup. The United States will want to improve their record against South American teams, especially the traditional powers like Brazil and Argentina, but their win rate shows that they might have a decent shot when lining up against a team from South America in the World Cup.
Overall, the United States Men’s National Team will have to improve their World Cup record: 9W-20L-8D (35.1% win rate) with 40 goals scored and 66 conceded. To do that, they have to play better when the bright lights of the world stage shine upon them. As the co-hosts next summer, that spotlight will shine even brighter. It’s upon the team to perform when the stakes are the greatest.
