Türkiye vs USA Game Analysis: Dead Rubber
On Thursday, June 25, USA and Türkiye play their final group fixture. The two teams started the tournament with similar FIFA ratings. Now, Türkiye is 32nd and dropping, while the USA is 14th and rising.
This match won’t have the same meaning as it was supposed to have when the schedule was first made.
The Group D standings so far:
| Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| USA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Australia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Paraguay | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| Türkiye | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
Türkiye Recent Scores: Eliminated
This is Türkiye’s third World Cup appearance. The first was in 1954, when they were eliminated in group play. In 2002, they lost in the semi-finals and finished third.
Türkiye and its fans had high expectations for this year’s FIFA World Cup. When the team landed in Group D, they thought this fixture would be the highlight match of the group, deciding who would ultimately end up on top.
Instead, after losing the first two games and failing to score any goals, Türkiye is already eliminated. They had 62 shots across two matches, the most by a team in a World Cup without scoring. Not a record to be proud of, but it does show that the team played well with plenty of possession and quality play. They just couldn’t finish.
June 13: Australia 2 – 0 Türkiye
June 19: Türkiye 0 – 1 Paraguay
So much #FIFAWorldCup action 😮💨
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 25, 2026
USA Recent Scores: Already Won
The USA men’s team has qualified for the World Cup 11 previous times, starting in 1930. They made seven consecutive appearances between 1990 and 2014 before a disappointing 2018, when they didn’t qualify.
In 2022, they reached the Round of 16.
So far, in the group stage in 2026:
June 12: USA 4 – 1 Paraguay (most goals for USA in a World Cup match)
June 19: USA 2 – 0 Australia
Türkiye vs USA History: Evenly Matched
Their history shows two teams that have remained very competitive throughout their years of playing against each other. Both teams have won twice, with one draw. Each team won by the same amount with a one-goal differential. Türkiye has the slight advantage, winning the most recent match in 2025. Will that same team show up on Thursday?
Sept 4, 1991: Türkiye 1 – 1 USA (International Friendly, Türkiye)
Jun 19, 2003: USA 1 – 2 Türkiye (FIFA Confederations Cup-Group Stage, France)
May 29, 2010: USA 2 – 1 Türkiye (International Friendly, USA)
Jun 1, 2014: USA 2 – 1 Türkiye (International Friendly, USA)
Jun 7, 2025: USA 1 – 2 Türkiye (International Friendly, USA)
Türkiye vs USA Prediction: Going for Nine
Even though the USA has nothing to play for in this match, they still want to win. They want to get nine points, something they’ve never done before in the World Cup. They will still play it smart and avoid unnecessary risks, but expect them to keep the momentum going into the next stage of the tournament.
Plus, they won’t want to disappoint the home crowd at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
And Türkiye will want to at least score, so as not to have to go home completely defeated.
Our Türkiye vs USA prediction is that the US will win, but Türkiye will finally get on the scoreboard, 2-1. It should be a better game than expected.
