With a place already secured in the Round of 32, USMNT face Turkey in the final Group D fixture.
A history-making 4-1 win over Paraguay and a convincing 2-0 victory over Australia have USMNT fans dreaming of glory.
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Having clinched their top-spot in Group D, they will take on Vincenzo Montella‘s Turkey on June, 26, a game which kicks off at 10pm EST.
Australia and Paraguay’s crucial matchup also kicks off at 10pm EST, with both nations still in the running to advance to the next stage of the tournament.
FIFA strictly enforces simultaneous kickoff times for the final round of group matches to protect the integrity of the tournament.
Why do final Group D matches kick off at the same time
One of the main reasons why the final round of group matches kick off at the same time is to prevent match fixing and collusion.
If the games were played at different times, the teams playing in the later match would know the exact result of the earlier game.
This would give them an unfair advantage, as they would know precisely how many goals they need to score.
Alternatively, if a draw would allow both of them to advance while knocking out the early fixture, hence protecting the integrity of the tournament.
FIFA instituted this rule because of a notorious scandal at the 1982 World Cup, known as the Disgrace of Gijon.
On June 25, 1982 in which West Germany beat Austria 1–0, both teams advanced to the next round while Algeria was eliminated by having the lowest goal difference.
Algeria had played their game against Chile the day earlier defeating them 3-2, and West Germany needed three points to make it through.
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After ten minutes of furious attack, West Germany succeeded in scoring through a goal by Horst Hrubesch after a cross from the left.
After the goal was scored, the team in possession of the ball passed between themselves in their own half until an opposition player came into the vicinity of the ball, then the ball was passed back to the goalkeeper.
Following this match, another instance of this behaviour would occur between Northern Ireland and Spain later on in the same tournament.
FIFA would subsequently revise the group system for future tournaments so that the final two games in each group would be played simultaneously.
Fast forward 44 years to the 2026 tournament, and the rule continues to guarantee maximum drama.
While Mauricio Pochettino’s men can breathe a sigh of relief with six points and a Round of 32 spot already secured, the situation below them is anything but comfortable.
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Meanwhile, over at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Australia and Paraguay are battling for the second automatic qualification spot.
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