The 2026 World Cup draw is an insult to Philadelphia

The 2026 World Cup draw took place on Friday, and while the United States Men’s National Team walked away with a very favorable group, the city of Philadelphia got the short end of the stick in every possible way.

The USMNT landed in Group D with Australia, Paraguay, and the winner of UEFA Playoff C featuring Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia, or Kosovo.

Good for them. Great job boys. Enjoy it. Now let us talk about what matters around here.

Here is what Philadelphia will host during the World Cup group stage:

Sunday, June 14: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador at 7 p.m.
Friday, June 19: Brazil vs. Haiti at 9 p.m.
Monday, June 22: France vs. either Iraq, Bolivia, or Suriname at 5 p.m.
Thursday, June 25: Ivory Coast vs. Curacao at 4 p.m.
Saturday, June 27: Croatia vs. Ghana at 5 p.m.

The field is set for the @FIFAWorldCup in Philly! 🏆#DOOP pic.twitter.com/ZEdaGQHnUN

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) December 6, 2025

There is also a Round of 16 game on July 4. Teams are not known yet.

To put it bluntly, this is a complete disappointment for the city of Philadelphia. You can pretend that Brazil on a Friday night is a decent consolation prize, but how the United States could host a World Cup and not give Philadelphia a single USMNT game is outrageous.

This is the 250th anniversary of the country. The MLB All-Star Game is also in town. The entire world will have its eyes on the birthplace of the United States, yet the national team will not step foot here.

None of it makes sense.

Instead, the USMNT will play in Inglewood and Seattle. When you think of American history and identity, those cities definitely are at the top of the list. Nothing says the story of America quite like traffic on the 405 or overpriced coffee in the Pacific Northwest.

Here is the United States schedule for the group stage:

June 12 vs. Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
June 19 vs. Australia at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington
June 25 vs. TBD at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California

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This is the America Last World Cup. There is no other way to describe it.

Philadelphia gets France. The Ivory Coast and Ecuador. Curacao. Ghana. These games will probably have great energy and passionate fan bases, but the star power is not there.

The national team is not there.

Germany and England are not there. Argentina is not there. The biggest nations are all parked on the West Coast in cities that, frankly, do not care about American history the way Philadelphia does.

To make matters worse, the way the schedule is structured makes it almost impossible for the USMNT to play in Philadelphia at any stage of the tournament.

Not even one game. Not even one half. Nothing.

This is the birthplace of the country. This is the city where the American story began. This is the most fitting host in the entire nation for a World Cup being played during the country’s 250th year.

Somehow, the people in charge looked at all that and said no thanks, let us send the United States to Inglewood instead.

The disappointment is massive. Calling it a miss would be an understatement.

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