USA vs Australia prediction: 10-1 Bet Builder tip, odds, team news | World Cup 2026

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USA vs Australia World Cup kick-off, date, TV channel and venue

Date Friday, June 19
Kick-off 8pm
Venue Lumen Field, Seattle
Stage of Competition Group stage
TV channel BBC One

Co-hosts USA got their World Cup off to an almost perfect start with a 4-1 win over Paraguay and now face Australia knowing that a win will send them through to the round of 32.

The Socceroos also won their opening encounter, shocking Turkey 2-0, and are looking to progress to the knockout stage for just the third time in their history.

USA vs Australia betting tips & predictions

Best bet

USA to win & under 3.5 goals
1pt 6-5 Paddy Power, BoyleSports, Betfair 

USA blew away Paraguay 4-1 in their opener but they should find life a bit harder against Australia, who shocked Turkey 2-0 in their opener. The Socceroos should put up more of a fight but the hosts are fancied to grind out a victory and secure a spot in the knockout stages.

Best player bet

Aiden O'Neill to be shown a card
12-5 bet365

USA vs Australia World Cup match preview 

USA have had a number of false dawns when it comes to football but they looked the real deal when they beat Paraguay 4-1 in the first game of their home World Cup.

Mauricio Pochettino has received plenty of criticism since taking over the Stars and Stripes two years ago but that performance was the best in the country’s recent World Cup history.

The USA press was relentless, forcing 16 high turnovers, a total which only Spain have managed to top in this tournament.

Christian Pulisic, Malik Tillman and Antonee Robinson combined well down the left while Folarin Balogun was deadly in front of goal, netting twice.

USA looked like a well-coached side and a win in their second game against Australia in Seattle would sew up a spot in the knockout stages with a minimum of fuss.

The Socceroos, on the other hand, have already provided one upset in this tournament and will be looking for another. Australia were big underdogs in their opener against Turkey but a youthful starting line-up defended well and sneaked a 2-0 win after moments of magic from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe helped them hit their opponents on the counter.

Before Thursday's games only Cape Verde had had a lower possession percentage than Australia’s 28.4 and they are likely to spend long spells without the ball in this game. 

These two teams met in a friendly in October, when USA ran out 2-1 winners through a Haji Wright brace after Jordy Bos opened the scoring.

However, only five players from each team who started that game also started their teams’ World Cup openers so there are likely to be very different personnel on display for this rematch.

Australia will not give Pochettino’s side the space that Paraguay did in the first game and we can expect a deep block that will look to frustrate USA, who tend to build through the central areas. Tony Popovic’s men should make the home side work hard to break them down.

As a result, another high-scoring victory for the hosts looks unlikely but they should be able to grind out a success against an Australian side who are, aside from a few players, more about industry and hard work than flair.

O'Neill a major card candidate

Australia's midfield destroyer Aiden O'Neill plays his club football in the MLS with New York City and committed 18 fouls in 11 games this season. 

Team USA often build centrally so he will be a busy man in the middle of the park and his habit of giving away fouls should mean he attracts the attention of the referee.

Bet Builder

USA v Australia

Fri, 19 June, 20:00

USA

Full Time result

Draw

Half Time result

Malik Tillman

Anytime goalscorer

£10 returns ≈ £117.32

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USA vs Australia World Cup Bet Builder tips

USA to win

The hosts were in fine form in their opener and should have too much quality for an Australian side who were beaten 2-1 by these opponents in October.

Half-time draw

Australia are likely to sit deep and soak up plenty of pressure so this one could be level at half-time.

Malik Tillman to score at any time

The USA midfielder took five shots against Paraguay, two of which were on target, and scored eight times in 24 starts for Bayer Leverkusen in 2025-26.

Pays out at 10-1 with Paddy Power

Key stats for USA vs Australia

♦ Only one of Australia's last nine games has gone over 3.5 goals
♦ USA have won six of their last ten games
♦ Eight of Australia's last ten defeats were by a single goal
♦ Both teams have scored in eight of the USA's last nine games
♦ USA are on a seven-game winning streak at this ground

USA vs Australia betting odds

Sign up with bet365 to bet on this match. Here are the latest odds:

Odds correct at time of publishing

Want more top World Cup betting advice? Make sure you take a look at Racing Post Sport's World Cup 2026 tips for more of the latest picks from our experts.

USA vs Australia team news and predicted line-ups

USA

Christian Pulisic is a doubt after coming off against Paraguay with a calf problem.

Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Freese; Freeman, Richards, Ream, A. Robinson; Adams, Tillman; Dest, McKennie, Pulisic; Balogun
Rest of squad: Turner, Brady, Trusty, M. Robinson, Arfsten, McKenzie, Scally, Reyna, Berhalter, Roldan, Pepi, Aaronson, Wright, Weah, Zendejas

Australia

Mo Toure faces a race against time to be fit for this one after suffering a calf injury but surprise starter Patrick Beach should keep his place between the sticks.

Predicted line-up (5-4-1): Beach; Italiano, Circati, Souttar, Burgess, Bos; Metcalfe, O'Neill, Irvine, Irankunda; Yengi
Subs: Ryan, Izzo, Degenek, Geria, Trewin, Behich, Herrington, Hrustic, Devlin, Okon-Engstler, Leckie, Toure, Mabil, Volpato, Velupillay

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FAQs

When is USA vs Australia at the FIFA World Cup 2026?

USA vs Australia takes place on Friday, June 19, and kicks off at 8pm BST.

Where is USA vs Australia being played?

The venue for the game is Lumen Field, Seattle.

What TV channel is USA vs Australia on?

BBC One is showing the game live in the UK.

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