World Cup updates: Team USA looks forward to 2026
The Americans lost 3-1 to the Netherlands in the knockout round.
After years of controversy around its location, the 2022 World Cup is underway in Qatar.
There have been allegations of payoffs to FIFA members to earn the bid, criticism of Qatar's laws against women and LGBTQ individuals, the deaths of migrants used to build the sparkling new stadiums and even last-second controversy over beer sales. The tournament was also moved from its usual summer timeframe to the holiday season to avoid Qatar's intensely hot weather.
But on the field, the best players in the world -- such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar -- are ready to go. And the U.S. is back with a hungry, young team after failing to qualify for the last World Cup.
Key headlines:
Netherlands-Qatar and Ecuador-Senegal underway
The first two matches of the day are underway in Qatar, including the final game for the home squad.
Qatar, which cannot advance to the next round after losses in its first two matches, faces the Netherlands, which currently stands atop Group A. The Netherlands would advance with a win.
In the second match, Ecuador and Senegal face off with the winner guaranteeing a spot in the knockout stage. A draw would also be enough for Ecuador to move on.
If Senegal-Ecuador tie and Netherlands loses, it will come down to goal differential to determine whether Netherlands or Senegal advances. Netherlands is currently plus-2 in goal differential on Senegal, so they are looking good.
FiveThirtyEight gives US 38% chance of beating Iran
The odds of beating Iran are in the U.S.'s favor, but the overall chances of advancing to the knockout round are not -- at least according to FiveThirtyEight's World Cup predictions.
The U.S. has a 38% chance of winning, while Iran has a 31% chance, with a 31% chance of a draw. Only a win will put Team USA into the next round, so that means there's a 62% chance they won't advance to the knockout stage.
For those looking even further down the line, the U.S. has less than a 1% chance of winning the World Cup -- the same as Iran. For those looking on the bright side, the U.S. does have a 15% chance of making the quarterfinals.
FiveThirtyEight uses its Soccer Power Index ratings to determine the likely winner. The SPI draws from a database of international matches dating back to 1905. For a full explanation of how the rankings work, click here.
Pandas predict a US win against Iran
Good news for the U.S. men's team – Qatar's psychic pandas Thuraya and Suhail have chosen the U.S. to beat Iran in today's must-win matchup.
The two pandas were gifted to Qatar from China to celebrate it as the host country of the World Cup. Every day, they are tasked with predicting which countries will win that day's matchups.
However, the pandas are not given the choice of a draw and they're not always correct.
The pandas also chose England over Wales, Senegal over Ecuador and Qatar over the Netherlands in today’s matches.
Blinken denies ‘geopolitical’ nature of World Cup
When Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked about the unrest in Iran and China as it related to the game between the U.S. and Iran at the World Cup later today, Blinken said “let's let the athletes do their thing,” expressing his belief that there are no geopolitical implications beyond a competitive game.
“I'm certainly confident in [the athletes'] abilities to do well on the field. And I don't think there are any particular geopolitical aspects to this, other than that,” he added.
Affirming the right to protest, Blinken closed his answer, saying “protests that we're seeing in China, protests that we're seeing for different reasons, in Iraq, in other places — our position is the same everywhere, which is that we support the right of people everywhere to peacefully protest to make known their views, their concerns and their frustrations.”
-ABC News’ Noah Minnie
Pulisic doing 'everything in my power' to play Saturday
U.S. star forward Christian Pulisic said Thursday he is ready to return to his team for training and is still hoping to play in the team's knockout round game against the Netherlands on Saturday.
"I'm gonna go meet now with the team and the medical staff and make a decision on [training] today," Pulisic said at a press conference. "Just kind of see how I'm feeling. Take it day-by-day right now, but doing everything in my power to be able to be out there on the field Saturday."
Pulisic suffered a pelvic contusion when crashing into the Iranian goalkeeper after knocking in the eventual game-winning goal Tuesday. He was checked out by trainers and eventually returned to the pitch before being substituted out at halftime.
He was taken to the hospital for a brief stay before returning to the hotel to greet the team returning after the win.
He said in a post on social media from the hospital that he would play on Saturday, a sentiment he echoed to Fox reporter Jenny Taft Thursday morning when he told her he'd play. Officially, he is still listed as "day-to-day."
The U.S. faces the Netherlands in the round of 16 on Fox at 10 a.m. Saturday. A U.S. team hasn't advanced past the round of 16 since 2002 when they defeated Mexico in the first knockout game before losing to Germany in the quarterfinals.