Who the United States Could Play Next If It Beats Iran Tuesday

With Group A settled, here’s a look at the next possible opponents for the USMNT.

If the United States men’s national team upends Iran in their final group play match on Tuesday, the road ahead for the squad in the elimination round has started to come into focus.

The USMNT needs a victory against Iran to advance to the round of 16, where they would take on either the Netherlands or Senegal, which sealed their spots in the elimination bracket earlier on Tuesday. The most likely matchup for the U.S., which seems poised for a runner-up finish in Group B behind England if it beats Iran, would be the Netherlands–the Group A victor.

However, it’s still possible that Senegal—the second-place finisher in Group B—could be the USMNT’s opponent in the round of 16. If England loses to Wales and the United States beats Iran, the U.S. would win the group, setting up a matchup against the Group A runner-up: Senegal. 

A loss or draw for the United States would eliminate Gregg Berhalter’s squad from the tournament.

Here’s a simpler breakdown of the possible roads forward for the USMNT: 

• United States win, England win: U.S advances, faces the Netherlands in the round of 16.
• United States win, England loss: U.S. advances, faces Senegal in the round of 16.
• United States loss/draw: U.S. eliminated from 2022 World Cup. 

The make or break match between the United States and Iran kicks off at 2 p.m. ET on Fox.

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