World Cup 2026: Turkey vs. USA Predictions

Turkey vs. USA Overview and Latest Odds

According to the latest World Cup odds, the USA is the favorite to triumph in its third game of the tournament, but Turkey is aiming to salvage some pride on Thursday.

• Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, USA

• Date & Time: Thursday 25th June, 7:00 PM ET

• US Broadcast: FOX Sports

For readers in states where conventional sports betting is still unavailable, regulated prediction market apps in US offer a legal alternative. These apps enable users to trade on event outcomes while benefiting from highly accurate, market-driven forecasts.

Expert Betting Predictions and Best Bets for Turkey vs. USA

Below are our three top tips for Turkey vs. USA, including two straight bets and one same game parlay.

• Match Result: Tie

This is a tricky game to call, at least until we get the starting line-ups. Both teams already know where they will finish in Group D. The USA is the confirmed winner thanks to its victories over Paraguay and Australia. Turkey’s defeats by the same teams mean it will finish bottom no matter what happens today.

The USA will rotate its XI to rest some key men for the knockout phase. Turkey could make a few changes too, giving an opportunity to some of those players who have not seen much action yet. With a weakened side out there, the USA’s winning run will come to an end.

• Both Teams to Score

The USA has played some of the best soccer at the World Cup so far. It scored four goals against Paraguay on matchday one, before putting another two past Australia in its second outing of the summer. Considering it has been without its star attacker Christian Pulisic for one and a half games, a tally of six goals is impressive.

The potential issue for the USA is at the other end, with the defense not as strong as the offense. And although Turkey has not scored yet, the underlying numbers suggest it will today.

• Over 0.5 Goals First Half & Over 1.5 Goals Second Half

Both the USA and Turkey will be able to play with a degree of freedom here. Turkey is under some scrutiny following two losses in its first two games, but there is less pressure on it now than there was in the must-win match against Paraguay. As for the USA, it is incentivised to play an attacking game because it cannot be knocked off top spot.

All of which means this looks set to be an entertaining match with a few goals to enjoy. Since second halves tend to be higher scoring than first halves, we like the look of this same game parlay.

USA Betting Preview

Mauricio Pochettino could not have asked for a better start to this World Cup campaign. There were question marks over the USA and its head coach before the big kick-off, but it increasingly looks like the team has peaked at the perfect time. 

The USA has been one of the most balanced sides we have seen at the tournament to date. It moves like a club side in and out of possession, which is not easy to achieve given the limited contact time between managers and players at international level. Its counter-pressing strategy worked a treat in the 4-1 and 2-0 victories over Paraguay and Australia respectively, and no one will relish facing the co-host in the round of 32.

It is too early to get carried away and there are stronger sides at this World Cup than the USA, but things are looking good for the Stars and Stripes right now, leading to a significant shift in the USA to win World Cup odds markets. Pochettino will now be looking to sign off the group stage with a third win, this time against a Turkey team which has underwhelmed.

Turkey Betting Preview

This is not the first tournament in which Turkey has been tipped as a potential dark horse, only to flatter to deceive once the action is under way. After reaching the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, there was real hope that the Crescent-Stars would do something special this summer, especially after being drawn in what looked like a reasonably favorable group on paper, making them start as a popular pick in the World Cup Group Stage odds markets.

Instead, Turkey became only the second side to be eliminated from the World Cup last week. Its 2-0 loss to Australia on matchday one was a massive disappointment. Turkey was a little better against Paraguay in a 1-0 defeat last time out, yet it failed to score against an opponent which had 10 men for more than half of the encounter.

Given only 16 teams are eliminated from the 48-nation tournament at the end of the group stage, the Turkish public is angry that its team is going home already. Vincenzo Montella’s men will be desperate to at least get one positive result in North America before they board their flight to Istanbul.

How USA and Turkey Match Up Against Each Other

The USA and Turkey have faced off five times before. The first ever meeting between the pair was in 1991 and ended in a 1-1 tie. Since then, the USA and Turkey have each won two matches, with the most recent game last summer finishing 2-1 to the European nation. However, the context is different now than it was for that friendly.

The USA likes to press high up the pitch and get in the faces of its opponents. It will have joy against this Turkey team, which is technically gifted but not as physical or dynamic as the USA. However, if Mauricio Pochettino does shuffle his pack for the final group game, the USA will not necessarily be as coherent as it has been so far.

Turkey must do better once it has worked the ball into the final third. It took 62 shots against Australia and Paraguay, yet 32 of those came from outside the 18-yard box. It needs to be more subtle if it is to get anything against a USA side which has been excellent in the first couple of weeks of the tournament.