The US national soccer team has officially set a World Cup record in a rather unusual way after their 2-0 victory against Australia in the early hours of June 20, 2026. The match featured an own goal by Australian defender Cameron Burgess in the 11th minute, making the US the first team in World Cup history to benefit from an own goal in two consecutive matches.

Earlier in their opening match against Paraguay, Damian Bobadilla also scored an own goal, which allowed the US team to take the lead. Despite scoring six goals in their first two matches, no American player has directly scored a goal to open the scoring in World Cup 2026.

Historically, only the French team has benefited from more own goals than the US, with six compared to the US's five. This convincing victory also marked the first time the US has achieved two consecutive wins in a World Cup since 1930.

With a perfect six points, the host nation has secured a spot in the knockout stage, guaranteed to be among the top third-placed teams. The US team, coached by Mauricio Pochettino, is set to face Turkey in their final Group D match on June 26.