Ibrahimovic: "Start to Believe" – USA Can Win the World Cup
June 20, 2026 · Global
Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes the United States can achieve success at the 2026 World Cup after they managed to sweep their group, and he called on supporters to start believing in the team's potential.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes the United States can triumph at the 2026 World Cup, and he called on fans to "start believing" after they managed to win their group with one game remaining. A comfortable 2-0 win over Australia in Seattle on Friday, coupled with Turkiye's 1-0 defeat of 10-man Paraguay, ensured the USA were Group D winners. They became the second team to mathematically guarantee a place in the knockout stages this year after Mexico, and will now face the third-placed team in the round of 32 on July 1 at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.
After beating Paraguay 4-1 in the first match, this is the second time the United States have managed back-to-back World Cup wins, having previously only happened in the first two games of the inaugural tournament in 1930. With six goals scored in the 2026 World Cup, they are just one goal short of their single-tournament scoring record, which was set at seven in 1930 and 2002.
The Opta supercomputer now gives Mauricio Pochettino's side a 4.6% chance of surprising the world and winning the trophy, which is the eighth highest probability in this tournament after France (15.4%), Argentina (11.8%), Spain (11.7%), England (11.6%), Germany (6.3%), Brazil and Portugal (both 5.6%).
When asked by Fox Sports presenter Rebecca Lowe if the hosts could go all the way, former Sweden striker turned commentator Ibrahimovic replied: "Yes". He added: "If you didn't believe before, I'll repeat; start believing. They have the support of the country, and when you have this support, it's hard to beat you. They performed well today. To be honest, Australia didn't pose a threat. I've said it before, whatever happened before the World Cup doesn't matter. What matters is what happens now. Now, the momentum they have, that's what they need. They just need to keep carrying the belief from one game to another. In the third game, we'll see what happens now. They can rest some players now that they have meets the requirements. Everything looks good."
The USA's final Group D match against Turkiye in Los Angeles on Thursday will have no impact, as Vincenzo Montella's side are already guaranteed to finish bottom.