Going into the final Group D match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, the fixture at Los Angeles’ iconic stadium carried little tournament stakes for both sides. Turkey had dropped both of its opening two group matches, sitting pointless at the bottom of the table and elimination was already confirmed regardless of the result. For co-hosts USA, an already perfect start with two wins from two matches and six points had secured their spot in the knockout round long before kickoff, even before a single ball was kicked in this final group game. Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal officiated the dead-rubber clash, which would end up delivering a dramatic finish few expected.
Opting to rest their key first-team stars ahead of knockout stage action, USA fielded a heavily rotated B-team for the fixture. The American side nearly opened the scoring inside the first 60 seconds, when Giovanni Reyna found himself in a prime goalscoring position, only for his effort to be parried away for a corner by Turkish goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır. USA did not waste the resulting set piece, though: defender Auston Trusty fired a clinical low shot past Çakır in the 3rd minute to put the co-hosts up 1-0 early.
Turkey responded quickly, leveling the score in the 10th minute through teenage star Arda Güler. The young playmaker finished off a neat setup from Barış Yılmaz, making history as the youngest Turkish player ever to score at a World Cup finals. Following the mandatory water break, Turkey turned momentum into a lead. Eren Elmalı broke down the left flank before cutting the ball back to Orkun Kökçü, who slotted home to put Turkey up 2-1 heading into halftime. Both sides created half-chances for the remainder of the first half, but no additional goals changed the scoreline before the interval.
Coming out of the locker room after halftime, the USA shifted into a higher attacking gear, pushing Turkey deep into its own half for large stretches. The American equalizer came early in the second half, when Sebastian Berhalter pounced on a poorly cleared defensive clearance, firing the ball into the net from the top of the penalty area to level the match at 2-2. USA pushed hard for a winning goal shortly after, with substitute Christian Pulisic breaking through into Turkey’s penalty area only to miss the target with his finish. The co-hosts created several more clear chances to seal all three points, but wasteful finishing prevented them from taking the lead.
With 15 minutes remaining in regular time, Turkey seized control of the match from the hosts, but the Turkish attack struggled to convert possession into clear-cut chances. Yılmaz came closest to winning the match in regulation, failing to make clean contact with the ball on a late run that left the chance unclaimed. As most spectators and pundits expected the match to end in a draw, Güler turned the American defense inside out late in stoppage time. His play set up a finish from Kaan Ayhan, who put the ball into the net after a pass from Can Uzun to seal a stunning 3-2 victory for Turkey, leaving the USA stunned in their home stadium.