Will the U.S. play England on July 4? Here's what FIFA bracketing says

Philadelphia is hosting FIFA World Cup matches on July 4, coinciding with America's 250th anniversary in the same city that the Declaration of Independence was signed.

>In a perfect world, this matchup would revisit centuries-old beef between America and the Brits, as the U.S. and England are represented in the World Cup tournament.

>Fans on social media are already hyping themselves up about the idea — but a U.S. v. England 4th of July faceoff looks to be an unfortunate impossibility.

>Here's why.

Will the U.S.A play England on July 4 FIFA World Cup?Based on the bracketing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a faceoff between the U.S. and England on Philly turf this Independence Day is not possible.

>The July 4th Philadelphia match is a Round of 16 knockout-round battle between the winners of matches 74 and 77.

>Match 74 will be played at Boston Stadium on Monday, June 29, between the Group E winners and the third-place team from either Group A, B, C, D or F.

>Match 77 will be played at New York New Jersey Stadium on Tuesday, June 30, between the Group I winner and the third-place team from either Group C, D, F, G or H.

>So how do our two teams come into play?

>The U.S. sits in Group D for the World Cup, so, the only way to make it to the July 4th game on their home turf would be if they can make it as a third-place finisher in their group to then play in either Match 74 or Match 77.

>As of June 17, the USMNT is leading Group D following their win against Paraguay.

>England, on the other hand, is in Group L, which means there is no avenue for the team to appear in either match that would feed into the July 4th game — unfortunate news for the history buffs dreaming of a perfectly-timed faceoff between the two countries.

>TLDR; The USMNT could theoretically make it to Philly's July 4 game if they happen to place third in Group D (but still one of the top 8 third-place teams) and then get slotted for either Game 74 or Game 77, but England has no path to either qualifying match.

>Kaitlyn McCormick is a Philadelphia-based reporter writing all things trending, breaking and city-related for USA TODAY's Philadelphia Metro Connect Team.

>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Could the USA play England on July 4th? Here's what the bracket says