The US men's national team will learn their third Group B opponent at the World Cup on Sunday, when Wales and Ukraine meet in Europe's last qualifying playoff final that punches a Qatar 2022 ticket.
The Yanks and head coach Gregg Berhalter will surely keep close tabs on the matchup, knowing they'll have to heavily scout and evaluate the winner that joins their group alongside England and Iran. They'll face the winner Nov. 21 at Al Rayyan Stadium.
Here's everything you need to know about the UEFA Path A matchup. Games were originally scheduled for late March, but Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine pushed back the second-round matches.
How to watch and stream
- ESPN, ESPN+, fuboTV
When
- Sunday, June 5 | 12 pm ET
Where
- Cardiff City Stadium | Cardiff, Wales
Wales benefit from playing this match at home and should be at full strength after manager Rob Page rested a handful of his top players in Wednesday's 2-1 Nations League defeat at Poland. That group includes star winger Gareth Bale, who is his country's top goalscorer with 38 tallies in 102 senior caps. Defender Ben Davies and midfielders Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen all also figure to slot back into the starting XI.
The Dragons are typically a force to be reckoned with on home soil, boasting an 18-game unbeaten streak dating back to their last defeat against Denmark in November 2018. That should inspire confidence for a country that last qualified for a World Cup in 1958; that quarterfinal charge stands as their only appearance on the sport's biggest stage.
Wales played their Path A semifinal back on March 24, beating Austria 2-1 as Bale scored twice. During UEFA qualifying, they placed second in Group E behind Belgium.
Wales have made two straight Euros appearances, including a semifinal run in 2016.
Ukraine are playing for much more than soccer glory; they can offer their fellow Ukrainians a morale boost amid Russia's ongoing invasion of their country. Under that backdrop, head coach Oleksandr Petrakov's side took an emotional 3-1 playoff semifinal victory over Scotland at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Wednesday, giving them a chance to square off against Wales in Cardiff.
It was an epic performance from the Ukrainians, who were the better side for most of the match and showed plenty of heart in warding off a furious second-half comeback attempt from Scotland. West Ham forward Andriy Yarmolenko scored the opener with a delightful chip before teammate Roman Yaremchuk knocked home what proved to be the eventual game-winner in the 49th minute.
Artem Dovbyk scored the third with a stoppage-time tally that set off a wild celebration among the Ukrainian fans at home and abroad.
Ukraine last made the World Cup in 2006, though they logged a quarterfinal run at the 2020 Euros just last summer. During UEFA qualifying, they placed second in Group D behind 2018 World Cup winners France.
