United States become 'unofficial world champions' with World Cup win over Australia

The United States beat Australia 2-0 in their second game at the 2026 World Cup, securing their progression to the round of 32, and in the process they have become the unofficial world champions.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have impressed so far in the competition as they secured two convincing victories, first against Paraguay and now with this win over Australia.

A Cameron Burgess own goal opened the scoring in the 11th minute for the World Cup co-hosts before Alex Freeman added a second just before the halftime interval gave them all three points.

Fans of the United States can now look forward to attempting to work out who they will face in the next round of the competition and begin dreaming that they could do the impossible by lifting the trophy at the end of the competition.

However, many supporters of the US may not be aware that they have now become the unofficial world champions with this victory over Australia.

Tyler Adams #4 of the United States is tackled by Mathew Leckie #7 of Australia during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D

The Socceroos claimed this honour when they defeated Turkiye 2-0 in their opener, with the European nation holding the informal title coming into the World Cup after they claimed it in March 2026 when they defeated Kosovo.

It is the third time that the US have held the title, and they will begin their defence when they face Turkiye in the final group game of this World Cup.

The Unofficial Football World Championships is an informal way of calculating the world's best international side, with the idea stemming from when Scotland beat England in the 1967 Nations Championship, the first defeat the Three Lions had suffered since lifting the World Cup.

To secure the title, a nation must beat the current holders of the informal honour in a knockout title system similar to that used in some combat sports.

England were the first holder of this title after their 4-2 victory in March 1873, after they retroactively went back to the earliest international fixtures between the Three Lions and the Scots.

England

The title has been dominated by these two nations, with Scotland holding the honour most often, having claimed it 86 times, but the last time they were the unofficial world champions was in March 2007, while England have secured it on 73 occasions, with the last time being in June 2000.

It is no surprise these two have secured the most titles due to the early nature of international fixtures, as it was almost entirely confined to the British Isles.

Austria was the first nation outside of the British Isles to hold the unofficial world champions title when they beat Scotland 5-0.

Argentina are the nation to have held the honour for the third most occasions, with 72, their most recent being in November 2023.

The United States may not be worried about this title when they face Turkiye, but their supporters can hold their heads high as they can say they are the Unofficial Football World Champions.