The three co-hosts of the World Cup will each play a match in 2026, with the United States defeating Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles.
Published June 13, 2026
With two goals from Folarin Balogun and a goal from Gio Reyna Curler, the United States could hardly have gotten off to a better start to the World Cup as they defeated Paraguay 4-1 in front of Hollywood Royal Palace in Los Angeles.
In the first game of the tournament on American soil, the hosts took the lead within seven minutes thanks to an own goal, and by the end of a thoroughly dominant first half, the home fans were in dreamland and their team trailing by three points.
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Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and Paris Hilton were among the sold-out crowd of 70,492 as the United States, which co-hosts the tournament with Mexico and Canada, attacked the South Americans in waves, and Reina won in second-half stoppage time when Mauricio had pulled a point.
With the win and the emphatic scoreline, the U.S. is already in a good position to advance from Group D, which also includes Australia and Turkiye.
The only sour note of the night was the exit at halftime of Christian Pulisic, the American attacking keeper who is carrying the United States’ hopes of reaching the World Cup finals for the first time since reaching the quarterfinals in 2002.
Paraguay couldn’t have been more hospitable from kickoff. In the seventh minute, Weston McKennie picked up the ball in the center circle, moved up the field and found Pulisic.
Pulisic leapt between two defenders and handed the ball back to McKennie, and the striker’s pass to Balogun was deflected into his own net by the unlucky Damien Bobadilla.
The stadium exploded and an onslaught of American forces began.
The hosts exuded confidence. McKennie and Tillman backheeled through passes into the area, while captain Tim Ream fired passes from the heart of the defence.
Balogun had his goal canceled in the 28th minute. Like Pulisic in the build-up, he too was offside.
However, the Monaco striker found the ball again three minutes later, thanks to Anthony Robinson who fed Pulisic with a great ball from the left. Pulisic’s cross deflected slightly to Balogun, but it was by chance.
The Americans added a third goal just before halftime. Tillman found Balogun on the right, who evaded a challenge from Omar Alderete, dove inside Gustavo Gomez and perfectly placed a shot into the top left corner.
It could have been four or five when Chris Richards, returning from injury, hit a header just an inch wide. The USA had 75% possession in the first half.
Now, the hosts, without the dangerous Pulisic, took a slight step back in the second half.
Finally, Paraguay posed a threat. Dangerous forward Julio Enciso, who started despite a hamstring injury, picked up the ball on the edge of the area and fed it to Brazilian-born substitute Mauricio, who pulled one back.
Reyna curled the outside of his right foot inside the far post to score a wonderful fourth goal.
Before the game, a Tinseltown-style opening ceremony was held. Katy Perry gave a headline performance alongside singers Future, Tyra, Anitta, and K-pop singer Lisa.
Performers danced around a giant World Cup trophy beneath the giant golden “FIFA” letters favored by US President Donald Trump, but the president was not in attendance and instead wished the team good luck over the phone before kickoff.
