USMNT vs Paraguay live online: updates, score, goals and highlights | 2026 World Cup Group D

World Cup Day 1 results 

USA vs Paraguay is game four of 104. We started things off yesterday with a fantastic day full of festivities, celebrations and extraordinary games to kick off the summer's biggest event. Mexico opened things up with the opening ceremonies and won the first game of the tournament with a convincing 2-0 win over South Africa. South Korea went down to Czechia after a scoreless first half, but they would make a heroic comeback and secure a crucial three points in their first match of the group stages. 

Pulisic ends goal drought right in time 

There were some tense moment for Christian Pulisic over the last few months. He had been on a lengthy goal drought that stretched back to before the turn of the new year. Before his goal against Senegal last week, he last scored on December 28th of 2025 with AC Milan. His goalless drought with the US team stretched back even farther. His goal from Charlotte last week ended a national team drought that started in November of 2024 after scoring against Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League. After his goal, Pulisic reassured fans, "I felt this confidence. I've played really well in recent months too, but all people seem to care about is goals. So hopefully now people can stop talking about it. And I feel good and now obviously just a friendly.”

Weather no problem today  

We have already seen weather be a factor in the pre World Cup tune ups. The England-Costa Rica game was delayed for an hour as Orlando was inundated with torrential rain a few hours before kick off. It's usually the lightening that poses the most threat to delay a game. Luckily here at Los Angeles Stadium we have a dome over the pitch so there will be no risk of a weather delay here from LA. 

Paraguay XI 

Alfaro is going with Sanabria up top with his main guys Alderete and Gomez in the back. No surprises there. Can they handle the US crown and the passion of the fans at Los Angeles Stadium out of the gate?

Pochettino already planning exit? 

Even before the the World Cup started, or the squad was even named, there was already speculation about Mauricio Pochettino's future. After stints at Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea he came to the USMNT in 2024 with hopes of leading this side to a never seen before World Cup campaign which will be co-hosted on home soil. What’s to come after the World Cup? That seems to be very much in the air, but there are rumors that AC Milan are lining up a bid for the currently US manager, and no one is really denying those reports. In soccer this is normal that clubs get in contact with players and managers who are currently working with another club or team. While many US fans were puzzled by the timing, it’s actually quite standard in this sport. 

USMNT XI

We have Pochettino's first XI of the World Cup. He's going with Chris Richards in the back and Balogun up top. Let's see how this first eleven comes out in this World Cup opener. Nerves, excitement and pressure will all come into effect in the first few minutes. How will they handle it?

World Cup 2026

Injury doubt Chris Richards feeling “really good” ahead of USMNT opener

Chris Richards update

One of the top defenders on this USMNT squad is Chris Richards but we haven't seen him in the US kit in quite a while. The Crystal Palace center back was hurt in the penultimate match of the Premier League and had to sat out the final weekend of the league and the final of the Conference League. The last time we saw him in the red, white and blue was back in early April when the US lost 2-0 to Portugal. He says he is ready to put it all on the line for his country during this World Cup. Let’s see if that means he will be ready today, and if he will be included in Poch’s first XI of the World Cup. 

Group D schedule 

The US has been placed in Group D with Paraguay (40th in FIFA), Australia (27th in FIFA) and Türkiye (23rd in FIFA). While the USMNT are ranked the highest of any of the teams according to the Rankings, none of these games are going to be “easy.” The US starts their World Cup campaign with tonight's match against Paraguay, then they are off to Seattle for the game against Australia and end the group stages on June 25th against Türkiye, right back here in LA. 

Friday, June 12, 9 p.m. (Fox): United States vs. Paraguay, Los Angeles Stadium (Inglewood, California)

Saturday, June 13, 12 a.m. (FS1): Australia vs. Türkiye, BC Place (Vancouver)

Friday, June 19, 3 p.m. (Fox): United States vs. Australia, Lumen Field (Seattle)

Friday, June 19, 11 p.m. (FS1): Türkiye vs. Paraguay, Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, California)

Thursday, June 25, 10 p.m. (Fox): Türkiye vs. United States, Los Angeles Stadium (Inglewood, California)

Thursday, June 25, 10 p.m. (FS1): Paraguay vs. Australia, Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, California)

Who are the early favorites 

Just because a team is at the top of the FIFA Rankings doesn't mean they are considered to be the favorites in the eyes of the odds makers. Spain take the top spot according to the betting markets, but it’s a narrow margin between their chances and Frances chances to win it all. Portugal have a fantastic squad and they are third on the list while England sneak in a spot above Argentina as the fifth favorite. This means very little with so much to play for over the next month and some change, but you wouldn’t be surprised to see those teams all make deep runs into the tournament and be contending for the Cup come mid July. 

FIFA World Rankings 

Taking a look at the latest edition of FIFA Rankings before the start of the World Cup we see a top five full of heavy hitters. Reigning champs, Argentina, are still top of the list with Spain right behind and last World Cup’s runners up France in third. England and Portugal round out the top five. You have to go all the way down to the 17th spot to find the USMNT. They are four spots below Mexico, and right behind Senegal and Uruguay. Paraguay on the other hand is ranked 40th despite winning three of their last four matches.

WORLD CUP 2026

FIFA announces major rules changes for the 2026 World Cup: Here’s what’s new

New rules, who dis?

It's not just the new format that has given this World Cup a different flavor. The three hosts is obviously new, and more teams and more games are great but that doesn’t really have to do with the game play from the first minute to the 90th. There are however a couple of rule changes that you should have in mind for this edition of the World Cup. With all the updated rule changes here is Andy Hall to break down everything you need to know and need to keep an eye out for. 

The marathon has begun

I hope you're ready and you have cleared all your plans for the summer. Once the actions starts it is barely going to stop. From today to the final on July 19th there will be just five days with no soccer. That's 39 days and 34 of them will have something for us to watch. The group stages will run all the way to the the 28th of June. Just because the end of group stages arrives doesn’t mean we get a break. The round of 32 rolls on until the 3rd of July. And that is followed by the Round of 16 which starts on the 4th of July. Our first day with no soccer will be almost four weeks from now when the Round of 16 ends on July 7th. The quarterfinals will run from the 9th to the 11th meaning we will be without soccer for the 12th and 13th before the semis are played on the 14th and 15th. The 16th and 17th of July will get us time to get rested and prepare for the third placed game on the 18th and then the final on the 19th. There you have it. If you didn’t believe me, there’s your proof of just five days off in the next 39 days. 

The bigger, better World Cup

If you haven't heard, this years World Cup is bigger than ever. Literally bigger. More teams, more groups, more games, and more fans. We have gone from the 32 team format to a beefed up 48 team field with 12 groups of four teams. There is a Round of 32, which has never been seen before, and that will include the top eight third place teams. After that everything is the same, but the increase in teams, and groups means we have 104 games instead of the 64 we used to have in the 32 team format that the World Cup had from 1998 to 2022. 

Paraguay's World Cup history 

Paraguay were in the the first edition of the World Cup almost 100 years ago, and as it would happen, they were in the same Group as the United States. They lost 3-0 (we’ll dive deeper into this later), and then made just three World Cups over the next 64 years. They made their return in 1998, and went to four straight tournaments from 1998 to 2010. Their best showing was in South Africa back in 2010 when they went to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champions, Spain, 1-0. 

USMNT's World Cup resume 

Belive it or not the US has actually been close to winning the World Cup. It came in the first ever edition of the World Cup before this tournament had the reputation that it has nowadays. Their 3rd placed finish in 1930 is far and wide the best outing ever in this tournament, although all they had to do was get through to the three team group stage to get to the semifinals. They went to the World Cup in 1934 and again in 1950 but then had a 40 year wait until the returned in 1990. In 1994 they hosted the tournament losing to Brazil 1-0 in the Round of 16 and in 2002 they got to the quarterfinals. That is the farthest they have been since 1930. They missed the 2018 edition of the World Cup and lost to the Netherlands in Qatar last World Cup, but they are at home and looking to make history this summer. 

Best USMNT team in history

Could this be the best team ever? You look back at teams of World Cup's past and when you start to compare them side by side, there is certainly an advantage that Poch’s guys seem to have. Where as the team from 2002 that went to the quarters, or even the one from 2022 had players that were playing overseas, this team has players that aren’t just playing overseas, they are playing at massive clubs and playing a big role on those teams. The guys who were in Qatar last World Cup now know what it’s like to play on the biggest stage. They will carry that maturity and experience into this campaign and look to impart some wisdom on some of the youngsters who haven’t been here before. 

Star watch: Paraguay 

The Albirroja are led by their captain Gustavo Gomez. He and Omar Alderete patrol the back line of Paraguay and are one of the main threats off the dead ball. Set pieces are one of the back bones of the Paraguay attack, but in the run of play they will be hoping that Antonio Sanabria will be able to test the back line of the US which has it's vulnerabilities. He has been with top clubs like Betis, Genoa and Torino but the 30 year old has struggled a bit at the club level with just 3 goals over the last two seasons. 

USA Star watch

He may not be the biggest star of the World Cup but he is going to have the eyes of the nation on him over the next month and some change. Christian Pulisic is the captain of this squad, and he is the one that everyone is depending on to be the orchestrator of the USMNT's success. He plays in Italy with AC Milan and has been the leader on this team for the last few years. He has a goal and two assists in the last World Cup, but there will be a bit more asked of him for this World Cup. He broke his scoring drought against Senegal, and it might have come at just the right time for him and for the USMNT. 

Paraguay squad

Paraguay are back in the World Cup for the first time in a while, and they are in a group that they will believe they can get out of and qualify for the next stage of the tournament. It's going to be up to the 26 players that Gustavo Alfaro has picked for this World Cup campaign. Here is the list of Paraguay players. 

Goalkeepers

Roberto Junior Fernández (Cerro Porteño)

Gastón Olveira (Olimpia)

Orlando Gill (San Lorenzo de Almagro)

Defenders

Gustavo Gómez (Palmeiras)

Omar Alderete (Getafe / Sunderland)

Fabián Balbuena (Dinamo Moscú)

Junior Alonso (Atlético Mineiro)

Juan José Cáceres (Lanús)

Gustavo Velázquez (Newell’s / Cerro Porteño)

José María Canale (Lanús)

Alexandro Maidana (Talleres)

Midfielders

Diego Gómez (Inter Miami)

Andrés Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Damián Bobadilla (São Paulo)

Braian Ojeda (Real Salt Lake)

Matías Galarza (Talleres)

Alejandro Romero Gamarra (Al-Ain)

Maurício Magalhães Prado (Palmeiras)

Forwards

Julio Enciso (Brighton)

Miguel Almirón (Newcastle)

Ramón Sosa (Nottingham Forest / Palmeiras)

Álex Arce (LDU Quito)

Antonio Sanabria (Torino)

Gabriel Ávalos (Independiente)

Isidro Pitta (Cuiabá)

Gustavo Caballero (Nacional)

USMNT squad 

It was the announcement that every soccer fan in the US was waiting for. Mauricio Pochettino named his squad list from a rooftop at Pier 17 under a festive ambience. There is hope surrounding this team, and a lot of pressure put on Poch who was brought here for this moment. Here is his 26 man roster 

Goalkeepers

Chris Brady (Chicago Fire)

Matt Freese (New York City)

Matt Turner (New England Revolution)

Defenders

Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew)

Sergiño Dest (PSV)

Alex Freeman (Villarreal)

Mark McKenzie (Toulouse)

Tim Ream (Charlotte FC)

Chris Richards (Crystal Palace)

Antonee Robinson (Fulham)

Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati)

Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach)

Auston Trusty (Celtic)

Midfielders

Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth)

Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Weston McKennie (Juventus)

Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)

Attacking midfielders/wingers

Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United)

Christian Pulisic (Milan)

Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach)

Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)

Tim Weah (Marseille)

Alejandro Zendejas (Club América)

Strikers

Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco)

Ricardo Pepi (PSV)

Haji Wright (Coventry City)

Last match: Paraguay

Right before entering World Cup mode, Paraguay gave their most convincing performance in the last few years when they beat Nicaragua by a score of 4-0. In their final tune up before tonight'a game, they put in a complete performance, scoring two goals in the first half with what we could only imagine would be their starting XI or at least a good majority of them. Kaku started things off with a penalty in the 17th minute, and then Miguel Almiron doubled the lead in the 42nd minute. A mass of subs out of the break didn’t keep Paraguay from adding to the lead. Matias Galarza scored the 3-0 in the 62nd and then five minutes later Alexandro Maidana scored the fourth and final goal. 

VENUES/Los Angeles Stadium 

Los Angeles Stadium is just one of the 16 venues that will be hosting World Cup matches in the US and around Canada and Mexico. There are eleven cities and stadiums that will host World Cup matches in the US, three in Mexico and two in Canada. For branding purposes, each of the stadiums have been stripped of their name. Sofi Stadium is no longer SoFi Stadium, it's Los Angeles Stadium just like Estadio Azteca was named Estadio Ciudad de Mexico for the opener between El Tri and South Africa. 

Mexico: 

Mexico City 

Guadalajara 

Monterrey

USA: 

NY/NJ

Dallas 

LA 

Kansas City

San Francisco 

Houston 

Philadelphia

Atlanta 

Seattle 

Miami 

Boston

Last match: USA 

The final international break of the club season didn't do a whole lot to settle any nerves for the USMNT and their fans. They were destroyed by Belgium and dominated by Portugal. It served as a bit of a wake up call for Mauricio Pochettino’s men, and they responded in their final two tuned ups before tonight. They beat Senegal by a score of 3-2 but looked better than the scoreline dictated, and then lost to Germany but had the four time champs against the ropes for most of that game. A GOLAZO from Antonee Robinson leveled the game up at 1-1 after Kai Havertz scored the opener but Leroy Sane put the Germans up in the 57th minute and they would hold off the USMNT attack for the rest of the way. 

We are live from Inglewood 

Hello everyone and welcome to Los Angeles Stadium where the USMNT will be played their first World Cup match on home soil since 1994. Things are different now then they were 32 years ago. The US side from the 90s didn't have any expectations to make a deep run into the tournament. This team does. With a world class manger and a squad full of players who play in the top leagues in the world, they need to put on a show in their home country, and that starts tonight against Paraguay.

USMNT vs. Paraguay Matchday 1 

USMNT vs. Paraguay Matchday 1 

The moment is finally here. It's been four years since the USMNT has stepped on a World Cup pitch, and 32 years since they have done so on their home soil. Today Mauricio Pochettino’s men start their World Cup campaign looking for a historic run through the tournament. Before they can start dreaming of getting farther than they have even been they have to get through a Paraguay side that had a couple of impressive results in World Cup qualifiers. It’s the red, white and blue taking on the Alibrroja of Paraguay from Los Angeles and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s match to kick off our World Cup campaign.