Ninety-six thousand seats at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. 9 PM Eastern on Fox. The United States plays their first game of the 2026 World Cup tonight against a Paraguay side returning to the tournament for the first time since 2010. This is the home opener that the USMNT and their supporters have been building toward for years — and Paraguay are considerably more dangerous than a casual glance at the bracket suggests.
The Match
USA and Paraguay meet in Group D, a group that also contains Australia and Türkiye. Two teams qualify automatically from each of the twelve groups; the eight best third-placed finishers also progress to the Round of 32. On paper, the United States should have the quality to finish in the top two, but every World Cup group has at least one team capable of upsetting that assumption — and Paraguay qualified from a South American CONMEBOL zone that does not hand out berths lightly.
Getting three points tonight would give the USMNT enormous breathing room for the rest of the group stage and allow them to manage their squad depth as the tournament progresses. A slip here, in front of a home crowd that has been anticipating this moment for years, would immediately raise pressure heading into the Australia and Türkiye fixtures.
USMNT: The Players to Watch
Christian Pulisic remains the focal point of the American attack — the player opponents plan for, the one the US build around when the game needs something to happen. At 27, Pulisic is in the prime of his international career and has added a cutting edge to his game that was sometimes missing in earlier tournaments.
Giovanni Reyna at his best is the most technically gifted American player of his generation, and the transition from club competition to tournament football has historically seen Reyna elevate his game. Weston McKennie provides the physical midfield presence that allows the creative players to operate with space, and his ability to win second balls in the middle of the park will be central to whether the US control possession against a disciplined Paraguayan shape.
The question of home advantage is genuine. The United States support at a Los Angeles venue is not hypothetical. SoFi Stadium is one of the loudest buildings in North American football, and the USMNT have consistently performed better when playing in front of crowds that expect them to win.
Paraguay: The Threat Is Real
Paraguay's return to the World Cup stage after a 16-year absence is built on a generation of players who have developed across Europe's top divisions. Miguel Almirón, 32, arrives as one of the most experienced players in the squad with 75 international caps and leads La Albirroja in career goals. His movement in the No.10 role, drifting from the left, will test the US defensive midfield in ways that the group-stage preparation would have been mapped carefully.
Julio Enciso of Strasbourg is the dynamic attacking option coming off the bench or starting on the right, capable of moments of individual quality that can change a game in ten seconds. Diego Gómez from Brighton provides a technically accomplished engine in central midfield. Up front, Antonio Sanabria is the target striker, a player whose link-up play draws defenders toward him and creates space for the runners around him.
Coach Gustavo Alfaro has built Paraguay into a compact, defensively organised side that makes games tight before looking for moments to exploit on the counter. In a tournament where the US will have far more possession than their opponents in most fixtures, Paraguay's shape is precisely the kind of setup that has undone stronger teams at World Cups throughout the competition's history.
How USA Can Win
Three things will determine this game. First, whether the US can break through quickly enough to ease the crowd pressure and open up Paraguay's structure. An early goal at SoFi would change the entire tactical picture. Second, whether Pulisic can find the spaces between Paraguay's midfield and defensive lines before Alfaro adjusts. Third, set-pieces: the US have genuine physical advantages in aerial duels and dead-ball situations — the kind of margin that counts in a tournament game where clean sheets are hard to come by.
If the score is 0–0 at half-time, expect a more cautious second half on the US side and a Paraguay that backs themselves to hold on. That is when Reyna's creativity and the bench depth become crucial.
FAQ
What time does USA vs Paraguay kick off? 9 PM Eastern Time / 6 PM Pacific on Friday June 12 at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA. It airs on Fox in English and Telemundo in Spanish. Follow live scores at Scorelisto Soccer.
When did Paraguay last play at the World Cup? Paraguay reached the quarter-finals at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa — their best ever result — before losing to Spain. This 2026 appearance ends a 16-year absence from the tournament.
Who captains Paraguay? Defender Gustavo Gómez of Palmeiras captains the squad. At 33 he is the experienced defensive anchor around whom Alfaro has built the team's structure.
What are the other Group D fixtures? Group D also features Australia and Türkiye. A full schedule is available on the Scorelisto blog alongside previews and standings updates throughout the tournament.