The United States will begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup journey with a tricky Group fixture against Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium, as the co-hosts look to make a positive start on home soil.
With expectations high ahead of a tournament they are hosting, Mauricio Pochettino’s side will be eager to avoid an early stumble and continue their recent tradition of progressing beyond the group stage.
The Americans have established themselves as regular knockout-stage participants, reaching the Round of 16 in each of their last three World Cup appearances in 2010, 2014 and 2022.
They also enjoyed a memorable run when they hosted the tournament in 1994, advancing to the last 16 before bowing out.
Despite that pedigree, recent form raises some concerns, as the USA head into the competition having lost three of their four matches in 2026, although those defeats came against opponents ranked above them in the FIFA standings.
Pochettino will nevertheless take confidence from his side’s strong World Cup group-stage record, having suffered just one defeat in their last nine group matches, a narrow loss to eventual champions Germany in 2014.
Another encouraging statistic for the hosts is that they have not lost their opening World Cup group match since 2010.
However, they will need to overcome memories of last year’s disappointing performances at Los Angeles Stadium, where they suffered back-to-back defeats by a single-goal margin.
Standing in their way is a Paraguay side returning to football’s biggest stage for the first time since 2010.
Under Gustavo Alfaro, the South Americans enjoyed an impressive qualifying campaign, finishing level on points with Colombia, Uruguay and Brazil while boasting one of the strongest defensive records in CONMEBOL qualification.
Paraguay’s defensive resilience has become their trademark, though goals have often been harder to come by. They averaged just 0.78 goals per game during qualifying, the joint-lowest among teams that secured their place at the finals.
Even so, recent results suggest a team growing in confidence, having won three of their last four matches heading into the tournament.
The Guaranies will also be hoping to improve on a poor record in World Cup openers.
They have managed just one victory from their last eight opening matches at the tournament and have never beaten a host nation at the World Cup, drawing one and losing one of their previous two such encounters.
History slightly favours the Americans. The USA have won each of the last three meetings between the nations, all by a single-goal margin.
Their most famous clash came at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 when the United States recorded a 3-0 victory, a result that remains one of their biggest wins in tournament history.
Goals could be on the cards, with six of the USA’s last seven matches producing over 2.5 goals.
Paraguay, meanwhile, have built their success on defensive discipline, conceding no more than one goal in each of their last ten World Cup matches.
Set-pieces could prove decisive, with five of Paraguay’s 14 qualifying goals coming from dead-ball situations.
Much of the USA’s spotlight will fall on Christian Pulisic, who was directly involved in all three of the USA’s goals at the 2022 World Cup and recently contributed a goal and an assist in a victory over Senegal.
Paraguay, on the other hand, will look to the creativity of Miguel Almiron, who assisted his country’s goal in the most recent meeting between the sides and was also on target in their recent 4-0 win over Nicaragua.
Kick-off is set for 4 am on Saturday morning.
