The United States men's national soccer team opened the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles before approximately 70,492 fans [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].

The US took an early lead when Paraguay defender Damian Bobadilla scored an own goal. Folarin Balogun then scored two goals, including a crucial brace, to secure a commanding lead for the home side [1, 2, 3, 4]. Substitute Gio Reyna added a late fourth goal to seal the win. Paraguay's lone goal came in the 73rd minute from Brazil-born player Mauricio [1, 2, 3, 4].

US captain Tim Ream called the result “amazing” and said starting with a 4-1 win and three points sets the team well for the group stage. “Scoring four goals, getting three points, it sets you up for the rest of the group stage, for sure,” Ream said [1]. Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro said his team struggled defensively against the US’s dominance tactically, technically, and physically [1].

The match was held at SoFi Stadium, a $5 billion venue in Los Angeles and home to NFL teams, with a capacity of just over 70,000 spectators [5, 6]. The stadium also hosted a star-studded opening ceremony featuring pop star Katy Perry before kickoff [7, 1, 2, 8, 3, 4]. Hollywood celebrities including Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, Brad Pitt, Paris Hilton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and David Beckham attended the sold-out match [1, 2, 5, 8, 3, 6, 4].

The US team is coached by Mauricio Pochettino, who commands the highest salary in US Soccer history at $6 million per year [1, 2, 9]. On the same day, Canada earned its first ever World Cup point with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto [1, 2, 3, 4].

Ahead of the tournament final in New Jersey, the state government and FIFA are entangled in disputes over transportation costs and ticket prices. New Jersey expects to spend $48 million on transit for the World Cup but has received no funding from FIFA, which earned $11 billion from the tournament. Some final match tickets reportedly cost as much as $10,000, while typical match tickets in the US reached prices up to $2,000 [5, 6, 10]. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill criticized FIFA’s lack of transit funding amid high ticket prices [10].

The 2026 World Cup final is scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, marking the first time the US hosts since 1994 [11, 10].