USA begin their home World Cup against a resurgent Paraguay
The United States open their home World Cup against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on June 12, with Mauricio Pochettino’s young side under pressure to make a statement in front of their own fans.
Jun 11, 2026
A day after Mexico got the tournament under way at the Azteca, the second of the three host nations takes its turn. The United States open their home World Cup against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, just outside Los Angeles, on June 12, kicking off at 6pm local time, which is 6:30am IST on Saturday, June 13. For Mauricio Pochettino, it is a first World Cup in charge of the national team, and the start of the toughest examination of his reign.
A host nation carrying expectation
Pochettino named his 26-man squad in late May, and the makeup tells you where this American project is. Thirteen players return from the 2022 World Cup, thirteen are heading to their first, and it ranks among the youngest groups the United States have ever taken to the tournament. The balance of experience and youth is deliberate, but on home soil it also brings a particular kind of scrutiny.
Christian Pulisic remains the man the team is built around, the player expected to carry the creative load whether he starts wide or central. Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi give Pochettino options to lead the line, while Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams anchor a midfield that knows tournament football. The United States are the highest-ranked side in their group and start as favourites to go through. The harder question is how far beyond that they can push. A round-of-16 exit on home turf would land as a disappointment, and everyone around the squad knows it.
Paraguay back after sixteen years
Paraguay arrive at their first World Cup since 2010, an absence that ran through three tournaments. The turnaround came after the 2024 Copa America, when Gustavo Alfaro took over and dragged a stuttering qualifying campaign back on track. His Paraguay are built from the back, hard to break down and comfortable in a low block, the kind of side that can frustrate a home crowd desperate for an early goal.
They are not without quality going forward. Miguel Almiron, back in MLS after his Newcastle years, pulls the strings in the final third, with the young Julio Enciso operating behind a front line led by Antonio Sanabria, who scored four times in qualifying. Captain Gustavo Gomez, partnered by Omar Alderete, marshals the defence that was the foundation of their qualification. Anyone treating this as a routine opening win for the hosts has not been paying attention to how Paraguay got here.
Group D and a first move to make
The United States share Group D with Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye, a section without an obvious heavyweight but with enough about it to punish a slow start. Win the opener and the hosts settle the nerves and take control of their own group. Drop points and the pressure that has been building for years only grows louder.
For Paraguay, a draw against a host nation in their first match back at the World Cup would be a result to build on, exactly the sort of platform Alfaro’s teams are designed to create. The opening match of any group tends to set the tone, and both sides know it. The hosts want a statement. Paraguay would happily settle for a marker of their own.