United States Dominates Paraguay 4-1 in World Cup Opener, Balogun Bags Brace
The emphatic victory sees the USA take an early lead in Group D, while Canada secured a historic first World Cup point with a draw.
The story
The United States men's national team kicked off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in spectacular fashion, defeating Paraguay 4-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The hosts were on the scoreboard early, benefiting from an own goal by Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla in the 7th minute.
Star striker Folarin Balogun then extended the lead with a clinical finish in the 31st minute, before adding a second just before halftime with a brilliant strike into the top left corner. Paraguay's Mauricio pulled one back in the 73rd minute, but winger Gio Reyna sealed the dominant performance with a stunning goal in stoppage time. This marks the most goals the USA has ever scored in a World Cup match, setting a strong tone for their tournament aspirations.
Yesterday's results
Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B, Toronto)
Score: 1-1
Key: Jovo Lukić (BIH, 21') opened scoring, but Cyle Larin (CAN, 78') secured Canada's first-ever World Cup point with a late equalizer.
United States vs Paraguay (Group D, Los Angeles)
Score: 4-1
Key: Folarin Balogun's brace (31', 45+') led the USA to a dominant victory, with an own goal (7') and Gio Reyna (90+') also scoring.
Where it stands
Following the latest matches, Group B sees co-hosts Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina level with one point each after their 1-1 draw. In Group D, the United States sits atop the table with a commanding three points and a +3 goal difference after their 4-1 win over Paraguay, who are currently without points.
These results begin to shape the early group dynamics, with teams now looking to build momentum towards the knockout stages. The expanded 48-team format means the top two from each of the 12 groups, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the Round of 32.
What we'll be watching
- 2026-06-13T19:00Z — Qatar vs Switzerland (Group B, Santa Clara)
- 2026-06-14T02:00Z — Brazil vs Morocco (Group C, New Jersey)
- 2026-06-14T05:00Z — Haiti vs Scotland (Group C, Foxborough)
- 2026-06-14T08:00Z — Australia vs Turkiye (Group D, Vancouver)
- 2026-06-14T17:00Z — Germany vs Curacao (Group E, Houston)
- 2026-06-14T20:00Z — Netherlands vs Japan (Group F, Arlington)
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