USA Opens 2026 FIFA World Cup Campaign Against Paraguay

This will be the second time the two share the pitch in a World Cup.

LOS ANGELES – The FIFA World Cup 2026 continues with the United States hosting Paraguay in Group D on Thursday at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California, USA.

This will be the second time the two share the pitch in a World Cup. The first time came back in the first edition of the tournament, at Uruguay 1930, with the USA taking a 3-0 win.

This will be the second time the United States hosts the FIFA World Cup. The Stars and Stripes last hosted the competition in 1994. Mauricio Pochettino’s men will make the nation’s 12th appearance in the tournament.

For the U.S., much of the spotlight will fall on Game Changer Christian Pulisic. The attacking midfielder is no stranger to performing on football’s biggest stage, playing a part in all three goals scored by the United States at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Paraguay will kick off its ninth appearance in the FIFA World Cup, coming back to the tournament after missing Qatar 2022. Antonio Sanabria will carry his country’s expectations, after scoring four goals in the CONMEBOL qualifiers.

USA vs Paraguay – Facts

• This will be the second FIFA World Cup meeting between the United States and Paraguay. Their only previous encounter came in 1930, when the USA recorded a 3-0 victory in a match that featured the first hat-trick in FIFA World Cup history, scored by Bert Patenaude. It remains one of the largest wins ever achieved by the United States at the tournament.
• The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks the United States’ 12th appearance and second as tournament hosts, following the 1994 edition. On that occasion, the Americans reached the Round of 16 before being eliminated by eventual champions Brazil. Their only victory in the tournament was a 2-1 group-stage win against Colombia.
• The USA have lost both matches played at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles County: a 1-0 defeat to Panama and a 2-1 loss to Canada, both during the 2025 Concacaf Nations League.
• Among Concacaf nations, only Mexico (18) have appeared in more FIFA World Cups than the United States (12). The Americans have reached the knockout stage in each of their last three World Cup appearances (2010, 2014 and 2022). Notably, they have lost only one of their last nine group-stage matches at the tournament (W3 D5), a 1-0 defeat to Germany in 2014.
• The United States’ best FIFA World Cup finish came in the inaugural 1930 tournament, where they placed third. It remains the only occasion a Concacaf nation has finished among the top four teams at a World Cup. In the modern era, their best performance came in 2002 when they advanced to the quarterfinals.
• The USA own the second-lowest win percentage among nations with at least 30 FIFA World Cup matches played. They have won only nine of their 37 matches (24%), ranking ahead of only Korea Republic (18%).
• Paraguay will make their ninth FIFA World Cup appearance. Their best performance came at South Africa 2010, when they reached the quarterfinals before being eliminated by eventual champions Spain.
• Paraguay have not conceded more than one goal in any of their last 10 FIFA World Cup matches. The last team to score multiple goals against them in a World Cup match was Spain, during the group stage of the 2002 tournament, in a 3-1 victory.
• Paraguay have won only one of their previous eight FIFA World Cup opening matches (D4 L3), a 1-0 victory over Iraq in 1986. Their two previous World Cup matches against host nations ended in a 1-1 draw with Mexico in 1986 and a 1-0 extra-time defeat to France in 1998, decided by a golden goal.
• Paraguay recorded the lowest goal difference among CONMEBOL teams that qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (+4) and also posted the lowest average possession rate (37.3%). In addition, they scored the highest proportion of their goals from set pieces, with 36% of their goals (5 of 14) coming from dead-ball situations.
• Antonio Sanabria was the most productive substitute in the CONMEBOL qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Three of his four goals were scored after coming off the bench.
• Christian Pulisic was directly involved in all three of the United States’ goals at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, scoring once and providing two assists.