World Cup 2026 picks up pace as the United States rout Paraguay

The opening round for the 2026 World Cup hosts continued overnight, and the United States, the tournament’s main host, beat Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles. The win came before a packed crowd of 70,492 and capped the hosts’ first match as organizers of the tournament.

The Americans struck early, going ahead in the 7th minute after Weston McKennie sent in a cross that Paraguayan defender Damian Bobadilla turned into his own net. The U.S. controlled the match with fast, attacking play, and Christian Pulisic was especially sharp in the first half. Florian Balogun was the standout, scoring the second goal in the 31st minute and then adding a powerful strike into the top corner in first-half stoppage time to make it 3-0.

Paraguay briefly reduced the gap through Mauricio in the 73rd minute, but Giovanni Reyna restored the four-goal margin deep into stoppage time, in the 90th minute plus 8.

Attention now turns to a packed night of World Cup games beginning at 22:00, with 3 to 4 matches scheduled each night. Qatar, the previous World Cup host, faces Switzerland. Brazil then meets Morocco in a marquee showdown, with Carlo Ancelotti making his World Cup coaching debut and Vinicius and Raphinha expected to start, while Neymar remains awaited. Later, Haiti plays Scotland at 4:00, and Australia meets Turkey at 7:00, with Turkey returning to the tournament for the first time since 2002 and led by Real Madrid’s Arda Guler.