The United States men's national team opens its 2026 World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in a Group D match that marks the competitive start for both sides. The U.S. enters as a co-host alongside Canada and Mexico after automatically qualifying for the tournament.
Paraguay returns to the World Cup for the first time since reaching the quarterfinals in 2010, having qualified through CONMEBOL. The team will be without injured attacking midfielder Julio Enciso, who is expected to miss the match after suffering an injury in a friendly against Nicaragua on June 6.
United States coach Mauricio Pochettino and Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro are both making their World Cup debuts as managers. The U.S. won its last friendly against Paraguay 2-1 in November 2025.
The match kicks off at 9 p.m. Eastern Time and is the first group-stage fixture for both nations, with Group D also including other teams yet to be determined.
