Photo: Alamy
Team United States men’s national soccer team opened its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 4-1 victory over the Paraguay national football team on Friday night in Los Angeles.
The United States is competing in Group D alongside Paraguay, Australia national soccer team and Turkey national football team. Australia and Turkey are scheduled to play their opening match on Sunday.
The Americans took an early lead after a play involving U.S. midfielder Christian Pulisic, who also plays for AC Milan. A ball played by Pulisic resulted in an own goal by Paraguay’s Damián Bobadilla.
“All in all, just an incredible start,” Pulisic told reporters following the victory. “But there’s a lot more we still have to do.”
U.S. forward Folarin Balogun added two more goals as the Americans built a commanding lead. Paraguay scored once in the second half, but the United States maintained control throughout the match.
Several senior Trump administration officials attended the game, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
The White House celebrated the victory with a post to X, noting the win as an “opening statement.”
The 2026 World Cup is being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The United States will host 78 of the tournament’s 104 matches across 11 cities, including Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Canadian host cities include Toronto and Vancouver, while Mexico’s matches will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey. The expanded tournament features 1,248 players representing 48 countries.
Ahead of the match, the U.S. men’s soccer team received a surprise phone call from President Donald Trump. The team shared the video of the experience on social media.
“I just called to say you’re a fantastic guy, a fantastic coach,” he told Manager Mauricio Pochettino. “I know about your record, your success and how great the players are. I think you’ve got a really good chance of going all the way so I just wish you a lot of luck.”
“Thank you so much for your support Mr. President,” Pochettino said. “We are going to do everything to make you proud and all the people here in this country.”
