The FIFA World Cup 2026 continues on 12 June as co-hosts USA welcome Paraguay to Los Angeles Stadium for their Group D showdown.
Group D
Saturday, 13 June | Los Angeles Stadium
Kick-off time
09:00 (GMT+8)
The match
In one of the most eagerly-anticipated games in American soccer history, co-hosts USA will usher in the second World Cup on home soil with their Group D opener against Paraguay. The two sides are familiar foes, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men securing a 2-1 victory in Chester, Pennsylvania, in November. Paraguay, who are making their first World Cup appearance since South Africa 2010, qualified for the global finals with a sixth-place finish in CONMEBOL qualifying, with some eye-catching victories on the way.
Defender Chris Richards has declared himself fit after recovering from an ankle injury but Pochettino said the coaching staff will make a late decision about whether he will start or remain on the bench. The USA coach did not disclose who out of Matt Freese or Matt Turner will start in goal.
USA possible starting XI
Freese; Freeman, M. Robinson, Ream, A. Robinson; Dest, Adams, McKennie, Tillman, Pulisic; Balogun
Paraguay possible starting XI
Gill; Caceres, G. Gomez, Alderete, Alonso; D. Gomez, Bobadilla, Cubas, Almiron; D. Gonzalez, Sanabria
What they said…
“I know very well the mentality [of Paraguay] — the aggressivity, the [competitiveness]…. My expectation is tomorrow is going to be a very tough game. It’s going to be tough because Paraguay not only are competitive and aggressive [but] they have good quality [and] a great coach in Gustavo Alfaro, who is doing a great job and I respect and admire him a lot. It’s going to be very, very difficult.” Mauricio Pochettino, USA coach
“It has been a countdown from the moment we secured qualification. For us, it’s a moment of great fulfillment, of great joy, because we know how much the country needed this, the struggle the players have gone through all this time to try to achieve this. We know this isn’t just another game; we know it’s a different game, with characteristics unlike any other we might ever play. Here at the World Cup, it goes by fast, it’s ruthless — it’s the details, it’s the circumstances that you need to try to capitalize on.” Gustavo Alfaro, Paraguay coach
“The people of Paraguay are really excited about us and we know what it means to represent our country, especially having made it to the World Cup and, to be honest, I feel really good physically. I think the whole team is looking really good. We’ve worked as hard as we can this week to put in a good performance. The coach wants the best out of all of us and we’ll always try to do what’s asked of us on the pitch and always give 100 per cent to do our country proud.” Diego Gomez, Paraguay midfielder
Previous World Cup meetings
History was made when USA and Paraguay locked horns at the inaugural global showpiece in 1930, the sole occasion the two sides have met in the global finals. During the group stage match in Uruguay, the Stars and Stripes ran out 3-0 winners thanks to a remarkable hat-trick from Bert Patenaude. Not only was it the first and only treble by an American player in a World Cup match, but it was also the first hat-trick scored in tournament history.
Los Angeles Stadium
Los Angeles Stadium is the newest venue chosen to host FIFA World Cup 2026™, having opened in September 2020. It is situated just a 30-minute drive from Pasadena’s famous Rose Bowl, which hosted the 1994 World Cup final. Both the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers play their National Football League fixtures at the venue, which has already hosted a number of concerts under its iconic and unique roof, including Taylor Swift, BTS and Ed Sheeran.