Co-hosts USA open Group D under Mauricio Pochettino at SoFi Stadium, the megaproject venue in Inglewood. They face Paraguay, returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2010. Both sides have reset their projects in the last 18 months and the opener tells us a lot about which reset is further along.
Why: SoFi Stadium will be loud. Co-hosts at home, marquee venue, primetime US TV slot. The American side under Pochettino has won 6 of their last 8, with a clear identity and Pulisic in the form of his life at AC Milan. Paraguay's return to the World Cup is a feel-good story but Alfaro's side won just 5 of 10 in qualifying and conceded 14 across the campaign. The 1.95 home price prices the toss-up too generously; this is closer to 60% USA than the market suggests.
Pulisic has been the standout American this cycle: 14 Serie A goals with AC Milan in 2025-26, his best club season. Paraguay's right-back Robert Rojas is a converted centre-back who will struggle with Pulisic's left-cut and shot. Typical Anytime price 2.05, with First Scorer around 5.50.
Tyler Adams is the USMNT's ball-winner and the player tasked with shutting down Paraguay's counter-attacks. He picked up 11 yellow cards in 24 Premier League starts for Bournemouth in 2025-26. Paraguay love to break with Enciso and Sanabria, and Adams will be the player making the cynical fouls to stop them. Anytime Card around 2.50.
The match is at SoFi Stadium, the $5+ billion megaproject in Inglewood, California that opened in 2020 as the home of the NFL's LA Rams and Chargers. Soccer capacity around 70,000. The translucent fabric roof and central video board are unlike anything else in major American sport.
SoFi Stadium will host eight matches at the 2026 World Cup, including group games and the Round of 16 fixture. The stadium will also host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, putting it in a small group of venues to stage both World Cup and Olympic events within a single decade.
American soccer has lived in a strange in-between place since the disappointment of failing to qualify for 2018. Qatar 2022 was respectable: through the group, then a Round of 16 exit to the Netherlands. Copa America 2024 on home soil was a disaster: group-stage elimination, Berhalter sacked.
Mauricio Pochettino was appointed in September 2024 with a brief to fix the squad's identity and prepare them for the home World Cup. The Argentine, with stints at Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea on his CV, has done exactly that: more aggressive press, faster transitions, and the brave choice of Tim Ream as captain ahead of Christian Pulisic.
Something cool: SoFi Stadium will become the only venue ever to host the opening match of a co-hosted World Cup AND the opening ceremony of an Olympic Games within the same four-year span (2026 World Cup matches plus 2028 LA Olympics opening). The marketing tie-in is no accident.
Paraguay's last World Cup appearance was 2010 in South Africa, where they reached the quarter-finals before losing to Spain (who went on to win the tournament). Since then: three consecutive missed World Cups (2014, 2018, 2022) and a national programme stuck in a holding pattern.
The change came with Gustavo Alfaro, the Argentinian coach who appointed in 2024 and dragged Paraguay back to relevance. He had previously managed Ecuador (2022 World Cup) and Costa Rica. Paraguay finished 6th in CONMEBOL qualifying (the automatic qualification cutoff) on the final matchday with a 1-0 home win over Ecuador.
Something cool: Paraguay are coached by an Argentinian in Gustavo Alfaro, but they have history being tactically led by foreigners. Their previous best World Cup run (2010 quarter-finals) came under Gerardo Martino, also Argentinian, who later took the same path to managing the Mexico national team.
Pochettino's choice of Ream over Pulisic for the captaincy was the major leadership story of the cycle. At 38 years old and with 80 caps across more than a decade in the squad, Ream brings experience and dressing-room authority that the Argentine manager wanted as anchor.
Club career: ten years in the Premier League with Bolton and Fulham, where he was a long-serving and well-respected centre-back, before a 2025 move to Charlotte FC in MLS for the final stretch of his career.
At 38 in defence, fitness and pace are the open questions. Pochettino has pairings (Robinson, Richards) ready to slot in if Ream needs management. The captaincy is symbolic as much as positional: Ream sets the tone in the dressing room, Pulisic remains the on-field talisman.
Gomez is the spine of the Paraguay project. 88+ caps, captain since 2022, and arguably the best South American centre-back outside Brazil and Argentina. Club career: Lanus to AC Milan (2017-18) to Palmeiras, where he has won multiple Copa Libertadores titles and Brazilian championships.
At 31 he is in his prime years and combines aerial dominance, passing range and the kind of leadership Alfaro built the team around. Paraguay's defensive structure feeds through him.
His first World Cup match. Paraguay's 16-year gap means none of the current squad have World Cup experience as senior internationals. Gomez's quiet authority is the team's psychological centre as they step onto the SoFi Stadium turf.
USA were 6-1-1 in their last 8 friendlies, including a 2-1 win over Mexico in February and a 3-0 over Costa Rica in May. As co-host they did not need to qualify. Pulisic has scored in 5 of those 8, with 14 Serie A goals at AC Milan in his club season.
Paraguay finished 6th in CONMEBOL qualifying with 28 points from 18 matches (5 wins, 13 draws, 6 losses). The 4-0 friendly win over Nicaragua in late May was a positive note but the qualifying campaign was tight, decided on the final matchday.
Based on each side's most recent friendly. Final XIs confirm one hour before kick-off; this page will update.
| Date | Match | Venue | Preview |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jun | USA vs Paraguay | Inglewood | This page |
| 13 Jun | Australia vs Turkey | Vancouver | Preview → |
| 19 Jun | Turkey vs Paraguay | Santa Clara | Preview → |
| 19 Jun | USA vs Australia | Seattle | Preview → |
| 25 Jun | Paraguay vs Australia | Santa Clara | Preview → |
| 25 Jun | Turkey vs USA | Inglewood | Preview → |
All four teams, qualification scenarios and BetBot predictions: See full Group D overview →
Friday 12 June 2026 at 21:00 ET (03:00 CEST Saturday 13 June, 18:00 PT local). SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California. Primetime US TV slot, opening of Group D.
Centre-back Tim Ream (38, Charlotte FC) was chosen by Mauricio Pochettino over Christian Pulisic. Ream has 80 caps and over a decade with the national team.
Mauricio Pochettino, the Argentine appointed in September 2024 after Gregg Berhalter's dismissal following the Copa America 2024 disappointment. Pochettino's CV includes Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea.
Paraguay missed 2014, 2018 and 2022. Their last appearance was 2010 in South Africa where they reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champions Spain. 2026 marks their return after 16 years.
It will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 LA Olympics. SoFi will become one of the few venues to stage both World Cup matches and the opening of an Olympic Games within a 24-month span.
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