U.S. men's soccer team opens 2026 World Cup against Paraguay

The United States men's national soccer team will begin its 2026 World Cup campaign on Friday night in Southern California, facing Paraguay in the tournament's opening group-stage match. The game marks the first World Cup hosted on American soil in more than 30 years.

For the first time in the team's history, all of its key players are regulars for clubs in Europe’s top leagues. Midfielder Tyler Adams, defenders Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson play in the English Premier League, Weston McKennie is with Juventus in Italy, and Christian Pulisic stars for AC Milan.

"This is for me the biggest opportunity to grow the game, to inspire people, to show that American players are at the level of the rest of the world," Adams said.

Paraguay, ranked 40th by FIFA, will be the United States' first opponent. The two sides met in a friendly last November, a match the U.S. won 2-1 after a late-stage altercation. U.S. forward Tim Weah noted the need to match Paraguay’s aggressive style.

"We know that they're gonna be super, super aggressive, so we're going to have to match that. We saw that the last time we played them," Weah said.

Paraguay may be without midfielder Julio Enciso, who was injured in a recent warm-up match. After the opening game, the United States will play Australia the following week and conclude the group stage against Turkey on June 25.