USA open World Cup with 4-1 rout of Paraguay, Balogun double and Reyna strike set records

The USA men's national team kicked off the 2026 FIFA World Cup in dominant fashion, overwhelming Paraguay 4-1 in front of a star-studded crowd at SoFi Stadium. Mauricio Pochettino's squad produced their most complete performance in his tenure, scoring three times in the first half and adding a history-making fourth deep into stoppage time.

Match recap

Damian Bobadilla gifted the hosts a seventh-minute lead when he intercepted a pass inside his own box and inadvertently steered the ball into his net. Christian Pulisic, the game's standout creator, then set up Folarin Balogun for a quick-fire double. After a disallowed goal in the 28th minute, Balogun finished a Pulisic cross seconds later to make it 2-0, and in first-half stoppage time he drilled a second into the top corner from Malik Tillman's through ball. Paraguay pulled one back in the 73rd minute when Mauricio finished a one-on-one created by Julio Enciso, but Giovanni Reyna had the final say in the 98th minute with a powerful, curling strike from 16 metres.

Records tumbling

The 4-1 result rewrote several pages of American World Cup history. The four-goal haul is the first time the United States has ever scored more than three in a single World Cup match; the previous high was three goals, last achieved against Portugal in 2002. The three-goal margin of victory matches the country's largest, recorded only once before – a 3-0 win over Paraguay in the 1930 edition.

“Four goals and impressive play. The US national team's World Cup opener was almost perfect.”

Hollywood welcome

SoFi Stadium in Inglewood hosted a gallery of celebrities and political figures, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Bill Gates, David Beckham, Brad Pitt, and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The crowd erupted at the early own goal, and the atmosphere remained electric throughout the night as the co-hosts delivered a confident opening statement.

Group D outlook

The United States joined Mexico and Canada as the last of the three host nations to complete their opening fixture; Mexico had beaten South Africa 2-0 while Canada drew 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The U.S. will next face Australia on 19 June (21:00 local), before meeting Turkey on the night of 25-26 June in what could be a decisive match for first place in the group.