Co-hosts US kick off World Cup with dominant win over Paraguay

FootballSports
13 Jun 2026 • 12:51 PM MYT
DPA International
DPA International

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Image from: Co-hosts US kick off World Cup with dominant win over Paraguay
United States' Folarin Balogun celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D soccer match between USA and Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. Ringo Chiu/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Co-hosts United States started their World Cup campaign with a dominant 4-1 win against Paraguay on Friday.

The US played one of their strongest performances in team history, scoring four goals at a World Cup for the first time.

The first score was gifted by Paraguay as Damián Bobadilla fired in his own goal in the seventh minute.

Folarin Balogun thought he had added a second in the 28th, but his effort was ruled out for offside.

It counted, however, three minutes later as Balogun found the net after collecting a pass from Christian Pulisic. The Monaco forward then completed his brace shortly before the break.

Pulisic was subbed off ahead of the second half as the US slowed things down and focused on managing their advantage.

Paraguay pulled one back through Mauricio in the 73rd minute, but there wasn't much more they could do, and Giovanni Reyna crowned the US' sparkling performance with a fourth goal in the final play of the match.

The US top Group D standings ahead of the game between Australia and Turkey on Saturday.

Next up, the US face the Australians on June 19, while Paraguay play against Turkey.

Image from: Co-hosts US kick off World Cup with dominant win over Paraguay
United States players celebrate their side's first goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D soccer match between USA and Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. Ringo Chiu/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa