United States thrash Paraguay 4-1 in their World Cup debut
The second day of the 2026 World Cup delivered the first big win for one of the hosts. The United States came through convincingly against Paraguay in an opening performance that is already beginning to set the tone for the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup keeps rolling with the first matches of the group stage, and this Friday 12 June produced a standout image: United States made their debut with a 4-1 rout of Paraguay. It was one of the most notable games of the second day and the official debut of the last host nation to appear before its home fans.
The day also brought another important result for the organizers: Canada drew 1-1 with Bosnia Herzegovina and picked up a point in their opener, on a day when the tournament once again focused attention on the rhythm of the host countries.
United States, the last host to make its debut
With the tournament already underway, the U.S. debut created a special atmosphere. Coverage of the day showed that United States' opening match was followed with anticipation inside and outside the stadium, in a World Cup edition being played across United States, Mexico and Canada.
Before the match, it was even reported that U.S. president Donald Trump spoke by phone with head coach Mauricio Pochettino, telling him:
“You are a fantastic guy”, according to the information released.
That call came ahead of the local side's opener, in a context in which the tournament organization continues to move forward with its first dates and with the host teams already on stage.
The tournament's opening weekend takes shape
The second day also left a particular atmosphere in the Canadian host city, where the opening ceremony for the first match did not fully match the expected festive tone. The information released about that moment said there were boos for United States during the opening in Canada, a detail that stood out from the rest of the day.
Beyond that episode, the football focus remained on the results and on how the group-stage schedule is taking shape. At the same time, international coverage began to reflect the interest of teams that are already preparing their next commitments in the competition.
Among those signs of the event's scale, there were also references to ticket sales for group-stage matches involving different national teams, as happened with Spain, which is seeking support for its three opening matches.
A World Cup with an expanded format and huge demand
The World Cup with 48 teams is now under way, and that multiplies the attention on the schedule, the stadiums and the host cities. The World Cup is being played across United States, Mexico and Canada, with logistics spread across multiple venues and the group-stage calendar beginning to take shape from the opening days.
For fans, following the next steps comes down to three main points:
- Schedule: how each national team’s matches are arranged in the group stage.
- Venues and stadiums: which cities host each team's matches.
- Tickets: availability to follow the national teams live, a central issue in a tournament expanded to 48 teams.
With the first results already on the board, attention now shifts to the next dates and to how FIFA will manage the tournament calendar. In a World Cup with more matches, more venues and greater ticket demand, each day begins to offer clues about the pace the competition will have in North America.
