The United States, led by Mauricio Pochettino, arrive as joint hosts of the 2026 World Cup with high expectations and a talented roster that will face Paraguay in their Group D debut, which will feature an opening ceremony. And it will be heavily taken into account that the spectacle is not ruined by the weather in LA.
USA arrive off a 2-1 friendly victory against Paraguay in November 2025 and possess home momentum, despite recent mixed results against strong opponents. In their last five matches, they were only able to win one against Senegal, 2-1, and from there they lost against Portugal, Germany, Belgium, and Mexico, which raises expectations and will surely cause fan attendance to rise.
Paraguay, under Gustavo Alfaro, return to the World Cup after a 16-year absence, with their last appearance occurring in 2010, following a solid South American qualifying campaign. They arrive with recent victories against opponents like Greece and Nicaragua, boasting a solid squad at the back with stars like Gustavo Gomez and Miguel Almiron, who will surely be in the lineup for the match.
What happens if USA win vs Paraguay?
If the United States secure a victory against Paraguay, they will add their first 3 points, positioning themselves ideally to lead Group D and delivering a statement of authority on their own home turf.
Miguel Almiron of Paraguay
This result would grant them enormous peace of mind heading into their second match against Australia in Seattle, since an additional triumph would practically seal their mathematical qualification to the round of 32.
What happens if USA and Paraguay tie?
If the United States and Paraguay tie, both squads will share 1 point, leaving the group completely wide open and dependent on what occurs in the match between Turkey and Australia. For the Americans, a disappointing draw at home would mean the obligation to imperatively search for all three points against the Australians on June 19 to avoid complicating their aspirations.
Under the current format, a draw in the debut is not catastrophic, remembering that the 8 best third-place finishers advance to the next round, but it drastically reduces the margin of error, forcing them to depend on goal differential as a tiebreaker if a three-way tie occurs in the final standings.
What happens if USA lose vs Paraguay?
A defeat against Paraguay would place the United States in a highly critical situation and on the brink of a historic failure as a host nation, leaving them with 0 points at the bottom of Group D. Losing the debut would force Pochettino’s squad to obligatorily win its two remaining matches against Australia and Turkey to aspire to a direct qualification, or failing that, to secure a blowout win to try to advance as one of the best third place finishers in the tournament.
