The Yanks will begin their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against La Albirroja of Paraguay on Satuirday in a fixture that revives a rivalry taking back to the inaugural World Cup in 1930. The United States emerged 3-0 winners in that historic encounter, which remains the only meeting between the two nations in FIFA World Cup history.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino will be aiming to guide the hosts into the knockout stages, while Gustavo Alfaro's Paraguay popularly known as Los Guaraníes or La Garra Guaraní return to football's grandest stage after a 16-year absence. The United States, meanwhile, have been a regular feature at the World Cup, qualifying for every edition since 1990 except for 2018.
With home support and a talented squad at their disposal, the USA will enter the contest as favourites. However, Paraguay's resilience under Alfaro and their impressive qualification campaign suggest La Albirroja have the tools to make life difficult for the tournament hosts in what promises to be a fascinating Group D encounter.
USA Vs Paraguay, FIFA World Cup 2026: H2H Record
Matches: 9
United States: 5
Paraguay: 2
Draws: 2
USA Vs Paraguay, FIFA World Cup 2026: Match Prediction
The United States enter the contest as favourites, backed by home support and a talented attacking unit led by Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun. Paraguay, however, have built a reputation under Gustavo Alfaro for their disciplined defensive structure and ability to frustrate opponents. While La Albirroja are expected to make life difficult for the hosts, the Stars and Stripes possess enough quality in the final third to edge the encounter, with a narrow 2-1 victory appearing the most likely outcome.
USA Vs Paraguay, FIFA World Cup 2026: Likely Starting XIs
Mexico Predicted XIs:
Freese (GK); Freeman, McKenzie, Ream; Dest, McKennie, Adams, Tillman, A. Robinson; Balogun, Pulisic.
South Africa Predicted XIs:
Fernández (GK); Cáceres, G. Gómez, Alderete, Alonso; Bobadilla, Cubas; D. Gómez, Enciso, Almirón; Sanabria.
USA Vs Paraguay, FIFA World Cup 2026: Match Details
Location: Inglewood, California, USA
Stadium: SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Stadium)
Date: Friday, 12 June
Kick-off Time: 13/06/2026 – 06:30 AM (IST)
USA Vs Paraguay, FIFA World Cup 2026: LIVE Streaming & Telecast Details
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be telecast live on Unite8 Sports network on television. For live streaming, one can catch the action on the Zee5 app and website.
USA Vs Paraguay, FIFA World Cup 2026: Squads
USA:
Goalkeepers
Matt Turner, Matt Freese, Chris Brady.
Defenders
Max Arfsten, Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Auston Trusty.
Midfielders
Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Weston McKennie, Cristian Roldan, Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman, Timothy Weah, Alejandro Zendejas.
Forwards
Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright.
Paraguay:
Goalkeepers
Orlando Gill, Roberto Fernández, Gastón Olveira.
Defenders
Juan Cáceres, Gustavo Velázquez, Gustavo Gómez, Junior Alonso, José Canale, Omar Alderete, Alexandro Maidana, Fabián Balbuena.
Midfielders
Diego Gómez, Maurício Magalhães, Damián Bobadilla, Braian Ojeda, Andrés Cubas, Matías Galarza, Alejandro Gamarra.
Forwards
Gustavo Caballero, Ramón Sosa, Alex Arce, Isidro Pitta, Gabriel Ávalos, Miguel Almirón, Julio Enciso, Antonio Sanabria.
