The United States return to the biggest stage in football this summer, hosting FIFA World Cup 2026 for the second time in their history. Their opening match — kick-off at 9:00pm ET on Friday — pits Mauricio Pochettino's side against Paraguay at Inglewood's SoFi Stadium in Group D.

A historic rivalry renewed

These two nations first met at the very first FIFA World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, where the United States claimed a 3-0 victory. Bert Patenaude scored the competition's first-ever hat-trick in that fixture. Ninety-six years later, the stakes are just as significant for both sides.

Paraguay, ranked 40th in the world, are the lowest-ranked of CONMEBOL's six qualifiers for this tournament. Gustavo Alfaro's side warmed up with a 4-0 friendly win over Nicaragua in Asunción last week. The red-and-whites last appeared at a World Cup in 2010, making this a long-awaited return.

Pochettino's men eye fast start

The United States, ranked 17th in the world, are 23 places above their Group D opponents. Pochettino's preparations have offered genuine encouragement — his side defeated Senegal 3-2 in a dramatic warm-up match, with Folarin Balogun netting the winner after the US surrendered a two-goal lead. They then pushed a strong Germany side hard in Chicago.

Three points from the opener would set the hosts up for a favourable run through Group D, which also includes Australia and Turkey. Those two sides meet at BC Place in the group's second fixture before facing the United States and Paraguay respectively on June 19.

Where to watch

The match is available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer in the UK, SBS On Demand in Australia, and Tubi in the United States. Fox also carries the game in the US. Additional free streams are available via RTÉ Player in Ireland, CazéTV on YouTube in Brazil, NOS in the Netherlands, RTBF/VRT in Belgium, SRF/RTS/RSI in Switzerland, and TRT in Turkey.