The USMNT didn’t disappoint in its World Cup debut — Folarin Balogun made sure of that. The Americans took home a 4-1 win after Balogun bagged a first-half brace to erase any doubt about the outcome.
The scoring started early with a Paraguay own goal in the seventh minute, but the U.S. kept pressing and creating chances. In the 31st minute, Christian Pulisic found Balogun with space in the box, and the Monaco striker poked it cleanly into the bottom-right corner of the net. Balogun then doubled his tally in the waning moments of the first half with a sexy cut and finish into the top-left corner.
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Paraguay would get one back late in the second half on a finish from Maurício, but Gio Reyna responded in the final seconds with a beautiful goal from just inside the box.
Canada is still seeking its first-ever win in the competition after a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in the earlier matchup — but it did secure its first point. The country’s two previous trips to the World Cup ended with three losses each.
The Canadians trailed early in the match after a combination of headers off a corner resulted in a goal by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Jovo Lukic. Canada had plenty of close calls trying to level things before finally breaking through in the 78th minute on a beautiful strike in the box by Cyle Larin that got a favorable deflection before ending up in the back of the net.
In the end, it was a deserved result that keeps both teams firmly in the mix with Group B’s other contenders, Switzerland and Qatar.
2026 World Cup guide | Schedule | Group tables | Live updates
See how Day 2 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup played out below.
Live61 updatesSat, June 13, 2026 at 4:25 AM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The third day of the World Cup is a good one folks.
Marquee Game of the Day: Brazil vs. Morocco. Also on tap: Qatar vs. Switzerland, Haiti vs. Scotland and Australia vs. Turkiye.
For more on Saturday’s action, Nick Bromberg has broken down the matchups.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 3:30 AM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
It took until Day 2 for VAR to play a significant role in World Cup action. Here’s how video replay helped USMNT vs. Paraguay, and why it’ll play a crucial role at this year’s World Cup.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 2:30 AM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
A security breakdown led to several items being stolen from England‘s World Cup team while moving from its pre-tournament base in Florida to its training camp in Kansas City, according to the Guardian.
Among the items reportedly stolen from the vehicles were match boots for several of the team’s stars, as well as tournament balls and training equipment. It presents a logistical challenge for the team, which is scheduled to train at Swope Soccer Village in Missouri on Saturday.
Read more about the heist right here.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 1:29 AM PDT
Jeff Eisenberg
A “kick” to the back of the left calf was to blame, Pulisic said after the U.S. team’s 4-1 victory over Paraguay. When asked about the severity of the injury, the 27-year-old American said he was hopeful he would be able to play in the USMNT‘s second group play match next Friday against Australia.
“I’m really hoping that it’s nothing,” Pulisic said. “Taking a little bit of precaution tonight but I’m hoping I’ll be fine in the next few days.
“I’ve had similar things before. I’m staying positive. I don’t think it’s anything.”
Read more about Pulisic’s injury right here.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 12:30 AM PDT
Kari Anderson
The FIFA base camp system has teams spread throughout the continent in a number of unexpected places. For the Algerian team, that’s Lawrence, Kansas, where the squad has been training at the University of Kansas facilities.
Lawrence and Kansas, it appears, have heartily embraced the Algerian team. On Thursday, the Fennecs toured Kansas’ basketball facilities and was greeted by the Jayhawks’ marching band, with Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez expressing his appreciation for the welcome.
One local resident even uttered one of the finest, most eyebrow-raising phrases of all time: “Rock Chalk Algeria.”
Clearly Lawrence is going all-in on Algeria — and if that’s not evidence of the power of the global tournament, what is?
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 11:30 PM PDT
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 8:45 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 8:04 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Paraguayans got one back late in the second half on a close finish by Maurício, but Gio Reyna responded in kind with a beautiful trivela to close things out.
Final stats:
Possession: 63-37 USA
Shots: 17-8 USA
Shots on Goal: 5-1 USA
Saves: USA 0, Paraguay 4
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 7:04 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Americans are really pouring it on in Los Angeles in their opener. After a Paraguayan own goal in the 7th minute gave them an early lead, it’s been a showcase for Folarin Balogun.
The 24-year-old striker has a first-half brace after a brilliant poke into the corner of the net in the 31st minute and a finish with a flourish in the waning seconds of the opening half.
What a World Cup debut for ‘Flo’.
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 6:00 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Just a reminder, we’ll be tracking all the action between the U.S. and Paraguay separately, so click here to follow that match.
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 5:30 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 4:50 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
Though the first games of the World Cup have certainly been packed, it’s a little unclear if they’ve been explicitly “sold out.” Some seats in the stadiums have appeared to be empty, amid sky-high prices for games (though those prices have been dropping on the secondary market),
On Friday, though, FIFA put out a (slightly defensive) statement, clarifying that attendance numbers reflect scanned tickets, and saying that empty seats can be explained by fans being on the concourse.
“Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment during the match,” the organization said. “Please note that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.”
Ticket sales have dominated the conversation ahead of the tournament, with many fans not willing to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to attend. Now that the event has begun, that issue has reached a head, and FIFA is being forced to start responding.
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 4:30 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
As Norway waits for its first group stage game next week, the Norwegians have been embracing the local culture of Raleigh, North Carolina — including checking out Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals.
The Carolina Hurricanes went on to beat the Vegas Golden Knights in the home matchup. And it’s clear that they also made a Canes fan for life in Erling Haaland, who appears to have had the time of his life during Thursday’s game.
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 4:00 PM PDT
Sean Leahy
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 3:30 PM PDT
Sean Leahy
For their first World Cup game on U.S. soil in 32 years, the U.S. is going with the stripes for the opening match against Paraguay (9 p.m. ET; Fox)
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 3:00 PM PDT
Steven Goff
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In the hours before Friday’s U.S. World Cup opener, at the team hotel, on the police-escorted bus and inside SoFi Stadium’s locker room, Mauricio Pochettino will dispense final instructions to a team he has molded for 19 months.
As the minutes count down to kickoff against Paraguay, Pochettino will step into a moment worthy of a Hollywood film and have an opportunity to rally his players with a speech that invokes courage and patriotism while also touching their hearts.
He could mirror the inspirational speech punctuating one of his favorite movies, “Miracle,” in which Kurt Russell, portraying coach Herb Brooks, rallied the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team.
In those final moments, though, Pochettino says he will not say much.
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 11: Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino of the United States during practice on June 11, 2026 in Irvine, California. (Photo by John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images)
(John Dorton/USSF via Getty Images)Fri, June 12, 2026 at 2:57 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports
Check out the live breakdown from the USMNT’s opening match against Paraguay here.
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 2:36 PM PDT
Sean Leahy
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 2:34 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
It took three tries, but the Canadians finally have a point at a World Cup. At the 1986 FIFA tournament, they lost 1-0, 2-0 and 2-0. At the 2022 World Cup, they lost 1-0, 4-1 and 2-1.
The draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina ends the drought and keeps them alive in a wide-open Group B.
Fri, June 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM PDT
Nick Bromberg
My big takeaway from the draw is that Group B could be well-positioned for three teams in the Round of 32. I’m not discounting Qatar entirely, but if Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina get wins against the Qataris, they, along with Switzerland, should be moving on.