The United States, host of the FIFA World Cup 2026, is set to play its opening match against Paraguay on Saturday morning. Marking their first World Cup meeting in 96 years, the USA and Paraguay are ranked 17th and 41st respectively. US coach Mauricio Pochettino has noted that the match will be highly challenging due to Paraguay’s outstanding players and coaching staff.
This Group B fixture will take place at the Los Angeles Stadium, kicking off at 6:45 a.m. US time Saturday, which corresponds to Nepal Time. Hosting the World Cup for the first time in 32 years, the US team aims to start strong by securing a win on home soil. This will be the second World Cup encounter between the two teams; their inaugural meeting was at the very first World Cup in 1930, where the US triumphed 3–0.
Paraguay has participated in nine World Cups so far. They qualified for this tournament after finishing sixth in the South American qualifiers, marking their first World Cup appearance since 2010. Paraguayan coach Gustavo Alfaro expressed that securing a World Cup spot has been a long-awaited moment and a great source of pride for the nation.
Match details are as follows: Match: USA vs Paraguay, Venue: Los Angeles Stadium, Time: 6:45 a.m. US time, Referee: Danny Makkelie. Recent form shows the USA with 2 wins and 3 losses in their last 5 games, while Paraguay has recorded 3 wins and 2 losses in their last 5 matches.
