The United States opened its home 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay. Folarin Balogun scored two goals for the United States, and according to alarabiya, Christian Pulisic recorded an assist while Gio Reyna added an injury‑time goal.

The win was the United States' biggest win in any World Cup tournament, its first home World Cup in 32 years, and the first time the United States scored four goals in a World Cup match. According to timesofindia, the United States' seventh‑minute goal was the third‑fastest ever scored by a host nation in an opening World Cup match, and the four‑goal tally exceeded its total goals from the 2022 tournament. Paraguay's Matias Glaraza scored 64 seconds into the match, setting a new 2026 World Cup record, according to france24. Dawn reported that Balogun became the first United States player to score twice in a World Cup game since the 1930 tournament, and Tim Ream said, “Amazing result,” and, “It’s exactly the way we wanted to start the tournament.”

The United States defeated Australia 2-0 to advance to the knockout rounds. Dailyjournal.net reported that the United States won its group and qualified for the knockout round, and that Chris Richards said, “I don’t think it’s ridiculous to say that we want to win it” after the victory.