The United States begins its home World Cup under the lights in Inglewood, where Mauricio Pochettino’s side opens Group D against Paraguay. It’s the first of three group games the Americans will play on home soil — and the one that sets the tone for the entire run.
As the opening fixture, there are no prior group results to dissect, only recent form. Paraguay reached the tournament through CONMEBOL qualifying on the back of a stubborn defense led by captain Gustavo Gómez and Sunderland’s Omar Alderete, and return to a World Cup for the first time since 2010. The USA, eyeing at least a repeat of their 2022 round-of-16 run, will be expected to take the game to them.
One injury concern: Paraguay playmaker Julio Enciso has a minor quadriceps issue from a friendly against Nicaragua but is still expected to feature. The hosts, meanwhile, look fully fit, with Christian Pulisic sharp after a strong club season — his seven goals tied for the most in Serie A in 2025-26 — and Pochettino free to field his strongest XI.
Date, kickoff time, and where to watch
The match kicks off on Friday, June 12, 2026. For viewers in New York and along the East Coast, that means a prime-time 9:00 p.m. ET start. The game airs in English on FOX, with a free stream on Tubi; Telemundo carries the Spanish broadcast. It also streams on FOX One and the FOX Sports app, with Spanish streaming on Peacock. Lock in your stream early — pregame performances start about 90 minutes before kickoff.
The stadium
SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood just southwest of downtown LA, is one of the most spectacular venues in sport. Opened in 2020 and home to the Rams and Chargers, it seats around 70,000 — expandable past 100,000 — beneath a vast translucent canopy, with a double-sided 4K video board hanging over the field.
Possible lineups
USA (4-3-3): Freese; Dest, Richards, Ream, A. Robinson; Adams, McKennie, Tillman; Weah, Balogun, Pulisic.
Paraguay (4-2-3-1): R. Fernández; Cáceres, G. Gómez, Alderete, Alonso; Cubas, Bobadilla; Almirón, Enciso, D. Gómez; Sanabria.
Things to do in Los Angeles:
10 July 2026 10:00 + more dates
29 July 2026 17:30 + more dates
14 August 2026 18:00 + more dates
