USA crush Paraguay in World Cup 2026 opener as Balogun scores twice and Reyna strikes late

The United States made a confident start to their home World Cup 2026 campaign. In their opening Group C match, Mauricio Pochettino’s side defeated Paraguay 4-1.

Turkey and Australia are also in this group. The Americans will face Australia in their next match and will go into that game full of confidence.

Paraguay had been seen as a very difficult opponent before the tournament. The South American side had enjoyed an excellent qualifying campaign, conceding only 10 goals in 18 matches. However, against the USA, Paraguay’s usually reliable defence could not cope with the pressure from the tournament co-hosts.

The match began at a high tempo. Paraguay created the first dangerous moment, with Antonio Sanabria testing Matt Freese with a shot on goal. But after that, the initiative quickly shifted to the United States.

The Americans opened the scoring in the 7th minute. Weston McKennie found Christian Pulisic on the left flank, the AC Milan forward beat the defenders, and after a ball into the penalty area, it struck Damian Bobadilla and ended up in Paraguay’s net. The own goal marked the beginning of a difficult night for the South Americans.

The USA continued to attack and soon doubled their lead. In the 31st minute, Folarin Balogun finished off a pass from Pulisic to make it 2-0. Before half-time, the Monaco striker completed his brace. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Balogun received a pass from Malik Tillman, cut inside and fired powerfully into the top corner.

After the break, Paraguay tried to get back into the game. Substitute Mauricio added energy to the visitors’ attack and scored in the 73rd minute after a pass from Julio Enciso, reducing the deficit to 3-1.

However, that goal only woke the Americans up again. Pochettino’s side increased the tempo and settled the match in the closing stages. In the 90+8th minute, Giovanni Reyna scored with a fine long-range strike to make it 4-1.

For the United States, this match was historic for several reasons. The Americans won their opening match at a World Cup for the first time since 2014, when they beat Ghana 2-1. In addition, the USA scored four goals in a World Cup finals match for the first time.

After the match, USA captain Tim Ream said it was a great honour to lead the team.

“It’s an honour to lead this team. We’ve put in a lot of work, and the guys have done a lot to get to this point. To start the tournament with a performance like that and three points is exactly what we wanted,” Ream said.

Striker Ricardo Pepi also highlighted the importance of the strong start.

“This puts us in a good spot. You can see the chemistry we have as a team. We are ready for the next match. The atmosphere at a home World Cup was fantastic,” Pepi said.

The United States made a powerful statement in the first round. Balogun scored twice, Pulisic was involved in two scoring moves, McKennie produced one of his most energetic performances for the national team, and Reyna capped off the American night with a spectacular goal.

World Cup 2026. Group C. Matchday 1

USA — Paraguay — 4-1

Goals: Bobadilla, 7 — own goal, Balogun, 31, 45+5, Reyna, 90+8 — Mauricio, 73.