The 2026 FIFA World Cup resumed on Saturday with the tournament’s two remaining hosts, Canada and the USA, kicking off their campaigns.
Canada drew 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina in the day’s early match in Toronto, before Australia got its first look at Group D rivals USA and Paraguay, with the co-hosts making a powerful opening statement in Los Angeles.
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World Cup co-hosts the USA were in dreamland as they romped to a 4-1 victory against Paraguay in their tournament opener in Los Angeles.
Three of Mauricio Pochettino’s side goals came in the first half as they played with an electricity that caught not only the Paraguayan defence, but the whole world by surprise.
Giovanni Reyna’s outside of the foot strike in the 98th minute then make it a historic occasion as the USA scored four goals in a World Cup match for the second time.
There was a nervous energy among the roughly 70,000 fans who packed out the home of the NFL’s LA Rams and LA Chargers, which hosted the Superbowl in 2022, will do so again next year and will host the opening ceremony and the swimming events of the 2028 Olympic Games.
Their stress was relieved in just the seventh minute, however, as a Damian Bobadilla own goal gave the Americans the opener.
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Weston McKennie and Cristian Pulisic linked up impressively in the build up before McKennie’s pass caught the boot of a scrambling Bobadilla and agonisingly, for the South Americans, trickled into the net.
The USA thought they had a second immediately after the first half hydration break when Folarin Balogun found the back of the net, but it was ruled out as Pulisic was found to have been offside in the build-up.
Balogun only needed to wait a few more minutes to get on the scoresheet as the striker for Ligue 1 club Monaco pounced on a Pulisic pass in the 31st minute.
Then in the fifth minute of first half stoppage time, Balogun slammed home his second to become the first American man to bag a World Cup brace in 96 years.
“It’s my first World Cup and to start with two goals, I couldn’t ask for much more, so happy,” the Arsenal academy product said.
They made it to the Round of 16 in Qatar four years ago, but in one half, the USA matched their goal tally from the previous World Cup.
Former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Pochettino’s side experienced several teething issues in the lead-up to the tournament but unleashed a new attacking edge that was largely driven by blistering pace.
Paraguay is the lowest ranked team in Group D, but in qualifying they registered impressive results in defeating South American heavyweights Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
They were all at sea in Los Angeles, however, as they simply could not handle the speed of America’s attackers.
That was led by Pulisic, the 27-year-old AC Milan winger often dubbed ‘Captain America’ when representing his nation.
Pulisic repeatedly snuck out the back of the Paraguay defensive line, and they could not catch him as he played a key hand in almost every attack before being subbed off at half time.
While the game was still going, no reason was given by US officials for the substitution.
Pochettino address it in his post-match press conference.
After saying he was “so proud” and “so happy”, the Argentine manager said Pulisic got a kick in the calf and started to feel tight at the end of the first half.
With a 3-0 lead at half-time, they opted to not take a risk.
Paraguay nabbed a goal back in the 73rd minute as a long ball created a scramble before substitute Mauricio broke free to fire a strike in the bottom right corner.
That created some nervous energy among the home fans, but the result was never seriously in doubt.
The co-hosts’ performance also has likely set them on the path to the knockouts.
With a strong goal difference and eight third-place finishers making it the Round of 32, USA are well-placed to advance ahead of their remaining Group D meetings with Australia and Türkiye.
The three previous times they won their opening game, USA made it out of the group.
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SUPER SUB POWERS CANADA TO HISTORIC POINT
Co-hosts Canada grabbed a second-half equaliser to draw 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday in the first World Cup finals game ever played on Canadian soil.
Cyle Larin got Canada’s goal after Jovo Lukic put Bosnia ahead with a header in the 21st minute in Toronto.
The result gave Canada its first point in World Cup history. Canadian sides had a perfect record of futility at two previous tournament appearances in 1986 and 2022, with six losses.
Lukic’s goal from a corner sent the small but enthusiastic Bosnian contingent at the Toronto Stadium into a frenzy.
Canada had the majority of play in the first half but failed to generate any real chances.
The stadium erupted in the 17th minute when forward Jonathan David had a clear shot on goal, but it was easily handled by Bosnian keeper Nikola Vasilj.
Canada’s Ismael Kone had a golden opportunity in the 30th minute, but sailed his strike well over the net, prompting groans from tens of thousands of Canadians who blanketed the stadium in a sea of red.
The second half began in similar fashion, with Canada largely on the attack, but unable to find the net.
Bosnia’s veteran defender Sead Kolasinac saved a certain goal when he diverted a strike from David onto the crossbar, extending Canada’s agony.
But Larin’s strike in the 78th minute marked a high point in Canada’s limited World Cup history, causing a mostly Canadian crowd of 43,000 to erupt.
Canada threatened to go ahead in the final minutes, narrowly missing a goal near the final whistle.
Canadian entertainment royalty attended the match at the home of the MLS’s Toronto FC, including film star Ryan Reynolds, from Vancouver, and Saturday Night Live and Austin Powers star Mike Myers, a Toronto native.
– Coach’s honest admission –
Canada coach Jesse Marsch said Friday he didn’t do enough to ready his side for the first half of the co-hosts’ World Cup draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina and wants to see more “self-belief” in their next match.
Marsch said his second-half substitutes made a “big impact”, particularly Cyle Larin, whose equaliser in the 78th minute earned Canada a 1-1 draw and their first-ever World Cup point.
“I’ve got to figure out how to get a little bit more out of some of the starters and make sure that we have a better performance from the start,” Marsch told reporters in Toronto.
“We want to make sure that the team is equipped from the start for all these matches,” he said, adding: “I feel like I didn’t do enough to get them ready for the first half.” Marsch was asked about two key decisions with his lineup, including not starting Larin.
“Cyle wasn’t happy about not starting and we had a brief conversation about that, but I said, ‘Look, you’ve had a great year at Southampton whether you started or came off the bench,’” he said, praising Larin for putting himself in a position to find the net.
Asked about removing star forward Jonathan David after an hour, Marsch said: “Johnny didn’t have his best day. It’s normal that a player doesn’t always play at his peak.” “We’ll need him in this tournament to be at his best and find a way to use this experience to be better for the next one,” the coach added.
Marsch also thanked Canada fans who blanketed Toronto Stadium in a sea of red for Canada’s first-ever World Cup match on home soil.
“In a difficult moment, we responded, and I have to also thank the crowd. The crowd, I think, willed us into the game.” Bosnia-Herzegovina coach Sergej Barbarez told reporters “both teams deserved this point,” praising his side for a resilient effort in hostile terrain.
“It’s a huge compliment for my team to have not succumbed to that pressure,” he said.
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