SoFi Stadium lights up as U.S. faces Paraguay in World Cup clash

SoFi Stadium glowed like a test case for America’s place in the game, with the United States opening its World Cup campaign against Paraguay before a crowd that mixed flag-waving fans, diplomatic heavyweights and a parade of celebrities. FIFA billed the Group D match as one of the most anticipated in U.S. soccer history, and the scene in Inglewood matched the hype from the first whistle at 18:00 local time.

The atmosphere carried more than spectacle. Paraguay arrived at its first World Cup since South Africa 2010, after finishing sixth in CONMEBOL qualifying, while the United States stepped into a rare meeting with a familiar historical echo. The two sides had faced each other only once before in World Cup play, in 1930, when the Americans won 3-0 behind Bert Patenaude’s hat trick, the first in tournament history.

By kickoff, SoFi had become a stage as much as a stadium. Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Paris Hilton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jason Sudeikis and Owen Wilson were among the names spotted in the stands, alongside Marco Rubio, Paraguay’s president Santiago Peña and FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The celebrity concentration underscored how closely the venue sits to Hollywood, and how readily the match drew the kind of attention that usually surrounds award shows more than group-stage soccer.

The turnout also carried a practical significance for the tournament’s U.S. debut. The Athletic reported that the USMNT opened in front of a packed house, easing earlier concerns about ticket sales and high prices that had shadowed the build-up. The full feel of the building suggested that, at least for a marquee match like this one, American soccer could still summon a national-scale audience when the stakes and the spectacle aligned.

Not everyone made the trip. SI reported that Donald Trump did not attend the match at SoFi Stadium, even as the night drew a cross-section of sports, entertainment and politics that gave the stadium the feel of a global civic event. For FIFA and for the U.S. as a host nation, the night in Inglewood offered a clear answer to one question and left another hanging: America can fill a World Cup venue with star power, but whether it can build the organic soccer culture long associated with traditional football nations remains the larger test.