USA impress against Paraguay as 2026 World Cup pressure builds

The United States gave itself a statement start against Paraguay, turning 45 brilliant minutes into a reminder that hosting a World Cup is only the beginning. In a tournament built on 48 teams and 104 matches across Canada, Mexico and the United States, the harder question is whether the USMNT can keep that level when the games start to resemble quarterfinals and semifinals.

The USA opened Group D at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12 after the final draw in Washington, DC put them alongside Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye. Rio Ferdinand conducted the draw, with Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge and Shaquille O’Neal serving as assistants, while the three host nations, the United States, Canada and Mexico, all qualified automatically. The Americans now turn to Australia in Seattle on June 19 before returning to Los Angeles to face Türkiye on June 25, two matches that should show whether the opening surge can travel.

For all the energy around a home tournament, the comparison point is harsh. The USA’s deepest men’s World Cup run remains the quarter-finals in 2002, when Germany beat them 1-0 in Ulsan. FIFA also records a third-place finish at the inaugural 1930 World Cup, but the modern standard for elite status is deeper than a single strong showing. The teams that reach quarter-finals and semifinals usually bring roster depth, control against top opposition and consistency from one match to the next, three areas where the United States has still been trying to prove itself over a full tournament.

Paraguay provided a useful measuring stick. Gustavo Alfaro’s side returned to the World Cup after missing the 2014 and 2018 editions, and FIFA says this was its first finals appearance since South Africa 2010, when Paraguay reached the quarter-finals, its best finish. Paraguay also has a direct link to the United States in World Cup history, having first met them at the 1930 tournament, when the Americans won 3-0. Against that backdrop, the 45-minute burst against Paraguay looked encouraging, but the larger test is whether the United States can turn a home opening into proof that it belongs among the sport’s established powers.