FIFA World Cup cohosts United States begin their campaign against Paraguay, with Donald Trump ’ s attendance in doubt. Who: USA vs Paraguay What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match Where: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, California When: Friday, 6pm local time ( 01:00 GMT Saturday) How to follow: We ’ ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 22:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream. The news comes at a time of heightened scrutiny on the issue.

Key Plays

The issue at hand has deep roots and a history that continues to shape the current situation.

For the first time in more than three decades, the United States will play a football World Cup on home soil when the team hosts familiar foes Paraguay in their 2026 tournament opener.

Even as Paraguay ’ s president, Santiago Pena, announced that he would be travelling to LA for the match, Trump ’ s attendance at the first 2026 World Cup game on American soil is yet to be validated.

In a detail that has not gone unnoticed, usually, the president or head of state of the host nations attends the opening match of the tournament – and this World Cup, with 48 teams and 104 matches, is the biggest-ever in history.

Top Performers

The response from officials, analysts, and stakeholders has been swift and pointed.

Pulisic ’ s form could dictate how far the US go at the tournament, where they have an upper hand as the highest-ranked team ( 17th) in their coalition.

Of particular significance is the fact that this year ’ s tournament marks the 12th US appearance, with a third-place finish in an 18-team 1930 World Cup being their best achievement so far.

It has also emerged that although Paraguay are the lowest-ranked team ( 41st) in this coalition, they possess a solid backline, which will try to slow down the American attack.

The Stats

As the dust begins to settle, the real-world consequences are starting to emerge.

As cohosts, the US did not have to qualify for the tournament, while Paraguay had to ⁠come through the demanding CONMEBOL route, finishing last of the six automatic qualifiers ⁠in South America.

Of particular significance is the fact that la Albirroja – Spanish for “ the white and red ” – are returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when they lost to eventual champions Spain in the quarterfinals.

In a detail that has not gone unnoticed, the US, Paraguay, Australia and Turkiye are in Body D. The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – proceed to the next phase, the round of 32, which has been introduced at the World Cup for the first time.

Further developments have shed additional light on the matter. in Paraguay, TyC International B.V., and Nacion Media have the rights to telecast and livestream the match, set to begin at 10pm, Friday local time.

Significantly, the teams met in the first World Cup in 1930 in a match won by the US.

Next Up

For now, the situation continues to evolve, with no definitive resolution in sight. Those closely following the issue are preparing for further developments in what has become a significant and consequential story.