2026 World Cup scores, results: USMNT throttles Paraguay; Canada earns draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Paraguayans got one back late in the second half on a close finish by Maurício, but Gio Reyna responded in kind with a beautiful trivela to close things out.

Final stats:
Possession: 63-37 USA
Shots: 17-8 USA
Shots on Goal: 5-1 USA
Saves: USA 0, Paraguay 4

The Americans are really pouring it on in Los Angeles in their opener. After a Paraguayan own goal in the 7th minute gave them an early lead, it’s been a showcase for Folarin Balogun.

The 24-year-old striker has a first-half brace after a brilliant poke into the corner of the net in the 31st minute and a finish with a flourish in the waning seconds of the opening half.

What a World Cup debut for ‘Flo’.

Just a reminder, we’ll be tracking all the action between the U.S. and Paraguay separately, so click here to follow that match.

Though the first games of the World Cup have certainly been packed, it’s a little unclear if they’ve been explicitly “sold out.” Some seats in the stadiums have appeared to be empty, amid sky-high prices for games (though those prices have been dropping on the secondary market),

On Friday, though, FIFA put out a (slightly defensive) statement, clarifying that attendance numbers reflect scanned tickets, and saying that empty seats can be explained by fans being on the concourse.

“Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment during the match,” the organization said. “Please note that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.”

Ticket sales have dominated the conversation ahead of the tournament, with many fans not willing to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to attend. Now that the event has begun, that issue has reached a head, and FIFA is being forced to start responding.

As Norway waits for its first group stage game next week, the Norwegians have been embracing the local culture of Raleigh, North Carolina — including checking out Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals.

The Carolina Hurricanes went on to beat the Vegas Golden Knights in the home matchup. And it’s clear that they also made a Canes fan for life in Erling Haaland, who appears to have had the time of his life during Thursday’s game.

For their first World Cup game on U.S. soil in 32 years, the U.S. is going with the stripes for the opening match against Paraguay (9 p.m. ET; Fox)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In the hours before Friday’s U.S. World Cup opener, at the team hotel, on the police-escorted bus and inside SoFi Stadium’s locker room, Mauricio Pochettino will dispense final instructions to a team he has molded for 19 months.

As the minutes count down to kickoff against Paraguay, Pochettino will step into a moment worthy of a Hollywood film and have an opportunity to rally his players with a speech that invokes courage and patriotism while also touching their hearts.

He could mirror the inspirational speech punctuating one of his favorite movies, “Miracle,” in which Kurt Russell, portraying coach Herb Brooks, rallied the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team.

In those final moments, though, Pochettino says he will not say much.

Read more here.

It took three tries, but the Canadians finally have a point at a World Cup. At the 1986 FIFA tournament, they lost 1-0, 2-0 and 2-0. At the 2022 World Cup, they lost 1-0, 4-1 and 2-1.

The draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina ends the drought and keeps them alive in a wide-open Group B.

My big takeaway from the draw is that Group B could be well-positioned for three teams in the Round of 32. I’m not discounting Qatar entirely, but if Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina get wins against the Qataris, they, along with Switzerland, should be moving on.

Canada nearly snatched back one more goal in the final minute of stoppage time, but a great block from the Bosnian defense keeps it level.

Canada and B&H will leave the game with a point apiece — the first-ever World Cup point in Canada’s history, as Les Rouges had lost all six of its previous games in the tournament.

Nikola Katić is carded after taking down Cyle Larin in a pretty obvious foul. The tables of frustration appear to have turned, as both sides try to use these final minutes to make something happen and avoid what seems to be an inevitable

Moments after subbing on, Cyle Larin hits a stunning finish through traffic to equalize for Les Rouges. Canada finally, finally finds the back of the net after knocking on the door for much of the second half.

That’s Canada’s third World Cup goal all-time, and just the second scored by a Canadian player in the global tournament.

Ismaël Koné was not happy about that foul call, with his teammate having to hold him back from arguing with the referee.

Moments later, Jacob Shaffelburg tries to argue with the officials as well after what he thought was a missed call. The frustration for the Canadians is clear.

The Bosnian defense is holding strong in this second half so far.