2026 World Cup: United States vs. Paraguay, probable lineups

Following Mexico and Canada, the other host nation of the 2026 World Cup, the United States, is also set to take the field. The Stars and Stripes, led by Mauricio Pochettino, begin their Group D campaign against Paraguay, a team identified by many experts as a potential dark horse in the tournament. The match will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles County, at 3 a.m. Italian time on Saturday morning, 6 p.m. local time.

This marks the U.S. team’s twelfth appearance in the World Cup. Their best result remains, to this day, third place in 1930, while in the post-war era, after a very long transition period, they have been a regular presence at the World Cup since 1990, missing only the 2018 tournament. The 2002 edition was the most successful of this period: the United States reached the quarterfinals and gave Germany a scare, stopped only by Ballack’s goal and one of the many questionable refereeing calls of that tournament.

For Paraguay, this marks their ninth appearance overall: La Albirroja enjoyed its best period between 1998 and 2010, qualifying for the World Cup every year during that time and reaching the quarterfinals in South Africa—their best result ever: only a goal by David Villa in the 83rd minute allowed Spain to defeat the South Americans. From there came a long period of crisis, with three consecutive absences from the tournament; however, a new generation of talent has reignited hope in Asunción and the surrounding area.

Probable lineups

UNITED STATES (4-2-3-1): Freese; Freeman, Richards, Ream, Robinson; McKennie, Adams; Dest, Tillman, Pulisic; Balogun. Coach: Pochettino.

PARAGUAY (4-2-3-1): Fernandez; Caceres, G. Gomez, Alderete, Alonso; Bobadilla, Cubas; D. Gomez, Enciso, Almiron; Sanabria. Head Coach: Alfaro.