USMNT’s First Opponent at 2026 World Cup Confirmed

The Stars and Stripes received a favorable draw for the 2026 World Cup.

Tyler Adams (left) and Christian Pulisic (right) lead Mauricio Pochettino’s (middle) USMNT next summer. / Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/Getty Images, Omar Vega/Getty Images, Koji Watanabe/Getty Images

The U.S. men’s national team will face Paraguay in their first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 12.

The Stars and Stripes learned their World Cup path on Friday afternoon as the all-important draw unfolded at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Mauricio Pochettino’s men were pre-drawn into Group D and were later joined by Paraguay, Australia and the winner of Playoff C—Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.

Of its three group stage opponents, the USMNT take on Paraguay in their opening game at next summer’s tournament. The clash, set to kick off at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, comes just seven months after the two sides met in an international friendly.

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The U.S. walked away with a 2–1 victory on Nov. 15 thanks to goals from Gio Reyna and Folarin Balogun. Christian Pulisic was not available for the clash; the Stars and Stripes’ captain remained with AC Milan to fully recover from injury.

The USMNT will be happy to meet a familiar foe on home soil to begin their quest for World Cup glory. With Pochettino leading what many consider the “golden generation” of American stars, expectations have never been higher.

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USMNT Eyeing Redemption at the World Cup

Mauricio Pochettino is dreaming big this summer. / Omar Vega/Getty Images

The USMNT has struggled for form over the last year and a half. The Stars and Stripes had a disastrous showing at Copa América 2024 in which they crashed out in the group stage in front of a home crowd.

Then, they failed to make the Concacaf Nations League final and even suffered a 2–1 defeat to Canada in the third place match. Things only got worse this summer, when they finished as runners-up in the Gold Cup while rivals Mexico lifted the trophy.

The U.S. has slowly bounced back from its poor results, though, and ended the year on a five-match unbeaten run, picking up victories against Japan, Australia, Paraguay and Uruguay, even while the team was not at full strength.

Pochettino will hope his side can keep their momentum going in the new year and finally make up for its lackluster finishes on soccer’s biggest stage.

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