The 2026 World Cup’s North American co-hosts seized the spotlight Friday, as the United States overwhelmed Paraguay 4-1 behind a Folarin Balogun brace and, earlier in the day, Canada rallied for a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina to claim the first World Cup point in their history.
For Latin America, the night belonged to Paraguay — the lone CONMEBOL side in action on the day — and it proved a chastening introduction against a host nation that looks ready to contend.
United States 4, Paraguay 1
Playing in front of a roaring SoFi Stadium crowd in Inglewood, California, in the first World Cup match on U.S. soil since 1994, Mauricio Pochettino’s side struck early and never relented. Kickoff was 7 p.m. Costa Rica time.
Christian Pulisic ran the game from the opening minutes. His surge and pass to Weston McKennie forced a Damián Bobadilla own goal in the seventh minute, and Balogun doubled the lead in the 31st by turning in a Pulisic cross. Balogun added his second before the interval to send the Americans into the break 3-0 up, his work — and Pulisic’s — done. The Chelsea-linked playmaker was withdrawn at halftime with the game already won.
Paraguay found a foothold after the restart. Midfielder Mauricio Magalhães pulled one back in the 73rd minute, finishing an assist from star attacker Julio Enciso to make it 3-1 and quiet the home crowd. But Gio Reyna restored the three-goal cushion deep in stoppage time, curling home an audacious outside-of-the-boot “trivela” strike for the 4-1 final.
The result makes an early statement in Group D, which also features Australia and Turkey. La Albirroja, who pushed the U.S. in a 2-1 friendly defeat last November, will need to regroup quickly with two group matches left to salvage their campaign.
Canada 1, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1
Hours earlier in Toronto (1 p.m. Costa Rica time), substitute Cyle Larin came off the bench to rescue a point for Jesse Marsch’s Canada, scoring in the 78th minute — just 121 seconds after entering — to cancel out Jovo Lukić’s first-half header. He finished a pass from Promise David.
The draw delivered Canada their first-ever World Cup point: the nation had lost all six matches across its 1986 and 2022 appearances, and Larin’s goal was only the second Canada has ever scored at a World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovina, who eliminated four-time champions Italy in the European playoffs to reach a second World Cup, had taken the lead in the 21st minute when Lukić headed in Sead Kolašinac’s flick from a corner.
Canada, missing the injured Alphonso Davies (hamstring), dominated possession and struck the crossbar through Richie Laryea but were repeatedly denied — most memorably by a goal-line block from Kolašinac — before Larin’s late leveler. The co-hosts next face Qatar on June 18 in Vancouver.
Saturday’s slate brings the first South American heavyweight into action, with Brazil opening against Morocco, alongside Qatar vs. Switzerland. Here in Costa Rica, Tigo Sports carries all 104 matches for subscribers, while Teletica (Canal 7) shows select fixtures free-to-air and streams via its website and app.
