USA, Canada to Play First World Cup Home Games

Team USA and Team Canada take to their respective pitches on June 12 to complete the official opening of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The day marks the first World Cup match on U.S. soil since 1994 and the first-ever World Cup home game for Team Canada.

The Americans are set to face Paraguay in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET.

The United States has won five of the last nine matches against Paraguay. The most recent win came in November 2025 when Team USA beat Paraguay 2–1 in Philadelphia. But this will be their first World Cup meeting since 1930.

Led by head coach Mauricio Pochettino, the “Stars and Stripes” lineup includes forwards Christian Pulisic and Ricardo Pepi, midfielder Weston McKennie, and goalkeeper Matt Turner.

Pulisic leads the team with 33 goals in 86 game appearances, while Pepi has racked up 13 goals in 37 games, and McKennie has 12 goals in 66 appearances.

Behind them, Turner guards the goal after giving Team USA 29 wins in his 54 appearances. The goalkeeper has also logged 27 shutouts, known in the soccer world as “clean sheets,” including two during the 2022 World Cup, which ended in a draw and a win, respectively.

The roster includes several players from the 2022 World Cup team as well as notable newcomers, such as goalkeeper Matt Freese.

Pochettino declined to reveal his full starting lineup at a pre-game press conference on June 11 and emphasized that he expects the entire roster to be ready to play a part in the team’s success. The former Argentina World Cup player defined success as winning.

“You can only give 11 players the chance of starting, but there are many players that don’t begin on the starting lineup, but they end up being key figures in the tournament, so that we have to be ready,” he said in Spanish through a translator. “It’s not only how it starts, but also how it ends.”

Team USA has advanced past the group stage in its last three World Cup appearances, but has failed to reach the quarter-finals since 1930.

Since taking over the team in 2024, Pochettino said he’s had his players approach every game as a World Cup game, and hopes remain high that the Stars and Stripes could be a legitimate contender this year alongside legacy favorites, including Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Germany, and England.

But at the end of the day, Pochettino—who played for Argentina during the 2002 World Cup—wants his players to focus on their game.

“At the end of the day, it’s going to be a game that we play, and we have to play to our standards, with our own principles, with our values, and the connection to the game comes from the freedom that we have with the emotions that come about with the joy that comes from the decisions on the field, without thinking about the consequences,” he said.

Pochettino and his 26-man squad received a call from President Donald Trump the night before their opening match.

“I think you get a really good chance of going all the way,” Trump said on speaker phone. “Just want to wish you a lot of luck.”

“Thank you so much for your support, Mr. President,” Pochettino replied. “We are going to do everything to make you proud and all the people here in this country.”

Meanwhile, Team Canada will be looking to log its first-ever win in a FIFA World Cup match when they take the pitch in Toronto at 3 p.m.

“The Canucks/Les Rouges” have only appeared in two previous World Cups, 1986 and 2022, and have lost all six of their group stage games. FIFA maintains a tradition of allowing the teams of all host nations to automatically qualify for the tournament.

They face off against “The Dragons” of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who are making their second-ever World Cup appearance. Unlike the Canadians, they have a win on the world stage, beating Iran 3–1 during the group stage in 2014.

Canada’s head coach Jesse Marsch said that the overall growth and development of his players have been a key focus since taking over the team in 2024.

“All of that has led to a moment where, as we know, the World Cup is here, there’s not really much fear, and there’s not much doubt in the team, and there’s much more belief, and there’s much more know-how, and there’s much more understanding as to what it really takes against the best teams and best opponents,” he said.

“I expect our team to go for it,” he added.

“I expect the crowd to love the way they play. I expect us to be aggressive. I expect us to get early goals. I expect us to get leads, and I expect us to get wins.”