FIFA World Cup Day 3 recap: Australia and Scotland win their openers

VANCOUVER, Canada — Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe scored and Australia spoiled Turkey’s return to the World Cup for the first time in 24 years with a 2-0 victory on Saturday night.

Goalkeeper Patrick Beach made eight saves for the Socceroos in their group opener as FIFA President Gianni Infantino looked on. Australia was playing in its sixth straight World Cup and seventh overall.

Turkey reached the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup but then missed five straight tournaments before qualifying this year by beating Kosovo in a playoff.

Irankunda broke through for the Socceroos in the 27th minute with a low shot while pursued by three defenders. It came less than a minute after the first-half hydration break.

Irankunda celebrated by punching the corner flag in a tribute to Australian soccer legend Tim Cahill. The 20-year-old who plays for Watford is the Socceroo’s youngest-ever goal scorer at a World Cup.

Minutes later Beach stopped Abdulkerim Bardakcı’s blast from distance. Beach started in goal for the Socceroos rather than experienced counterpart Matthew Ryan in a surprise decision from coach Tony Popovic.

Kenan Yildiz, a 21-year-old who plays for Juventus, was not in the starting lineup but subbed in for Turkey at half-time.

Turkey had a dangerous free kick in the 57th minute, but Arda Güler’s attempt was saved by Beach. Güler, a talented 21-year-old attacking midfielder who plays for Real Madrid, was not yet born the last time Turkey played in the World Cup.

Connor Metcalfe capitalized on Ismail Yüksek’s turnover in the 75th minute to double the Socceroos’ lead. The Socceroos fell to France in the opener in Qatar but then beat Tunisia and Denmark in their group before getting knocked out by eventual champion Argentina in the round of 16.

It is the third World Cup appearance for the Turks, who reached the tournament for the first time in 1954.

The teams are in Group D with the United States and Paraguay. The Americans downed Paraguay 4-1 in their group opener on Friday in Los Angeles.

Peterson writes for the Associated Press.

Here’s where things stand in each of the groups following Saturday’s four matches:

Australia 2, Turkey 0 — 75th minute

After being dominated by Turkey for most of the second half, midfielder Connor Metcalfe found room on the inside and scored off a well-placed kick to double Australia’s lead.

With the Turkey defense failing to cover him as he sprinted inside at the top of the box, Metcalfe shot the ball past into the opposite lower corner of the net past diving Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir.

Turkey has controlled the ball for 70% of the match and has seven shots on goal, but it’s running out of time to salvage even a draw.

Australia 1, Turkey 0 — 72nd minute

Turkey has been the stronger team in the second half, but they have been unable to get anything past Australia goalkeeper Patrick Beach.

His biggest save of the match came in the 72nd minute when Zeki Celik took a feed deep in the box and made a shot a point-blank range from the edge that Beach turned away.

Australia 1, Turkey 0 — 27th minute

Nestory Irankunda corralled a deep pass from Paul Okon-Engstler, sprinted between two defenders and then scored past Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir to give Australia the lead.

Two minutes later, Turkey had its best scoring chance of the match so far when Abdulkerim Bardakci put a shot on goal from outside the box that required a Australian goalkeeper Patrick Beach to make a big save.

Saturday’s final match — a Group D showdown between Australia and Turkey — is underway at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada.

Turkey enters ranked No. 22 in the world, and Australia is ranked No. 27. With the U.S. favored to advance out of the group, both of these teams will be hungry for a win to solidify their chances of reaching the round of 32.

It’s Turkey’s first World Cup appearance since 2002. Australia, which has qualified for six consecutive World Cups, advanced to the knockout round in Qatar in 2022.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Coach Steve Clarke made it clear he didn’t enjoy his first two experiences leading Scotland during lackluster showings in the European Championship.

So far the sport’s biggest stage has brought him — and the Scots — a lot more luck.

John McGinn deflected a shot off an opposing defender and past goalkeeper Johny Placide in the 28th minute, and Scotland defeated Haiti 1-0 in Group C of the World Cup on Saturday.

“When it went into the back of the net, you could feel the Scotland fans,” McGinn said.

Scotland, making its first appearance in the tournament since 1998, earned its first World Cup victory since 1990, when it beat Sweden 2-1.

“We came here to get three points. We did and now we move on,” Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson said.

Getting those crucial points did a lot more than that.

Group favorites Brazil and Morocco played to a 1-1 draw earlier in the day, putting Scotland at the top of the group standings.

“We obviously have a little less pressure than everyone put on us in this game,” Clarke said. “They deserve to be the team that finally got in under their belt in the World Cup.”

Haiti, whose only other World Cup appearance was in West Germany in 1974, is still in search of its first World Cup point. The Grenadiers had multiple chances in the second half but couldn’t quite equalize.

“We’re playing at an extremely high level. But you can get punished with one oversight,” Haiti coach Sébastien Migné said.

McGinn’s goal came off a rebound from Che Adams’ miss in the box that bounced off Placide and into open space. McGinn’s shot ricocheted off a defender from 13 yards out.

Scotland’s Tartan Army supporters were out in mass, creating a wave of red inside a filled in Gillette Stadium, located about 30 miles outside Boston.

Scotland came close to a goal in the 17th minute when captain Scott McTominay got loose and fired a shot that clipped the top of the post.

Haiti had its best opportunities in the second half. In the 74th minute, Ruben Providence sent a cross in to Wilson Isidor, but the forward came up empty on his attempt to direct the ball in.

Then in the 84th, Frantzdy Pierrot, who moved from Haiti to Boston at the age of 11, hit a header that went a wide of the left side.

Scotland stays in town to play Morocco at Gillette Stadium on Friday. Haiti will next face Brazil on Friday in Philadelphia.

Hightower writes for the Associated Press.

Federal officials said they seized drones and cited pilots near the SoFi Stadium for allegedly violating temporary flight restrictions during Friday’s World Cup game.

The Federal Aviation Administration prohibits all aircraft operations, including drone flights, within a 3-nautical-mile radius and up to 3,000 feet above ground level around certain stadiums hosting World Cup matches.

But some drone pilots broke those rules and law enforcement officials cited them for the alleged violations, the FBI in Los Angeles said in a social media post on Saturday.

Scotland 1, Haiti 0 — 28th minute

John McGinn scored in the 28th minute to give Scotland its first World Cup goal since 1998. Scotland is looking to win its first World Cup match since 1990.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Samba soccer this wasn’t.

Facing pressure to win its first World Cup title since 2002, five-time champion Brazil was outplayed early and needed Vinícius Júnior’s 32nd-minute goal to gain a 1-1 draw against Morocco on Saturday in a pulsating, high-profile group match.

“We started on a really bad note,” Vinícius said through a translator. “For certain, we got to hold on to the ball. We have to move better.”

A semifinalist four years ago, Morocco had 12 shots in the first 30 minutes and went ahead on Ismael Saibari’s 21st-minute goal, a chip over goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

“The team was a bit anxious at the beginning. Nerves were all over the place,” Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said through a translator. “A very imbalanced team.”

Brazil evened the score 11 minutes later. Vinícius exchanged passes with Bruno Guimarães on the left flank, took a few touches to cut around Neil El Aynaoui and rifled a right-footed shot past the outstretched arm of Yassine Bounou for his 10th international goal.

“We are satisfied with the draw,” Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said. “We are not euphoric.”

Fans in Brazil’s canary yellow dominated the crowd of 80,663 at MetLife Stadium — only about five sections near the south goal had fans in Morocco’s red.

Seleção supporters expected the flowing, entertaining play of Pelé’s era and were subdued before Vinícius evened the score with his spectacular angled effort.

Brazil extended its unbeaten streak in World Cup openers to 21, including 17 wins, since a 1934 loss to Spain. No. 6 Brazil and seventh-ranked Morocco are the only top 10 teams to meet in the first round of the expanded 48-nation World Cup tournament.

“We cannot lose heart,” Ancelotti said. “You don’t win a World Cup based on your first match.”

Brazil plays Haiti on Friday in Philadelphia, then closes Group C against Scotland in Miami Gardens, Fla. Morocco faces Scotland in Foxborough, Mass., on Friday, then meets Haiti in Atlanta.

Brazil star Neymar, recovering from a torn right calf, didn’t dress for the game.

One hour before the match, an Uber from Times Square to the stadium, site of next month’s final, was $126.95 — up from $83.95 for advance booking for the same time Sunday.

Ancelotti, the Italian who became Brazil’s first foreign World Cup coach, wore a three-piece suit with a necktie on a sunny afternoon with a 88-degree Fahrenheit (31-degree Celsius) temperature for the 6 p.m. start.

Morocco went ahead after Lucas Paquetá lost control of a short pass from Roger Ibañez and knocked it off Bilal El Khannouss. It bounced to Noussair Mazraoui, who sent the ball to Brahim Díaz in the center circle.

His through pass split Gabriel Magalhães and Marquinho, and Saibari ran onto the ball at the top of the arc. Alisson was slow to come off his line as Saibari scored his 10th international goal.

Morocco nearly went back ahead in the ninth of 10 minutes of stoppage time. Alisson spilled Aynaoui’s long-range shot, which was headed wide, then while on the grass leaned back toward the goal and used his right hand to block Ayoube Amaimouni’s follow-up effort.

“We still have to improve,” Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi said. “We have to keep the positive things. We’re going to learn from the mistakes, for sure.”

Blum writes for the Associated Press.

Brazil 1, Morocco 1 — FINAL

Coming off a corner kick, in the 93rd minute, Brazil’s Danilo Santos made a low shot on goal, but the ball went directly to Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

In the 99th minute, Morocco got one last chance to pull off the win, with El Aynaoui getting a shot on goal before goalkeeper Alisson Becker knocked it away.

Brazil 1, Morocco 1 — 60th minute

Brazil couldn’t capitalize on scoring chance in the 52nd minute when a throw-in allowed Vinicius Junior to move the ball to Igor Thiago for a shot, but Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou got a hand on it.

Brazil 1, Morocco 1 — 32nd minute

Ismael Saibari scored in the 21st minute to push Morocco into the lead, but they didn’t stay ahead for long.

Vinicius Junior scored in the 32nd minute to tie the score.

Brazil vs. Morocco, arguably the most anticipated match of the first three days of group stage play at the 2026 World Cup, is underway at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Brazil is ranked No. 6 in the world and Morocco is No. 7. Both teams are considered among the potential World Cup title spoilers if some of the favorites such as Argentina and France fall short of the final.

Haiti and Scotland are the other teams in Group C with Brazil and Morocco.

Mexican authorities are investigating how a corpse ended up outside a stadium in the border city of Tijuana, where Iran’s national team has been training for its upcoming World Cup match against New Zealand.

Officials said they found the corpse on Friday in a parking lot across from Tijuana’s Estadio Caliente stadium. The body was inside a bag in the trunk of a gray vehicle, which was opened by police due to its pungent smell.

Iran’s national squad is using Tijuana as its base during the World Cup due to visa delays, as well as travel restrictions imposed on the team’s administrative staff and coaches. The team will travel to Los Angeles next week for its first group stage match against New Zealand’s All Whites.

Tijuana is one of Mexico’s 10 most violent cities, according to the Citizen’s Council of Public Security, a Mexican think tank that makes an annual listing of murder rates in Mexico. Last year, the city government recorded 1,219 homicides in a city of more than 2.3 million residents, noting a 32% reduction from the number of murders recorded in the city in 2024.

Tijuana is located along Mexico’s Pacific coast, next to the U.S. border. The area has long been used by criminal groups to smuggle drugs and has recently hosted thousands of migrants who have been denied entry into the United States.

Here’s how things stand in each group after a 1-1 draw between Qatar and Switzerland at the FIFA World Cup on Saturday:

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Boualem Khoukhi scored an equalizing goal on a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Qatar spoiled a dominant day by Switzerland in a 1-1 draw Saturday in Group B of the World Cup.

Several of the Qatari players fell to the ground in celebration of the late goal as others ran to each other to embrace.

Breel Embolo scored for Switzerland from the penalty spot in the first half just over a week after being cleared to enter the U.S. following a visa delay, but the Swiss failed to capitalize on multiple other scoring chances.

In the 13th minute, Embolo was fouled by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, who received a yellow card on the play. Abunada lay face down and appeared motionless for a couple of minutes before he began to move his legs and was able to stand up again.

When Embolo calmly sent his penalty into the upper left corner in the 17th minute, it sent the red-clad Swiss fans into a dancing frenzy in the stands of Levi’s Stadium.

The 29-year-old forward applied for an urgent visa at the United States embassy in Bern on June 3, one day after he was denied boarding the team’s flight to travel for his third World Cup because of a 2018 criminal conviction that was only finalized in April.

Switzerland dominated the possession game on an unseasonably warm June afternoon — with sprinklers running during a first-half break.

There were thousands of empty seats scattered throughout Levi’s Stadium, home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. Brazil and Colombia drew 70,971 two years ago in a group match at Copa America. The stadium in Santa Clara staged the Super Bowl only four months ago.

Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made a save in the second minute after Edmilson Junior got through the defense for a one-on-one. Kobel corralled the ball again in the 90th on a close-range attempt by Ahmed Alaaeldin.

Switzerland is hoping to advance further than its round-of-16 showing four years ago before losing 6-1 to Portugal — when Goncalo Ramos delivered an improbable hat trick playing in place of benched star Cristiano Ronaldo. The loss prompted Switzerland midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri to apologize the the fans.

The Swiss used consistency and experience to go unbeaten through qualifying against Sweden, Kosovo and Slovenia. Coach Murat Yakin’s team produced four wins and two draws to secure its sixth straight World Cup appearance and hasn’t missed one since 2002, but the team has never gotten beyond the quarterfinals.

Qatar, led by Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui, had to qualify through a playoff in November — beating the United Arab Emirates and Oman — after missing an opportunity from its group stage in Asian qualifying.

The Gulf State country became the first host nation to lose all of its group matches four years ago. It lost to Senegal, Ecuador and the Netherlands in the 2022 tournament, scoring its lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Senegal.

McCauley writes for the Associated Press.

Switzerland 1, Qatar 1, final

After turning away wave after wave of Switzerland attacks, Qatar pounce on a rare chance on its end of the field during stoppage time.

Boualem Khoukhi leaped in the air and leaned over Switzerland’s Miro Muheim to head home a goal from the bottom right corner of the box in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Qatar then fended off a Switzerland’s push for a game winner during the final two minutes of stoppage time and celebrated a hard-won draw.

Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada faced 26 shot and was credited with five saves.

Switzerland 1, Qatar 0, 58th minute

Switzerland and Qatar returned from their halftime break. The Swiss continue to dominate possession, but the Qatari defense has been up to the task of clearing dangerous balls in the box.

Switzerland 1, Qatar 0, halftime

Switzerland has a 1-0 lead over Qatar, but the team is frustrated it hasn’t been able to score more goals after poking holes in Qatar’s defense for 45 minutes plus stoppage time.

Switzerland held possession 75% of the first half, firing six shots on goal and 14 shots overall. Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada has four saves and has been calm under steady pressure.

Switzerland 1, Qatar 0 17th minute

Qatar’s Mahmud Abunada crashed into Remo Freuler in the box and a penalty kick was awarded after VAR confirmed the call. Breel Embolo buried the penalty kick in the 17th minute to give Switzerland the early lead.

Qatar had already turned away sharp two shots and is looking vulnerable early.

Qatar versus Switzerland has kicked off at Levi’s Stadium to open Day 3 of the 2026 World Cup.

The tournament continues to feature enormous flags and emotional players reacting to hearing their anthems played before the first whistle.

The 2026 World Cup, the largest ever, will be played in three countries and 16 stadiums, organized by geography, not national borders.

Seven of the 11 U.S. venues — all but Kansas City, Philadelphia, Santa Clara and Miami — plus Vancouver normally have artificial-turf fields.

So for the World Cup, which FIFA mandates must be played on grass, those surfaces underwent multi-million-dollar transformations, with state-of-the-art fields — each with its own root system and irrigation methods — rolled out across the plastic turf.

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In a perfect world, you’d be able to take a helicopter from your home straight to Sofi Stadium during the World Cup. But unfortunately, we do not live in that world, so you’ll probably need to find a reliable and cheap way to get to the World Cup.

Fans from all around will flock to the Los Angeles area for the biggest sport event in the world, meaning that traffic will be worse (if you can imagine), buses will be fuller and Metro stops will drown in the flags and jerseys of all competing nations.

A few hours after Lionel Messi and the Argentine World Cup team checked into their training base in Kansas City, a series of thunderstorms pounded the area, knocking out power, felling trees and bringing flood and tornado warnings.

Hardly ideal conditions for the world’s biggest soccer tournament. Yet that’s likely just the opening salvo of a disruptive weather system that could affect the 38-day competition, which kicks off next week with games in Mexico, Canada and the U.S.

“It’s pretty safe to say climate change is going to have a mark on this World Cup,” said Kaitlyn Trudeau, a senior research associate of climate science for Sacramento-based Climate Central. “With climate change we know it’s not just going to be hotter, but it’s also going to increase the humidity as well.”

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — FIFA on Friday blamed the empty seats during the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara on fans who watched from the concourses.

There were many visible empty spots at the 45,664-capacity Guadalajara Stadium, with sections in the middle of the stands showing many unoccupied spaces and with other empty seats scattered around the venue. The announced attendance was 44,985 — including FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“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,” FIFA said, adding that it works closely with stadium authorities and ticketing teams to ensure all published figures are based on verified operational data.

“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,” the governing body of world soccer said.

There was indeed a significant number of fans standing on the concourses and by the concession stands throughout Thursday’s match.

There were some empty seats in Toronto also

On Friday, the stadium in Toronto was close to full for Canada’s first World Cup match on home soil, but there were some empty spots, notably close to the field in the lower bowl, and in a high corner of temporary seating.

Toronto Stadium, with an official capacity of 43,036, is the smallest venue in the tournament and had to have the extra seats added to meet FIFA’s minimum standards. The announced attendance on Friday was 43,002.

It’s a busy sports weekend in Toronto, with the Blue Jays hosting the New York Yankees and the Canadian Open golf tournament about an hour away.

FIFA charged record high ticket prices for this year’s World Cup

FIFA has been charging record ticket prices at the 11 stadiums in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada. The soccer body was using dynamic pricing and has repeatedly raised the prices since tickets first went on sale last fall.

Infantino defended those prices Wednesday as fitting in the North American market, but they have been criticized for list prices that have reached five figures.

Before the tournament started on Thursday, 29 games were sold out (with wheelchair seats available for some of those) and 75 had tickets remaining.

Mexican midfielder Edson Álvarez underwent surgery on his left ankle after getting injured during a match with his club team, Fenerbahce, last February. It kept him sidelined from both his Turkish squad and the Mexican national team.

At times, his participation in this summer’s World Cup was in jeopardy.

But thanks to his resilience, Álvarez will be Mexico’s captain as he plays in his third World Cup. He is one of the key leaders of coach Javier Aguirre’s team that will aim to reach at least the quarterfinals — a feat that has eluded El Tri in the last eight World Cups.

Two people were detained by police investigating the possible theft of equipment from England’s World Cup soccer team in Kansas City, Missouri.

The England team was due to arrive at its training base at Swope Soccer Village on Saturday after completing its pre-tournament preparations in Florida.

Its logistics team arrived ahead of the players to set up the camp where it will be based for the World Cup, the with Kansas City police department saying items were missing from a team vehicle.

The English Football Association confirmed to The Associated Press the possible theft but said it could not provide more information because it was a police matter.

Police said the incident occurred Friday night.

“We are investigating a possible theft of equipment from a team vehicle that arrived in Kansas City with items missing this evening,” police said in a statement to The AP.

“Two subjects of interest were taken into custody pending further investigation.”

It was reported on Saturday that some equipment had been recovered, but police did not confirm that.

England starts its World Cup campaign against Croatia in Group L at Dallas Stadium on Wednesday.

England is scheduled to have its first open practice later Saturday at Swope Soccer Village, though heavy thunderstorms are threatening to wash out the session that is open to members of the community.

Kansas City is an ideal base because of its central location, meaning the England team would largely be spared coast-to-coast flights during the tournament. Defending champion Argentina is also based in Kansas City, which has spent more than $650 million on soccer infrastructure over the past 15 years, according to Sporting Kansas City President and CEO Jake Reid.

After a break of more than three decades, the FIFA World Cup returns to North America where it will be shared by the continent’s three countries, the U.S., Mexico and Canada. It will be the largest and most complex tournament in history, with 48 teams playing 104 games in 16 cities over 39 days.

But it hasn’t been without its controversies. High ticket prices and exorbitant transportation and parking fees have angered fans and drawn the attention of politicians and state attorneys general. Visa restrictions have blocked residents from four qualifying nations from entering the U.S. and fear of immigration agents has discouraged fans of other countries from coming.

For the U.S. and Mexico the goal is to get beyond the quarterfinals, the high-water mark for both countries in the modern era. Canada, meanwhile, will play in its third World Cup looking for its first win.

The U.S. men’s soccer team chose an incredible day to have an incredible day.

Crucially, the United States aced its only chance to make a first impression, kicking off this colossal World Cup it’s co-hosting with Mexico and Canada with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay.

Consider it a save for the tournament, three points for soccer in America and maybe even a win for uniting the States.

The first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S. — when the United States takes on Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood — is coming Friday. Soccer fans are psyched, and scammers aim to profit from that, L.A. sheriff’s officials say.

Cyberscammers are zeroing in on the heightened emotions people are feeling surrounding the World Cup, said Sgt. Peter Hish of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau.

“They know we’re excited [because] what’s bigger in Los Angeles than soccer?” Hish said.

The World Cup has officially landed in Los Angeles, and for fans without match tickets, attending the FIFA Fan Festival could be the next best thing.

Taking place Thursday through Sunday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the family-friendly event will feature live match broadcasts on jumbo screens, cultural programming, interactive experiences, an official World Cup merchandise store, food vendors serving global cuisine and live music performances from headlining artists like Steve Aoki, Capital Cities and Normani.

MEXICO CITY — On the eve of the World Cup kickoff, FIFA President Gianni Infantino called for patience in the face of a series of crises that threaten to overshadow the start of the tournament, led by the case of Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was denied entry into the United States.

On Thursday, Mexico faces South Africa at the Mexico City Stadium, kicking off the 38-day tournament with matches in Mexico, the United States and Canada . The run-up to the global spectacle has been marked by controversy, including the U.S. denial of participant and fan visas and high ticket prices that have triggered attorney general inquiries in the United States.

In many ways, the most ambitious World Cup in history — which kicked off Thursday in Mexico City — has inspired more angst than anticipation, more fear than fervor.

The competition, returning to North America for the first time in more than three decades, has expanded to 48 teams and 104 matches, to be played over 39 days in 16 cities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The complex planning was eight years in the making.

Yet even before the competition opened with Mexico facing South Africa at the iconic Estadio Azteca, it has been marred by a number of controversies that threaten to overshadow the soccer and cloud the tournament’s legacy.

Tickets to watch the U.S. dominate Paraguay 4-1 on Friday night at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium cost a fortune. But roughly nine miles north, fans such as Jose Santiago and Ivan Gonzalez enjoyed the match at a fraction of the price.

The pair each paid $10 for a ticket to watch the Stars and Stripes flourish in their first World Cup game on home soil in 32 years on big screens at the packed Coliseum on Day 2 of the Los Angeles FIFA Fan Festival.

“We bought these tickets [at the] last minute, not knowing what to expect,” said Santiago, of Fullerton. “And so far, we’ve been blown away. We definitely want to come back.”

It was a game eight years in the making. The first World Cup match on American soil in more than a generation and the start of a tournament that has the potential to alter the direction of soccer in this country for the next generation.

And the U.S. seized on every bit of that opportunity Friday, with Christian Pulisic setting up two goals and Folarin Balogun scoring twice in his World Cup debut, sparking an impressive 4-1 victory over Paraguay at a sold-out SoFi Stadium that was far more one-sided than the score indicated.

“This being in America, having this crowd around us, seeing the red, white, and blue, all the red-and-white striped shirts in the crowd, it’s awesome,” Pulisic said. “It’s really pushing us forward. We just hope it continues like that.”

The U.S., which needed a big effort to start the tournament, was on the front foot from the start, going in front to stay in the seventh minute — although it was Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla who got credit for the goal after stepping in front of Balogun and deflecting in a cross from Weston McKennie.

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Highlights from the United States’ 4-1 win over Paraguay in World Cup Group D play on Friday.

Here’s a look at the complete World Cup television schedule through the end of group play:

The first two days of the 2026 FIFA World Cup offered plenty of memorable moments.

Check out The Times’ daily recaps ahead of Saturday’s four-game slate:

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