Mexico got the World Cup started on Thursday. Now, the two other co-hosts make their debuts with matches on Friday. Canada gets started against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the afternoon and the United States takes on Paraguay in the nightcap.Both host countries are favored, and it’s actually Canada that is a bigger betting favorite of the two. Canada is in the -120 to -125 range (implying a roughly 55 percent chance of victory) while the United States is -105 or -110 depending on which sportsbook you look at (implying a roughly 51 or 52 percent chance of victory).Neither host is getting a Harlem Globetrotters vs. Washington Generals opener. Both matches are somewhat tight on paper.Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B)Time: 3 p.m. ETTV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish)Venue: BMO Field, TorontoThere’s pressure and expectations on all three host countries, but it might be a bit less for Canada. The Canadians have never won, or even drawn, a World Cup game. In 1986, Canada lost all three matches and didn’t score a goal. In Qatar, Canada at least scored twice, but again lost all three matches. That is all of Canada’s World Cup history.That said, Canada still has quality on its squad. Striker Jonathan David plays for Italian power Juventus, and midfielder Tajon Buchanan calls Villarreal in Spain home. The lead man, though, is Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies. He made the UEFA Team of the Year in 2020 and has been a difference-maker for Bayern when healthy.However, he is dealing with a hamstring injury and his status for this match is in question. Davies trained separately from the team on Wednesday, but did train for as long as the main group. The outlook is less positive for midfielder Ismaël Koné.Bosnia is here after the surprise penalty shootout win against Italy in the UEFA playoff. At 40 years old, striker Edin Džeko (with 73 goals in 148 caps) is still leading the line.This is Bosnia’s second World Cup since the split of Yugoslavia. Bosnia got knocked out in the group stage, but did pick up a win in 2014. A win for either country would be historic.United States vs. Paraguay (Group D)Time: 9 p.m. ETTV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish)Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.It’s go-time for a United States team that hasn’t had the most stable of World Cup cycles leading up to this match against Paraguay. The 2024 Copa America was supposed to be a quality tune-up test, but the U.S. didn’t make it out of the group stage (including a loss to Panama), and that resulted in Gregg Berhalter getting fired.Mauricio Pochettino came in, bringing big worldwide name recognition, but the results have been mixed. In March 2025, the Americans lost to Panama and Canada in Pochettino’s first competitive matches in the CONCACAF Nations League. They were defeated by Mexico in the Gold Cup final that summer. The Americans have lost all five matches against European competition under Pochettino.However, there have been some good signs. Wins in friendlies against Australia and Paraguay, both in Group D with the U.S., alongside victories against Japan, Uruguay (by a whopping 5-1 score) and Senegal (a couple of weeks ago) give some hope for success.In the last two warm-up matches, a 3-2 win against Senegal and a 2-1 loss to Germany, the Americans’ ability to be dangerous in the attack was apparent, even against a classic power like Germany. Defensively, it has been less pretty. Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards could be the solution to that after saying he is ready to play in this match. Richards, who missed the last World Cup entirely due to injury and is arguably the team’s best defender, missed both of those friendlies, and his status had been up in the air.Paraguay is the lowest-ranked South American team (41) in this World Cup and is making its return to the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when it made the quarterfinals for the country’s best-ever finish.Best betsMike Hume: U.S.-Paraguay Both teams to score -102 (FanDuel)I do think this U.S. side has a lot of talent and most of it is on the attack. The back end, that’s another matter. The second-to-last friendly against Senegal saw some sloppiness, and I don’t think Mauricio Pochettino and company will have ironed out all the kinks, even if Chris Richards is fully healthy. This doesn’t preclude a win for the USA, but I don’t think I foresee a clean sheet.Dan Santaromita: U.S.-Paraguay draw +245 (DraftKings)Betting on draws is no fun, but this is the result I picked before the tournament started, so I might as well stick to it at this price. Paraguay had only four losses in 18 matches in South American qualifying with home wins against Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and respectable draws at Ecuador, Uruguay and Colombia. This is not an easy team to beat.Vik Chokshi: Canada-Bosnia and Herzegovina under 2.5 goals -145 (FanDuel)I’m all in on the USMNT, but Paraguay makes me nervous. Which is why I’m headed over to the first game of the day. Canada is banged up, and Bosnia and Herzegovina was a long shot to even make the tournament. When I watched both of these teams, it didn’t seem like either was particularly aggressive on offense. In fact, both played conservative and defensive. Group openers are usually tight, too. I’m expecting a 1-0 type match here, with both teams playing not to lose.Dean Jones: U.S.-Paraguay Total cards Over 4.5 +155 (Fanatics)The World Cup opener, involving hosts Mexico, saw three yellow cards and three red cards. The U.S. will begin hosting duties with a clash against Paraguay, and the last time these teams met in November it was a pretty fiery affair. The USMNT are expected to dominate the game, but if Paraguay are going to rattle them, the match might become a combative affair that leads to the referee reaching for his pocket more than a few times.Betting recordsUnitsRecordMike1.151-0Dan0.711-0Vik0.711-0Dean-10-1