With the tournament at risk of being overshadowed by politics and pricing, American players have tried to shift the focus to their football in advance of their game against Paraguay USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino during a press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday to preview his team's opening World Cup match, against Paraguay. Photograph: Stu Forster/Stu Forster/Getty Images Fri Jun 12 2026 - 11:13 • 4 MIN READAt six o’clock on Friday evening, Los Angeles time (2am on Saturday, Irish time), the World Cup will officially kick off in the United States, ending a blizzard of advance fears and anticipation over what might happen. Sports entertainment is the daily backdrop to American life, part of the vernacular and part of the seasons, but never before has the country hosted a major international tournament under such a pronounced glare of scepticism and low expectation. Thirty-two years ago, USA 94 was hosted with a sort of gleeful naivete by a country with all of the infrastructure and marketing knowhow and none of the tradition or knowledge of the game revered by Europeans and South Americans. The return of the World Cup has been overshadowed by the queasy friendship between president Donald Trump and Fifa president Gianni Infantino, by immigration fears and controversies, by the astronomical cost of tickets and by the apprehension generated by a White House administration whose 18 months in office has been defined by a wild volatility.Sofi stadium, renamed Los Angeles Stadium for the duration of the tournament, is in Inglewood and is a trek even for locals. As the countdown to kick-off approached, local organisers urged fans to avoid the $200 (€173) parking charges by taking the city metro out to the neighbourhood for $1.75. It’s arguable that the cross-country journey to be undertaken by Trump on Air Force One might have been almost as quick as the route many fans will take to reach the opening game. But to Infantino’s disappointment, there was heightened speculation on Thursday that Trump would not make it to California after all. In the morning, the president was threatening to escalate the on-off war with Iran by hitting the country “very hard” only to announce an imminent peace deal later in the day. In addition to prosecuting a war, he has to prepare for Sunday night’s birthday party, and UFC extravaganza, at the White House. The sound of the heavy chorus of boos he received when he showed up at Madison Square Garden in his native New York for an NBA finals game on Monday night made international news. What of the likely reception in Los Angeles, a heavily Democratic city about which Trump has had nothing positive to say? Last year, he claimed Los Angeles would have “burned to the ground” had he not sent in the National Guard, and raids on immigrant communities by Ice provoked major protests across the city.But at Casa Mexico, one of the many fan zones in the city, a celebratory crowd of Mexican-Los Angelenos gathered on Thursday to watch the hosts south of the border beat South Africa 2-0 in the opening game of the tournament. Across at Santa Monica pier, the main fan zone opened against a spectacular backdrop. USA team captain Tim Ream, the 38-year-old former Fulham defender, tried to refocus the build-up to the game as the culmination of the advances football has made in the three decades since his country last hosted the tournament.“[For the players] it’s our first one on home soil, so it kind of is our first rodeo,” he said at the official conference. “I’m old enough that I remember bits and pieces of 1994. So I’ve tried to tell guys and tried to convey the message that it’s a once-in-a-career opportunity. With that comes more expectation and more pressure but at the same time we have to enjoy it. For me, its about just opening your eyes and taking everything in. I think we’ve all been pleasantly surprised by the buzz around the team and in the stadiums. Pulling up here with 5,500 fans ready to watch a training session is incredible.”The union representing the 2,000 workers at the stadium only this week reached an agreement with hospitality operators for improved conditions but in a statement added the proviso that “workers have the contractual right to walk off the job if the union determines in good faith that federal immigration enforcement threatens worker safety during a World Cup match”.The fear that World Cup matches may be vulnerable to immigration raids has dissipated in recent weeks. But uncertainty lingers. Iran’s national football team will commute from its training base in Tijuana to play its group games in Los Angeles and Seattle. Already, team officials have complained bitterly about the delay in processing its visas and a lengthy admittance process at Chicago airport. The case of Omar Artan, the Somali referee denied entry to the US. was downplayed by Infantino, who described the situation as unfortunate, adding: “But we don’t control everything, you know.”In brighter times, Fifa predicted the tournament would generate a $40-billion revenue boost for the three host countries while the US state department forecast the arrival of some 10 million fans over the course of the tournament. But hotel groups have reported underwhelming bookings and it remains to be seen whether the exorbitant cost of the “dynamic pricing” of the ticketing system leads to empty seats in the stands. Even Trump baulked when informed of the cost of baseline tickets. “I wouldn’t pay that either,” he remarked.As was the case four years ago in Qatar, advance notices for this World Cup have been marked by unease and even dread. There has, so far, been a distinct absence of joy. As America tunes in on Friday night to remind itself – again – of exactly why so much of the world is besotted with this slow-burning field game that may not yield even a single score, one thing is clear. The only things that can save this World Cup are the football and the fans.IN THIS SECTION