liveUpdated 1m agoFollow live coverage as the United States begins its 2026 World Cup campaign.The Athletic Live TeamJune 12, 2026 at 12:25 PM EDTSoFi Stadium hosts USMNT vs. Paraguay today GettyUSMNT vs. Paraguay — LatestThe USMNT begins its home World Cup campaign today when it hosts Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Group D.Mauricio Pochettino’s squad has high hopes of making an impact, starting against a Paraguayan team it beat 2-1 in a friendly last year.With fellow co-hosts Mexico and Canada playing earlier in the schedule, it is now the turn of the U.S. to show what it’s got.Kick-off: 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. PTHow to watch: FoxShare your thoughts in our matchday discussionGet free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app.An impressive victory over Senegal Getty ImagesThe USMNT played two tune-up friendlies directly before today’s huge match against Paraguay.Mauricio Pochettino’s team got its World Cup summer off to a flying, chaotic start with a 3-2 win over Senegal in a friendly at Bank of America Stadium. Christian Pulisic, the star who hadn’t scored in more than five months, broke his barren run with a goal and an assist in the first 20 minutes to put the U.S. up 2-0.A breakdown before halftime, then a pair of appalling mistakes by reserves, let Senegal back into the game as the African side pulled level at 2-2.But Folarin Balogun, one of 10 halftime substitutes, put the U.S. back ahead in the 63rd minute. He had another goal disallowed and a third clear chance saved. The U.S. easily could’ve had five goals, but settled for three and a victory to snap a two-game losing streak, after March defeats to Belgium and Portugal.The very, very early team news Getty ImagesThe big question mark is over USMNT defender Chris Richards.Richards, the USMNT’s best defender, suffered an ankle injury in Crystal Palace’s penultimate match of its Premier League season, against Brentford. He has not played since.Mauricio Pochettino had initially hoped the 26-year-old could play some part in the team’s two tune-up matches, against Senegal and Germany. But Richards sat out the 3-2 victory and 2-1 defeat, and Pochettino initially sounded downbeat about his chances when speaking on Friday:💬 “He’s still not ready to compete and play. We are going to have that opportunity in the next few days to assess him and see his ankle, and then to make a decision.”But Richards delivered the United States the perfect boost ahead of its opening game at the World Cup on Friday by declaring yesterday he is ready to play against Paraguay and hasn’t been told of any minutes restrictions.Why LA is the perfect World Cup city Getty ImagesLos Angeles … what do we need to know? Jeff Rueter summed it up for us back in 2022:✍️ “While most bidding cities worked hard to ensure inclusion, Los Angeles is one of the few which would have to work harder not to be a front-runner.“It’s the second-largest city in the country and has as much cultural cachet as any city in the world. Its climate makes it ideal for summer matches, while it also boasts significant diversity compared to most North American cities.“SoFi Stadium opened in 2020 and is expandable up to 100,000 seats. The stadium hosts two NFL teams and was the home of the Super Bowl in 2022.”Where is today’s game taking place? Getty ImagesToday’s game is taking place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.Only the stadium won’t be known as that during the World Cup because of FIFA’s rules prohibiting stadium sponsorships.So, for the rest of the summer, SoFi Stadium will be known as Los Angeles Stadium.Catchy.What time is USMNT vs. Paraguay today? Getty ImagesToday’s Group D match in Los Angeles is scheduled to get underway at 6 p.m. local time.That’s 9 p.m. ET. For those of you watching further afield, it’s 2 a.m. in the UK and 3 a.m. CET.Subscribe to The Athletic today The Athletic Speaking of those of you who don’t yet subscribe …There is no better time to become a subscriber to The Athletic for all the sporting insight, analysis and live coverage you need during the World Cup and beyond.As well as this summer’s tournament, you can get your soccer fix with us for the rest of the year through our ongoing Champions League and Premier League coverage. Meanwhile, the Formula 1 season is in full swing and we have golf, tennis and more on the cards.You can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here.Welcome to our live coverage Getty ImagesHello and welcome to our live coverage of today’s 2026 World Cup match between the United States and Paraguay.Exactly 2,922 days after winning the bid to host this summer’s tournament alongside Canada and Mexico, the U.S. will open its campaign with a match against a nation returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2010.The USMNT has already beaten Paraguay under manager Mauricio Pochettino, winning a friendly in Pennsylvania 2-1 in November 2025. Giovanni Reyna and Folarin Balogun got on the scoresheet that day, although Pochettino’s starting XI for his first World Cup match is likely to look very different. Plenty more on that later.We’d love to hear from you before today’s game, and there are more ways to get involved than ever before. Subscribers can use the Discuss tab at the top of the page in the app or on mobile. And those of you who don’t yet subscribe can email us at live@theathletic.com