A CONCACAF vs CONEMBOL clash features on day 2 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The United States plays its opening game in Los Angeles against Paraguay, who are returning to the FIFA World Cup after 16 years away. We offer our predicted lineups and team news for this first game of the group stage.
Read More: 2026 World Cup Matchday 2 Predictions Including United States vs Paraguay
United States vs Paraguay
Date: Friday, June 12th
Venue: Los Angeles, California, USA (Sofi Stadium)
Kick Off: 21:00
Referee: Danny Desmond Makkelie
Current Odds: United States 1.9, Draw 3.4 Paraguay 4.2
United States Team News
The status of Crystal Palace Chris Richards. after an ankle injury, was the only lingering question around this US Men’s National Team squad heading into matchday 1. Richards is considered fit to play and could start for Mauricio Pochettino’s stars and stripes. “We will decide whether he’ll start from the beginning of the game or (come off) the bench,” said Pochettino. The other decision for the manager is whether Matt Turner or Chris Freese, both from MLS, will start in goal. Beyond that, the United States enters the 2026 World Cup with confidence believing they can advance from a very balanced group. They gained momentum having beaten Senegal in a friendly, and losing narrowly 2-1 to Germany in the warm-up matches.
Paraguay Team News
Paraguay’s Julio Enciso suffering a right thigh tear in the friendly win against Nicaragua was a massive blow for the South American underdogs. Encisco is set to miss the first two matches for his country, and represents much of their attacking threat in the qualifying campaign. Without Enciso, the pressure shifts to former Premier League standout Miguel Almiron, and Diego Gomez to create more chances for Alex Arce and Antonio Sanabria. Paraguay are a defensively sound side that don’t concede easily but at times struggle for goals. Last November, Team USA beat them in a friendly 2-1.
Read More: The Teams We Won’t See at The 2026 World Cup Including Costa Rica and Venezuela
United States Predicted Lineup (3-4-3)
GK: Matthew Freese
Defenders: Alex Freeman, Tim Ream, Miles Robinson
Midfielders: Sergino Dest, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson
Forwards: Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun
Paraguay Predicted Lineup (4-4-2)
GK: Roberto Fernandez
Defenders: Junior Alonso, Omar Alderete, Gustavo Gomez, Juan Caceres
Midfielders: Diego Gomez, Andres Cubas, Damian Bobadilla, Miguel Almiron
Forwards: Alex Arce, Antonio Sanabria
Main Photo Credit: Smartframe Images
