Draw for 2026 World Cup puts U.S. Team in Los Angeles opener vs. Paraguay

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KESQ) - The United States will open its 2026 World Cup soccer campaign at SoFi Stadium, where the team will face Paraguay after drawing a group today that also includes Australia and the winner of a playoff featuring Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo.

The matchups were set Friday as soccer's biggest tournament moved a step closer following a star-studded draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump took center stage at the big event, joining world leaders as well as retired sports greats Tom Brady, Shaquille O'Neal and Wayne Gretzky, along with New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.   

Trump was also awarded the newly created FIFA Peace Prize during the ceremony, which was also attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, among others.   

Matches for the expanded 2026 World Cup will be staged across 16 host cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, including Los Angeles -- where SoFi Stadium will host several group-stage games.  

All games from the quarterfinals on will be in the U.S., which is using 11 NFL stadiums.

The U.S. will open Group D play against Paraguay on June 12, 2026 at SoFi Stadium. The United States' other group games will be played in Seattle against Australia on June 19 and back at SoFi Stadium on June 25 against the UEFA playoff winner.

The U.S. has had recent success against both Paraguay and Australia, beating each 2-1 in friendlies earlier this year.   

Mexico will kick off the tournament a day earlier in Mexico City against South Africa -- a rematch of the opening game from the 2010 World Cup.   

As a co-host, the U.S. was seeded in Pot 1, allowing the team to avoid top powers such as Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, as well as fellow hosts Canada and Mexico.   

A record 64 nations took part in the draw, which will ultimately set the 48-team field for next summer's tournament. Under the expanded format, the top two teams in each group -- along with eight of the 12 third-place finishers -- will advance to the 32-team knockout stage.

An estimated $594 million in economic activity is expected to flow into L.A. County during the tournament, according to a report from Micronomics Economic Research and Consulting released in June.