United States 4-1 Paraguay: F. Balogun scores twice as the U.S. win their opening group match

In the first round of the 2026 World Cup group stage, the United States defeated Paraguay 4-1. In the 7th minute, D. Bobadilla put the ball into his own net, and that goal was credited to the U.S., giving them a 1-0 lead.

The U.S. doubled their advantage in the 31st minute when F. Balogun scored, with C. Pulisic providing the assist. Just before halftime, Balogun struck again in the 45th minute, assisted by M. Tillman, and the Americans went into the break leading 3-0. Those two goals completed Balogun’s brace.

After the restart, Paraguay pulled one back in the 73rd minute through Mauricio, with J. Enciso setting it up, making it 3-1. Then in the 90th minute, G. Reyna scored for the U.S. after an assist from A. Freeman, sealing the final score at 4-1.

In the match statistics, the U.S. had 65% possession to Paraguay’s 35%. The expected goals were 1.42 for the U.S. and 0.54 for Paraguay. The U.S. recorded 16 shots to Paraguay’s 9, with 6 shots on target compared with Paraguay’s 1. Passing accuracy was 85% for the U.S. and 73% for Paraguay. The U.S. earned 3 corners and Paraguay 1, while offside calls stood at 2 for the U.S. and 1 for Paraguay. The U.S. made 1 save and Paraguay 3, and fouls were 13 for the U.S. and 17 for Paraguay.

In the disciplinary record, Paraguay’s Juan Cáceres, Miguel Almirón, Diego Gómez, Alex Arce and Junior Alonso were each shown yellow cards in turn. For the U.S., Tyler Adams received a yellow card in the 59th minute.

In the group standings, the U.S. are currently first in Group D with 1 win from 1 match, 3 points, and a goal difference of +3, with the official bracket label currently marked as Round of 32. The U.S. next play Australia in Group Stage - 2 on 2026-06-19.

Paraguay are currently fourth in Group D with 0 wins, 0 draws and 1 loss from 1 match, 0 points, and a goal difference of -3. Paraguay’s next match is against Turkey in Group Stage - 2 on 2026-06-20.