USA opened its World Cup 2026 campaign against Paraguay in Los Angeles on a night built to feel like a celebration before a ball was kicked. The match came with an opening ceremony, a parade of nations and a stadium setting that was meant to match the scale of the event.
That is why so many people were asking what channel is usa vs paraguay before kickoff: it was not just the first game for the co-hosts, it was the first real stage for the tournament in front of a home crowd. Donald Trump was not at the match, while Katy Perry and Future were part of the opening festivities that framed the USA’s debut.
Perry performed her song “Wonder” at the centre circle, and a young Norwegian singer, Tias Luka, featured on the track. Jason Sudeikis later ushered in a parade of nations as each of the 48 teams’ flags were carried to the centre circle, giving the opening ceremony a polished, broadcast-ready finish before the USA took the field. Mauricio Pochettino managed the Americans, who entered the tournament’s group stage with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey.
But the picture was not perfectly full when it mattered most. Tim Ream said he expected to see a full stadium, yet there were still a lot of empty seats about 20 minutes before kick-off, a detail that undercut the big-event atmosphere organizers had worked to create. It also echoed one of the early frustrations around World Cup 2026, where empty seats and mandatory drinks breaks have already drawn scrutiny.
The gap between the ceremony and the seats left behind matters because the USA are supposed to be building momentum at home, not just staging an event. As co-hosts, they were expected to advance from a group that also included Paraguay, Australia and Turkey, and the opener in Los Angeles was meant to set that tone from the start.
What remains unresolved is the simplest thing of all: how the match itself finished. The pregame spectacle delivered stars, flags and a full-scale opening, but the result in the stadium is the part that will define whether the night felt like a launch or just an elaborate introduction.
