The USA secured the perfect start to their World Cup 2026 campaign against Paraguay, taking a 2-0 lead through a Damian Bobadilla own-goal and a clinical finish from Folarin Balogun. The goals came after an electric run from Christian Pulisic, who also set up Balogun's strike, as Mauricio Pochettino's side dominated the first half.
Yet the on-field action played out against a backdrop of controversy. SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles was half empty for the opening ceremony headlined by Katy Perry and Future, with President Donald Trump notably absent. Trump, celebrating his 80th birthday in Washington this weekend, was not in attendance for the co-hosts' opening match.
“USA beat Paraguay 2-0 in World Cup opener as SoFi Stadium half-empty and Trump absent.”
The empty seats were not unique to this game. Thousands of empty seats were visible during Canada's 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Cyle Larin scored a second-half equaliser to earn the co-hosts their first-ever World Cup point. Large patches of empty seats were also seen at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, where South Korea played Czechia.
FIFA has faced criticism over its ticketing approach, introducing variable pricing for the first time in World Cup history. The cheapest standard finals tickets were $5,785 (£4,315), with some resale tickets reaching close to $33,000 (£24,621). Prices were later reduced across all 104 matches, and 70 percent of bulk-reserved hotel rooms were released. However, on the eve of the tournament, around 180,000 tickets were still listed on official FIFA resale platforms, with 15,000 group-stage tickets available directly.
As the USA celebrated their dream start, England faced disruption of their own. The team had training equipment and boots stolen during their relocation to Kansas City, according to reports.