world cup kicks off in $5 billion stadium as usa takes early lead
Los Angeles, zaterdag, 13 juni 2026.
the 2026 world cup opened in spectacular fashion at the 5.5-billion-dollar sofi stadium in los angeles. the united states took an early lead against paraguay through an own goal in the seventh minute, marking paraguay’s first world cup appearance in sixteen years. despite president donald trump’s absence from the opener, hollywood stars like david beckham and tom cruise attended, adding glamour to the event. katy perry performed during the ceremony with 48 national flags on display. the match, broadcast with commentary by jeroen elshoff, highlights america’s dual ambition: proving itself as both host and contender. team usa plays with rising talent like christian pulisic and new coach mauricio pochettino steering expectations.
early own goal sets tone in los angeles
The united states opened the scoring in the seventh minute after weston mckennie’s shot deflected off paraguayan defender gustavo gómez and rolled towards goal. paraguay’s fabián bobadilla attempted to clear but directed the ball into his own net. the incident marked the fastest own goal in world cup history since 2014. the crowd at sofí stadium erupted as the scoreboard read 1-0. the goal came just six minutes after diego gómez fired paraguay’s first attempt wide. danny makkelie, the dutch referee, confirmed the goal following a brief check [1].
record-breaking venue hosts global spectacle
The match unfolded at the sofí stadium in ingelwood, california, the most expensive sports venue ever built at a cost of 5.5 billion dollars [2]. its construction spanned from 2016 to 2020 under ownership of the kroenke family. the stadium hosted the tournament’s opening ceremony featuring performances by katy perry, future, lisa, rema and anitta. perry sang “wonder” surrounded by 48 fluttering national flags. the capacity exceeds 70,000, making it ideal for large-scale international events. the site also welcomed david beckham who received his walk of fame star nearby the day before [5].
trump absent amid political spotlight
President donald trump did not attend the match due to scheduling conflicts, according to white house wçorld cup task force director andrew giuliani [2]. this marks a rare absence for a head of state during their nation’s world cup opener. previous hosts including qatar’s emir tamim bin hamad al thani and russia’s vladimir putin attended their respective openers. instead, a u.s. delegation led by secretary of state marco rubio represented the administration. giuliani stated that trump remains engaged and plans to attend the final on july 19, where he may present the trophy [2].
pochettino’s project faces scrutiny
Mauricio pochettino took charge of the u.s. men’s national team in 2024 with ambitious targets. transfermarkt values the squad at 385 million euros, far exceeding paraguay’s 153 million [4]. yet recent results show vulnerability. losses to belgium (5-2) and portugal (2-0) raised concerns. pochettino admitted the team lacks players ranked among the world’s elite. he emphasized growth through adversity. “sometimes it’s good to feel pain,” he said in march 2026. balancing expectation and realism defines his tenure [4].
star power meets sporting ambition
Hollywood glamour blended with football fervor as tom cruise joined beckham at the walk of fame event the prior evening. inside sofí stadium, jamie foxx, paris hilton and owen wilson were spotted during player warmups. jeroen elshoff provided dutch-language commentary for nos viewers. the u.s. dominated possession with 70 percent and recorded twelve shots, eleven on target. expected goals stood at zero for the u.s. and 0.1 for paraguay, suggesting efficiency over chance quality. the final whistle confirmed a 1-0 victory for the united states [5].