Canada earns first World Cup point, U.S. routs Paraguay at home
Canada finally took its first World Cup point in Toronto, then the United States followed with a 4-1 rout of Paraguay in Inglewood.
Canada’s World Cup story changed in Toronto with one second-half touch from Cyle Larin, and hours later the United States sent a louder message at SoFi Stadium by crushing Paraguay 4-1. Taken together, the two results gave North America a tournament-opening snapshot of co-host ambition: Canada finally found a foothold, and the U.S. looked every bit like a team trying to turn home soil into an advantage.
Canada’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina produced the first World Cup point in Canadian history and came in the first World Cup match ever played on Canadian ground. Jovo Lukic had put Bosnia ahead, but Larin came off the bench and equalized in the second half, rescuing a result that had eluded Canada through its six previous World Cup losses in 1986 and 2022. The draw also kept Canada from joining the short list of host nations to lose their opening World Cup match. FIFA named Ismaël Koné player of the match.
The result mattered beyond the scoreline. Canada entered the night still searching for its first win and still carrying the weight of past exits, but the point in Toronto gave the country something it had never had before at this level: a result it could build on while hosting the sport’s biggest event. In a tournament where confidence often shapes a team as much as talent, the equalizer changed the tone.
The United States then matched that sense of possibility with a statement performance in Inglewood, California. Folarin Balogun scored twice, Damián Bobadilla turned one into his own net, and Giovanni Reyna added a late fourth in stoppage time as Mauricio scored the lone Paraguay goal. The match drew 70,492 fans to SoFi Stadium, where Christian Pulisic drove the early attack and Mauricio Pochettino’s side controlled the first half with authority.
FIFA called it one of the most impressive U.S. World Cup performances, and the numbers backed that up: a brace for Balogun, a dominant opening stretch, and a home World Cup appearance for the Americans for the first time since 1994. For North America’s co-hosts, the opening snapshot was clear. Canada has finally broken through, and the United States has already raised expectations.
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