World Cup 2026: USA vs Paraguay Tips, Odds & Prediction

* Odds supplied by Betway, accurate when published.

Paraguay are the first opponents for the USA at their home World Cup, with the teams meeting at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood in the small hours of Saturday 13 June and the game starting at 03:00 CAT. Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT is skippered by Tim Ream and driven by Christian Pulisic, while Gustavo Alfaro's Paraguay come in on a high after beating Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in qualifying. I favour the hosts, but Paraguay are not to be taken lightly. All our World Cup betting tips are waiting in our dedicated section.

USA

The USA carry plenty of pressure into this opener, and Pochettino has settled on a core built around Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie. Folarin Balogun and Haji Wright are both in good club form, handing Pochettino choices at the tip of his favoured 4-3-3. Tim Ream skippers a back line that will be tested by Paraguay's direct style, with Chris Richards partnering him in central defence. The SoFi Stadium crowd should give the hosts a lift, but Pochettino has tinkered a lot with formations and the resulting lack of cohesion is a minor worry. I see the USA starting fast and trying to kill the game off early.

Probable Lineup: Turner; Dest, Richards, Ream, Robinson; Adams, McKennie; Reyna, Pulisic, Weah; Balogun.

Paraguay

No team in South America has improved more than Paraguay since Alfaro arrived, using a tight 4-4-2 designed to frustrate better sides and hit back through Miguel Almiron and Julio Enciso. Skipper Gustavo Gomez leads the back four next to Omar Alderete, and there are no significant injuries in the squad. Antonio Sanabria plays as the striker and gives them a target for direct balls. My view is they will hold a mid-block, invite the USA forward and then pounce on the counter, mainly via Almiron on the left.

Probable Lineup: Fernandez; Caceres, G. Gomez, Alderete, Riveros; Gonzalez, Bobadilla, D. Gomez, Almiron; Enciso, Sanabria.

The USA enjoy home advantage at SoFi Stadium and have more individual quality, while Paraguay are well organised but lack the bite to hurt Pochettino’s team across 90 minutes. I see the hosts taking charge after the break and grinding out the win. My USA vs Paraguay call: USA 2 Paraguay 1.

BTTS: Yes at 1.95

My selection is Both Teams to Score: Yes, which matches my 2-1 prediction. Pulisic, Reyna and Balogun give the USA enough attacking talent to break Paraguay down, but Pochettino's defence has been patchy in friendlies and Almiron is a real danger on the break. Paraguay found the net against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in qualifying, so they won't lack confidence. At 1.95 with Betway, BTTS: Yes offers excellent value.