It's been a thrilling start to the World Cup. Here are the highlights and what's next

U.S. forward Folarin Balogun (c) celebrates with teammates after scoring his second goal during the U.S.'s opening 4-1 victory over Paraguay in the group stage of the World Cup at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

LOS ANGELES — With all the political drama , high ticket costs , immigration problems , and transit worries leading up to this year's edition of the FIFA World Cup , much of that has washed away now that the games are underway. And what a thrilling start to the five-week soccer tournament we've witnessed across the co-hosts Mexico, Canada and the United States.

We're a U.S.-based media organization. So, of course, we need to start with the dominant and, arguably, best World Cup game the American men have ever played (yes, the U.S. has won the Women's World Cup four times ). Last Friday's opener at Los Angeles Stadium against Paraguay had it all.

Starting with the score: 4-1. That's the most goals the U.S. men have tallied in a World Cup match. Striker Folarin Balogun netted two of them — the first multi-goal game by a U.S. player since the very first tournament in 1930.

Defender Chris Richards returned to the lineup after missing both pre-World Cup warm-up games because of an injury. And he made an immediate impact: successfully completing every one of his 83 passes (the most by any player in a World Cup match since 1966). Regarding injuries, the status of star forward Christian Pulisic remains unclear . He was subbed out at halftime because of a calf problem. After the game, he walked gingerly to the team bus.

From top-to-bottom, the U.S. sparkled and dazzled. It was a great start. But one game does not a tournament make.

The U.S. did get a preview Saturday of its next two opponents in Group D: Turkey and Australia. Turkey has more players in Europe's top-tier leagues, including bona fide stars like Real Madrid's Arda Güler and the Juventus attacker Kenan Yildiz. None of that mattered to the underdog Australia, which stunned Turkey 2-0. That sets up next Friday's USA-Australia game to be a big one — if the Americans win, they will be in the driver's seat in their group and a great position in the later knockout round.

John McGinn of Scotland controls the ball during the team's opening World Cup match against Haiti on Saturday in Foxborough, Mass. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images hide caption