LIVE | FIFA World Cup 2026 Day 2: Hosts USA, co-hosts Canada gear up for action

The USA and Canada will be in action on the second day of the FIFA World Cup, with Canada taking on Bosnia & Herzegovina before the USA face Paraguay in their opening group-stage fixtures.

Summary

On day two of the FIFA World Cup, co-hosts Canada will face Bosnia & Herzegovina in a Group B fixture at 12:30 am IST, followed by hosts USA taking on Paraguay in a Group D match at 6:30 am IST.

Day one saw co-hosts Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in a drama-filled opening match as three players were sent off with red cards.

In the second match of the day, Hwang In-beom scored a goal and set up another as South Korea rallied to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1.

A glittering opening ceremony at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City marked the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 11, celebrating football, music and the shared heritage of hosts Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Pochettino says top US defender Chris Richards is available for World Cup opener after ankle injury

Coach Mauricio Pochettino said Thursday that Richards “is available to be selected” when the Americans host Paraguay on Friday night.

“We will decide whether he'll start from the beginning of the game or (come off) the bench,” Pochettino added. “Our medical staff and performance worked really hard (on Richards') recovery. It's a really good feeling to have 26 players available to be selected.”

Richards' presence will be important to the Americans' hopes of slowing down the world's best teams, and Paraguay presents an immediate challenge.

Former Egypt footballer Mohamed Aboutrika has criticised FIFA and World Cup organisers, saying the tournament’s problems have already begun. He accused the US of using football to whitewash its reputation over Israel's genocide in Gaza and the war with Iran. pic.twitter.com/1hlGgPpImx

— AJE Sport (@AJE_Sport) June 12, 2026

Christian Pulisic is ready to shoulder the burden of US hopes in home World Cup opener vs Paraguay

Christian Pulisic is the most accomplished and most famous player on his national team at the exact time when his nation is hosting a World Cup.

Only a handful of prominent players in the past few decades have faced this confluence of talent and timing. They include a selection of generational greats: Zinedine Zidane for France in 1998, Michael Ballack for Germany in 2006, Neymar for Brazil in 2014.

“I can't even imagine the weight that's on his shoulders,” teammate Tyler Adams said. “From such a young age, he was the hope of American soccer.”

Pulisic does not shy from the spotlight that will glare more brightly than ever in the next few weeks. In fact, he repeated Thursday that this challenge is “what I've always wanted.”

Now 27 years old, Pulisic has enough achievement and enough faith in his teammates to focus on how far the Americans can go, not how far they might fall.

Sergej Barbarez on Nidal Čelik injury: “Two days ago Čelik injured his meniscus. He will have to have surgery. Instead, Malić entered the squad of 26 players for the World Cup. This is the biggest game for me. I am really happy to be here, to be part of this story. We are all… https://t.co/IXu7PAxunK

— Bosnian Football (@BosniaNTBall) June 11, 2026

A little emotional statement from Sergej Barbarez about his players: "I consider all these guys my sons, I love them regardless of where they were born and for what reason they left Bosnia and Herzegovina. They love this country and play their hearts out for it.” #FIFAWorldCup… pic.twitter.com/bHgr88xPQR

— Bosnian Football (@BosniaNTBall) June 12, 2026

📍SARAJEVO! #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/WYvepTgZOq

— Bosnian Football (@BosniaNTBall) March 31, 2026

Canada is ready for the beautiful game.https://t.co/78U9toSJy8 pic.twitter.com/ImGutPYINx

— Prime Minister of Canada (@CanadianPM) June 11, 2026

This Time, it’s Canada!

Cette fois-ci, c'est le Canada ! pic.twitter.com/FVZpJYBnYq

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) May 20, 2026

USA play first World Cup finals game on home soil since 1994

The United States begin their World Cup challenge on Friday, taking on a savvy Paraguay side in a high-stakes match in Los Angeles.

The World Cup co-hosts know they must avoid a banana skin at the futuristic SoFi Stadium in the first World Cup finals game on US soil for 32 years.

US head coach Mauricio Pochettino says he expects his team to do much more than simply progress from Group D.

"For me, successful is to win. Is to win tomorrow. And win after," the former Tottenham coach said on Thursday.

READ FULL STORY HERE