Valentine’s Day in Brazil, Friday, cold pre-winter weather. How about celebrating with an exciting USA x Paraguay, at 10pm on the 12th? The game is part of Group D of the 2026 World Cup.
It’s the North Americans’ home debut, in a game that should see a lot of celebration (and North American President Donald Trump, holder of the FIFA peace prize, in the stands).
With coach Mauricio Pochettino in charge, the Americans arrive filled with players who are in Europe, such as the skilled Pulisic, currently at Milan and who played well at Chelsea.
The Paraguayans return to the World Cup for the first time since their remarkable participation in South Africa in 2010.
At the time, they had their best campaign, only eliminated by Spain in the quarter-finals. But the most successful Paraguayan name on the occasion was that of iconic fan Larissa Riquelme, who was on the cover of Brazilian Playboy and has already announced that she will be in the USA.
The Australians had their best performance in the recent 2022 World Cup, when they finished in 11th place after being eliminated by champions Argentina, 2-1, in the round of 16.
The Turks’ main weapon is the skilled attacking midfielder Arda Güller, who is trying to establish himself at the powerful Real Madrid. At 21 years old, the athlete wasn’t even born when Turkey played its last World Cup, in 2002 — with Brazil champion.
Australia and Turkey play the only duel in the bracket outside the USA, in Vancouver, Canada, in the early hours of the 14th. In turn, the Paraguayans will only play in a Super Bowl 2026 (San Francisco) or 2027 (Los Angeles) stadium.
