US beats Paraguay in first World Cup match on American soil in over 30 years: Live updates

Folarin Balogun fired his second goal into the top far corner of Paraguay's net and then led his American teammates to the corner of their home stadium, reveling in the frenzy created by their historic first half at their World Cup opener.

The world's biggest soccer tournament finally returned to the U.S. on Friday night after a generation of anticipation.

With this phenomenal match, the Americans also look like they've arrived.

Balogun scored twice in the Americans' three-goal barrage before halftime, and the U.S. opened its first home World Cup in 32 years with its biggest win in the tournament, a dynamic 4-1 victory over Paraguay.

Christian Pulisic had an assist in a stellar first-half playmaking performance for the Americans, who enthralled their Southern California fans with an aggressive attack while streaking to a 3-0 lead - the team's largest in any World Cup game.

Gio Reyna ripped another goal in the dying moments of second-half injury time, giving the Americans four goals in a World Cup match for the first time in their tournament history dating to 1930.

This production, this confidence, this dominance - it was nothing like the vast majority of the Americans' previous performances on the international stage over the years and decades.

They've won exactly one knockout-round game in the World Cup. They've almost always struggled to score in the biggest events, most recently managing only three goals combined in their four matches at the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

In this pressure-packed home opener, the Americans were a team transformed while playing in coach Mauricio Pochettino's more creative system in front of a passionate, star-studded Los Angeles crowd of 70,492. Led by the elite talent and coach-inspired fearlessness of Balogun, Pulisic and Weston McKennie up front, the U.S. finally had its breakthrough performance at SoFi Stadium.

Not everything went perfectly: Pulisic was replaced by Sebastian Berhalter at halftime for precautionary reasons. Pochettino said Pulisic was kicked in the back of his left calf during a training session this week, and felt some subsequent tightness during the match.

"Staying positive," Pulisic said. "I don't think it's anything."

Maurício scored in the second half for Paraguay, but La Albirroja fell too far behind early in their first World Cup match in 16 years.

"The U.S. won this match very clearly and fairly," Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro said through an interpreter. "They dominated tactically, technically and physically as well. ... This team is a complex challenge because they have answers to everything you throw at them."

Iran's World Cup campaign is set to begin Monday in Inglewood against New Zealand, but visa denials affecting members of the country's soccer federation have become a central issue surrounding the team's arrival in the United States.

According to officials, 15 Iranian soccer federation members were denied U.S. visas ahead of the tournament.

Players and coaching staff were not impacted by the visa denials.

The U.S. State Department cited security concerns, alleging abuse of the visa system to "sneak terrorists in the United States under false pretenses." No further details about those allegations have been released.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio had indicated that the Trump administration had "no problem" with providing visas to Iran's team during his testimony on Capitol Hill earlier this month- but he said the administration would not allow the regime to use the event to bring in IRGC-affiliates.

"What we're not going to allow is for them to embed in their delegation a bunch of people that we know have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the IRGC or things of that nature, so we were going to watch that very closely," he said.

Iran is the only World Cup team whose federation has faced such a large number of denied entries, adding complications to its tournament preparations. As a result of the visa issues, the team made last-minute changes, moving its training base from Arizona to Tijuana.

Despite those challenges, Iran is scheduled to open play Monday at the SoFi Stadium (renamed Los Angeles Stadium by FIFA) against New Zealand. The match, set for 6 p.m., is one of two games Iran will play in the Los Angeles area.

Southern California is home to the largest Iranian population outside Iran. Hundreds of thousands of people of Iranian descent live in the region, making the team's presence a significant cultural moment for many supporters.

However, excitement around the match is tempered by what's become a very complicated situation. Fans are grappling with mixed emotions tied to the ongoing war in Iran, which has added a layer of complexity to what might otherwise be a celebratory occasion.

For the players and coaching staff, the focus remains on competition. Iran enters the match as the favored team against New Zealand.

As for the war, it appears an agreement to end it is near.

Pakistan's prime minister said Friday that mediators are working with both sides in the conflict to finalize an agreement, adding that "peace has never been this close."

ABC News contributed to this report.

Houston-area public transit users have a new option for paying fares that celebrates the FIFA World Cup's presence in the Bayou City.

METRO announced on Friday that it launched the FIFA World Cup 2026 Commemorative Fare Pass as a "convenient way to travel and a keepsake from one of the biggest events in history."

METRO officials said the passes, which are only valid for 10 days, cost $32 and allow riders to use buses, METRORail, METRO curb2curb, and the 500 Downtown Direct service.

There are three different passes that will only be valid for certain dates, according to METRO.

• Green Pass: June 12 - 22

• Blue Pass: June 19 - 29

• Red Pass: June 26 - July 6

METRO said the commemorative fare pass is available until supplies last.