The United States Men’s National Team opened the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 4-1 demolition of Paraguay on June 12, in front of 70,492 fans packed into SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. It was the first World Cup match played on US soil since 1994, and the home crowd made sure everyone remembered it.

Folarin Balogun scored twice in the first half to put the game effectively out of reach before halftime.

A sellout crowd and a statement win

The 70,492 attendance figure represented a full sellout at SoFi Stadium, the $5.5B NFL venue that doubles as one of the World Cup’s marquee host sites.

Balogun’s brace set the tone early. The striker converted twice before the break to give the hosts a commanding cushion. Paraguay pulled one back but never seriously threatened a comeback, with the final score settling at 4-1.

The 2026 World Cup features an expanded 48-team format, up from 32 in previous editions, spread across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19.

For context, the last time a World Cup was held on American soil, the 1994 tournament became the highest-attended in FIFA history.

Crypto’s quiet land grab at the World Cup

Three days before kickoff, on June 9, Kraken was announced as the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The deal positions the San Francisco-based exchange across all 16 host cities, giving it visibility in front of billions of global viewers across the tournament’s five-week run.

Kraken isn’t the first crypto company to plant a flag in the sports world. Crypto.com famously paid $700M to rename the former Staples Center in Los Angeles. The exchange also partnered with Visa on NFT-related content during previous World Cup cycles.

FTX’s naming rights deal with the Miami Heat’s arena became the most expensive cautionary tale in sports marketing history when the exchange collapsed in 2022.