Own goal in the 7th minute hands USA dream start against Paraguay at World Cup 2026

The United States could hardly have asked for a better start to their World Cup 2026 campaign. Paraguay midfielder Damián Bobadilla turned the ball into his own net in the seventh minute of the Group A opener at Los Angeles Stadium, gifting the hosts an early lead in what is the third-fastest goal the U.S. have ever scored at a World Cup. Weston McKennie was the last American to touch the ball before the deflection.

The goal continues a curious pattern in U.S. World Cup history. Friday’s opener is the sixth time the Americans have found the net inside the opening 15 minutes of a World Cup match, and three of those occasions have come against Paraguay — two in 1930 and now one in 2026. Both of the earliest goals the U.S. have scored in a home World Cup match have been own goals: tonight’s against Paraguay and one against Colombia at USA 1994.

The fastest goal ever scored by a U.S. player at a World Cup remains Clint Dempsey’s 30-second strike against Ghana at Brazil 2014, a record that still stands comfortably.

History offers the United States significant encouragement from this position. The Americans have lost only once at the World Cup when opening the scoring — a defeat to Spain in 1950 — making their record when scoring first remarkably strong across the tournament’s history.