The World Cup arrived in the United States with a Hollywood-style opening ceremony at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, temporarily renamed the Los Angeles Stadium. Performers included Future, Tyla, Anitta, and K-pop singer Lisa.

Suspended from the stadium roof were giant gold "FIFA" letters, a color reportedly favored by the Trump regime. The US regime's leader did not attend but spoke to the team by phone, allegedly telling them, "I think you've a really good chance of going all the way."

Celebrities such as Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Halle Berry, Rob Lowe, Owen Wilson, and Paris Hilton were in attendance. US fans, many dressed as Uncle Sam or the Statue of Liberty, booed the Paraguay players during warm-ups.

Fan Isaac Pizarro paid $1,900 per ticket to attend with his son, expressing belief that the US team could win. Actor Jason Sudeikis and singer Katy Perry were expected to perform before kickoff.

US center-back Chris Richards overcame injury to start, as did Paraguay's dangerous winger Julio Enciso. Fellow co-hosts Mexico and Canada have already played their first matches, with Mexico defeating South Africa 2-0 and Canada drawing 1-1 with Bosnia-Herzegovina for their first-ever World Cup point.

Source: www.aljazeera.com