USA vs. Paraguay: opening duel of Group D in the 2026 World Cup

Key recovery for debut

Spain will have its entire squad for the World Cup opener against Cape Verde on Monday. Striker Víctor Muñoz returned to training, a day after Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams also did so.

Injuries marked the closure of the European leagues. Mikel Merino and Fabián Ruiz had setbacks, but they are now available. The only absentee will be Fermín López, with a fracture in his foot.

The biggest concern was Yamal, who suffered a left hamstring injury in April during a La Liga match. The 18-year-old winger will lead the attack in search of Spain’s second world title, after South Africa 2010. Williams also injured his hamstring in May with Athletic Bilbao, and Muñoz had been suffering from muscle discomfort since his time at Osasuna.

Coach Luis de la Fuente plans to reserve them for the debut against Cape Verde in Atlanta. It is more likely that they will be 100 percent for the second game against Saudi Arabia on June 21, also in Atlanta. The closing of the group stage will be against Uruguay on June 26 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Spain, concentrated in Tennessee, left behind its elimination in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup against Morocco. Since then, they won Euro 2024 in Germany, won the 2023 Nations League and were runners-up in the 2025 edition against Portugal. La Roja has not gone beyond the round of 16 in a World Cup since its only title in 2010.

World Cup football weekend

The Group Stage of the 2026 World Cup continues this Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14 with eight matches scheduled. However, for the Mexican audience, only two of them can be tuned in on open television: Brazil vs. Morocco and the Netherlands vs. Japan. The rest will be broadcast exclusively through the ViX streaming service, through its World Cup Pass.

Matches on Saturday, June 13

• Qatar vs Switzerland | 1:00 p.m. (central Mexico) | ViX World Cup Pass
• Brazil vs Morocco | 16:00 hours | Azteca 7, Channel 5, TUDN and ViX
• Haiti vs Scotland | 7:00 p.m. | ViX
• Australia vs Türkiye | 10:00 p.m. | ViX

Matches on Sunday, June 14

• Germany vs Curacao | 11:00 am | ViX
• Netherlands vs Japan | 2:00 p.m. | Azteca 7, Channel 5, TUDN and ViX
• Ivory Coast vs Ecuador | 17:00 hours | ViX
• Sweden vs Tunisia | 8:00 p.m. | ViX

The Mexican team, for its part, will play its second match of the phase until Thursday, June 18, against South Korea at the Guadalajara Stadium. Fans will need to plan their schedules so as not to miss the action, as most matches require a subscription to the streaming platform.

Brazil faces the 2026 FIFA World Cup as part of Group C of CONMEBOL. Canarinho sealed their qualification on June 10, 2025 with a 1-0 victory against Paraguay. Since then, the team has undergone a transition on the bench that culminated with the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti as coach.

Technical spare parts and classification

After Tite’s departure, Ramon Menezes directed between March and July 2023. Then Fernando Diniz arrived, whose cycle ended after Brazil’s first defeat at home in the playoffs: 1-0 against Argentina at the Maracaná. The Brazilian Confederation then appointed Dorival Júnior, who left office after a 4-1 win against Argentina at the Monumental. Finally, the federation appointed Carlo Ancelotti.

Copa América 2024

In the continental tournament held in the United States, Brazil had an irregular performance in the group stage. In the quarterfinals they lost to Uruguay in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw. That elimination marked the closing of the cycle prior to World Cup qualification.

Roster and preparation

The final list for the World Cup includes 26 players, with Casemiro as captain. The previous friendlies will be against Panama (May 31, 2026) and Egypt (June 6, 2026). The call-up statistics are updated as of March 31, 2026, after the match against Croatia.

Among historical references, Cafu leads in appearances (142) and Neymar is the top scorer (79). The team uses the nicknames “Seleção” and “Canarinho”, competes under the BRA code and does not have a fixed home stadium.

With Ancelotti at the helm, Brazil begins its journey in Group C with an armed base and two preparation matches already scheduled.