World Cup day 2: USA, Canada begin – schedule, predictions and how to watch

Published 12 June 2026 · us

North America’s two other cohosts take centre stage on Friday as Canada and the United States begin their World Cup campaigns in front of home

North America’s two other cohosts take centre stage on Friday as Canada and the United States begin their World Cup campaigns in front of home fans. After Mexico kicked off the tournament on Thursday, attention shifts north, with Toronto and Los Angeles hosting the next matches of FIFA’s biggest-ever World Cup. Canada and the United States both begin their campaigns on Friday, but there is already plenty happening in the matches and outside, too. From a record number of red cards to a surprise retirement and warnings for influencers travelling to the US, here is what you need to know. What’s the World Cup schedule on June 12? The World Cup continues on Friday with the first matches on home soil for Canada and the US. Canada begins their campaign against Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field in Toronto. Kickoff is scheduled for 3pm local time (19:00 GMT). Later, the US face Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, with kickoff at 6pm local time (01:00 GMT on June 13). Where can you watch the games? Fans in the US can watch every match in English on FOX and FS1, with all 104 games also available to stream on FOX One and the FOX Sports app. Spanish-language coverage in the US is available on Telemundo and Universo, with streaming through Peacock. Cord-cutters can also watch via services that carry FOX and FS1, including Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream. In Canada, TSN is the primary English-language broadcaster, with selected matches also shown on CTV. French-language viewers can follow the action on RDS and RDS2. What do the predictions say for Canada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina? Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina have never faced each other before, making Friday’s meeting in Toronto a first for both sides. Canada are still looking for their first World Cup win after losing all three of their matches in the two previous editions they reached – 1986 and 2022. However, the team has made huge progress in recent years, rising from outside FIFA’s top 100 in 2017 to 30th in the world rankings. As for the prediction, the Opta supercomputer makes Canada clear favourites. In 10,000 pre-match simulations, the hosts won 58.3 percent of the time. Bosnia-Herzegovina came out on top in 20 percent of simulations, while 21.7 percent ended in a draw.

What do the predictions say for USA vs Paraguay? The US’s only previous World Cup meeting with Paraguay came at the inaugural tournament in 1930, when the North Americans secured a 3-0 victory. The teams have rarely met since. Paraguay got the better of the US at the 2007 Copa America, while the Americans returned the favour with a narrow victory at the 2016 edition. Opta expects a close encounter in Inglewood. Across 10,000 simulations, the US won 39.8 percent of the time, Paraguay emerged victorious in 33.6 percent, while 26.6 percent finished level. What else is shaping the World Cup? From record-setting red cards to viral social media moments, several storylines are already competing for attention. Red cards steal the spotlight Mexico’s 2-0 win over South Africa produced an unexpected piece of World Cup history by becoming the first opening match to feature three red cards. South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were both sent off before Mexico’s Cesar Montes saw red deep into stoppage time. None of the dismissals came via a second yellow card. Only Portugal’s infamous 2006 clash with the Netherlands, which produced four sendings-off, has seen more expulsions in a World Cup game. For comparison, the entire 2022 World Cup in Qatar saw only four red cards in total. Japan captain Wataru Endo out of the World Cup The Samurai Blue suffered a major blow before their opening match after captain Wataru Endo withdrew from the squad with a foot injury before announcing his retirement from international football. The 33-year-old Liverpool midfielder said he had “no regrets” over the decision after struggling to recover from surgery earlier this year. Mexico’s Quinones scores first goal at World Cup Julian Quinones made history by scoring the first goal of the 2026 World Cup, joining a list of players that includes Pele. Born in Colombia, the 29-year-old played for the country’s youth teams but never the senior Colombian side. After moving to Mexico in 2016, he became a Mexican citizen in 2023 and was quickly called up to the national team. Quinones has been in excellent form since joining Saudi club Al Qadsiah in 2024, finishing the 2025-26 season as the Saudi Pro League’s top scorer with 33 goals. His powerful finish against South Africa showed exactly why he has become such an important player for Mexico.