World Cup 2026 live updates: US eliminated from World Cup after losing to Belgium, 4-1, in Round 16

The Bay Area officially kicked off its World Cup moment Saturday, as Levi's Stadium hosted its first FIFA World Cup match.

The Bay Area officially kicked off its World Cup moment Saturday, as Levi's Stadium hosted its first FIFA World Cup match, drawing thousands of fans from around the globe.

Outside the stadium, the energy was unmistakable. Fans packed the surrounding areas hours before kickoff, waving flags, chanting, and embracing the international spirit of the tournament.

"It's the first game at Levi's. It's opening kickoff. We love it," said fan Prajwal Chandrasheker.

The matchup between Switzerland and Qatar is the first of six World Cup games scheduled to be played at the 49ers' home field through July 1.

Fans of all ages joined in on the excitement -- and friendly rivalries were on full display.

"Amazing day!" one young fan said, confidently predicting a Qatar victory.

Meanwhile, another fan laughed while pledging loyalty to Switzerland: "Of course, Switzerland!"

For many, attending the event is about more than just the match; it's about being part of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"So many people showed up to watch the game," said Anwar, a Qatar supporter. "I asked one American guy -- he told me, 'I'm here because this may happen just once in my life.' Which is so true."

Not everyone inside the stadium had a ticket. Some fans gathered outside to soak in the atmosphere and watch from nearby fan areas.

"It's happening next to my neighborhood. I'm going to the fan park next," Chandrasheker said, adding he hopes to attend a match in person.

Tickets for Saturday's game started at around $307 -- relatively affordable by World Cup standards -- though some fans reported paying significantly more.

"With taxes and fees, about $1,500," one attendee said.

Security was a visible priority. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office shared images of deputies preparing for the event during a pregame briefing, emphasizing efforts to ensure fan safety.

Transportation also played a key role, with Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) buses providing extra service to accommodate crowds. Still, getting to the game proved challenging for many, with heavy traffic and delays reported around the stadium. Parking prices reached approximately $180.

On the field, Switzerland and Qatar played to a 1-1 draw. But for the Bay Area, the final score was secondary to the successful start of its World Cup hosting duties.

"Everybody knows the World Cup," said Qatar supporter Tee Mohammed. "It's the most famous sport in the world."

With more matches ahead, the region is poised to remain at the center of global attention -- proving it's ready to host the world.

Qatar might be able to finally move forward from its forgettable home World Cup four years ago, scoring a stoppage-time goal to earn a shocking 1-1 draw with Group B favorite Switzerland on Saturday.

And oh, what a miss by the mighty Swiss.

One TV headline back home at French-language public broadcaster RTS blared: "QATARSTROPHE."

Boualem Khoukhi scored the equalizing goal on a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time to give Qatar its first-ever point at the World Cup in front of 67,966 spectators at Levi's Stadium.

Several of the Qatari players fell to the ground in celebration of the late goal as others ran to each other to embrace.

"I was very proud about today ... our mentality, the discipline they showed today," Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui said. "We needed to have our plan we needed to fulfill. We were a little bit lucky sometimes, but you need to believe and to want to have this belief and bit of luck in life and in football."

Breel Embolo scored for Switzerland from the penalty spot in the first half just over a week after being cleared to enter the U.S. following a visa delay, but the Swiss failed to capitalize on multiple other scoring chances.

Switzerland midfielder Denis Zakaria was asked by RTS if the result was a catastrophic scenario.

"Clearly," he said. "We didn't play the kind of match we needed to. We had so many chances and we missed so many in front of goal. Today we paid dearly."

In the 13th minute, Embolo was fouled by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, who received a yellow card on the play. Abunada lay face down and appeared motionless for a couple of minutes before he began to move his legs and was able to stand up again.

When Embolo calmly sent his penalty into the upper left corner in the 17th minute, it sent the red-clad Swiss fans into a dancing frenzy in the stands.

The 29-year-old forward applied for an urgent visa at the United States embassy in Bern on June 3, one day after he was denied boarding the team's flight to travel for his third World Cup because of a 2018 criminal conviction that was only finalized in April.

Switzerland dominated the possession game on an unseasonably warm June afternoon - with sprinklers running during a first-half break.

There were thousands of empty seats scattered throughout Levi's Stadium, home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. Brazil and Colombia drew 70,971 two years ago in a group match at Copa America. The stadium in Santa Clara staged the Super Bowl only four months ago.

Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made a save in the second minute after Edmilson Junior got through the defense for a one-on-one. Kobel corralled the ball again in the 90th on a close-range attempt by Ahmed Alaaeldin.

Switzerland is hoping to advance further than its round-of-16 showing four years ago before losing 6-1 to Portugal - when Goncalo Ramos delivered an improbable hat trick playing in place of benched star Cristiano Ronaldo. The loss prompted Switzerland midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri to apologize the the fans.

The Swiss used consistency and experience to go unbeaten through qualifying against Sweden, Kosovo and Slovenia. Coach Murat Yakin's team produced four wins and two draws to secure its sixth straight World Cup appearance and hasn't missed one since 2002, but the team has never gotten beyond the quarterfinals.

Qatar had to qualify through a playoff in November - beating the United Arab Emirates and Oman - after missing an opportunity from its group stage in Asian qualifying.

The Gulf State country became the first host nation to lose all of its group matches four years ago. Qatar lost to Senegal, Ecuador and the Netherlands in the 2022 tournament, scoring its lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Senegal.

There appeared to be thousands of empty seats scattered throughout Levi's Stadium for the World Cup match between Qatar and Switzerland on Saturday.

On an unseasonably warm June afternoon by Bay Area standards, with the temperature at kickoff around 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius), many of those vacant seats were on the east side of the stadium that typically can get very hot for much of the year.

With the Swiss fans clad it bright red, they blended in with the empty red seats.

On Friday, FIFA blamed the empty seats during the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara on fans who watched from the concourses.

For NFL games at Levi's Stadium, crowds are often late arriving because of tailgating outside the venue in the heart of Silicon Valley, but it is not allowed for World Cup matches. That made for smooth entry Saturday as small lines formed outside several hours before kickoff.

Levi's Stadium holds 68,500 for NFL games but can be expanded to more than 70,000 for soccer. Brazil and Colombia drew 70,971 two years ago in a group match at Copa America.

The stadium in Santa Clara staged the Super Bowl only four months ago.

It might go down as one of the iconic moments of the 2026 World Cup.

It will certainly take something special to eclipse it as the goal of the tournament, even only three days in.

Deep into added time at Los Angeles Stadium and with virtually the last kick of the game, Gio Reyna capped a spectacular 4-1 win for the United States against Paraguay on Friday with an exquisite finish to a wonderful team move.

This was Pochettino-ball at its finest.

"This might be one of the best back-to-front team goals this country and this team has ever put together," Fox TV analyst Stu Holden said.

It might've been even better than that.

Done in 70 seconds

With the clock on 96 minutes and 10 seconds, the U.S. just had to see out time and ensure a Paraguay team that had already pulled one goal back in the second half didn't spark a late rally.

Over the course of the next 70 seconds, Mauricio Pochettino's team put together a 26-pass move from left to right, through defense and attack and left Paraguay's players chasing shadows. Not one Paraguayan got a foot on the ball. Then it was over to Reyna, who went on for a cameo as an 82nd-minute substitute for the outstanding Malik Tillman.

Receiving a pass from Alexander Freeman outside the box, Reyna took one touch to control the ball and another to carry it into the area. Then, with the outside of his right boot and with a touch of curl, he swept the shot past Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill into the far corner to send the U.S. supporters wild one last time.

And they weren't the only ones going crazy. As Reyna wheeled away in celebration, hands covering his ears, he was mobbed by teammates, substitutes and even Pochettino, who raced across the field to join in the moment.

"There's not a whole lot of words to describe the feeling," U.S. captain Tim Ream said after the team's biggest ever World Cup win.

Just like watching Brazil

Such was the U.S. control of the ball that it brought back memories of what many believe to be the greatest ever team goal in the World Cup when Brazil's Carlos Alberto finished off a multi-pass move against Italy in the 1970 final.

That game also finished 4-1 and Carlos Alberto's strike, like Reyna's, came late, in the 86th minute.

A nine-pass move ended with Pele laying the ball off to Carlos Alberto, who drove a low shot into the corner.

The stakes were much higher for Brazil, but for the U.S. it was an opening statement performance against a Paraguay team that had one of the best defensive records among the South American teams during qualification. Pochettino's team already has more goals than the U.S. managed in the entire 2022 tournament where it scored just three and was eliminated at the round of 16.

"Congratulations to Team USA on their Big Win, 4-1, over a very good Paraguay team," President Donald Trump wrote Saturday on his social media site. "Keep it going!"

A taste of what's to come

The U.S. Men's National Team went big when it hired Pochettino, the former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Tottenham coach in 2024.

There was a run to the Gold Cup final last year and he has not been shy about his ambitions at the World Cup.

"Why not us?" has become something of a motto going into the tournament.

With extended time to work with the players ahead of the opening game, Pochettino believes the full potential of the team will be seen.

"When you only have few days, you know, to reunite and to play, you only select players, but you cannot coach players," he said Friday. "Only in this type of tournament like the Gold Cup or now the World Cup, because you have preparation, two, three, four weeks, I think that is the only moment that we can coach."

Reyna's goal was a perfect example of Pochettino's insistence of concentrating on the team over individuals.

"One thing we need to praise is the collective effort," the coach added.

Reyna erases pain of 2022

It was a triumphant return for Reyna after controversy in Qatar four years ago for alleged lack of hustle, which nearly got him sent home from that World Cup by then-coach Gregg Berhalter.

Pochettino made the bold call to include Reyna in his squad even though he made just four league starts last season for Borussia Mönchengladbach and none after Dec. 19.

Reyna also took the opportunity to announce that his wife was pregnant by putting the ball under his shirt and sucking his thumb.

"Celebration was for the little one on the way," he later posted on Instagram.

The US has had great goals in the past

Fans will debate whether this was the greatest goal by the USMNT.

In 1989 Paul Caligiuri struck a long-range volley against Trinidad and Tobago that qualified the U.S. for the World Cup for the first time since 1950.

In 1994, the last time America hosted the tournament, Eric Wynalda's free kick against Switzerland earned the U.S. its first point in the World Cup since 1950.

There was also Benny Feilhaber's volley that won the Gold Cup in 2007.