US beat Paraguay in Los Angeles, Canada earn last-gasp draw against Bosnia in Toronto

World Cup host nation Canada and Bosnia Herzegovina kicked off Group B on Friday with a 1-1 draw, as the World Cup landed on Canadian soil for the first time in history.

Meanwhile, a few hours later in Los Angeles, the third host nation, the US disposed of Paraguay 4-1 in their initial Group D match.

Canada trailed for a good part of the match only to claw back a draw in the final minutes of the game in front of an ecstatic home crowd in Toronto. This is the first point ever won by Canada in the World Cup.

Canada lost all six of their matches across the 1986 and 2022 World Cup editions, scoring twice and conceding 12 goals. 

Friday’s match was the first official meeting between Canada and Bosnia Herzegovina, as well as the first World Cup game ever played on Canadian soil. Canada is a host nation along with the United States and Mexico. The latter made their World Cup debut on Thursday, beating South Africa 2-0.

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On the other side of the field, Bosnia and Herzegovina are appearing at only their second World Cup, having made their tournament debut in 2014.

Neither team has ever reached the knockout stage, but FIFA ranks Canada 30th, making them the second-highest ranked team in Group B behind 19th-ranked Switzerland. Bosnia and Herzegovina are ranked 64th.

The United States beat Paraguay

Down in southern California, the other host nation, the United States, faced Paraguay in the opening Group D match.

The game played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, saw the home team win 4-1 in a game that saw the US enter half-time 3-0 up.

The US are making their first appearance at the World Cup in three decades. They qualified automatically as one of the three host nations, while Paraguay secured their place through the highly competitive South American qualifiers.

Fanzones have been set up across Malta for fans who want to watch the opening match with a crowd, including at Campus Hub and the National Aquarium.

For those who would rather stay home, the match will be shown live on TVM+.