Key takeaways from the data of host countries’ first World Cup games

The U.S. and Mexico grabbed wins in their World Cup openers, while Canada played to a draw. Northeastern’s Brennan Klein breaks down what the data revealed.

U.S. forward Christian Pulisic (10) and midfielder Weston Mckennie (8) celebrate after scoring the first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between the USA and Paraguay in Inglewood, California. Photo Credit : Charles Baus/Cal Sport Media via AP Images

The United States and Mexico opened the World Cup with victories, while the third host country, Canada, played to a draw.

Brennan Klein of Northeastern’s Network Science Institute said he was impressed by the Americans’ strategy and execution, and the data confirmed that conclusion.

“It was one of the best games I’ve ever seen a United States men’s team play, and there’s a lot of really interesting data to support that claim,” said Klein, who leads the NetSI Sport research team, which is analyzing a host of soccer data throughout the tournament for Northeastern Global News’ blog NGN Offside.

Mexico, meanwhile, played a strong game overall, but Klein said it was difficult to assess the performance because they faced a much lower-ranked South Africa team by FIFA, which was also forced to finish the game with only nine players after two were sent off for receiving red cards.

Canada, for its part, put itself in good scoring chances but couldn’t capitalize, he said, and also implemented a clear strategy for throw-ins near the opponents’ goal.

United States

First match: defeated Paraguay, 4-1

Next match: vs. Australia, Friday, 3 p.m. EDT

Klein said the United States was much more willing to engage the defense than in years past, rather than settle for more conservative passes. Defensemen Chris Richards and Tim Ream were crucial to starting the United States’ attack throughout the game, and overall the U.S. was much more aggressive in its dribbling and passing up the pitch. For example, the U.S. had 35 attempted dribbles, compared to an average of 11.7 over their previous seven competitive games. Similarly, it had 24 completed dribbles, compared to 7.4 on average.

Pitch map showing USA dribbles and key carries against Paraguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D match. Of 43 attempts, 32 were completed. Freeman led with 7 of 8 carries completed; Pulisic attempted the most with 7 of 11. Most activity concentrated in the attacking third, with Dest, McKennie, and Robinson also contributing. Balogun completed both of his attempts. — The graphic illustrates the key dribbles and carries attempted by the U.S.

This higher-risk, higher-reward strategy led to more scoring chances. However, Klein warned that the U.S.’s next opponent, Australia, could take advantage if the U.S. plays the same style. Australia boasts a fast squad, with three players — Jordan Bos, Mohamed Toure and Cameron Burgess — among the top 15 players with the highest recorded speed through the tournament’s first 12 games (see graphic below). Bos, for example, hit 22.8 miles per hour.

Bar chart ranking the 15 fastest players through the first 12 matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage by top speed in mph. Australia's Jordan Bos leads at 22.8 mph, followed by teammate Mohamed Toure at 22.2 mph. All players listed reached at least 21.2 mph. — The U.S. will face two of the fastest players in the World Cup when the team plays Australia.

Australia’s team speed led to counterattacks that helped propel Australia in its 2-0 victory over Turkey in its opener.

Mexico

First match: defeated South Africa, 2-0

Next match: vs. South Korea, Thursday, 9 p.m. EDT

Mexico limited South Africa to an extremely low 0.09 xG, expected goals, for the game — a metric that measures the quality of scoring chances. “This means [South Africa] hardly created any opportunities, and struggled with Mexico’s attack,” Klein said.

Read more World Cup analysis on NGN Offside →

Klein said Mexico dominated the action, deploying a high-pressure scheme against South Africa. This is a strategy to watch against a stronger opponent in South Korea.

One of the most exciting moments of Mexico’s match with South Africa was striker Raúl Jiménez’s emotional goal. Jiménez suffered a life-threatening skull fracture in 2020 when he and an opponent collided heads as they jumped for the ball. Klein said Jiménez has been a pinpoint header over his long career, and that’s how he scored in Mexico’s opener — off a beautiful pass behind the defense. See the graphic below for the sequence of events that led to the goal.

Pitch map tracing the four-event passing sequence — Zambrano, Magallón, and two actions by Hernández — leading to Raúl Jiménez's 66th-minute goal for Mexico against South Africa in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A match. — South Africa striker Raúl Jiménez’s goal. Brennan Klein

Canada

First match: draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1-1

Next match: vs. Qatar, Thursday, 6 p.m. EDT

Klein observed a few trends from Canada’s first match to watch going forward. For one, the Canadians relied quite a bit on crossing the ball from the wings into the scoring box. They had several strong scoring chances, but failed to capitalize. “They could’ve done much better with their shots,” he said.

Another interesting strategy is that when they got into the lower third of pitch — i.e., the section of the field closest to the opposing goal — Canada attempted several long throws toward and into the scoring box that resulted in some high-value chances. This strategy, he said, is becoming more common in international play.