Here's the latest
• The USA on deck: The US is gearing up for its debut match against Paraguay at 9 p.m. ET in Los Angeles in one of the most important games in American soccer history.
• Canada opens with a draw: Canada concluded its opening World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina with a 1-1 draw, scoring a second-half equalizer in front of a hype Toronto crowd.
• Opening ceremonies: Headliners Future, Katy Perry and Anitta will kick off the celebrations in the US. Canada’s ceremony in Toronto featured performances from Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé and Alessia Cara.
• Sign up for The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily World Cup newsletter. It’s free!
What ICE is doing at the World Cup
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expected to have a presence at the World Cup, but officials insist the focus will be on security, not rounding up undocumented immigrants.
Homeland Security Investigations, a division of ICE, generally has a presence at sporting events, including the Super Bowl, to crackdown on counterfeit goods as well as combat trafficking. An ICE spokesperson told CNN that their mission will remain the same during the World Cup.
“ICE and HSI will be working with local and federal partners to secure the FIFA World Cup,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “They will play a pivotal role in combatting human trafficking as well as stopping counterfeit merchandise and counterfeit ticket sales.”
Homeland Security officials have tried to tamp down concerns from fans in the lead up to the tournament, fueled by the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement campaign.
“International visitors who legally come to the United States for the World Cup have nothing to worry about,” said DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis in a statement.
Can you walk from New York to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for the World Cup?
There’s been a lot of talk about whether one could – or should – walk from New York City to MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands of New Jersey, where the tournament’s final will be held.
Well, people are doing it. But should they?
Is it possible for tourists arriving to the US to watch the FIFA World Cup to walk to New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium?
Trump called USMNT to deliver a message of support last night
US President Donald Trump called the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) on Thursday night to wish the team good luck ahead of its opening match against Paraguay.
Speaking directly to head coach Mauricio Pochettino, Trump called him a “fantastic guy and fantastic coach,” adding that the team has a very good chance to “go all the way.”
Trump will not be attending the US match in Los Angeles tonight, as it’s not on his schedule and his attention is focused on discussions around the war in Iran.
Watch the video of the phone call here:
Looking ahead to Canada's next group stage matches
Canada’s next group stage matches will both be played in BC Place in Vancouver.
On June 18 at 6 p.m. ET, Canada will play Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup. On June 24 at 3 p.m. ET, it closes out group stage play against Switzerland.
Canada has only qualified for the World Cup twice before, in 1986 and 2022. The national team has never won a match in its limited tournament experience. Coming off of consecutive qualifications, Canada is hoping to get exit the group stage for the first time.
Why a World Cup match can end in a draw and what it means
1-1. For those unfamiliar, it may seem like an unsatisfying ending, but in the group stage, it’s all about advancing to the knockout round.
World Cup matches can only end in a draw in the group stage. There is no extra time. If there is no winner by the end of injury time, the match simply ends.
Draws still affect the tournament standings, as both teams receive one point for a match ending in a draw. Meanwhile, victories give a team three points and a team receives no points for a loss.
Under the tournament’s new expanded format, Canada and Bosnia have made sure that they’ll remain competitive in the remaining group stage matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Round of 32. Additionally, the eight third-place teams with the best scores will also advance.
Full-time: Canada 1-1 Bosnia in entertaining match
A brilliant game and a draw is just about fair.
Bosnia was the better team in the first half but ran out of legs by the end. That, and some smart substitutions for Canada, saw the co-host get back into the tie, but it just didn’t have time to find a winner.
Cyle Larin almost scored a last-gasp goal in the dying seconds as well.
A draw isn’t the end of the world for either team. The dream of making the knockout stages remains very much on, especially in the expanded tournament.
Six minutes of added time remaining to find a winner
We’ve got just six minutes left of added time and Canada is still pushing for a winner.
Bosnia looks exhausted. It’s defended so well, but it’s clearly taken a lot out of the players.
Ali Ahmed is the danger man for Canada. He keeps running at his defender and making things happen from the wing.
Substitutions have turned this game on its head
Canada manager Jesse Marsch was teased quite a bit during his brief spell in the English Premier League, but the 52-year-old is the one laughing now.
He has masterminded a wonderful second half from his team, making changes which have wrestled control of the game.
All of a sudden, it looks like the co-host who is most likely to win here and Bosnia might just be starting to run out of steam.
Sprinklers turn on during hydration break
Apparently, the new mandatory hydration breaks include the pitch.
During the second half’s hydration break, the sprinklers turned on, refreshing the pitch and the players at the same time.
If you’re wondering why this is done, it’s to keep the field slick for the ball to be able to move freely.
Watch the video here:
Goal! Canada makes it 1-1 with brilliant effort
He’s only just come on, but Cyle Larin grabs a goal for Canada.
It was a lovely move from the co-host, but it’s all about Larin. The striker holds the ball up wonderfully before twisting and firing a shot into the far corner of the net, thanks in part to a little deflection.
The stadium – and Ryan Reynolds – goes crazy. We have 10 minutes to find a winner.
Score: Canada 1 - 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
The game is so open with Canada pushing for a goal
This is a classic example of a soccer game being so entertaining despite there only being one goal in the game.
Both teams are risking a lot in order to score and both have wasted some really good chances.
If anything, the lack of cutting edge has made this even more of a spectacle.
Shame we have to stop for another three minutes for yet another hydration break.
Bosnia is defending with everything it has
This has been a brilliant defensive display from Bosnia, with its players celebrating tackles and blocks like goals.
Canada has switched things up going forward, bringing on Promise David to go up top. He will bring an aerial threat heading into the final 20 minutes.
Norwich City winger Ali Ahmed has also been introduced, with the youngster capable of beating a man and creating a chance for Canada.
Canada has shot cleared off the line
That is incredible.
It was a beautiful passage of play from Canada which set Richie Laryea through on goal.
The striker does everything perfectly, but Sead Kolašinac somehow diverts the shot onto the cross bar. It was an amazing clearance that denied Canada a certain goal.
Then, seconds later, Bosnia misses a huge chance to go 2-0 up.
Painful collision but no penalty to Canada
A big collision there between Canada’s Tani Oluwaseyi and Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.
The striker ran through on goal and was clattered by the onrushing goalie with both falling to the floor.
It looked as though Canada might have deserved a penalty but replays showed that Vasilj got a hand to the ball just before making contact with the man.
Scoreless through the first half, Canada is feeling Alphonso Davies' absence
Scoreless through the first half and a bit into the second – but not without opportunity for a goal – Canada has been missing star left-back Alphonso Davies’ offensive output.
Watching from the sidelines due to a hamstring injury, Davies is the only player in the history of the Canadian national team to score at the World Cup. It’s safe to say he could have provided an extra offensive punch on the pitch, especially given the team’s missed opportunities to get on the scoreboard.
At Qatar in 2022, Davies cemented himself in Canadian soccer history, scoring the team’s first-ever World Cup goal against Croatia (the only other goal for Canada was an own-goal).
Heading into the second half in Toronto, Les Rouges are hoping that someone will join Davies on the scoresheet.
We're back underway between Canada and Bosnia
We are back underway in Toronto. Canada has 45 minutes to launch a comeback and will need to find its shooting boots (sorry, cleats) from somewhere.
Bosnia, meanwhile, can keep doing what it’s doing and try catch the co-host on the break.
Set-pieces proving vital at the World Cup
In recent seasons, set-pieces have become more important than ever. We’ve seen the likes of Arsenal win a Premier League title and reach a Champions League final off the back of dead-ball situations and they are proving important in this summer’s tournament already.
In last night’s South Korea vs. Czech Republic match, Repre defender Vladimír Coufal launched the ball into the box from a throw-in where Ladislav Krejčí met it with a thunderous header to put the Czechs ahead.
Today, Bosnia has had one corner and it’s scored from it. Canada, on the other hand, has had nine corners and hasn’t looked close to scoring from any of them.
The co-host definitely looks second-best to Bosnia in both boxes when it comes to crosses and it’s made all the difference so far.
Halftime: It's 1-0 to Bosnia and Herzegovina over Canada
Referee Facundo Tello blows his whistle and that’s the end of the first half of this match.
Bosnia looked very good from the off and earned a deserved goal in the 21st minute through a Jovo Lukić header. It was the youngster’s first ever international goal as he stepped in for Edin Džeko in the starting line-up.
Canada had several chances in the first 45 to bring the scores level, but they spurned the opportunities and head into the break with a deficit.
While the expanded tournament means a lot of teams make it through to the knockout stage – eight third-place teams of the 12 groups will also go to the round-of-32 – it still behooves Canada to try to go for at least a draw.
A lot of soccer left, so the co-host could even pull off its first ever World Cup win here.
Another missed opportunity for Canada
Another decent chance for Canada then and this time it fell to Tani Oluwaseyi.
The forward did well to hold off his defender but sort of panicked when he came to the shot. He rushed it a bit and ended up firing his effort way over the bar.
That should have been on target at least. Canada still on the attack though. You feel an equalizer is coming.
Canada comes out firing after the hydration break
I’ve got a feeling these hydration breaks will become a bigger story at this year’s World Cup than some might expect.
Whatever the reasons behind them, I’ve already noticed how the actual game changes after the three-minute stoppage.
It’s a great chance for managers to tweak tactics and get their word across to their players. This time, Canada looks like a different team after the short break and is now putting a huge amount of pressure on Bosnia.
