Damián Bobadilla Sends First 2026 World Cup Own Goal Into Dest

Damián Bobadilla put dest on the board in the worst way for Paraguay, turning the first own goal of the 2026 World Cup into an early United States lead seven minutes into the Group D match. The play came before 10 minutes had elapsed and gave the Americans the tournament’s first scoring break of that kind.

Bobadilla’s Clearance Went Wrong

Christian Pulisic drove down the left wing and played the ball back for his teammates, setting up the sequence that ended with Weston McKennie trying to thread a pass into the penalty area. Bobadilla then diverted the ball into his own net while attempting to clear the danger, and the United States took the lead from the error.

The own goal arrived in the third match of the competition, making it the first recorded own goal of the 2026 World Cup. It was not a long spell before the tournament had a new statistical first, and Paraguay were the side left chasing the game almost immediately.

Group D Shifted Early

For the United States, the score changed the tone of Group D quickly and without requiring a finished attacking move. For Paraguay, the opening minutes became a recovery exercise after one failed clearance flipped the match state at seven minutes.

The detail that stands out is how little time the teams needed to reach a first of the tournament. By the time the game was still settling, the own goal had already separated the sides and put the burden on Paraguay to respond after Bobadilla’s mistake.

That leaves one clear takeaway for anyone tracking the group: the first own goal of the 2026 World Cup belongs to Bobadilla, and it came in a match the United States used to gain an early edge before the clock had barely moved.