USA vs Bosnia-Herzegovina: World Cup Round of 32: Prediction, team lineups

Published 1 July 2026 · us

Buoyed by a dream run, underdogs Bosnia and Herzegovina take on cohosts USA in their first World Cup knockout game. Five wins to go. How

Buoyed by a dream run, underdogs Bosnia and Herzegovina take on cohosts USA in their first World Cup knockout game. Five wins to go. How can your team reach the final and win the World Cup 2026? Click here to find out. Who: USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina What: FIFA World Cup 2026 – round of 32 Where: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara, US When: Wednesday, July 1, at 5pm (00:00 GMT on Thursday) How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 21:00 GMT before our live text commentary stream. “I am from Bosnia; take me to America.” On Wednesday, the opening lines from Bosnian band Dubioza Kolektiv’s now-viral classic “USA” will be more than just a catchy chorus. Playing in the World Cup knockouts for the first time, Bosnia and Herzegovina will face cohosts United States in the round of 32 and hope to extend their dream run in North America. Having punched their ticket to the tournament via a gruelling playoff, the Bosnian team carries the hopes of millions back home, who waited 12 years to watch their country on the sport’s biggest stage. The USA are clear favourites in this fixture, but with huge expectations and pressure mounting on the cohosts to deliver in front of their home crowd. Bosnia know an upset will be difficult but not impossible and are bolstered by the knowledge that another underdog nation has already knocked out the favourite in this round.

Al Jazeera tells you everything about USA vs Bosnia-Herzegovina How did the USA and Bosnia reach the round of 32? The USA were the winners of Group D with six points. Here’s a list of their results Bosnia and Herzegovina came third in Group B with four points. Here’s a list of their results USA wary of unpredictable Bosnia and Herzegovina While the USA reached the knockouts by winning their group, Bosnia squeezed in as one of the eight best third-placed teams. Bosnia’s progression is historic, but their performance was unconvincing, especially in defence. Bosnia have never kept a clean sheet in their six World Cup matches; no side has ever played more at the finals without one. But Bosnia’s strength lies in its physicality, with coach Sergej Barbarez’s squad the tallest at the tournament, with an average height of 1.85 metres. They have made good use of their towering presence, scoring three goals from corners. Despite Bosnia being the underdogs, USA captain Tim Ream said his team are wary of the Balkan nation’s talent, especially after they knocked out four-time world champions Italy in the qualifiers. “They’re a difficult team to play against, and they’re in the tournament for a reason,” Ream told reporters on Monday. “I don’t know that we really expect Bosnia to just be defensive. We have to expect the unexpected,” he said. Ermin Mahmic has been Bosnia’s leading scorer at the tournament with two goals off the bench, while American-born winger Esmir Bajraktarevic is also a player to watch out for.