The knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is here. Forty-eight teams entered, and only 32 remain in a single-elimination tournament to claim world football’s most prestigious prize.
Here is everything you need to know about the United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 5 p.m. PT at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday, July 1.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will air on FOX and can be streamed on FOX One.
Eastside Rivalry Pass
Join the rivalry on July 16 and catch the Sounders vs Portland. The Eastside Rivalry Pass is the best way to travel from Redmond to attend the match. Each bundle includes a ticket and free transit the match. To make your trip easier, we’ve partnered with King County Metro and Experience Redmond to offer you free fare on Metro buses, Link light rail, or other transit services (while supplies last).
ABOUT USA:
- FIFA ranking: 17
- Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
- Nicknames: The Stars and Stripes, The Yanks
- How they qualified: Co-hosts with Canada and Mexico
- World Cup appearances: 12
- Overall World Cup record (W-L-T): 11-21-8
- Best-ever finish: Semifinals (1930)
- 2022 World Cup result: Round of 16
- How they reached the 2026 Round of 32: Group D winners
- Group stage results:
- Matchday 1: Defeated Paraguay 4-1
- Matchday 2: Defeated Australia 2-0
- Matchday 3: Lost to Türkiye 3-2
- Players to know:
- Christian Pulisic, F: Pulisic was electric in the first half in the United States’ opening match against Paraguay but exited at halftime with a calf injury. He missed the Australia match but returned as a second-half substitute against Türkiye. The U.S. will need their emotional leader and playmaker from here on out. The AC Milan winger has 33 career goals, fifth-most in USMNT history.
- Folarin Balogun, F: One of the most exciting players of the group stage, the 24-year-old scored twice and forced an own goal to lead the U.S. attack. The Monaco forward has been clinical in front of goal and will need to continue that form if the Stars and Stripes hope to make a deep run.
- Weston McKennie, M: The only player to start all three group-stage matches for Pochettino, Weston McKennie is the engine in the United States’ midfield. How well the former FC Dallas Academy product partners with Tyler Adams in central midfield will determine whether the U.S. can continue to play on the front foot in attack.
- Cristian Roldan, M: One of Pochettino’s favorite all-around players, Sounders FC's Cristian Roldan has earned his second FIFA World Cup roster spot. An unfortunate muscle injury suffered in training likely prevented Roldan from earning minutes in a rotated U.S. lineup against Türkiye on Matchday 3 with the top spot in Group D already secured.
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ABOUT BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA:
- FIFA ranking: 64
- Manager: Sergej Barbarez
- Nickname: Zmajevi (Dragons)
- How they qualified: Defeated Wales and Italy in UEFA qualifying playoffs
- World Cup appearances: 2
- Overall World Cup record (W-L-T): 2-3-1
- Best-ever finish: Group stage (2014)
- 2022 World Cup result: Did not qualify
- How they reached the 2026 Round of 32: One of the top eight third-place finishers after earning four points in Group B
- Group stage results:
- Matchday 1: Drew Canada 1-1
- Matchday 2: Lost to Switzerland 4-1
- Matchday 3: Defeated Qatar 3-1
- Players to know:
- Edin Džeko, F: The greatest player Bosnia has ever produced, Džeko is still competing at 40 years old. The towering center forward has suited up for some of the best teams in the world across Europe’s top flights, including Manchester City, AS Roma, Inter Milan and Fenerbahçe. Džeko is Bosnia’s all-time leader in both caps (148) and goals (73), recording 45 more international goals than anyone else. He had six goals and three assists in 11 matches last season with FC Schalke in the 2.Bundesliga.
- Kerim Alajbegovic, F: At just 18 years old, Alajbegovic is one of the most exciting teenage prospects at this year’s World Cup and produced one of the best solo goals of the group stage with his stunner against Qatar at Seattle Stadium. He lit up the Austrian Bundesliga last year with nine goals and three assists in 28 matches for Red Bull Salzburg, which earned him an upcoming July 1 transfer to German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.
- Ermin Mahmić, M: An unlikely breakout story of this World Cup, the 21-year-old led Bosnia with two goals in the group stage. Mahmić had just two caps coming into the tournament but scored twice off the bench in Bosnia’s matches against Switzerland and Qatar for his first two international goals. The Austrian-born midfielder just finished his first season with Slovan Liberec in the Czech First Division where he recorded six goals and three assists in 25 appearances.
