Breaking Down USMNT's Most Likely Opponents in World Cup Knockout Round
The USMNT is headed to the knockout round for the second straight World Cup and there are a few teams who are likely to square off with the Americans on July 1 in Santa Clara, CA.
One thing is certain: the Americans will take on a third-place team as a result of finishing atop Group D. However, it’s unclear which group their opponent will represent.
The most probable scenario facing the U.S. is the winner of Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar in Group B, scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday in Seattle. Both teams have one point and need a victory to oust the other from the event.
With that said, teams from Groups E, F, I or J could also face off with the red, white and blue in the first-ever Round of 32.
Let’s break down a few potential opponents.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Dragons began their 2026 World Cup with a 1-1 draw against Canada and followed it up with a lopsided 4-1 defeat at the hands of Switzerland. Now, the Bosnians and Herzegovinians must pull out a win over Qatar (0-1-1) to advance to the next stage of the tournament.
Qatar was demolished by Candada 6-0 on June 18 and after the game, some bad blood brewed between the two sides. Before the Canadians’ destruction of the Qataris, Qatar pulled off a 1-1 draw with the Swiss, making their matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina mighty intriguing.
The two Bosnian and Herzegovinian goals have been scored by Jovo Lukic and Ermin Mahmic, who play in Liga 1 and Czech First League, respectively. Other top players include Ermedin Demirovic, Edin Dzeko and Didi Haracic.
This is the second World Cup in program history, with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first appearance coming in 2014, when it was eliminated before the Round of 16.
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Ecuador
The Ecuadorians currently trail Germany, which has already won Group E, and Ivory Coast, which took down the Ecuadorians 1-0 in Ivory Coast’s World Cup debut on June 14. Ecuador then finished with a scoreless draw against Curacao, placing them alongside the Curacaoans in the group standings, each with one point apiece entering their final matchup of the tournament’s initial stage.
Ecuador can put itself in a position to advance with a win over Germany, which has nothing to play for, on June 25 at 4 p.m. in New Jersey. For them to do so, La Tricolor must find a way to produce, at least, its first goal of the event.
Through two games, the Ecuadorians have attempted 39 shots at goal, which is tied for fifth among the World Cup’s 48 participants. They’re second in attempts on target with 16. However, the vast majority of those came against Curacao, when Curacaoan goalkeeper Eloy Room recorded 15 saves to finish with a clean sheet, earning Curacao its first-ever point in its first-ever World Cup.
Ecuador is propelled in part by Moises Caicedo, who will need to help spark the team’s attack if it hopes to move forward into the knockout round for the first time since 2006.
Senegal
If the Senegalese work their way to a meeting with the Americans in the Round of 32, it would be a rematch of a 3-2 USMNT victory in a friendly on May 31. Folarin Balogun’s goal in the 63rd minute gave the U.S. the victory. Sergino Dest and Christian Pulisic also scored for the Americans, while Senegal’s all-time leading goal scorer, Sadio Mane, netted two tallies.
Les Lions de la Teranga then went on to begin the World Cup with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of France on June 16, during which Senegal’s lone goal was scored by Ibrahim Mbaye. Senegal will complete the group stage with matches against Norway on Monday and Iraq on June 26. Senegal and Iraq are side-by-side in the Group I standings, each currently with one point. Iraq previously fell to Norway 401 on June 16.
Senegal is the best team of this bunch and the Americans would benefit from avoiding this matchup in the knockout round.
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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 6:42 PM.