USA faces Bosnia in knockout Round of 32 game Wednesday. What you need to know
Patriotic packed stadiums and star-spangled watch parties helped energize the U.S. World Cup team as it climbed to the top of Group D to punch a ticket to the knockout round.
The stakes rise Wednesday when the U.S. faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, at 8 p.m. The highly anticipated matchup will air on FOX and Telemundo and a victory would get Fourth of July celebrations going a few days early.
The Stars and Stripes are seeking their first knockout stage victory since 2002, when they reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Japan/South Korea. Bosnia-Herzegovina advanced to Wednesday’s game as one of the best third-place finishers at the tournament.
USA impressed in its opening two matches, beating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0 to clinch a spot in the knockout phase with a match to spare.
Coach Maurcio Pochettino made nine lineup changes for the third group game against Turkey, which the U.S. lost 3-2 in the final minutes. But that had no bearing on their standings, and the USA finished two points ahead of both second-place Australia and third-place Paraguay.
If the USA beats Bosnia-Herzegovina, it advances to a Round of 16 clash against either Belgium or Senegal, which, on paper, seems a winnable path to the later rounds.
“With knockout rounds, anything can happen,” U.S. midfielder Gio Reyna said Monday. “This team really does well with challenges.”
Team captain Tim Ream noted the importance of maintaining the same mentality and mood in this next stage as the team did in the opening round. He had not yet composed a pregame locker room speech on Monday but expected the message to be the same: Do whatever it takes to keep this ride going.
“What lengths are we willing to go to get the outcome we want?” Ream said. “There’s so many ways you can say that, but at the end of the day, I think it’s about having fun and enjoying where we are and who we are and embracing everything this journey is taking us on and everything it’s going to throw at us from here on out.”
The next challenge is a Bosnia team that is not as highly ranked as the Americans in the latest FIFA rankings (No. 61 vs. No. 15) and might not have the same level of technical skill, but is known for its resilience.
Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a World Cup berth by navigating a dramatic UEFA qualifying campaign. They finished as runners-up in Group H, which earned them a spot in the European playoffs, where they defeated Wales and four-time champion Italy via dramatic penalty shootouts.
So far in this World Cup, the Dragons advanced to the knockout stage for the first time after finishing third in Group B. They tied co-host Canada 1-1, lost 4-1 against group winner Switzerland and beat Qatar 3-1 to finish as the fifth-best third-place team to advance to the knockout stage.
Since earning its independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the World Cup twice. They exited after the group stage in 2014.
This Bosnian team will pressure the U.S. defense from the wings, and U.S. wingbacks Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson will have to be on their toes to contain wingers Esmir Bajraktarevic (PSV) and Kerim Alajbegovic (Bayer Leverkusen).
They are a dynamic duo who like to cross the ball to 40-year-old striker and captain Edin Dzeko, the former Manchester City and Roma standout who now is with Schalke in Germany.
Dzeko, whose family was displaced during Bosnian war when he was in elementary school, is the Dragons’ all-time leader in appearances (150) and scoring (73). He has scored more than 400 goals for club and country, though he has yet to score in this World Cup.
Another player of particular interest in this match is 21-year-old winger Esmir Bajraktarevic, who was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, and plays for PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch League alongside U.S. players Dest and Ricardo Pepi.
He started out with U.S. youth national teams, played for the USMNT against Slovenia in a January 2024 friendly before declaring for Bosnia later that year. Bajraktarevic’s parents are from Bosnia, left for Switzerland after losing relatives in the war, and then emigrated to the United States in 2001.
Asked how to neutralize Bosnia’s physicality, wingers and high press, Ream said: “You have to move the ball as quickly as you possibly can, side to side, getting runs in behind, unbalancing their shape. It sounds simple, but it’s really going to be about getting the ball into areas where they’re really uncomfortable.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is coached by 54-year-old Sergej Barbarez, has a strong back line with Tarik Muharemović, Sead Kolašinac, and Nikola Katić of FC Schalke 04.
The Dragons’ attack is led by 21-year-old Ermin Mahmić, who scored twice in the group stage, Jovo Lukić and 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegović. VfB Stuttgart goalscorer Ermedin Demirovic is searching for his first World Cup goal.
If the game comes down to extra time and penalty kicks, as several knockout games already have this week, Ream said the USA will be ready.
“A lot of times our training sessions are tougher and more condensed than a game, and I think I saw a stat that our team has covered more distance than any team in the tournament so far, so that says a lot about where we are physically and mentally,” Ream said. “We’re absolutely where we want to be and ready for whatever happens.”
INJURY UPDATE
USA: Christian Roldan (leg muscle), Mark McKenzie (foot) and Auston Trusty (ankle).
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Amar Dedic (thigh). Tarik Muharemovic missed Qatar match following a red card against Switzerland, but is back and expected to should start.
USA possible starting lineup:
Matt Freese; Alex Freeman, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson; Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman; Sergino Dest, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic; Folarin Balogun.
Bosnia-Herzegovina possible starting lineup:
Nikola Vasilj; Amar Dedic, Nikola Katic, Tarik Muharemovic, Sead Kolasinac; Esmir Bajraktarevic, Ivan Sunjic, Ivan Basic, Kerim Alajbegovic; Edin Dzeko, Ermedin Demirovic
This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 4:00 PM.