USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina live online: updates, score, goals and highlights | 2026 World Cup round of 32
Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT are on to the round of 32 as group winners and tonight they take on Bosnia and Herzegovina from San Francisco Stadium.
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The other co-hosts
The other co-hosts have already taken care of business. Canada played the first round of 32 match and left it late, but beat South Africa with a stoppage time winner. Then it was Mexico playing Ecuador from the Azteca and the demolished La Tri 2-0 to secure their spot in the round of 32.
FIFA rankings
Taking a look at the updated FIFA Rankings coming into today, we see Argentina has been bumped off their top spot by France after Les Bleus 3-0 win over Sweden. Spain, England and Brazil follow them in 3rd, 4th and 5th. The USA have crept up the rankings over the last few weeks. They are now in 15th after the group stages, while Bosnia and Herzegovina are way down the list at 61st.
Pulisic speaks before massive match tonight
Christian Pulisic only played the first 45 minutes of the opening game before getting pulled at halftime with a calf injury. He missed the Australia game and played the last few minutes of the Turkiye game. Tonight he should be ready to rock in this win or go home match from Santa Clara.
Who is up next?
Getting to the round of 32 was a goal, but not the goal for this team. After their first two matches, there was a real belief around this team and there still is despite the loss to Turkiye. Getting to the knockout round is a means to and end. It's Bosnia tonight, but they will be hoping that their tournament is going to last a lot longer. The winner of tonight’s game will take on Belgium who just won a thriller over Senegal earlier today.
Bosnia XI
The visitors have their XI ready for tonight and they will be going with their veteran goal scorer up top from the start. Sergej Barbarev knows his team has got his word cut out for him tonight, but he will have plenty of faith in the guys that are already having a historic run in the World Cup.
Mauricio's XI
The USMNT is going back to what worked in the first match of the tournament. They looked unstoppable against Paraguay, and will be lookiing for more of the same tonight. Our William Gittens has more.
Quick starts from USMNT
Bosnia and Herzegovina have to come out on the front foot from the very start. If recent history suggests anything it's that the USMNT come out flying right from kickoff. They scored in the 3rd minute against Türkiye in the 11th minute against Australia and in the 7th minute against Paraguay. They will be looking to do the same thing tonight in Santa Clara.
Quick starts from USMNT
Bosnia and Herzegovina have to come out on the front foot from the very start. If recent history suggests anything it's that the USMNT come out flying right from kickoff. They scored in the 3rd minute against Türkiye in the 11th minute against Australia and in the 7th minute against Paraguay. They will be looking to do the same thing tonight in Santa Clara.
USMNT vs Europe
While the USMNT come into this match as heavy favorites, keep in mind the trouble this side has had against European teams over the last century. In 40 World Cup matches, the US has played European opposition in 25 occasions. They have won just 3 of those matches, drawn seven and lost 15. They fell victim to Türkiye in their last match against a European side. Their last win over a European team in the World Cup came in 2002 when they beat Portugal in the group stages.
BELGIUM JUST WON THEIR ROUND OF 32 MATCH IN STOPPAGE TIME OF THE SECOND ET SESSION. THEY TRAILED 2-0 WITH 10 MINUTES TO GO AND EQUALIZED BEFORE GOING ON TO WIN. THEY ARE HEADING TO THE ROUND OF 16 AFTER A MIRACLE!!!
World Cup history: B&H
Bosnia and Herzegonvia have been in just one World Cup before making this edition in one of the final playoff matches a couple months ago. That appearance came in 2014 and they were eliminated after the group stages. They beat Iran 2-1 in the final matchday of the World Cup back in Russia but fell short of the next round. Today they are not only in their first knockout stage match, but they have a chance to win their first knockout stage match after beating Qatar in the last game of group stages.
USMNT XI
Poch has released his XI for this knockout round match in the round of 32. He's going back to his best XI. The XI that played against Paraguay in that first match that looked so good to open the tournament.
World Cup history: USA
The USMNT has a chance to make history in this World Cup. They have won just one knockout match in their history, and that came in 2002 when the US played Mexico in the round of 16 and beat their bitter rivals before they lost to Germany in the quarters. That was there farthest run in the competition, but tonight they have a chance to win their second knockout match and if they get by Bosnia who knows what they are capable of?
Star watch: Bosnia
Everyone knows about Eden Dzeko from B&H. He played for Manchester City and AS Roma, and Inter for a short stint. He is the reference for Bosnian soccer but at 40 years old he is looking to pass the torch. Waiting in the wings is Ermin Mahmic who has two World Cup goals over his first three games. The 21 year old plays for Liberec in Czechia and had 7 goals 3 goals in the league. If he keeps going at this pace, he will have suitors waiting for him at the end of this tournament, but tonight it's all about pulling an upset in Santa Clara.
Star watch: USA
While we know Captain America is the star of the show for the USMNT, but Bosnia know that too. That's why I’m going another route for our star watch. Folarin Balogun has had a breakout tournament after his two goal performance against Paraguay. He also created the first goal in the second match against Australia with his blistering pace up top. He has been the best on the pitch in the two matches he has played, and tonight he returns to the XI with some fresh legs after getting a rest against Türkiye.
How they got here: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Before booking their ticket to the round of 32 against the USMNT on their home soil, Bosnia and Herzegovina opened this tournament on the home soil of another co-host. They played Canada in Toronto and ended up sharing the spoils to kick off their campaign. A 4-1 loss to Switzerland meant that they were going to have to beat Qatar to have any chance of surviving until the next round. They came out with a serous performance in what was basically an elimination game and beat Qatar 3-1 to set up a date with the USMNT tonight.
How they got here: USA
The first two games of the group stages were bliss for this USMNT. An opening 4-1 win over Paraguay sent shockwaves around the world and their convincing 2-0 win against Australia didn't just secure the top spot in the group, it allowed this team and this fan base to dream. Poch was dealt the difficult choice of resting some of his guys for the knockout stages, or playing them and keeping the momentum up in the final match against Türkiye. He decided the first option and the US paid the price. They were still top of the group. They still got the top spot, and the “easier draw” and now it's time to keep the train rolling.
Predicted XI
With their World Cup lives on the line, Poch is guaranteed to go back to his big guns the XI. We pretty much know what this side looks like when he has a full deck, so our William Gittens has taken a stab as what the XI is going to look like against Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight.
XI against Turkiye
As we said, Poch took the opportunity to play some of his guys farther down the depth chart with a spot in the next round and the top spot in the group wrapped up. There was only one player who played each of the first two matches from the start, and that was Weston McKinnie. Ricardo Pepi played in the second match against Australia for an injured Christian Pulisic, but those were the only two that had been in Poch's XI before the final group stage match against Türkiye.
Breaking up the momentum?
Poch's frustration concerning the nature of questions that followed the Türkiye game was under understandable, but so too were the question that maybe just maybe the loss is a bit of a hiccup heading into the knockout rounds. The US were riding high after their first two matches. There was a strong sense of belief around this team, and a loss might just throw a wrench in that momentum. It’s true that Poch went with an XI he probably won’t use again in this tournament. It’s true he let most of his top guys rest. The question is will the loss have any carry over affect tonight? There is only one way to find out.
Poch to critics after loss
Mauricio Pochettino most likely wasn't too happy with the result against Türkiye to end the group stages, but he was more unhappy with the critics and the questions about his team after the match. This was just a bit of what Poch had to say after the match. "So far, nobody has congratulated us for finishing first in a very difficult group. I want to say that. We are a better team than we were before. I’ve been in soccer a long time. I know it was difficult for the guys to play without having something to compete for, and that’s why I’m happy with the performance." Here´s our David Nelson with more.
Last game: B&H
After a draw against Canada and a loss to Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina knew they needed a win against Qatar to have any chance of qualifying for the next stage of the tournament as one of eight third placed teams. Kermin Alajbegovic scored the opener with a wonderful shot from outside the area to put the his side on top in the 29th minute. Ibrahim Abunada then scored an own goal five minutes later to give B&H control of the match. Qatar would put one back just before the halftime break and make it a game until the 80th minute when Ermin Mahmic scored a goal on a loose ball in the box to put his side through to the knockout round.
Last game: USA
With their place in the group stage wrapped up and the top spot secured, Mauricio Pochettino went to his bench and looked to get some fresh legs and eager players against Türkiye. Auston Trusty got the US on the board with an early goal in the 3rd minutes, but Arda Guler made sure he wasn't going to leave this World Cup without a bang. The Real Madrid man scored in the 10th minute, and then split the defense open on a play that led to a Baris Yilmaz goal in the 21st minute. The US would respond after halftime with Sebastian Berhalter’s half volley to equalize just out of the halftime break. Guler would start the game winning play with a nutmeg on Pulisic, and on the final touch of the match Kaan Ayhan scored the winner to end their campaign on a high note and leave the US with a bitter taste heading into the round of 32.
We are live from the Bay Area
Hello everyone and welcome to Santa Clara, California where the USMNT come into this match knowing their successful group stages have built a sense of expectation around this side. Tonight is not a group stage match. Tonight, it's win or go home and they will be taking on a Bosnia and Herzegovina side that are looking to crash the party on the co-hosts. After two matches of bliss, the US was stunned by Türkiye in the last second of their last match and now they have to rebound to keep the dream alive.
USA vs. Bosina and Herzegovina live
From now on it's all or nothing. The group stages were fun, and they opened our eyes to the possibilities of a team that looks like they could be capable of making history, but this stage of the tournament is different. It’s win or go home from here to the finish line. The USMNT take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 and AS English will be with you all night providing line coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s knockout game from San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.
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