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

Five wins to go. How tin your squad scope the last and triumph the World Cup 2026? Click here to find out.

Who: USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 – circular of 32
Where: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara, US
When: Wednesday, July 1, astatine 5pm (00:00 GMT connected Thursday)
How to follow: We volition person each the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 21:00 GMT earlier our unrecorded substance commentary stream.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4World Cup Day 21: England favourites arsenic Argentina look Cape Verde’s dream
• list 2 of 4VIDEO: World Cup Day 20: France dominates Sweden; Mexico, Norway progress
• list 3 of 4Mbappe, Messi, Haaland: Who’s starring the contention for the World Cup’s Golden Boot?
• list 4 of 4Mexican fans support Ecuador’s squad awake earlier World Cup showdown

“I americium from Bosnia; instrumentality maine to America.”

On Wednesday, the opening lines from Bosnian set Dubioza Kolektiv’s now-viral classical “USA” volition beryllium much than conscionable a catchy chorus.

Playing successful the World Cup knockouts for the archetypal time, Bosnia and Herzegovina volition look cohosts United States successful the circular of 32 and anticipation to widen their imagination tally successful North America.

Having punched their summons to the tourney via a gruelling playoff, the Bosnian squad carries the hopes of millions backmost home, who waited 12 years to ticker their state connected the sport’s biggest stage.

The USA are clear favourites successful this fixture, but with immense expectations and unit mounting connected the cohosts to present successful beforehand of their location crowd. Bosnia cognize an upset volition beryllium hard but not intolerable and are bolstered by the cognition that different underdog federation has already knocked retired the favourite in this round.

Al Jazeera tells you everything astir USA vs Bosnia-Herzegovina:

How did the USA and Bosnia scope the circular of 32?

The USA were the winners of Group D with six points. Here’s a database of their results:

• 4-1 win implicit Paraguay
• 2-0 win implicit Australia
• 3-2 defeat to Turkiye

Bosnia and Herzegovina came 3rd successful Group B with 4 points. Here’s a database of their results:

• 1-1 draw with Canada
• 4-1 defeat to Switzerland
• 3-1 win implicit Qatar

Folarin Balogun is the USA’s starring scorer with 2 goals [Dave Bernal/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images]

USA wary of unpredictable Bosnia and Herzegovina

While the USA reached the knockouts by winning their group, Bosnia squeezed successful arsenic 1 of the 8 champion third-placed teams. Bosnia’s progression is historic, but their show was unconvincing, particularly successful defence. Bosnia person ne'er kept a cleanable expanse successful their six World Cup matches; nary broadside has ever played much astatine the finals without one.

But Bosnia’s spot lies successful its physicality, with manager Sergej Barbarez’s squad the tallest astatine the tournament, with an mean tallness of 1.85 metres. They person made bully usage of their towering presence, scoring 3 goals from corners.

Despite Bosnia being the underdogs, USA skipper Tim Ream said his squad are wary of the Balkan nation’s talent, particularly aft they knocked retired four-time satellite champions Italy successful the qualifiers.

“They’re a hard squad to play against, and they’re successful the tourney for a reason,” Ream told reporters connected Monday. “I don’t cognize that we truly expect Bosnia to conscionable beryllium defensive. We person to expect the unexpected,” helium said.

Ermin Mahmic has been Bosnia’s starring scorer astatine the tourney with 2 goals disconnected the bench, portion American-born winger Esmir Bajraktarevic is besides a subordinate to ticker retired for.

Bosnia are captained by 40-year-old striker Edin Dzeko, wide regarded ⁠as the top subordinate successful the nation’s history, and are a extremity menace up beforehand with carnal guardant Ermedin Demirovic starring the line. Goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj has been different cardinal fig for Bosnia, playing an important relation successful qualifying and successful punishment shootouts.

The US volition beryllium seeking to people archetypal for a 4th consecutive World Cup match, ⁠hoping to ignite a location assemblage down an onslaught led by Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun. Should they bushed Bosnia, it would beryllium lone the 2nd US World Cup knockout triumph ever, aft a 2-0 triumph implicit Mexico successful 2002.

USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina prediction

Opta’s supercomputer has calculated a 67.5 accidental of the USA winning the game, and a 76.6 percent accidental of progressing via immoderate method.

Across the supercomputer’s projections, the second-most apt effect was a draw, astatine 18.3 percent, followed by a Bosnia win, which occurred successful 14.3 percent of simulations.

USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: Kickoff time, TV channel

• USA: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (8pm, Eastern Daylight Time)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Arena Sport (2am connected Thursday, Central European Summer Time)
• United Kingdom: BBC One, BBC iPlayer (1am connected Thursday, British Summer Time)

To cheque the TV listings for your country, caput to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s supporters observe successful the streets aft the squad qualified for the World Cup knockouts successful March [Elvis Barukcic/AFP]

Who volition the victor look successful the circular of 16?

The victor of the USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina lucifer volition look either Belgium oregon Senegal successful the past 16.

USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: head-to-head

Wednesday’s lucifer volition beryllium the 4th gathering betwixt the USA and Bosnia, with the Stars and Stripes unbeaten successful the archetypal 3 (W2 D1) – each successful friendlies from 2013 to 2021.

USA person won conscionable 1 of their past 21 FIFA World Cup meetings with European teams (D7 L13), and are winless successful their past 13 (D6 L7) since a 3-2 triumph implicit Portugal successful 2002.

USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: Team news

Star midfielder Christian Pulisic could commencement for the USA aft recovering from a calf injury, portion third-choice goalkeeper Cristian Roldan is doubtful with a musculus injury.

No injuries are reported successful the Bosnia camp.

USA’s predicted lineup

(4-2-3-1): Freese (goalkeeper); Freeman, Richards, Ream, Robinson; Adams, Tillman; Dest, McKenzie, Pulisic; Balogun

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s predicted lineup

(4-4-2): Vasilj (goalkeeper); Dedic, Katic, Muharemovic, Kolasinac; Bajraktarevic, Basic, Sunjic, Alajbegovic; Demirovic, Dzeko

Kerim Alajbegovic #19 of Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrates with Esmir Bajraktarevic #20 during their triumph implicit Qatar successful the last radical crippled [Stu Forster/Getty Images/AFP]