USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: Match details
USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina will kick-off on 2 July 2026 at 01:00 GMT and 21:00 EST (1 July).
Getty ImagesCo-hosts look to harness home energy against historic debutants
The Stars and Stripes kick off their knockout stage campaign at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, aiming to leverage home soil advantage to secure a deep tournament run. Mauricio Pochettino leads an energetic American side that claimed top spot in Group D, showing significant attacking verve despite a minor slip-up in their final group fixture.
They face a Bosnia and Herzegovina side under Sergej Barbarez that made history simply by reaching the Round of 32 as one of the best third-ranked teams. While USA carries the weight of expectation as co-hosts, the single-elimination nature of the knockout rounds means the Dragons will look to disrupt the script and extend their fairytale debut.
How the Stars and Stripes and the Dragons got here
USA enjoyed a flying start in Group D, hitting the ground running with a comprehensive 4-0 dismantling of Paraguay before locking down a crucial 2-0 victory over Australia. Although their perfect record was halted by a narrow 3-2 defeat against Turkey on the final matchday, Pochettino's men had already done enough to secure the top spot with six points, proving they possess the necessary offensive firepower to trouble any backline.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's path to the knockouts has been a rollercoaster. They opened their Group B campaign with a resilient 1-1 draw against Canada, but were subsequently handed a reality check in a heavy 4-1 loss to Switzerland. Needing a result on the final matchday, Barbarez's side showed immense character to come from behind and defeat Qatar 3-1, sealing an historic qualification with four points.
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Defensive reinforcements and veteran leadership to anchor lines
Personnel choices at the back and leadership upfront will dictate the dynamic of this tie. Bosnia and Herzegovina receive a massive boost with 23-year-old centre-back Tarik Muharemovic returning from suspension, heavily stabilising a backline that looked exposed during the group stage. They will rely on the legendary 40-year-old forward Edin Dzeko to lead the line and test the American central pairing.
USA will look to re-establish their defensive solidity after shipping three goals to Turkey. Pochettino is expected to lean on the established leadership of Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie to shield the back four, ensuring the team remains compact when dealing with direct aerial threats.
Midfield control vs direct transition pace to decide terms
The tactical battle will centre around midfield dominance and transition speed. USA prefers to control the tempo, utilising the creativity of Christian Pulisic to overload the half-spaces and create isolation isolation opportunities for Folarin Balogun, who has already netted twice in the tournament.
Getty ImagesBosnia and Herzegovina will look to absorb this pressure and strike rapidly on the counter-attack. The Dragons will aim to exploit any spaces left behind by the advancing American full-backs, feeding vertical passes into the channels to catch the host nation on the back foot.
Settled structures face ultimate examination
USA will aim to tighten their defensive transitions, knowing that lapses in possession tracking could prove fatal in knockout football.
Bosnia and Herzegovina face the daunting task of containing a fluid American front line while bedding a returning defender back into their system. Success will depend on disciplined tracking from their midfield block to prevent Pulisic from dictating play.
Likely USA XI vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
Freese; Freeman, Ream, Richards, Robinson; Adams, Tillman; Dest, McKennie, Pulisic; Balogun
Likely Bosnia and Herzegovina XI vs USA
Vasilj; Dedic, Katic, Muharemovic, Kolasinac; Bajraktarevic, Sunjic, Basic, Alajbegovic; Dzeko, Demirovic
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USA 26-man squad
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady, Matt Freese, Matt Turner
Defenders: Max Arfsten, Sergino Dest, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Auston Trusty
Midfielders: Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Weston McKennie, Cristian Roldan, Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman, Timothy Weah, Alejandro Zendejas
Forwards: Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright
Bosnia and Herzegovina 26-man squad
Goalkeepers: Osman Hadzikic, Nikola Vasilj, Martin Zlomislic
Defenders: Amar Dedic, Dennis Hadzikadunic, Nikola Katic, Sead Kolasinac, Arjan Malic, Tarik Muharemovic, Nihad Mujakic, Stjepan Radeljic
Midfielders: Kerim Alajbegovic, Esmir Bajraktarevic, Ivan Basic, Dzenis Burnic, Armina Gigovic, Amir Hadziahmetovic, Ermin Mahmic, Amar Memic, Ivan Sunjic, Benjamin Tahirovic
Forwards: Samed Bazdar, Ermedin Demirovic, Edin Dzeko, Jovo Lukic, Haris Tabakovic
Team news & squads
USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina lineups
Starting XI
Substitutes
Manager
- M. Pochettino
- S. Barbarez
Injuries and Suspensions
No sidelined players
Mauricio Pochettino has not confirmed his projected XI for USA ahead of this knockout tie, and no injury or suspension concerns have been officially listed for the home side. Updates are expected closer to kick-off.
Sergej Barbarez's Bosnia and Herzegovina squad also arrives without confirmed team news. No injuries or suspensions have been declared at this stage, and no probable lineup has been released. Further details will be added as they become available.
Injuries and Suspensions
No sidelined players
Form
USA come into this match with a record of three wins and two losses from their last five games. Their most recent outing was a 3-2 defeat to Türkiye in the World Cup group stage, a result that ended their unbeaten run in the tournament. Before that, they beat Australia 2-0 and Paraguay 4-1 in their opening two group matches. Their pre-tournament form included a 1-2 friendly loss to Germany and a 3-2 win over Senegal. Across those five matches, the USMNT scored 12 goals and conceded nine, reflecting an attacking output that comes with defensive vulnerability.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's last five results produced one win, three draws, and one defeat. Their 3-1 victory over Qatar on June 24 was their standout performance, while a 4-1 loss to Switzerland earlier in the group stage remains their heaviest recent defeat. They drew 1-1 with both Canada and Panama, and played out a goalless draw with North Macedonia. Across five matches, they scored six goals and conceded seven.
Head-to-Head Record
USALast 3 matches
BIH2
Wins
1
Draw
0
Wins
Goals scored
3- Games over 2.5 goals
- 1/3
- Both teams scored
- 1/3
The most recent meeting between these two sides came on December 19, 2021, when USA beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 in a friendly. Before that, the teams drew 0-0 in a January 2018 friendly. The only other recorded meeting in this dataset came on August 14, 2013, when Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted USA and lost 3-4. Across all three matches, USA have won twice and drawn once, scoring five goals to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three.
Standings
USA finished top of Group D, while Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified from Group B in third place.