USA look to keep their home World Cup alive against Bosnia in the last 32
Group D winners USA face a Bosnia side chasing the first knockout win in its history when the World Cup last 32 arrives at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Jul 1, 2026
The hosts are still standing, and now the knockouts get real. The United States meet Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in the World Cup last 32, a tie that pits a Group D winner chasing a deep home run against a side playing the biggest match in its footballing history. Kick-off is 5pm Pacific time (8pm ET) on July 1, which is 5:30am IST on July 2 for anyone in India setting an alarm.
USA arrive as group winners with room to spare
Mauricio Pochettino’s side topped Group D, and they did it the hard way and the easy way in the same week. Wins over Australia and Paraguay banked the points that mattered, and by the time the final group game came around the head coach felt safe enough to rotate heavily. That much-changed team lost a five-goal thriller to Turkey in the closing seconds, but first place was already secure, so the result stung the pride more than the standings.
The bigger takeaway from that night was Christian Pulisic coming off the bench for his return, a sign that Pulisic is ready for the knockout push. Playing at home has given this group a lift that showed up in the group stage, and a raucous Bay Area crowd will expect the front foot from the first whistle. The pressure that comes with hosting cuts both ways, and Pochettino knows a slow start against a stubborn opponent is exactly the trap to avoid.
Bosnia are in uncharted territory
For Bosnia and Herzegovina, simply being here is the story. This is a debut appearance in a World Cup knockout round for a nation that went out in the group stage on its only previous finals trip in 2014. They reached the tournament by beating four-time world champions Italy in the European play-offs, then squeezed through as one of the best third-placed teams with four points, drawing with co-hosts Canada, losing to Switzerland and beating Qatar.
Sergej Barbarez has built a team that defends deep and hurts opponents on the counter, with the tricky wing pair of Esmir Bajraktarevic and Kerim Alajbegovic feeding veteran striker Edin Dzeko and the busy Ermedin Demirovic. The caution comes at the back. Bosnia have conceded in a long recent run of matches, and against a host nation with pace in wide areas, keeping the game tight for as long as possible looks like their only route through.
A place in Seattle on the line
The prize is a spot in the last 16 in Seattle on July 6, where the winner is likely to run into a heavyweight from the other side of the bracket. For the United States that would be a proper measure of how far this home tournament can go. For Bosnia it would be history stretched one round further, into territory the country has never touched.
On paper the hosts are favourites, and the bookmakers agree. Knockout football rarely reads from the script, though, and a low-block underdog with a striker like Dzeko still capable of one clean chance is precisely the kind of opponent that turns a comfortable projection into a nervous night.