USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 Preview

“I am from Bosnia; take me to America.”

On Wednesday, the opening lines from Bosnian band Dubioza Kolektiv’s now-viral classic “USA” will be more than just a catchy chorus.

Playing in the World Cup knockouts for the first time, Bosnia and Herzegovina will face cohosts United States in the round of 32 and hope to extend their dream run in North America.

Having punched their ticket to the tournament via a gruelling playoff, the Bosnian team carries the hopes of millions back home, who waited 12 years to watch their country on the sport’s biggest stage.

The USA are clear favourites in this fixture, but with huge expectations and pressure mounting on the cohosts to deliver in front of their home crowd. Bosnia know an upset will be difficult but not impossible and are bolstered by the knowledge that another underdog nation has already knocked out the favourite in this round.

How did the USA and Bosnia reach the round of 32?

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

4-1 win over Paraguay

2-0 win over Australia

3-2 defeat to Turkiye

Bosnia and Herzegovina came third in Group B with four points. Here’s a list of their results:

1-1 draw with Canada

4-1 defeat to Switzerland

3-1 win over Qatar

USA wary of unpredictable Bosnia and Herzegovina

While the USA reached the knockouts by winning their group, Bosnia squeezed in as one of the eight best third-placed teams. Bosnia’s progression is historic, but their performance was unconvincing, especially in defence. Bosnia have never kept a clean sheet in their six World Cup matches; no side has ever played more at the finals without one.

But Bosnia’s strength lies in its physicality, with coach Sergej Barbarez’s squad the tallest at the tournament, with an average height of 1.85 metres. They have made good use of their towering presence, scoring three goals from corners.

Despite Bosnia being the underdogs, USA captain Tim Ream said his team are wary of the Balkan nation’s talent, especially after they knocked out four-time world champions Italy in the qualifiers.

“They’re a difficult team to play against, and they’re in the tournament for a reason,” Ream told reporters on Monday. “I don’t know that we really expect Bosnia to just be defensive. We have to expect the unexpected,” he said.

Ermin Mahmic has been Bosnia’s leading scorer at the tournament with two goals off the bench, while American-born winger Esmir Bajraktarevic is also a player to watch out for.

Bosnia are captained by 40-year-old striker Edin Dzeko, widely regarded ⁠as the greatest player in the nation’s history, and are a goal threat up front with physical forward Ermedin Demirovic leading the line. Goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj has been another key figure for Bosnia, playing an important role in qualifying and in penalty shootouts.

The US will be seeking to score first for a fourth consecutive World Cup match, ⁠hoping to ignite a home crowd behind an attack led by Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun. Should they beat Bosnia, it would be only the second US World Cup knockout win ever, after a 2-0 victory over Mexico in 2002.

USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina prediction

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

Across the supercomputer’s projections, the second-most likely result was a draw, at 18.3 percent, followed by a Bosnia win, which occurred in 14.3 percent of simulations.

Who will the winner face in the round of 16?

The winner of the USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina match will face either Belgium or Senegal in the last 16.

USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: head-to-head

Wednesday’s match will be the fourth meeting between the USA and Bosnia, with the Stars and Stripes unbeaten in the first three (W2 D1) – all in friendlies from 2013 to 2021.

USA have won just one of their last 21 FIFA World Cup meetings with European teams (D7 L13), and are winless in their last 13 (D6 L7) since a 3-2 victory over Portugal in 2002.

USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: Team news

Star midfielder Christian Pulisic could start for the USA after recovering from a calf injury, while third-choice goalkeeper Cristian Roldan is doubtful with a muscle injury.

No injuries are reported in 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