With the group stage in the rear view mirror, the real jeopardy of the FIFA World Cup is staring the United States in the face as they begin the 2026 knockout stage with a Round of 32 match against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Wednesday.
Every game from here on out is single-elimination, meaning any defeat would result in the USMNT’s elimination from the tournament on their home soil.
Mauricio Pochettino was brought in to change the level of the U.S. heading into the 2026 tournament, and early signs point to an uptick in performance, but an early knockout stage exit would undo all that good will.
They will face a Bosnia side that qualified as a third-place finisher in Group B alongside Switzerland and Canada. The USMNT currently sports a 12-game losing streak to European opponents that dates back to a 1-0 victory in 2021 over this very Bosnia & Herzegovina team.
Here is how the teams are predicted to line up, with team news and more regarding today’s game.
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USA projected starting 11
(4-2-3-1, right to left): 24. Freese (GK) — 16. Freeman, 3. Richards, 13. Ream, 5. A. Robinson — 4. Adams, 17. Tillman — 2. Dest, 8. McKennie, 10. Pulisic — 20. Balogun.
- Injured: Roldan (calf), Trusty (ankle)
- Suspended: None
The USMNT is largely at full strength, with the first-team players having been rested in the final group stage match against Turkey since the result had no effect on their standing.
There are two players struggling with injuries, but both are backups. Cristian Roldan missed the match against Turkey due to a calf injury and has missed more training since, while Auston Trusty turned his ankle in the group finale and could miss some time.
Yellow card tallies reset after the group stage in this new format, meaning the likes of Tyler Adams and Folarin Balogun are back to the drawing board with everyone else. The next reset is not until after the quarterfinals, so World Cup players will have to avoid two bookings across the next three games to be in the clear.
MORE:
Bosnia & Herzegovina projected starting 11
(4-4-2, right to left): 1. Vasilj (GK) — 7. Dedic, 18. Katic, 4. Muharemovic, 5. Kolasniac — 20. Bajraktarevic, 6. Tahirovic, 13. Basic, 19. Alajbegovic — 10. Demirovic, 11. Dzeko.
- Injured: None
- Suspended: None
This Bosnia & Herzegovina team is nearly identical to the one that beat Italy on penalties in the playoff final of their UEFA qualifying journey back in March.
The spot they rotate the most is at striker, where 40-year-old Edin Dzeko is not the minutes-eater he once was. Haris Tabakovic, who scored in the win over Italy, and Jovo Lukic, who scored in the World Cup opener against Qatar, both rotate in alongside Dzeko and Ermedin Demirovic.
Tarik Muharemovic will return to the squad after his suspension in the final group stage for yellow card accumulation.
MORE: Where is Bosnia & Herzegovina on a map?
USA vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina predictions, betting odds
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1-2 paragraphs on what to expect from the game
- Score prediction: Team x 0-0 Team Y
USA World Cup rosters
Here are the names on USA’s and Bosnia & Herzegovina’s World Cup rosters. All caps and stats are correct as of the date of their announcement in May 2026.
USA World Cup roster
MORE: A complete breakdown of USA’s 2026 World Cup squad
Head coach: Mauricio Pochettino
| Pos | No. | Name | Club | Age | Caps |
| GK | 25 | Chris Brady | Chicago Fire (MLS, United States) | 22 | 0 |
| GK | 1 | Matt Freese | NYCFC (MLS, United States) | 27 | 14 |
| GK | 24 | Matt Turner | New England Revolution (MLS, United States) | 31 | 53 |
| DEF | 18 | Max Arfsten | Columbus Crew (MLS, United States) | 25 | 18 |
| DEF | 2 | Sergino Dest | PSV Eindhoven (Eredivisie, Netherlands) | 25 | 37 |
| DEF | 16 | Alex Freeman | Orlando City (MLS, United States) | 21 | 15 |
| DEF | 22 | Mark McKenzie | Toulouse (Ligue 1, France) | 27 | 27 |
| DEF | 13 | Tim Ream | Charlotte FC (MLS, United States) | 38 | 80 |
| DEF | 3 | Chris Richards | Crystal Palace (Premier League, England) | 26 | 36 |
| DEF | 5 | Antonee Robinson | Fulham (Premier League, England) | 28 | 52 |
| DEF | 12 | Miles Robinson | FC Cincinnati (MLS, United States) | 29 | 38 |
| DEF | 23 | Joe Scally | Borussia Monchengladbach (Bundesliga, Germany) | 23 | 24 |
| DEF | 6 | Auston Trusty | Celtic (Premiership, Scotland) | 27 | 5 |
| MID | 11 | Brenden Aaronson | Leeds United (Premier League, England) | 25 | 57 |
| MID | 4 | Tyler Adams | Bournemouth (Premier League, England) | 27 | 52 |
| MID | 14 | Sebastian Berhalter | Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS, Canada) | 25 | 11 |
| MID | 7 | Gio Reyna | Borussia Monchengladbach (Bundesliga, Germany) | 23 | 36 |
| MID | 8 | Weston McKennie | Juventus (Serie A, Italy) | 27 | 64 |
| MID | 15 | Cristian Roldan | Seattle Sounders (MLS, United States) | 30 | 45 |
| MID | 17 | Malik Tillman | Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga, Germany) | 23 | 28 |
| MID | 26 | Alejandro Zendejas | Club America (Liga MX, Mexico) | 28 | 13 |
| FWD | 20 | Folarin Balogun | AS Monaco (Ligue 1, France) | 24 | 25 |
| FWD | 9 | Ricardo Pepi | PSV Eindhoven (Eredivisie, Netherlands) | 23 | 35 |
| FWD | 10 | Christian Pulisic | AC Milan (Serie A, Italy) | 27 | 84 |
| FWD | 21 | Timothy Weah | Marseille (Ligue 1, France) | 26 | 49 |
| FWD | 19 | Haji Wright | Coventry City (Championship, England) | 28 | 20 |
Bosnia & Herzegovina World Cup squad
Head coach: Sergej Barbarez
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 12 | Mladen Jurkas | Borac Banja Luka (Premier League, Bosnia and Herzegovina) | 18 | 0 |
| GK | 1 | Nikola Vasilj | St. Pauli (Bundesliga, Germany) | 30 | 25 |
| GK | 22 | Martin Zlomislic | Rijeka (HNL, Croatia) | 27 | 2 |
| DEF | 5 | Sead Kolasinac | Atalanta (Serie A, Italy) | 32 | 64 |
| DEF | 7 | Amar Dedic | Benfica (Primeira Liga, Portugal) | 23 | 26 |
| DEF | 2 | Nihad Mujakic | Partizan (SuperLiga, Serbia) | 28 | 10 |
| DEF | 18 | Nikola Katic | Schalke (Bundesliga, Germany) | 29 | 14 |
| DEF | 4 | Tarik Muharemovic | Sassuolo (Serie A, Italy) | 23 | 12 |
| DEF | 21 | Stjepan Radeljic | Rijeka (HNL, Croatia) | 28 | 4 |
| DEF | 3 | Dennis Hadzikadunic | Sampdoria (Serie B, Italy) | 27 | 30 |
| DEF | 24 | Nidal Celik | Lens (Ligue 1, France) | 19 | 7 |
| MID | 16 | Amir Hadziahmetovic | Besiktas (Super Lig, Turkey) | 29 | 34 |
| MID | 14 | Ivan Sunjic | Pafos (First Division, Cyprus) | 29 | 10 |
| MID | 13 | Ivan Basic | Astana (Premier League, Kazakhstan) | 24 | 15 |
| MID | 17 | Dzenis Burnic | Karlsruher (Bundesliga, Germany) | 27 | 18 |
| MID | 26 | Ermin Mahmic | Slovan Liberec (First League, Czechia) | 21 | 0 |
| MID | 6 | Benjamin Tahirovic | Brondby (Superliga, Denmark) | 23 | 26 |
| MID | 15 | Amar Memic | Viktoria Plzen (First League, Czechia) | 25 | 11 |
| MID | 8 | Armin Gigovic | Young Boys (Super League, Switzerland) | 24 | 18 |
| MID | 19 | Kerim Alajbegovic | Salzburg (Bundesliga, Austria) | 18 | 8 |
| MID | 20 | Esmir Bajraktarevic | PSV (Eredivisie, Netherlands) | 21 | 14 |
| FWD | 10 | Ermedin Demirovic | Stuttgart (Bundesliga, Germany) | 28 | 38 |
| FWD | 25 | Jovo Lukic | Universitatea Cluj (SuperLiga, Romania) | 27 | 1 |
| FWD | 9 | Samed Bazdar | Real Zaragoza (Segunda Division, Spain) | 22 | 11 |
| FWD | 23 | Haris Tabakovic | Hoffenheim (Bundesliga, Germany) | 31 | 10 |
| FWD | 11 | Edin Dzeko | Schalke (2. Bundesliga, Germany) | 40 | 148 |
Where to watch USA vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina
In USA:
- TV channel: FOX
- Live stream: fubo, Fox One, Fox Sports app/website
This match will be broadcast nationally on Fox in the United States with streaming options available on its dedicated platforms.
The best place to catch the match is on streaming service fubo, with new customers able to sign up for a FREE trial.
Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
Here is how to watch the match in some of the other major territories:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Canada | TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, CTV, RDS | TSN+, RDS app |
| UK | BBC One | BBC iPlayer, BBC website |
| Australia | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| India | — | ZEE5, Unite8 Sports 1 |
