USA vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina Preview & Lineup Predictions

Charlie Zschau Updated: 1 hour ago

The United States is back in World Cup knockout stage action this Wednesday against Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The United States Men's National Team will face the small Balkan nation, Bosnia & Herzegovina, in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32. This will be the first knockout match for the USA after winning Group D relatively comfortably.

The USMNT dominated their opening match against Paraguay, winning 4-1, and controlled the game against Australia in their second match for a 2-0 victory. They then faced an already eliminated Türkiye team, who stole a 3-2 victory with the final kick of the ball in the third and final group game.

After already clinching the Round of 32, the USA heavily rotated the starting lineup against Türkiye to avoid any injuries or suspensions to their star players, but the drop in defensive stability was clear. Mauricio Pochettino's team have looked fluid in the attacking third and the first-choice defenders have been strong in the defensive half.

Although Bosnia & Herzegovina currently rank outside of the top 50 teams in the world, they are no pushover. The small European nation ruined Italy's 2026 World Cup hopes by knocking them out in the UEFA World Cup Qualifying Playoff tournament in agonizing fashion, and secured their place in the tournament.

Bosnia qualified for the knockout rounds from Group B as one of the best eight third-place teams. The European nation drew 1-1 with Canada in the first match, lost 4-1 to Switzerland, then defeated Qatar 3-1 to secure a spot in the round of 32.

Bosnia are led by 40-year-old captain Edin Džeko, alongside budding talents Esmir Bajraktarević and Kerim Alajbegović, who both possess the flair and confidence of future stars. Bajraktarević was born in Wisconsin and played for the United States in the youth ranks prior to switching his allegiances to Bosnia & Herzegovina ahead of World Cup qualifying.

USA's Keys to Victory vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina

The Americans will need to be clinical in the attacking half against Bosnia, particularly from open play. Bosnia & Herzegovina are the tallest team in the World Cup this year, with an average height of 6'1".

Due to this height advantage, the USA could find it difficult to convert from set pieces, putting further emphasis on fluid, rapid attacks. They will need to rely on the one-on-one abilities of Christian Pulisic and Malik Tillman rather than bombarding the box with crosses from Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest.

The American defenders will also have to be very aware of set pieces defensively. Bosnia scored three of their five group stage goals from set pieces, and only one from open play. Bosnian forwards Edin Džeko, Ermedin Demirović, and Luka Jović are all over six feet tall.

While the Americans may lack size, they make up for it in skill and technical ability. Utilizing the pace of Pulisic, Dest, and Folarin Balogun will be key if the USA are to advance to the Round of 16.

USA vs. Bosnia Start Time, Date & Location

The USA will face Bosnia & Herzegovina at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday, July 1st.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET (7:00 PM CT / 6:00 PM MT / 5:00 PM PT).

USA's Lineup Prediction

Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
Formation: 4-2-3-1

		ST Folarin Balogun

LM Christian Pulisic		CAM Malik Tillman		RM Sergino Dest

	CM Tyler Adams		CM Weston McKennie

LB Antonee Robinson				RB Alex Freeman
	CB Tim Ream		CB Chris Richards
		GK Matt Freese

Pochettino will likely revert to the same team that earned convincing victories against Paraguay and Australia, after giving minutes to multiple bench players in the final match of the group stage.

Christian Pulisic returned to action off the bench against Türkiye after a minor calf injury kept him on the sidelines against Australia. Pulisic is expected to start on the left wing against Bosnia.

Bosnia & Herzegovina's Lineup Prediction

Manager: Sergej Barbarez
Formation: 4-4-2

	ST Edin Dzeko		ST Ermedin Demirovic

LM Kerim Alajbegovic				RM Esmir Bajraktarevic
	CM Ivan Basic		CM Ivan Sunjic

LB Sead Kolasinac				RB Amar Dedic
	CB Tarik Muharemovic		CB Nikola Katic
		GK Nikola Vasilj

Tarik Muharemovic received a red card in Bosnia's match against Switzerland, but served his one-game suspension against Qatar and will be back in the center of defense alongside Nikola Katic.