USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovnia preview, team news and prediction

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USA will be looking to make the most of home support when they face Bosnia-Herzegovina in a World Cup round of 32. The Stars and Stripes topped Group D to book their place in the knockout phase, while Bosnia-Herzegovina progressed as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.

The co-hosts are the overwhelming favourites with the bookies at 4/11 with Betfred while Sky Bet are 15/2 for Bosnia to progress and a draw to force extra-time is 4/1 with Paddy Power . You can also find more betting offers at the Mirror Betting Hubs Free Bets offers .

The hosts started the competition in style, beating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0 to seal qualification with a game to spare. A 3-2 defeat to Turkey on June 25 ended their group campaign on a sour note, but six points from three matches was still enough to finish first—two clear of Australia in second and Paraguay in third.

Reaching this stage is familiar territory for the USA, who finished third in 1930, made the quarter-finals in 2002 and have also reached the last 16 in 1934, 1994, 2010, 2014 and 2022. Victory on Wednesday would set up a last-16 meeting with either Belgium or Senegal, offering a plausible path deeper into the tournament.

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The teams have met three times before, all in friendlies, meaning Wednesday’s contest will be their first competitive encounter. Bosnia-Herzegovina have lost two of those three meetings, including a 1-0 defeat in December 2021.

The Dragons came third in Group B behind Switzerland and Canada, but four points proved sufficient to go through. They began with a 1-1 draw against Canada, were beaten 4-1 by Switzerland, then secured progression with a vital 3-1 win over Qatar in their final match.

Having exited at the group stage on their World Cup debut in 2014 and failed to qualify in 2018 and 2022, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s presence in the 2026 knockout rounds is already a major achievement. The match is in Santa Clara, California, giving the USA a clear home advantage, but Bosnia-Herzegovina will travel believing they can make it a tough test for the co-hosts.

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USA will assess Christian Roldan, Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty, but key starters including Sergino Dest, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie are expected to feature. Folarin Balogun, with two goals so far, should lead the line again.

Bosnia-Herzegovina have a doubt over Amar Dedic, while Tarik Muharemovic returns from suspension and Edin Dzeko is set to start as he looks for his first goal of the tournament.

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