USA opens the knockout stage on July 1 in Santa Clara, California, against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a third-place finisher from Group B.It’s a very favorable match-up to kick things off in the win-or-go-home stage. In case you were wondering how and why we’re playing Bosnia, the matchup came from FIFA’s third-place pairing system.
The 2026 World Cup features 48 teams, the knockout stage includes not only the 12 group winners and 12 runners-up, but also the eight best third-place finishers.Before the tournament, FIFA created a chart with 495 possible combinations that determines which third-place teams face each group winner based on which groups those teams come from.
Once the group stage ended, Bosnia and Herzegovina was the third-place team assigned to the United States' spot in the bracket, making it the USMNT's Round of 32 opponent.*Queue ‘The More You Know’ music*FOX ONE’S NEW WORLD CUP VIEWING EXPERIENCEFolarin Balogun and Antonee Robinson celebrate after Australia's Cameron Burgess scored an own goal, giving the United States the first goal in Seattle, Washington on June 19, 2026.
(Troy Wayrynen/Imagn Images)Looking ahead to the Round of 16, the U.S.would likely face Belgium on July 6 in Seattle.
Belgium won Group G and, notably, entered the tournament ranked ninth in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking.Their exact Round of 32 opponent is still unknown and could include teams like South Korea, Senegal, Algeria, or Austria.Importantly, Belgium already beat the U.S.
5–2 in a March friendly, making it an extra intriguing rematch of sorts.The bracket was also shaped by Group B tiebreakers — Belgium and Egypt both finished on five points, but Belgium advanced with a better goal differential.Obviously, USA would’ve preferred Egypt.
Belgium is a dangerous team with real knockout power.The red, white and blue will need to play their best game to make it to the quarterfinals.United States fans cheer after a goal against Turkiye in the secon...