Co-hosts the United States will aim to continue their FIFA World Cup journey when they welcome Bosnia & Herzegovina to California for a Round of 32 encounter, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side hoping home advantage can inspire a long-awaited knockout victory.

The USA enjoyed an impressive group stage campaign, securing top spot in Group D with victories in their opening two matches before suffering a largely inconsequential defeat to an already-eliminated Turkey. With qualification already secured, Pochettino opted to rotate his squad, making the result less concerning than it might initially appear.

Attention now turns to improving a disappointing World Cup knockout record. The Americans have lost seven of their last eight knockout matches at the tournament, with their most recent exit coming against the Netherlands in Qatar four years ago. That defeat also formed part of an ongoing run of ten consecutive losses against European opposition across all competitions.

Despite that statistic, the USA have been strong on home soil. Turkey’s victory was only their second defeat in their last nine competitive home internationals, during which they have recorded six wins and one draw. Backed by passionate home support, the hosts will be confident of taking another step towards a memorable World Cup campaign.

Bosnia & Herzegovina arrive as underdogs after finishing third in Group B behind Switzerland and Canada. Their convincing 3-1 victory over Qatar on the final matchday proved enough to secure one of the remaining knockout places.

While reaching the Round of 32 represents a significant achievement, defensive frailties remain a concern. Bosnia conceded six goals during the group stage, making them one of the most vulnerable sides still left in the competition. In fact, no nation has played more World Cup matches without keeping a clean sheet than Bosnia, who have now gone six games without shutting out an opponent.

However, Sergej Barbarez’s side have already shown they possess resilience under pressure. Penalty shootout victories over both Wales and Italy during World Cup qualifying demonstrated their ability to compete with higher-ranked nations and hold their nerve in high-pressure situations.

This will be the fourth meeting between the two countries, with the USA unbeaten across the previous three friendlies played between 2013 and 2021. Even so, history offers a warning for the hosts, who have failed to win any of their last 13 World Cup matches against European opposition, drawing six and losing seven.

Goals could be a prominent feature once again. The USA’s last eight internationals have averaged an impressive 4.4 goals per game, while they registered at least ten shots in each of their three group-stage fixtures. Bosnia have also been involved in entertaining contests, with both teams scoring in 11 of their last 12 internationals, and they have managed at least three shots on target in 12 of their previous 13 matches.

Folarin Balogun will once again lead the American attack after scoring twice during the group stage. The striker has now netted six goals in his last 11 international appearances and is bidding to become only the third USA player to score three or more goals at a single World Cup.

Bosnia’s danger man is Ermin Mahmić, who made a major impact from the bench during the group phase by scoring twice as a substitute. Both goals came after the 80th minute, highlighting his ability to influence matches late on.

The USA will make late fitness checks on defenders Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty, while Bosnia receive a welcome boost with Tarik Muharemović returning from suspension.

Although Bosnia have shown plenty of fighting spirit to reach the knockout stages, the USA appear the stronger and more balanced side, particularly with home support behind them. Expect the hosts to progress, but Bosnia have enough attacking quality to find the net, making a USA victory with both teams to score an appealing prediction.