The U.S. is expected to play a third-place team in the Round of 32, and the most likely opponent is Bosnia and Herzegovina. Coverage also says the other possible teams come from Groups B, E, F, I, or J, with the matchup and venue set for July 1 in Santa Clara.

Likely opponent

  • Most likely: Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • Other possible opponents: Qatar, Canada, Switzerland, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Curaçao, Sweden, Japan, Netherlands, Tunisia, Senegal, Iraq, Austria, and Algeria, depending on how the third-place slots shake out.

What that means

The bracket format means the U.S. cannot face a group runner-up here; it gets one of the best third-place teams instead. As of the latest reporting, Bosnia and Herzegovina is the clear front-runner, but the final opponent is only locked in once the group-stage results finish sorting out.

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ItemUpdate
U.S. Round of 32 slotWinner of Group D vs a third-place team
Most likely opponentBosnia and Herzegovina
Possible groupsB, E, F, I, or J
Match dateJuly 1
VenueLevi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
TL;DR: **Most likely Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it’s not fully final until the last group-stage results settle.**