The USMNT’s most likely knockout opponent is Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. Multiple recent bracket previews say that matchup is now locked in, with the U.S. then likely facing Belgium in the next round if it advances.

Likely path

  • Round of 32: Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • Round of 16: most likely Belgium, depending on the bracket result.
  • The road gets steeper after that, with Spain and France appearing in later projected paths.

Why it matters

The reason people are calling this the USMNT’s likely opponent is that the bracket permutations have narrowed enough that Bosnia and Herzegovina emerged as the projected matchup. One preview also notes the U.S. will play Bosnia on July 1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Quick read

  • Most likely opponent: Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • Next likely test: Belgium.
  • Context: the bracket is set, so the path is clearer than it was earlier this week.

If you want, I can also map out the full USMNT knockout bracket in a clean HTML table.