USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Opponent Profile, Recent Form & History | OneFootball

The U.S. Men’s National Team will open its knockout stage campaign with a test against Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Wednesday, July 1 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The Stars and Stripes are seeking their first knockout stage victory since 2002 and a spot in the Round of 16 for the fourth time in as many tries.

Here’s everything you need to know about Bosnia and Herzegovina ahead of Wednesday’s knockout round clash against the Dragons in the Bay Area.

WHEN IS THE USMNT VS. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA MATCH?

The United States will continue its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in the Round of 32 against UEFA side Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The match will be carried live on FOX and Telemundo.

WHAT IS THE ALL-TIME HISTORY BETWEEN THE USMNT AND BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA?

The USMNT will face Bosnia and Herzegovina for the fourth time—the first in official competition. In the pair’s first meeting in 2013, the USMNT overcame a 2-0 deficit in Sarajevo to win 4-3 thanks to a three-goal, one-assist performance from Jozy Altidore. In the following two meetings, the USMNT did not allow the Dragons to score, notching a scoreless draw and later a 1-0 win—both in Carson, Calif. in 2018.

WHAT IS BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA’S WORLD RANKING?

Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently ranked 61st in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Rankings, rising three spots since the last official ranking on June 11 thanks to a 1W-1L-1D record in the group stage.

WHAT IS BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA’S WORLD CUP HISTORY?

Since earning its independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina have participated in the World Cup twice: first in 2014 and second in 2026. The Dragons were the lone debutants at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, exiting after the group stage following a 1W-2L-0D record. Despite the group stage record, Bosnia and Herzegovina did impress, losing by a single goal against knockout stage participants Argentina and Nigeria before defeating Iran by multiple goals.

This year, the Dragons advanced to the knockout stage for the first time after finishing third in Group B. A 1W-1L-1D group stage record featuring a 1-1 draw against co-hosts Canada, a 4-1 loss against group winners Switzerland and a 3-1 victory against Qatar ensured Bosnia and Herzegovina would finish as the fifth-best third-place team to advance to the Round of 32.

WHAT IS BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA’S RECENT FORM?

Concluding its group stage run with a 3-1 victory against Qatar—its second-ever World Cup victory—Bosnia and Herzegovina snapped a seven-match winless run dating back to November 2025. Before that, the Dragons finished without a victory in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League and were relegated to League B, albeit navigating a daunting League A group which featured Germany, the Netherlands and Hungary.

In UEFA World Cup qualifiers, Bosnia and Herzegovina constructed an 8W-1L-2D record in Group H—featuring victories against Romania, Cyprus and San Marino and a draw against Austria, among other results—to advance to the playoffs. From there, the Dragons shocked Wales in the semifinals and Italy in the Final—both on penalties following 1-1 draws—to advance to its second-ever World Cup.

WHO IS BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA’S HEAD COACH?

Bosnia and Herzegovina have been led by 54-year-old former Bosnia international Sergej Barbarez since April 2024.

As a player, the goalscoring forward spent nearly his entire career in Germany with Hamburger SV (2000-06), 1. FC Union Berlin (1993-96), Bayer 04 Leverkusen (2006-08), FC Hansa Rostock (1996-98), Borussia Dortmund (1998-00) and Hannover 96 (1992-93). Across all competitions in Germany, Barbarez amassed 164 goals and 80 assists in 524 appearances. With Hamburg, Barbarez won the UEFA Intertoto Cup (2005), the DFL-Ligapokal (2003) and was the joint Bundesliga top goalscorer in 2000-01. He made 47 appearances with Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1998 and 2004, scoring 17 goals and winning the IdolNacije and the top Bosnian player on three occasions (2001, 2002, 2003).

Barbarez earned his first coaching position as head coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina in April 2024. Since then, he has accrued an even 9W-9L-7D record through 25 matches.

WHO ARE KEY BOSNIAN PLAYERS TO WATCH?

Bosina and Herzegovina is anchored by an imposing trio of center backs: 23-year-old US Sassuolo man Tarik Muharemović, 33-year-old Atalanta BC veteran Sead Kolašinac, and 29-year-old Nikola Katić of FC Schalke 04. The Bosnian defense is also bolstered by rising 23-year-old talent Amar Dedić, who recently earned a move to SL Benfica.

The Dragons have a collection of talented attacking midfielders and forwards. 21-year-old Ermin Mahmić of Czech First League side FC Slovan Liberec leads Bosnia and Herzegovina with two goals through the group stage, while two other players have scored for the national team at this year’s tournament: FC Universitatea Cluj’s Jovo Lukić and 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegović, with the latter earning an upcoming transfer from FC Red Bull Salzburg to Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Additionally, European journeyman and current VfB Stuttgart goalscorer Ermedin Demirovic is searching for his first World Cup goal.

The club is captained by all-time appearance (150) and scoring (73) leader Edin Džeko. The 40-year-old—fresh off a 2. Bundesliga title to help FC Schalke 04 return to the top-flight Bundesliga—has enjoyed a decorated career featuring English Premier League titles at Manchester City FC, a victorious Bundesliga campaign at VfL Wolfsburg, two Coppa Italia crowns at Inter Milan and much more.

Finally, Bosnia and Herzegovina feature Appleton, Wisconsin-born winger Esmir Bajraktarević. The 21-year-old is a product of the Chicago Fire FC and New England Revolution academies, making his professional debut in USL League One with the Revs’ reserve team in 2021 before going on to make appearances with New England (2022-25) in Major League Soccer (MLS), the Concacaf Champions Cup, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and Leagues Cup. Today, he plays alongside USMNT players Sergiño Dest and Ricardo Pepi at PSV Eindhoven, where he has won back-to-back Dutch Eredivisie titles. A previous member of the U.S. Youth National Teams, Bajraktarević made one USMNT appearance in a non-official contest against Slovenia in January 2024. FIFA granted Bajraktarević’s one-time switch to Bosnia and Herzegovina in August 2024.