The USMNT now knows its World Cup Round of 32 opponent, venue and kickoff | OneFootball

We are moments away from the end of the match between the USMNT and Turkey, with the draw holding firm and expected to remain so until the final whistle.

However, Mauricio Pochettino should not be too pleased with the result, because even though his team has already qualified for the Round of 32 of the World Cup, Turkey made things very difficult for his players, exposing the huge gap between the starters and the backups.

Either way, it does not matter how this match ends because the USMNT had already qualified as the group winner before kickoff.

On top of that, Mauricio Pochettino already knows who his opponent will be in the Round of 32.

Bosnia and Herzegovina will be the USMNT’S Round of 32 rival.

Bosnia and Herzegovina reached the knockout stage after finishing third in its group. But if they finished third, why did they qualify? The answer lies in the tournament's new format.

For the first time, the World Cup introduced the best third-placed teams rule, meaning that the eight third-placed teams with the highest point totals across the 12 groups advanced to the Round of 32.

The encounter between these two teams will be played next Wednesday, July 1, starting at 4 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Round of 32 clash will be the third fixture on the sports schedule for the first day of the month, all at the same stage of the World Cup.

The designated stadium is Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, better known as the “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium”. This would be the fourth time the USMNT has surpassed the group stage.

However, their elimination round record is something they want to change this year. Despite having already secured its place in the knockout stage, the USMNT has been eliminated in each of its last three World Cup appearances, by the Netherlands in 2022, Belgium in 2014, and Ghana in 2010.

It is a difficult record to erase, but with the squad Mauricio Pochettino has built, the opportunity to finally break that barrier feels realistic.