Santa Clara, Levi's Stadium: The USA defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 to advance to the Round of 16. The goals came from Folarin Balogun in the 45th minute and Malik Leon Tillman in the 82nd minute – the latter scoring while his side had been reduced to ten men since the 64th minute. It was the USA's first win in a World Cup knockout round since 2002, and only the second in the history of the US men's national team.
Balogun strikes just before half-time
The 2026 World Cup is being staged for the first time with 48 teams, split across 12 groups of four. Thirty-two sides progressed from the World Cup group stage to the knockout round – the twelve group winners, the twelve runners-up, and the eight best third-placed teams. The knockout round therefore begins at the Round of 32 rather than the Round of 16, as was the case through 2022. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino had guided the USA into this opening knockout round as group winners.
The first half passed without a goal. Bosnia and Herzegovina set up in a compact 5-3-2 and looked to shut down American attacks early, while the USA operated in a 4-3-3 and gradually asserted more control. Just before the half-time whistle, Folarin Balogun broke the deadlock: after a deflected ball in the box, the striker converted the rebound to make it 1-0, with Malik Leon Tillman's pass contributing to the build-up. For Balogun – born in Brooklyn, developed through the Arsenal academy, and switched from England to the United States in 2023 – the goal was further evidence of his clinical finishing. On loan at Reims during the 2022-23 season, he scored 21 goals in Ligue 1, the most ever by an American in any of Europe's top five leagues.
Red card for Balogun – Tillman delivers with ten men
The match changed fundamentally in the 64th minute. Following a VAR review, Balogun was shown a red card for dangerous play after stepping on the ankle of Tarik Muharemovic. The USA were forced to see out the remaining 26 or so minutes with ten men. Bosnia and Herzegovina piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser, and in the 80th minute both Barbarez and Radeljic were shown yellow cards – a reflection of the mounting tension during that spell.
Rather than an equaliser, however, it was the USA who struck again: Malik Leon Tillman converted a directly struck free kick from the edge of the penalty area in the 82nd minute. His effort curled beyond Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj and into the net. Tillman, born on 28 May 2002 in Nuremberg – his father is a US serviceman, his mother German – joined Bayer Leverkusen in July 2025 for approximately €35 million, one of the highest transfer fees ever paid for an American player. His goal to make it 2-0 while his side were a man down carried enormous symbolic weight.
USA face Belgium next
The final score was 2-0 to the USA. With that result, the host nation advanced to the Round of 16, where Belgium now await. The victory was the USA's first in a World Cup knockout fixture since 2002, and speaks volumes about what this home tournament means for American football.
