​The Round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup is off to a thrilling start, and on Wednesday the United States men’s national team will finally get their chance to join the action. The USMNT will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California, for their first knockout-round game. Bosnia and Herzegovina, a relative newcomer to the World Cup, has a reputation for gritty comebacks that could pose an unusual challenge. Here are a few key points about the team before the U.S. takes the field against the Zmajevi (the Dragons).
This is Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second World Cup appearance and their first knockout round. Located in the Balkans, a region with a tumultuous history, Bosnia and Herzegovina emerged as an independent nation in 1992 after breaking away from Yugoslavia. They first qualified for the World Cup in 2014, earning their first tournament win by defeating Iran. Now returning in 2026, the Zmajevi have again surpassed expectations. They advanced by drawing with host Canada and then routing Qatar, securing a top-third finish and a spot in the knockout stage.
The captain and all-time most-capped player for Bosnia and Herzegovina is Edin Džeko, a veteran forward who is widely regarded as one of the country’s greatest players. Džeko debuted for the senior national team in 2007 and was part of the squad for their 2014 World Cup appearance. He has 150 caps and 73 goals, and he’s marking his 20th year with the senior team as he helps guide Bosnia and Herzegovina into the knockout rounds. In a recent Players’ Tribune letter, Džeko described the ongoing physical toll of a long season, yet said the moment he steps onto the pitch still makes him feel like a kid with butterflies and big dreams.
Bosnia and Herzegovina have a history of holding their own against favored opponents. Their path to the World Cup involved the expanded 48-team field, but they needed two penalty-shootout victories in the qualifying playoffs to reach Qatar. In the semifinal against Wales, Džeko leveled the score in the 86th minute, and they prevailed 4-2 on penalties. They then faced Italy in the final, where another late equalizer—this time in the 79th minute by Haris Tabaković—pushed the game to penalties again, where Bosnia won 4-1, sealing their place in the tournament with a decisive finish from a young American-born forward.