Santa Clara, July 1 (IANS) Hosts USA will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 on Thursday, aiming to book their place in the last 16 at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.

The Americans topped their group after convincing wins over Paraguay (4-1) and Australia (2-0), securing qualification with a game to spare. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino rested several key players for the final group match, where the USA suffered a 3-2 defeat to Turkiye after conceding a late winner.

Regular starters Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun and Chris Richards are all expected to return to the starting line-up for the knockout clash.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, however, will provide a stern test. They reached the Round of 32 after registering one win and one draw in the group stage, despite a heavy defeat to Switzerland. Their impressive 3-1 victory over Qatar in the final group match sealed their progress.

Having also knocked out Italy during the World Cup qualifiers, Bosnia and Herzegovina have already shown they can trouble strong opponents and will be confident of causing another upset as they chase a place in the Round of 16.

How to watch USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina live in India:

Live streaming and live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 football matches will be available on the Zee5 platform and app in India. A subscription will be needed.

Live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be available on the Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.

Key details:

Date and kick-off time:

Thursday, July 2, 5:30 AM IST

Venue: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara

Referee: Raphael Claus

Squads:

Bosnia & Herzegovina –

Goalkeepers: Osman Hadzikic, Nikola Vasilj, Martin Zlomislic

Defenders: Amar Dedic, Dennis Hadzikadunic, Nikola Katic, Sead Kolasinac, Arjan Malic, Tarik Muharemovic, Nihad Mujakic, Stjepan Radeljic

Midfielders: Kerim Alajbegovic, Esmir Bajraktarevic, Ivan Basic, Dzenis Burnic, Armina Gigovic, Amir Hadziahmetovic, Ermin Mahmic, Amar Memic, Ivan Sunjic, Benjamin Tahirovic

Forwards: Samed Bazdar, Ermedin Demirovic, Edin Dzeko, Jovo Lukic, Haris Tabakovic

United States of America –

Goalkeepers: Chris Brady, Matt Freese, Matt Turner

Defenders: Max Arfsten, Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Auston Trusty

Midfielders: Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Cristian Roldan, Malik Tillman

Forwards: Brenden Aaronson, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Haji Wright, Alejandro Zendej

–IANS

sds/bc