The United States Men’s National Team is all but sure of its round of 32 opponent: Bosnia and Herzegovina. That may not be 100% set until the night of Saturday, June 27, but statistical analysis puts the odds of a US-Bosnia match at more than 99.9%.
By virtue of its 3-1 victory over Qatar on Wednesday, June 24, Bosnia finished third in Group B. The US, as winners of Group D, are guaranteed to face a third-place team from one of five different groups.
Per a FIFA table with 495 possibilities on it, all but one of those roads lead to a showdown with the Group B third-placer.
The USMNT would take on Bosnia and Herzegovina at 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT on July 1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The game will be televised on FOX and Telemundo.
To go into a little more detail (math alert), picture 12 buckets, with eight balls to place in them. That leaves four buckets vacant. There are 495 different ways to do this, there is a table with all 495 permutations, and at the moment only one leads to an opponent other than Bosnia.
How would the US not play Bosnia
The one avenue where the US wouldn’t play Bosnia is if the third place teams from Groups A, C, D, and F are the four third-place teams who don’t qualify. Currently the third place teams in all four of those groups have three points, groups D and F still have a game to play. The chance of none of those teams finishing in the top eight third-place teams is statistically negligible.
Who would the US play in the round of 16
Should the USMNT advance to the round of 16, they would play the winner of a game between the Group G winner and a third-place team. The Group G winner will be Egypt if it ties Iran in its final match on Friday, June 26. Belgium and Iran are also in contention but Egypt is a heavy favorite at this point.
The third-place team it would face is fluid but at the moment projects to be South Korea. That is still too far out to project with confidence. The knockout rounds bracket will be finalized after the last group stage games on July 27.
Next USA soccer match
Match: United States Men’s National Team vs. TBA, but 99% Bosnia and Herzegovina
More: What’s next for USMNT and Mexico? Possibilities for rounds of 32, 16
Stadium: Levi’s Stadium (Bay Area Stadium) in Santa Clara, Calif.
Date: Wednesday, July 1
Kickoff time: 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: When does US Soccer play again after Turkey match? Round of 32 begins
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
