The USMNT finished on top of Group D standings, capping the group stage with a 4-1 win over Paraguay and a 2-0 victory over Australia before a hard-fought 3-2 loss to Turkey. Three games, two wins, six points, and a ticket punched to the knockout rounds – exactly where a host nation with championship ambitions wants to be.
What’s Next for the USMNT
The U.S. now turns to the Round of 32, where it will face Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. This is the first real do-or-die match for the Americans in the tournament. No margin for error: if it’s tied after 90 minutes, they play 30 minutes of extra time, and if nobody scores, it goes to penalties.
Should the U.S. get past Bosnia and Herzegovina, the path to the finals only gets steeper. A Round of 16 matchup would follow, then the quarterfinals, semifinals, and ultimately the final – five more wins in total standing between the Americans and a world title.
However, every match from the quarterfinals onward will be played on U.S. soil, meaning that if the Americans keep winning, the back half of their road to glory unfolds in front of home crowds.
It’s a tough path no matter how you look at it, but the expanded 48-team format this year gives a bit of breathing room. FIFA added an extra knockout round, which creates more opportunities for teams like the US to land favorable matchups – if the bracket falls their way.
America’s Expectations Have Never Been Higher
Interest has surged with the World Cup taking place across 11 different cities in the U.S., including here in North Texas. Expectations are higher than ever, fueled partly by a roster many analysts believe is the most talented in American history, and partly by the fact that home-field advantage in the tournament offers leverage.
The U.S. has never reached a final, nor have they reached a semifinal in the modern men’s era, per FIFA. Getting past the Round of 32 and into uncharted territory would be a huge milestone for the country.
For now, all eyes turn to July 1 in the Bay Area. Win, and the Americans keep their home World Cup dreams alive. Lose, and a tournament that began with so much promise ends.
Team USA’s Best World Cup Finishes
- 1930 — Semifinals (3rd place), inaugural tournament in Uruguay
- 1950 — Group stage, but stunned England 1-0 in one of the sport’s great upsets
- 1994 — Round of 16, as tournament hosts
- 2002 — Quarterfinals, the program’s best modern-era finish
- 2010 — Round of 16
- 2014 — Round of 16
- 2022 — Round of 16
