The USA's World Cup round of 32 opponent is all but set

The U.S. men's national team almost certainly has its World Cup round of 32 opponent.

Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Qatar 2-1 on Wednesday, June 24 in Seattle, clinching third place in Group B.

Barring anything unforeseen, that places Bosnia and Herzegovina into the round of 32 against the USMNT at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on July 1.

After winning both of its opening games, the USMNT has already clinched first place in Group D. Its opponent will be the third-place finisher from one of the following groups: B, E, F, I, or J.

Prior to the tournament, FIFA listed 495 possible combinations for round of 32 matchups. Based on how the group stage has played out thus far, there is exactly one path among those 495 scenarios that wouldn't place the Group B winner with the USA.

The USMNT has started out the group stage with wins over Paraguay and Australia, clinching Group D before it even plays Turkey in its finale on Thursday, June 25.

Bosnia and Herzegovina had a mixed group stage, drawing Canada 1-1 in its opener before falling to a heavy 4-1 defeat against Switzerland.

But Sergej Barbarez's side bounced back at the perfect time on Wednesday, defeating Qatar with goals from Kerim Alajbegović, Ermin Mahmić and a Qatar own goal.

USMNT vs Bosnia and Herzegovina history

The USMNT and Bosnia and Herzegovina have met three times before, with the U.S. winning two and the other game ending in a draw.

Most recently, the USMNT defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 in a friendly in December 2021.