U.S. Men’s Soccer Team Awaits Third-Place Opponent for World Cup Round of 16 in Bay Area
The United States will play a third-place finisher from Groups B, E, F, I or J at Levi’s Stadium on July 1, with the exact opponent to be decided after Wednesday’s Qatar-Bosnia match.
The United States men’s national soccer team has secured the top spot in Group D of the 48-team World Cup and will open the knockout stage at Levi’s Stadium in the Bay Area on Wednesday, July 1, at 5 p.m. Pacific time. The U.S. will face one of the eight third-place teams that advance, drawn from Groups B, E, F, I or J.
The identity of the opponent hinges on the outcome of the Group B match between Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina, scheduled for Wednesday night in Seattle. If either side wins, the victor is expected to finish with four points and qualify as a third-place team, making it the most likely U.S. opponent. Should the match end in a draw, both teams would likely miss the knockout round, opening the field to other third-place qualifiers.
Statistical forecasts from The Athletic give Bosnia a 58 % chance of winning, Qatar an 18 % chance, with Senegal, Algeria, Ecuador and Austria listed as lower-probability possibilities. Several teams from the five relevant groups have already secured top-two finishes or been eliminated, narrowing the pool of potential opponents.
The U.S. will conclude its group-stage campaign on Thursday with a match against Turkey in Los Angeles, while Levi’s Stadium will host a simultaneous winner-gets-second-place game between Paraguay and Australia. After those fixtures, the round-of-16 matches will move to Santa Clara.
