It’s time to think about the next stage of the World Cup. The United States men’s national team have already secured their place in the knockout stage, so Mauricio Pochettino’s side can now turn their attention to the potential opponents awaiting them in the next round. The Americans booked their spot in the last 32 after a commanding 4-1 victory over Paraguay in their opening match, followed by a 2-0 win against Australia. Those back-to-back victories not only guaranteed qualification but also ensured the United States would finish top of Group D with a game to spare. Let’s take a look at the Group D standings first:
Group D standings
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 |
| 2 | Australia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Paraguay | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| 4 | Turkiye | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
Scores and schedule
Friday, June 12
USA 4, Paraguay 1
Saturday, June 13
Australia 2, Turkiye 0
Friday, June 19
USA 2, Australia 0
Paraguay 1, Turkiye 0
Thursday, June 25
Turkiye vs. USA, 10 p.m.
Paraguay vs. Australia, 10 p.m.
Who will they meet in the Round of 32?
The side coached by Mauricio Pochettino will meet Turkiye in the last matchday of the group stage but have already clinched the top spot of the group, granting them a spot in the round of 32 of the World Cup after winning Group D. In the next round, the United States will take on the third-place finisher from one of five possible groups: B, E, F, I, or J, meaning they can meet one of the following 15 teams. However, all indications point toward a round of 32 meeting between the USMNT and Bosnia and Herzegovina, pending FIFA’s official confirmation of the final third-place rankings. The Bosnians secured third place in Group B and are now strongly positioned to claim one of the knockout-stage berths.
- Group B: Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Group E: Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Curacao
- Group F: Sweden, Japan, Netherlands
- Group I: Senegal, Iraq
- Group J: Algeria, Jordan, Austria
At the moment, that pairing would be: USA vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The way this works is that FIFA publish all of the possible third-place permutations and in 329 out of 330 scenarios where the Group B third-place team advances, they face off against the winner of Group D. Bosnia’s win leaves them on four points with a -1 goal difference making it virutally impossible they will be one of the worst third place teams. And should they advance the only way they would fail to face the USMNT is in the precise scenario where the third place teams eliminated are from Group A, Group C, Group D and Group F.
Who will they meet in the Round of 16?
If the bracket remains unchanged, the United States will meet the winner of the Round of 32 clash between Group G leaders Egypt and the best third-placed team from Groups A, E, H, I, or J.
At the moment, that pairing would be: Egypt vs. South Korea.
When are the United States playing in the knockouts?
Mauricio Pochettino’s team will play the Round of 32 match on July 1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
