The United States booked their place in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite playing the final stages of the match with 10 men.
Folarin Balogun inspired the co-hosts at Levi’s Stadium, opening the scoring before later being sent off in the second half. The result marked only the United States’ second victory in a World Cup knockout match from nine attempts.
Bosnia threatened early, but goalkeeper Matt Freese produced an important save to deny Ermedin Demirović and keep the scores level.
Balogun had an earlier goal ruled out for offside but eventually broke the deadlock before halftime, reacting first to a loose ball inside the penalty area before firing through the legs of goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj. He nearly grabbed a second soon after, only to see his effort crash against the crossbar.
Bosnia’s hopes suffered another blow shortly after the restart when captain Edin Džeko was forced off with an injury.
The game took another twist in the 64th minute when a VAR review upgraded Balogun’s foul on Tarik Muharemović from a yellow card to a red, reducing the hosts to 10 men. The dismissal also made Balogun just the fourth player in World Cup knockout history to score and be sent off in the same match.
Despite their numerical advantage, Bosnia failed to capitalise as the Americans defended resolutely. Christian Pulisic had a goal disallowed for offside before Malik Tillman wrapped up the victory with a superb free-kick that beat Vasilj.
The win sends the United States into the Round of 16, where they will face Belgium in Seattle.
