The host nations' "surge" continues into the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America. Co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States have all advanced to the round of 16, heating up the atmosphere on home soil.
The United States, ranked 15th in the FIFA rankings, defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina (61st) 2-0 in their round-of-32 match at the Bay Area Stadium in San Francisco on Tuesday (Korea time), advancing to the round of 16. With this, the US joined Mexico and Canada, both of which had already secured their spots, in reaching the second knockout round as World Cup host nations.
It marks the first time the US has won a World Cup knockout match in 24 years, since a 2-0 victory over Mexico in the round of 16 at the 2002 tournament in Korea and Japan. The US had reached the knockout stage three times since the Korea-Japan tournament but was eliminated each time in the round of 16, its opening match. This victory also snapped a 13-match winless streak (six draws, seven losses) against European teams at the World Cup.
In particular, the US remained composed despite being a man down after Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute for stepping on an opponent's ankle. The team maintained control of the match, relentlessly pressuring their opponent, and even added another goal to secure a 2-0 win.
In Mexico, 1.4 million people gathered in downtown Mexico City, the capital, for a celebration, but a tragic incident occurred when too many people crowded in, leaving four dead.
The US will face Belgium (9th) in the round of 16, after the Belgians came from behind to beat Senegal 3-2. The round-of-16 match between the US and Belgium kicks off at 9 a.m. Sunday at Seattle Stadium.
With the US advancing to the round of 16, all three co-host nations of this World Cup have reached that stage. Canada (30th) was the first to secure its spot, beating South Africa (54th) 1-0 on Nov. 29. Reaching the knockout stage for the first time in this World Cup, Canada also claimed its first-ever victory, writing a new chapter in the nation's football history. Its round-of-16 opponent is Morocco (6th).
The previous day, Mexico (10th) beat Ecuador (24th) 2-0 to clear the round of 32. It was a valuable win in the World Cup knockout stage, coming a full 40 years after the 1986 tournament held on home soil. Its round-of-16 opponent is England (4th). Mexico advanced to the round of 16 in seven consecutive tournaments, from the 1994 US tournament to the 2018 Russia tournament, but went no further. It failed to qualify for the 1990 Italy tournament and was eliminated in the group stage at the 2022 Qatar tournament.
