Folarin Balogun scored and was later sent off as the United States defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on July 2, 2026, to advance to the last 16 of the World Cup. The match took place in California, where a crowd of around 30 million Americans were expected to watch nationwide.

Balogun's goal came just before halftime, igniting the California crowd. However, in the 64th minute, VAR intervened and Balogun received a straight red card after being judged to have stamped on the back of Bosnia's Tarik Muharemovic's foot.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, the US held strong defensively. Malik Tillman secured the victory by curling in a free kick. The win marked the co-hosts' first World Cup knockout victory in nearly a quarter-century and only their second ever, setting up a match against Belgium in Seattle on Monday.

US supporters had gathered in the San Francisco Bay Area stadium in high spirits, highlighted by a pre-match fighter jet flyover.

Sources