Read 3 minutes1 July 2026 08:12 PM IST
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Edin Dzeko reacts to a US reporter’s joke about how she can’t point to Bosnia and Herzegovina on a map, setting up a spicy case against the USA. Match of the 32nd round of the World Cup. A reporter identified as ABC7’s Abigail Velez had said she didn’t know where Bosnia was on a map while promoting the USA’s odds against them.
“In the next round, Team USA plays Bosnia next Wednesday. And, one thing about Bosnia, I couldn’t pinpoint where it is on the map. Because Team USA, we’re back, we’re better than ever. Prepare Bosnia, because you don’t want it. You don’t want it. You don’t want it. But you’re going to get it,” Velez said. However, she has since apologized for the comment.
Dzeko responded to the comment, telling talkSPORT, “It shows a lot about them. Not about us. I think I think what the guys in the American team, the US team, think. And I think they won’t underestimate us. They know we have points and we know we have points. You’re the favourites, but the knockout stage is different from the overall group.”
🤦♂️ “That says a lot about them, not us!”
😤 “The knockout stage is completely different from the group stage…”
Edin Dzeko responds to US reporter’s ‘couldn’t point out where Bosnia is on a map’ ahead of his side’s clash with USMNT! 👀#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/PuWmEYQ7LN
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) 1 July 2026
The USA will look to win their first World Cup elimination game in 24 years when they face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32 in Santa Clara, California. The Americans’ last, and only, knockout victory came on June 17, 2002, when they beat Mexico 2–0 in the round of 16 in South Korea.
The USA will once again be playing a home World Cup knockout match in the San Francisco Bay area. The 1994 team made it out of the group stage and faced Brazil at Stanford Stadium – less than 15 miles from the site of this year’s games in Santa Clara – only to lose 1-0 to the eventual champions.
Since that round of 16 win over Mexico in 2002, the U.S. is 0-3 at that point but is favored to advance against Bosnia, according to oddsmakers.