The Stars and Stripes has a checkered history at the men’s World Cup, one that dates to 1930 and includes a lengthy hiatus before a run of recent success.
The team has never won the World Cup or reached the final, but optimism is high this week when the United States is set to open the Round of 32 knockout stage Wednesday at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The U.S. won its group with wins against Paraguay and Australia and a loss in the finale to Turkiye.
The United States enters the knockout round ranked 15th in the world with Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked 61st.
Here’s a brief history of how the U.S. men’s national team has performed in the World Cup.
How many World Cups has the US participated in?
Since the World Cup’s introduction in 1930, the U.S. men’s national team has taken part in 10 of the 22 tournaments.
Between 1950 and 1990, they failed to qualify for the World Cup.
They returned to the competition in 1994 as the host nation, progressing past the group stage where they were knocked out by eventual champions Brazil 1-0 in the round of 16 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on the Fourth of July. It was the first time the U.S. made it past the group stage since the inaugural 1930 World Cup, where they reached the semifinals.
The U.S. progressed to the quarterfinals in the 2002 tournament, losing to finalist Germany 1-0 in another heartbreaker.
Additionally, they were unable to make it out of their group in 2006, but advanced to the Round of 16 in 2010 and 2014.
The U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup but returned for the 2022 competition in Qatar.
Most notable US World Cup performances
The United States’ best finish in a World Cup was in 1930, where it reached the semifinals, but was defeated by Argentina. According to FIFA, the U.S. finished third due to its overall record in the tournament, which was won by Uruguay.
In the 1950 World Cup, the U.S. famously defeated England 1-0 in a group stage match.
As hosts, the U.S. managed to get their first victory in the 1994 World Cup against Colombia since 1950. They also progressed to the group stage for the first time since the 1930 World Cup.
In 2002, the U.S. reached the quarter finals, including defeating rivals Mexico in the Round of 16.
How did the US do in the 2022 Qatar World Cup?
During the 2022 World Cup, the U.S. were grouped with England, Wales and Iran. The team managed to finish second after defeating Iran and two notable draws against England and Wales.
The U.S. was in a tough Round of 16 matchup against the Netherlands and ultimately lost 3-1, knocking them out of the competition.
About the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 World Cup group stage concluded June 27. The top two teams in each group along with the eight best third-place finishers advanced to the Round of 32 beginning on June 28.
The remaining winning teams will then play in the Round of 16 starting on July 4. The quarterfinals will be held on July 9, and the semifinals will be July 14 and July 15, leading up to the championship match at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, renamed Los Angeles Stadium for the tournament, is one of the venues that will host the international soccer tournament. There are five group stage matches at the stadium and three knockout phase games
June 12: USA 4, Paraguay 1
June 15: Iran 2, New Zealand 2
June 18: Switzerland 4, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1
June 21: Belgium 0, Iran 0
June 25: USA 2, Türkiye 3
June 28: (Round of 32) Canada 1, South Africa 0
July 2: Spain v. Austria
July 10: Quarterfinal
Other U.S. host cities are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle and the Bay Area.
Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey are Mexico’s host cities. Toronto and Vancouver will host matches in Canada.
NBCLA’s Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.