World Cup Philly updates: Paraguay set to face France in round of 16 matchup

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Last updated: Thursday, July 2, 2026 4:14AM GMT
Heat doesn't stop crowds from packing FIFA Fan Fest to watch USMNT

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The United States kicked off its 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage as it took on Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last round-of-32 match on Wednesday.

Mauricio Pochettino's side secured a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman, booking their place in the round of 16, where they will face Belgium on Monday night.

In Philadelphia, fans have been gathering at the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill to watch the global competition.

Five matches have already been played in the city. The next game in Philadelphia will be held on Saturday, July 4, in a Round of 16 match between Paraguay and France.

All games will be held at Lincoln Financial Field, which has been renamed "Philadelphia Stadium" for the international event.

Follow along for live updates below:

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
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2:09 AM GMT

U.S. beats Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 to advance to round of 16

Folarin Balogun scored his third goal of the World Cup before being sent off with a red card in the second half, and Malik Tillman converted on a free kick to give the 10-man United States squad a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday night to advance to the round of 16.

Players stand for the national anthem during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, , July 1, 2026.
Players stand for the national anthem during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, , July 1, 2026.

Balogun dominated the first half with his goal and several other chances that helped the U.S. control the match early but the Americans had to scramble down a man after his foul against Tarik Muharemovic in the 64th minute.

Tillman helped seal the win when he scored on a free kick from just outside the box in the 82nd minute with a shot off the hand of goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.

That gave the U.S. just its second World Cup knockout round win. The Americans made it to the semifinals in the first tournament in 1930 by winning their group and won a round of 16 matchup against Mexico in 2002.

The win over Bosnia in the round of 32 in this year's expanded tournament sets up a matchup on Monday in Seattle against Belgium as the U.S. hopes to make a deep run on home soil.

Jul 01, 2026, 8:18 PM GMT

US looks to win first knockout match in 24 years against Bosnia-Herzegovina

The United States national team has grown tired of hearing about its traditional shortcomings in World Cup knockout matches.

The Americans will look to change that narrative on Wednesday as they attempt 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 win came on June 17, 2002, when they defeated Mexico 2-0 in the round of 16 in South Korea.

Christian Pulisic and his teammates warm up during a training session ahead of their World Cup Round of 32 soccer match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
Christian Pulisic and his teammates warm up during a training session ahead of their World Cup Round of 32 soccer match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

The good news for the Americans is they should have a healthy Christian Pulisic after the star missed the second game with a calf injury and played only 33 minutes as a sub in the final group match against Turkey.

"I feel good and ready to go for tomorrow," Pulisic said.

The U.S. will once again play a knockout round match at a home World Cup in the San Francisco Bay area. The 1994 team made it out of group stage and faced Brazil at Stanford Stadium - less than 15 miles away from the site of this year's game 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 stage but are favored to advance against Bosnia, according to oddsmakers.

"We understand what it means, you win or you go home. There definitely needs to be a lot of focus and attention detail this week," Pulisic said. "But I think the vibe feels good. We've still kept it light and we still are going to be ready to battle once the whistle blows."

The U.S. has one win in 21 games against European teams with seven draws and 13 losses since making it back to the World Cup in 1990 for the first time in 40 years.

England will face Congo and Belgium will play Senegal in the other elimination games on Wednesday.

The round of 32 continues on Thursday with Spain playing Austria, Portugal taking on Croatia and Switzerland facing Algeria, and then concludes on Friday with Australia up against Egypt, Cape Verde playing Argentina and Colombia facing Ghana.

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Jun 30, 2026, 10:59 PM GMT

France advances to round of 16 match in Philly

Kylian Mbappé put France ahead with a brilliant crossover step in the 45th minute and added a second-half goal to set a World Cupknockout round scoring record, and Les Bleus beat Sweden 3-0 Tuesday to set up a round of 16 match against Paraguay in Philadelphia on July 4.

Bradley Barcola added a 53rd-minute goal for France and Mbappé capped the scoring in the 74th minute for his third two-goal game in four matches. His six goals tied Argentina forward Lionel Messi for the tournament lead and gave him 18 in his World Cup career, one shy of Messi's record.

Mbappé's 10 knockout rounds goals are two more than the previous high by Brazilian greats Leonidas and Ronaldo. France coach Didier Deschamps bowed when his star came to the bench after he was substituted in the 85th minute.

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Jun 30, 2026, 12:30 PM GMT

A heat dome will engulf World Cup games in the eastern US this week

A threatening heat dome will engulf the central and eastern U.S. this week with heat index temperatures - which combine air temperature with humidity - soaring into the triple-digits in some areas. Conditions will bring above-average temperatures to World Cup host cities such as Boston, Philadelphia and Kansas City, Missouri, all of which have open-air stadiums.

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat watch for Philadelphia and surrounding regions starting Wednesday afternoon and into Saturday evening, with dangerously hot "feels-like" temperatures, another term for the heat index, up to 110 F (43.3 C) during the daytime. As a result, FIFA's Fan Festival in Philadelphia is shifting its hours this week, including Saturday's watch party, which will end at the conclusion of the 1 p.m. game.

RELATED: AccuWeather: Historic heat wave begins

The New York City area could see near-record high temperatures of up to 109 F (42.8 C) with little respite overnight. An extreme heat watch will be in effect from Wednesday afternoon to Saturday evening.

Concerns about extreme heat during the games taking place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico have been mounting for months. In the U.S., heat kills more people every year than all other weather-related events, including hurricanes, flooding and tornadoes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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