USA's Pulisic, England's Bellingham In the World Cup Spotlight For Match Day 21

The knockout circular of the 2026 FIFA World Cup rolls on, and Wednesday volition spot 3 much teams beforehand and 3 much teams exit the tourney aft the circular of 32. In the opening game, contending England volition anticipation to extremity the Cinderella tally of the DR Congo erstwhile the teams look disconnected successful Atlanta.

The 2nd crippled takes america to Vancouver, Canada, wherever Belgium and Senegal are some coming disconnected five-goal blowout wins successful their respective radical signifier finales.

Finally, co-hosts the United States volition instrumentality to enactment astatine San Francisco Bay Area Stadium and look for conscionable its second-ever knockout triumph erstwhile it hosts a Bosnia and Herzegovina squad that volition beryllium a situation with its youthful roster.

Here is everything you request to cognize for Wednesday astatine the World Cup.

When: Wednesday, July 1, 12 p.m. ET

Where: Atlanta

TV: FOX

Stream: Watch 3 days escaped connected FOX One

Contenders England instrumentality connected 1 of the tournament’s fairytale stories successful the DR Congo.

England entered the World Cup arsenic 1 of the teams with a realistic accidental of winning the title. Thus far, it's been decent but hasn’t played similar a superpower on the lines of France, Spain oregon Argentina. The Three Lions were astatine their champion successful the 2nd fractional of their opening 4-2 triumph implicit Croatia. After that, it was pedestrian efforts successful a 0-0 gully with Ghana followed by a 2-0 triumph implicit Panama wherever the English needed 62 minutes earlier getting connected the board.

England has plentifulness of firepower offensively with 1 of the game’s champion halfway forwards successful Harry Kane, a heavy enactment of helping options that includes Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham successful the middle.

The biggest interest for England’s starting lineup is astatine close back, arsenic some Reece James and Jarell Quansah are sidelined owed to injuries. That leaves Djed Spence apt to descent implicit the close broadside successful the starting XI.

The question for caput manager Thomas Tuchel is whether helium tin get his squad playing with strength from the opening whistle. That was not the lawsuit successful the past 2 games, erstwhile England was besides heavy favored.

DR Congo is enjoying a batch of enactment from neutral fans successful the United States arsenic the state participates successful its archetypal World Cup since 1974. The Leopards secured a astonishing knockout berth arsenic 1 of the champion third-placed teams aft holding Portugal to a gully and staging a thrilling 3-1 comeback triumph implicit Uzbekistan. The team’s lone decision came successful a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Colombia.

Sébastien Desabre’s squad volition beryllium highly motivated for this game, arsenic the squad boasts important Premier League experience. This includes Newcastle United attacker Yoane Wissa, who has been the team’s prima frankincense acold astatine the World Cup with 3 goals successful the radical stage.

DR Congo is expected to bring a highly carnal but disciplined attack to this game. The squad volition beryllium heavy successful a compact formation, astir apt the 5-3-2 it utilized against Portugal, and look to interruption retired rapidly connected counterattacks.

England is the dense favorite, but games similar this tin beryllium tricky arsenic England is nether tremendous unit to advance, portion the DR Congo apt sees this crippled arsenic a monolithic accidental with thing to lose.

Player To Watch

The Real Madrid playmaker was the Man of the Match successful the 2-0 triumph implicit Panama connected Saturday portion playing successful a deeper role. With Declan Rice expected to instrumentality to the starting XI, Bellingham's relation volition displacement to absorption connected breaking down DR Congo’s debased block. He volition beryllium looking to find pockets of abstraction to unfastened the crippled up for Kane, oregon the winger connected either side. With Kane apt to beryllium heavy guarded, Bellingham volition besides service arsenic a secondary scoring menace for England.

When: Wednesday, July 1, 4 p.m. ET

Where: Seattle

TV: FS1

Stream: Watch 3 days escaped connected FOX One

Wednesday’s 2nd crippled takes america to Vancouver Stadium successful Canada, with Belgium and Senegal successful what volition beryllium the first-ever competitory gathering betwixt the 2 teams.

Belgium and Senegal participate this crippled with akin radical signifier patterns. Both were underwhelming successful the 2 opening games but past secured a spot successful the knockouts with a blowout triumph successful the finale against the weakest squad successful the group.

For Senegal, it was ne'er going to beryllium an casual way aft getting drawn into a radical with France and Norway. As expected, Senegal mislaid to France, 3-1, and past to Norway, 3-2, when, similar astir teams, it was incapable to halt 2 of the champion players successful the satellite successful Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. But with 8 third-place teams advancing to the knockouts, the doorway for Senegal was inactive unfastened if it could bushed Iraq, which it did, 5-0.

For Belgium, the radical signifier was much disappointing due to the fact that the Red Devils were ne'er an underdog. Following a lackluster opening of the tourney successful a 1-1 gully with Egypt followed by a 0-0 gully with Iran, Rudi Garcia’s squad yet was capable to play up to its imaginable successful a 5-1 blowout triumph implicit New Zealand, the lowest-ranked squad astatine the World Cup successful the FIFA World Rankings.

The Red Devils lineup should person fewer surprises. Kevin De Bruyne remains the originative heartbeat successful midfield, and helium is flanked by apical wingers successful Manchester City’s Jérémy Doku and Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard. The biggest question for Garcia is astatine halfway forward, arsenic Charles De Ketelaere started 2 of the radical signifier games and Romelu Lukaku has started once. Neither subordinate was peculiarly convincing.

For Senegal, caput manager Pape Thiaw relies heavy connected his team’s athleticism successful the attack. Crystal Palace’s Ismaïla Sarr scored 3 goals successful the radical stage, Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye made a large interaction against Iraq, and seasoned skipper Sadio Mané remains the bosom of the squad contempt not scoring successful the radical stage.

The large interest for Senegal is that prima goalkeeper Edouard Mendy volition miss the crippled owed to a genu injury. Le Havre goalkeeper Mory Diaw is expected to commencement successful his place.

Belgium is the favourite successful this crippled based connected its talent, acquisition and caller signifier (the Red Devils person not mislaid successful 16 games). But Senegal is susceptible of pulling disconnected an upset and, arsenic we person seen, this tourney has not been benignant to favored European teams.

Player To Watch

The Villarreal midfielder was fantabulous successful the 5-0 triumph implicit Iraq. After subbing into the crippled successful the 56th minute, Gueye had 2 goals and an assistance to implicit the rout, which was needed successful the extremity differential tiebreaker. That effort disconnected the seat volition apt spot Gueye instrumentality to the team’s starting lineup, but lone present should helium beryllium highly assured of his form.

When: Wednesday, July 1, 8 p.m. ET

Where: San Francisco Bay Area

TV: FOX

Stream: Watch 3 days escaped connected FOX One

United States returns to the tract to instrumentality connected Bosnia and Herzegovina successful the circular of 32 successful what should beryllium an electrical pro-USA assemblage astatine the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium during the nightcap.

After earning six points from its radical signifier with wins implicit Paraguay and Australia on with a nonaccomplishment to Türkiye, galore volition presumption the U.S. squad arsenic favorites successful this game. But humanities factors archer a antithetic communicative for Mauricio Pochettino’s team.

Starting with the 1990 World Cup, the U.S. nationalist team’s grounds against European teams successful this tourney is abysmal. With the nonaccomplishment to Türkiye past week, the USA has present faced European teams 21 times successful the World Cup. During that span, the squad has won conscionable once, successful the 3-2 triumph implicit Portugal successful its 2002 opener. Meanwhile, the squad has drawn 7 times portion having mislaid 13 times.

On the contented of knockouts, since 1990, the U.S. squad has won conscionable 1 World Cup knockout portion having mislaid five.

The bully quality for Pochettino’s squad is that its full starting lineup from the 4-1 triumph implicit Paraguay is present steadfast and acceptable for selection. That includes Christian Pulisic, who missed the triumph implicit Australia owed to a calf injury, arsenic good arsenic Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Antonee Robinson and Chris Richards, who did not play against Türkiye to debar the hazard of a yellowish paper suspension for this game.

Offensively, the keys for the U.S. squad impact winger Christian Pulisic and his quality to dribble astatine opponents to unfastened abstraction for his teammates. Meanwhile, Folarin Balogun was precise unsafe successful the archetypal 2 games. If teammates tin get him the ball, helium is simply a lethal finisher. The midfield trio of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman volition look to power possession and dictate the tempo.

Christian Pulisic should beryllium backmost successful the lineup (Getty Images)

Bosnia and Herzegovina volition not beryllium an casual trial for the U.S. squad by immoderate stretch. Sergej Barbarez's squad boasts a nicely blended roster that includes acquisition and youthful energy. Both were connected show successful the team's 3-1 triumph implicit Qatar to clinch the team's spot successful the knockouts. Salzburg near midfielder Kerim Alajbegovic, 18, was the champion subordinate connected the tract successful that crippled and his item came successful scoring the opening goal. Ermin Mahmic, 21, was besides important disconnected the seat erstwhile helium scored the last goal.

Then determination is PSV Eindhoven winger Esmir Bajraktarević, 21, who volition beryllium getting a batch of attraction successful this crippled fixed that helium was calved and raised successful Wisconsin. He began his nonrecreational vocation with the New England Revolution and played for years with the U.S. younker nationalist teams earlier switching to Bosnia and Herzegovina (where his parents were born) successful 2024.

On the different broadside of the property equation, the team's all-time starring scorer successful Edin Džeko remains cardinal to Bosnia's offense. In the triumph implicit Qatar, Džeko was precise progressive arsenic his header forced Qatar’s ain extremity successful the 34th minute. Then conscionable earlier halftime, helium astir scored erstwhile his changeable smashed disconnected the post.

This should beryllium an affectional crippled with some teams looking to triumph what would beryllium a historically important triumph for their nationalist squad programs. The U.S. squad wants to notch a triumph that would animate a caller procreation of fans to autumn successful emotion with the athletics and the team. Bosnia and Herzegovina is looking to triumph its archetypal ever World Cup knockout crippled with a roster that consists of galore breathtaking young players.

Player To Watch

The Juventus midfielder is highly important to the U.S. team. When helium plays well, the squad plays well. When helium doesn’t, the squad struggles. He is simply a unsocial and peculiar subordinate erstwhile helium is successful bully form. He tin play a assortment of positions, often shifting during a azygous game. He tin dribble, and tin pass, and helium tin usage his size to his advantage. In the aboriginal parts of this tournament, McKennie was astatine his champion – and determination should beryllium nary crushed to expect thing other successful this game.