Bay Area hosts first U.S. men's World Cup knockout match on home soil in 32 years
The San Francisco Bay Area is repeating history with Wednesday's FIFA Men's World Cup round-of-32 match between the U.S. and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Wednesday's match at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, renamed San Francisco Bay Area Stadium for the World Cup, begins at 5 p.m. PT. It marks only the second time the U.S. men are playing in a World Cup knockout match on home soil.
The only other time the U.S. has hosted the Men's World Cup was in 1994, with the U.S. team reaching the second round as one of the best third place teams from the group stage. Their reward was a matchup against 3-time World Cup champion Brazil at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on July 4th.
More than 84,000 people packed the stadium to watch a valiant U.S. effort fall short to Brazil, 1-0. The Canarinho would go on to win its 4th World Cup title in 1994, and is the only team to have won five World Cup trophies.
Unlike in 1994, the U.S. come into the knockout match against Bosina and Herzegovina as heavy favorites. However, as previous results have indicated, no team can be overlooked in this tournament. Bosnia and Herzegovina stunned Italy to qualify for the World Cup, and have reached the Round of 32 after a draw with Canada, a loss to Switzerland, and a victory against Qatar. The U.S. began the tournament with two solid wins against Paraguay and Australia before losing to Turkiye.
Wednesday's historic matchup in Santa Clara is the marquee event at multiple Bay Area watch parties for those not able to secure a ticket to the game. The main watch party in the South Bay is the San Jose Earthquakes' Soccer Celebration event at San Pedro Square in San Jose, which has drawn huge crowds for all 104 World Cup matches.
In the Bay Area, a Bosnian restaurant has turned into a main gathering spot ahead of Wednesday's World Cup match. Euro Grill, located in Santa Clara, is benefiting from the thousands of Bosnian supporters expected to travel to make their way to the South Bay for their team's first appearance in the World Cup knockout stage.
Owner Mirza Avdic said the national team's success is introducing more people to Bosnia and Herzegovina's culture and history.
"It's a culture of rich history. Very proud people. People who went through a lot," said Avdic. "Through history. Through genocide. Through wars. And to have them still friendly, smiling, joking. They are trying to do their best for new generations."
It is Bosnia's second-ever World Cup appearance as an independent nation, following their debut in 2014.
Hours before the U.S. vs. Bosnia match, secondary market ticket prices to get into the stadium were averaging between $1,340 and $1,800 per ticket, while premium seating was averaging between $3,200 and $4,500, according to StubHub and SeatGeek. The secondary market prices for the USA vs. Bosnia match have declined in recent days and as kickoff approaches.
