Bosnia & Herzegovina World Cup Coach Responds To U.S. Slights Against His Team

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has kicked off — and HuffPost is live-blogging every twist, turn and controversy of what’s widely shaping up to be the most political soccer tournament of all time.From the action on the pitch to the potential chaos off it, the storylines are already piling up: Iran’s tough journey to the competition amid Donald Trump’s war, the president’s close relationship with FIFA’s Peace Prize-awarding President Gianni Infantino, and simmering tensions between the U.S. and fellow host nations Mexico and Canada fueled by Trump’s tariffs and divisive rhetoric.Trump’s travel bans have kept some fans and officials out; there’s been fury over soaring ticket prices, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could be present at games as the Trump administration continues its anti-immigration crackdown.Not to mention extreme heat concerns that scorched everyone involved the last time the U.S. hosted the tournament, some 32 years ago, in 1994.President Donald Trump, left, received the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, in December.Andrew Harnik via Getty ImagesOn the field, the men’s national teams from 48 countries are competing in a record 104 matches across the three host nations in what will be the biggest World Cup in history.The U.S. won its group by beating Paraguay 4-1, Australia 2-0, but losing 3-2 to Turkey. Team USA will play Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on July 2.The final will be held on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, which is being temporarily rebranded as the New York/New Jersey Stadium for the competition.Current European champions Spain are favorites to lift the trophy. Defending champions Argentina, of Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi fame, along with France, England and Brazil, are also expected to be in the mix.Check out the full games schedule on the FIFA website.Follow along with our coverage below:Bosnia & Herzegovina World Cup Coach Responds To U.S. Slights Against His TeamBosnia coach Sergej Barbarez has shrugged off American slights against his team, saying they need no extra motivation for their World Cup round-of-32 clash against the United States.Former U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard said on a podcast that the Bosnians were in for a brutal reality check at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday, while a network reporter mocked the nation on live TV before later apologising.Barbarez said the hot takes were inevitable in the social media age and had no effect on the team. "I have to admit things like that happen on a daily basis," he told reporters on Tuesday. "We are a small country and sometimes things like that happen, but I have no problem with it. My boys don't have a problem with it ... You're playing for a place in the round of 16. If that's not motivation enough, then I don't really notice things like that."Opposing coach Mauricio Pochettino was not embracing the co-hosts being favourites in his pre-match media conference but Barbarez had little doubt."Look, of course they are favourites. Their place in the rankings, they are the hosts, the names in their team—definitely," he said. "We never had a problem with being the underdog. This role, this word, doesn't mean anything to me. You can throw this word around. It's important what happens on the pitch, and this is what I'm interested in. This is what we are interested in."Bosnia's players compete in leagues all over the world, including U.S.-born attacker Esmir Bajraktarević, who Barbarez said had brought a unique perspective to the team."Those touches of American culture are also very important because we have guys who were born all over the world," he said. "Maybe that's a big advantage for us -- that we've managed to bring together all those cultures, habits, mentalities and different approaches to football into one unit."Latest Live UpdatesWorld Cup Weather Watch: USA vs. Bosnia & HerzegovinaHere's what fans can expect in the San Francisco Bay Area for the 2026 FIFA World Cup game between the U.S. & Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, including temperatures, the Fan Comfort Index (FCI) level and any weather concerns.See more World Cup weather news on The Weather Channel.1/22/2World Cup Weather Watch: England vs. DR CongoHere's what fans can expect in Atlanta for the 2026 FIFA World Cup game between England and DR Congo on Wednesday, including temperatures, the Fan Comfort Index (FCI) level and any weather concerns.See more World Cup weather news on The Weather Channel.1/22/23 Now Declared Dead After Thousands Crowd Mexico City Streets For World Cup CelebrationsThree people died from suffocation as thousands of fans crowded Mexico City streets during World Cup celebrations, the capital's health secretariat said in the early hours of Wednesday.The deaths occurred near the Angel of Independence landmark, where thousands of soccer fans had gathered to celebrate Mexico's 2-0 victory over Ecuador in the round of 32.Emergency teams tended to three unconscious people at different locations around Paseo de la Reforma, authorities said. The capital's most emblematic boulevard and the streets around it had been closed to traffic and set up for the soccer celebrations."After receiving advanced resuscitation efforts, the deaths of a 44-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman from suffocation have been confirmed," the health authority initially said on social media.The third fatality was a 48-year-old woman who was treated on a nearby street after suffering asphyxiation and died after being taken to hospital, the secretariat added in a later post.Mayor Clara Brugada expressed her condolences to the families of the victims on X and urged everyone to "always celebrate with responsibility, care, and empathy".Mexicans took to the streets to celebrate after the national team ended a 40-year wait for a World Cup knockout victory at the Azteca Stadium in the capital, with the win against Ecuador sending the co-hosts into the last 16.The fans' euphoria, amid cheering and chants, contrasted with images shared on social media of emergency responders and paramedics tending to distressed people lying on the ground in nearby streets.With more than 20 million residents, Mexico City's metropolitan area is one of the most populous on the planet and is accustomed to large celebrations and huge crowds of people.World Cup Player Sent Off For Covering His MouthEcuador’s Piero Hincapié became the second player to be issued a red card at the World Cup under FIFA’s new rule that calls for a player to be sent off for covering their mouth during a confrontational exchange with an opponent.Hincapié was sent off in the 95th minute of Ecuador’s 2-0 loss to Mexico Tuesday in the round of 32. He was shown the red card following an exchange with Mexico forward Santi Giménez.FIFA established the new rule to prevent players from hiding abusive comments to opponents by covering their mouth.Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón was the first player to be punished under the new rule when he was sent off in a group stage match against Turkey last week.While Ecuador’s tournament is over, Hincapié will be suspended for the team's next international match.2 Dead From Suffocation During Massive World Cup Celebrations In Mexico CityTwo people died from suffocation as thousands of fans crowded Mexico City streets during World Cup celebrations, the capital's health secretariat said in the early hours of Wednesday.The incident occurred on Hamburgo and Lancaster Streets, near the Angel of Independence landmark, where thousands of soccer fans had gathered to celebrate Mexico's 2-0 victory over Ecuador in the round of 32."After receiving advanced resuscitation efforts, the deaths of a 44-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman from suffocation have been confirmed," the health authority said on social media.Defeated World Cup Coach’s Press Conference Goes On And On And On And OnMarcelo Bielsa, who exited as head coach of the Uruguayan national team after the side bowed out of the World Cup in the group stage, gave a 100-minute press conference on Tuesday in which he maintained that his message never resonated with the team.Uruguay opened play in Group H with a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia, then squandered a second-half lead in a 2-2 draw against Cape Verde. Needing a positive result against powerhouse Spain in the group finale to advance, Uruguay lost 1-0 on a goalkeeping error.Speaking Tuesday in Montevideo of his tenure on the job, which began in May 2023, Bielsa said, "What I have absolute certainty of is that nobody cares what I know. I know when someone cares what I know. Nothing I tried to transmit was important, at any level. That was never important from my point of view. I don't see anything bad in it -- other people aren't interested in learning what I know. Case closed."Bielsa added, "My responsibility for what happened is very clear. I cannot justify the position we finished in. In short, my management of the players I had was insufficient. We did our best, both my colleagues and I, and the players, and it wasn't enough. I am convinced that if I had chosen a different path, we wouldn't have changed the results we obtained."Despite his assessment of how his approach was received, Bielsa still believes his side deserved better results."There's not a serious, thoughtful, meditated and explained analysis which doesn't see us winning against Saudi Arabia, which doesn't see us winning against Cape Verde and which doesn't see us drawing with Spain," he said, adding, "We were sufficiently united as to run 20% more than Saudi Arabia, 30% more than Cape Verde and 25% more than Spain."Bielsa also backed goalie Fernando Muslera, who asked to exit the Spain match at halftime after his 42nd-minute mistake led to a goal. The change was made, but Uruguay failed to rally.According to Bielsa, Muslera was sick the day before the match."It's never happened to me that a player asked to be replaced because of the effect of errors he committed on his spirit," Bielsa said. "Muslera told me he was so stricken by the error he committed that he preferred to stop playing because the group's possibilities were intact and he wasn't in the best condition to face up to that second half, when we had everything to achieve."U.S. World Cup Coach Issues Apology To The MediaBefore moving his attention to the knockout round of the World Cup, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino had to resolve one issue from the group stage.Pochettino began his news conference before Wednesday's game against Bosnia-Herzegovina by asking the media to forgive him for his curt tone following the U.S. team's 3-2 loss to Turkey in a match that had no impact on the Americans after they had already clinched the top spot in the group.“I want to apologize to the guys that were in my last press conference,” Pochettino said. “I was so frustrated. I was disappointed. I thank you and am sorry. It was my problem, not your problem. I was upset after the defeat.”Pochettino called out the media in the post-match news conference last week for not praising him and his team for having already won the group before the loss to Turkey.“For you not say congratulations that we won the group, that is a little bit sad,” Pochettino told reporters after the game.“What we need to remember is we won first place in this group,” Pochettino added while speaking in Spanish and English. “We ended up being No. 1, and we managed all the pressure and the expectations quite well."Pochettino knows the expectations are even higher now that his team has reached the knockout round and goes into the game against Bosnia as the favorite to advance.He has preached to his team that “relaxation brings concentration” and has told them to approach every game as if it was the final.“If we don’t see it in this way, I think we are going to struggle,” he said. “We are seeing already in all the games after the group stage how difficult it is. ... We don’t have another opportunity if we fail. It’s all in and knowing that game is the final of the World Cup. And if we were capable to go through, the next one is going to be another final of the World Cup.”Bosnia has already played host Canada to a draw in Toronto in the opening match and now faces a U.S. team on American soil as the underdogs. Former U.S. national team goalkeeper Tim Howard said Bosnia is “better off not even getting on a plane and going to San Francisco” for a match he believes they have no chance of winning.But the Bosnians already defied the odds by beating four-time champion Italy in the European playoffs and now have a chance to spoil the World Cup for the U.S. team.“I'm not concerned with things like that,” Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez said about Howard's comments. “I have to admit, things like that happen on a daily basis. We are a small country and things like that sometimes happen. I have no problem. My boys don’t have a problem with that. ... We are playing to go into the round of 16. Is that not motivation enough? I don't notice things like that.”Injury updates for the US team ahead of matchPochettino had some injury updates for his team ahead of the match, saying he hoped Auston Trusty could be available after injuring his ankle late in the last game against Turkey. Trusty scored his first goal for the national team in that game.Pochettino said it would be more difficult for Cristian Roldan (quadriceps strain) and Mark McKenzie (foot irritation) to be available for the game but a final decision won't be made until Wednesday.Christian Pulisic said he is ready to start after missing the second group game with a calf injury and playing only 33 minutes as a sub in the final group match.“I feel good and ready to go for tomorrow,” Pulisic said.Fireworks, Chants And Drums: Ecuador Files World Cup Complaint Over 1,000 Mexico Fans Outside HotelThe Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) filed a complaint with FIFA on Tuesday after around 1,000 noisy Mexico fans gathered outside Ecuador's team hotel in Mexico City.Before Ecuador and World Cup co-host Mexico prepared to face off in the round-of-32 match Tuesday -- which ended in a 2-0 victory for Mexico -- online videos surfaced showing Mexico fans on Monday night, singing, dancing, setting off fireworks and using noisemakers outside their rival team's hotel.Police eventually broke up the gathering.While fan serenades are common occurrences ahead of big matches, FEF alleged that this particular conduct was "far removed from the principles of fair play, equality and unity that a football World Cup should represent."Ecuador's complaint requested that authorities prevent future occurrences and "adopt the necessary measures to safeguard the safety of our players, coaching staff and fans.""We trust that these unsportsmanlike acts will not overshadow the football celebration that unites two brotherly nations, and that respect, healthy competition, and fair play -- the values that give meaning to a World Cup -- will prevail at all times," the complaint added.World Cup Players Face 'Appalling' Racist Abuse After Penalty HeartbreakNetherlands players who missed penalties in Monday’s World Cup penalty shootout defeat by Morocco suffered racist abuse online, the Dutch football association (KNVB) said on Tuesday.Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville all failed to find the net as Morocco edged the Dutch 3-2 on penalties after their last-32 match in Monterrey ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time, and were subjected to discriminatory, racist and hateful comments on social media, said the KNVB."We find this appalling, and we will file a case with ‘Meld Online Discriminatie’ (Report Online Discrimination).“Once a report is filed, their legal staff assess whether the statement constitutes a punishable offence. This can lead to a formal complaint being lodged with the Public Prosecution Service, which may then initiate a criminal investigation," the FA added.This is not the first time players have faced racist online abuse after missing penalties at a major tournament.England’s Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho suffered abuse following the European Championship final loss to Italy in 2021, leading to two people being sentenced to prison and another receiving a suspended sentence.In the weeks following the tournament, British police arrested multiple individuals as part of a widespread crackdown on online hate speech targeting the players."Football brings together millions of different people, whereas discrimination does the exact opposite. It therefore runs counter to everything football stands for," added the KNVB.Netherlands' Coach Gone After Disappointing World CupOne day after the Netherlands lost a World Cup round of 32 match to Morocco on penalty kicks, Ronald Koeman announced his second run as the Dutch coach has come to an end.Per Koeman's Instagram account, he made the decision not long after the Netherlands failed to make the round of 16 for the first time in 12 World Cups."(Monday) night I decided to end my time as coach of the Dutch national team," Koeman wrote in Dutch. "Looking back on my career, I mainly feel proud and grateful. I've had the privilege of working at Vitesse, Ajax, Benfica, PSV, Valencia, AZ, Feyenoord, Southampton, Everton, FC Barcelona, and of course two periods with Oranje, clubs and people that shaped me and gave me memories that I will cherish my whole life."That's exactly why it hurts that my time (with the Netherlands) ends like this. We all dreamed of a World Cup where we would make history. That didn't happen. Nobody is more disappointed about that than I am. As a coach, you carry that responsibility. I have always felt it and will always continue to feel it."The Netherlands entered World Cup play ranked eighth in the FIFA World Rankings and won Group F with wins over Sweden and Tunisia and a tie with Japan. While Morocco entered the World Cup at No. 7, the Netherlands were expected to advance on Monday in Guadalupe, Mexico.The Netherlands took a 1-0 lead in the 72nd minute, but Morocco answered during stoppage time. In penalty kicks, Morocco prevailed 3-2.Koeman, 63, coached the Netherlands from 2018-20 and returned in early 2023 after a stint with FC Barcelona.See All Updates