USMNT World Cup Round of 16 history: Revisiting last time USA won a knockout match in men's soccer

While the U.S. picked up its first knockout-stage win in more than 20 years with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32, it was not the country’s first knockout-stage win ever.

The USMNT has had limited success in World Cup knockout play, though it has been more than two decades since its last victory in a true win-or-go-home match. While the team did win its Round of 32 matchup, the expanded format of this year’s tournament may still prompt some to question how it compares to previous editions.

The traditional knockout phase previously began with a 16-team Round of 16, compared to the 32-team opening knockout round introduced for the 2026 tournament.

Here’s a look back at the last time the USMNT won a World Cup knockout match.

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Has USA men's soccer team ever won a Round of 16 match at World Cup?

The U.S. has only emerged victorious from one other knockout-stage match across World Cup history. Let's take a look at which team the U.S. had the pleasure of downing for their only Round of 16 victory.

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Round of 16: USA 2, Mexico 0

After barely escaping their group of Portugal, South Korea, and Poland, the U.S. took its Round of 16 ticket and ran with it. They matched up against their main CONCACAF rival, Mexico, in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

During the match, a large audience was introduced to a young phenom by the name of Landon Donovan. Ring any bells? The future USMNT all-time great began his legacy at the tournament and scored a 65th-minute brace after Brian McBride opened the scoring inside 10 minutes.

Along with the victory, the U.S. also gained the fan-favorite "dos a cero" phrase, which was originally used as a term to signify Mexican dominance in the countries' rivalry.

USMNT World Cup knockout stage history