US reporter mocked after saying she couldn't find Bosnia on a map ahead of World Cup clash

The comments, made by ABC7 reporter Abigail Velez, quickly went viral and drew backlash from football fans and social media users, with many accusing her of dismissing Bosnia and Herzegovina out of ignorance rather than analysing the upcoming match.

Introducing the Round of 32 fixture, Velez said:

"In the next round, Team USA will play Bosnia next Wednesday. And one thing about Bosnia is that I could not point out where it is on a map."

She continued:

"I don't know the first thing about Bosnia, and I don't want to know."

The reporter then confidently backed the United States to progress.

"Team USA, we're back, we're better than ever. Get prepared Bosnia, because you don't want it. You don't want it like that. But you're gonna get it."

According to TalkSport, the remarks quickly spread across social media, where users criticised what they described as arrogance and poor geographical knowledge.

"How are you as a reporter flexing about your geographical illiteracy?" one user wrote.

Another commented: "Americans celebrate wilful ignorance as if it's a badge of honour."

Others openly backed Bosnia and Herzegovina ahead of the match.

"Come on Bosnia! I hope you beat them. They've been so arrogant since they all discovered football last month," another user wrote.

Despite being considered underdogs, Bosnia and Herzegovina have already emerged as one of the surprise stories of the tournament.

After drawing with co-host Canada, losing to Switzerland and defeating Qatar, Sergej Barbarez's side advanced to the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams. Bosnia had also reached the World Cup by defeating Wales and Italy in dramatic penalty shootouts during the European play-offs.

The United States, coached by Mauricio Pochettino, topped Group D before being paired with Bosnia and Herzegovina in the knockout stage.

The two teams will meet next week in Santa Clara, California, with a place in the Round of 16 at stake.