A renowned reporter from California found herself in hot water after making “insensitive” jokes about Bosnia-Herzegovina during World Cup coverage. After considerable backlash, she was compelled to apologize, acknowledging that she had taken her humor “too far.”
Abigail Velez from ABC7 Los Angeles was reporting from a lively viewing party on the streets of Long Beach, California, on Thursday. She was providing updates on the U.S. national team’s journey following their 3-2 loss to Turkey, including news about America’s next match opponent.
During her coverage, Velez remarked, “In the upcoming round, Team USA will face Bosnia next Wednesday, and to be honest, I couldn’t locate Bosnia on a map. I know nothing about the place, and frankly, I don’t feel the need to know because Team USA is back and stronger than ever.”
Since joining the station in November 2025, Velez has made a name for herself. During her report, she doubled down, telling the nation in southeastern Europe to brace itself for the forthcoming competition with the U.S.
“Mark your calendars for next Wednesday. Get ready, Bosnia, because you might not want this battle, but it’s coming, like it or not. See you next Wednesday,” she concluded before turning the broadcast back to the studio.
Bosnian fans were quick to call out Velez for the report.
“My goodness, the stereotypes write themselves……” X account Bosnian Football wrote, alongside a clip of Velez’s report.
“Some competitive talk is always fun, but that’s not the way to do it,” another user wrote.
“The weirdest things about Americans is that they feel it’s like a flex to say “I don’t even know where they are on a map,” a third said.
Velez apologized on Saturday for “poor effort to have a little fun,” explaining the segment was supposed to be a light-hearted report that got out of hand.
“In a poor effort to have a little fun with World Cup competition, I took it too far and made a thoughtless comment on air that was insensitive and inappropriate,” Velez wrote on X. “I apologize to the people of Bosnia and the Bosnian Football team.
“The World Cup is supposed to be about uniting communities around the world, and my comment didn’t reflect that spirit,” she added. “Wishing all the teams the very best as they continue their World Cup journey.”
USMNT and Bosnia-Herzegovina will meet at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
The US finished group play 2-0-1, finishing on top of the Group D table with 6 points and earning the group’s number one spot.
Bosnia finished third in Group B play with four points after going 1-1-1, but qualified for the knock-out round after being one of the best third-place teams.