26World
Cup

Group B · · FIFA #65 · 501/1

Bosnia and Herzegovina flag

Bosnia and Herzegovina

1595

Penalty-shootout survivors reaching only their second World Cup as an independent nation, with rookie coach Barbarez blending kids and a 40-year-old Džeko racing to be fit.

Coach Sergej Barbarez (Bosnian) · since 2024

Matches

CanadaCanada flag2–0Bosnia and Herzegovina flagBosnia and Herzegovina
Group B · Toronto · 15:00 EDT58 · 24 · 18
SwitzerlandSwitzerland flag2–0Bosnia and Herzegovina flagBosnia and Herzegovina
Group B · Inglewood · 12:00 PDT63 · 22 · 15
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina flag1–0Qatar flagQatar
Group B · Seattle · 12:00 PDT59 · 24 · 17
TurkeyTurkey flag2–0Bosnia and Herzegovina flagBosnia and Herzegovina
Round of 32 · Santa Clara · 17:00 PDT69 · 20 · 11

Key players

  • Edin DžekoST · Fiorentina

    40-year-old captain and all-time great, still the go-to man for goals

  • Ermedin DemirovićST · VfB Stuttgart

    Bundesliga striker who shares the scoring burden with Džeko

  • Amar DedićRB · Benfica

    Energetic right-back and one of the team's best ball progressors

  • Sead KolašinacCB · Atalanta

    Veteran defensive leader and organizer of the back line

  • Nikola VasiljGK · St. Pauli

    Bundesliga keeper who was a shootout hero in the March playoffs

  • Kerim AlajbegovićFW · Bayer Leverkusen

    Teenage attacking talent seen as the face of the new generation

  • Esmir BajraktarevićW · PSV Eindhoven

    Promising young winger who adds pace and creativity

Injuries / doubts

  • Edin Džeko (shoulder) - injured late in the playoff final vs Italy, in a race to be fully fit for the tournament

Recent form

2026-06-06Panama1-1 DFriendly
2026-05-29North Macedonia0-0 DFriendly
2026-03-31Italy1-1 (won 4-1 pens)UEFA playoff final
2026-03-26Wales1-1 (won 4-2 pens)UEFA playoff semi-final
2025-11-18Austria1-1 DWC qualifying
2025-11-15Romania1-3 LWC qualifying

News

2026-06-06

Bosnia held 1-1 by Panama in final warm-up

A second straight flat friendly draw left questions about attacking sharpness before the opener vs Canada in Toronto on June 12.

2026-06-05

Goal feature: Barbarez weaving an unlikely fairy tale

Profile of the former Bundesliga striker who took the job with zero senior management experience and ended a decade of decline.

2026-05-11

Barbarez names Bosnia's final World Cup squad

Bosnia became the first qualified nation to announce its final 26, with youngsters Alajbegović and Bajraktarević included alongside captain Džeko.

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