Bosnia and Herzegovina is the first country to announce its full 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the second time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. The team finished in third place during their first group stage appearance in 2014.
Head coach and former player Sergej Barbarez announced the full squad earlier today. Star player Edin Džeko is the biggest name in the selection. The 40-year-old top scorer (73 goals) and leader in caps (148) for the country is, alongside Sead Kolasinac, one of the only two players who were part of the squad in 2014 during their first FIFA World Cup.
Full Squad Bosnia And Herzegovina For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
Goalkeepers: Nikola Vasilj (FC St. Pauli), Martin Zlomislić (HNK Rijeka), Osman Hadžikić (Slaven Belupo)
Defenders: Sead Kolašinac (Atalanta BC), Amar Dedić (SL Benfica), Nihad Mujakić (Gaziantep FK), Nikola Katić (Schalke 04), Tarik Muharemović (US Sassuolo), Stjepan Radeljić (HNK Rijeka), Dennis Hadžikadunić (UC Sampdoria), Nidal Čelik (Lens)
Midfielders: Amir Hadžiahmetović (Hull City), Ivan Šunjić (Pafos FC), Ivan Bašić (FC Astana), Dženis Burnić (Karlsruher SC), Ermin Mahmić (FC Slovan Liberec), Benjamin Tahirović (Bröndby IF), Amar Memić (FC Viktoria Plzen), Armin Gigović (BSC Young Boys)
Forwards: Kerim Alajbegović (RB Salzburg), Esmir Bajraktarević (PSV Eindhoven), Ermedin Demirović (VfB Stuttgart), Jovo Lukić (FC Universitatea Cluj), Samed Baždar (Jagiellonia Białystok), Haris Tabaković (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Edin Džeko (Schalke 04)
Qualification For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
To qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Bosnia and Herzegovina had to take on Austria, Romania, Cyprus, and San Marino. They ended up in second place, two points behind Austria, which directly qualified for the World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovina had to go through the playoff mini-tournament. In the semi-finals, they played away from home in Cardiff against Wales. Top scorer Edin Džeko scored the equalizing goal right before the end of the game. After extra time, both teams were still level. Bosnia and Herzegovina ended up winning 4-2 on penalty kicks.
This win put Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final for the World Cup ticket against four-time winners Italy. The Italians took an early lead after a beautiful goal from Moise Kean. The momentum of the game shifted after Alessandro Bastoni received a red card for bringing down a player through on goal. Bosnia and Herzegovina pressured the Italian defense and finally found an opening with only ten more minutes to go. Haris Tabaković scored the equalizer, and the match went into extra time. No more goals were scored, so Bosnia and Herzegovina again went to penalty kicks. Esmir Bajraktarević scored the fourth and deciding penalty kick for the Bosnians after the Italians already missed twice. The 21-year-old talent from PSV Eindhoven secured the 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket for ‘The Dragons’
2026 FIFA World Cup
Bosnia and Herzegovina landed in Group B. The Bosnians open their World Cup on June 12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where they will take on hosts Canada. Six days later, they will travel to Inglewood, California, where the Swiss team is the opponent. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s final group stage match-up will be on June 24. The 2022 World Cup host Qatar is the final opponent in the group stage. The two group winners and the eight best third-placed teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Schedule
- June 12 – Canada (3 pm EST)
- June 18 – Switzerland (3 pm EST)
- June 24 – Qatar (3 pm EST)
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