After a dramatic playoff in which they beat both Wales and Italy on penalties, no team will be relishing a potential shoot-out with Bosnia-Herzegovina at this summer’s World Cup.
Zmajevi enjoyed a terrific campaign in which they finished two points behind Austria in Group H of Uefa qualifying. However, it’s the dramatic nature of their playoff victory that will live long in the memory after 1-1 draws in normal time against both their semi-final and final opponents.
This being only their second ever visit to the tournament proper, Bosnia-Herzegovina will feel they have a real chance of progressing beyond the group stage for the first time. They have joined Qatar, Switzerland and co-hosts Canada in Group B.
Bosnia-Herzegovina route to the World Cup
Sergej Barbarez and his side were beaten only once in qualifying for this competition. They finished second in Group H of Uefa qualifying behind Austria but ahead of the likes of Romania and Cyprus.
In the final group stage fixture, they actually led 0-1 in Vienna for the majority of the game, and a victory would’ve confirmed top spot – only for a 77th minute equaliser to condemn Zmajevi to the playoffs.
They needn’t have worried. Despite going behind in Cardiff against Wales in the semi-final and at home to Italy in the final, Bosnia-Herzegovina were able to find equalisers in both of their playoff games, before going on to win both games on penalties.
Bosnia-Herzegovina World Cup 2026 fixtures
Bosnia-Herzegovina will play in the third match of the tournament when they face one of the hosts, Canada, at BMO Field in Toronto on June 12th.
They then make the trip to California to face fellow Uefa nation Switzerland at SoFi Stadium before heading north to Seattle, where they will complete their group stage schedule against Qatar.
MORE: Get the latest Bosnia-Herzegovina World Cup 2026 odds here
Bosnia-Herzegovina key players for World Cup 2026
Bosnia-Herzegovina top World Cup Golden Boot contender: Edin Dzeko
- Key stat: Edin Dzeko is both Bosnia-Herzegovina’s all-time top goalscorer and all-time top appearance maker with 73 goals in 148 caps.
At the age of 40, Edin Dzeko remains Zmajevi’s biggest goal threat. He scored five times in the eight qualifying group stage games, plus the equaliser against Wales in the playoff semi-final. He’s been in blistering form for his new club, Schalke, too recently, scoring six times in his first eight 2. Bundesliga appearances for die Knappen.
Bosnia-Herzegovina primary playmaker: Esmir Bajraktarevic
- Key stat: Esmir Bajraktarević created the joint-most amount of chances for Bosnia-Herzegovina in qualifying with 13, despite only playing in seven of the team’s ten games.
American-born Esmir Bajraktarevic made one appearance for the USMNT back in 2024 before switching his allegiance to Bosnia-Herzegovina. The former New England Revolution man is slowly finding his place at PSV Eindhoven, where he has already won two Eredivisie titles aged just 21. He earned one assist from his 13 chances created in qualifying, and with quick, direct running and a willingness to take defenders on, he has added another dimension to this Bosnian attack.
Bosnia-Herzegovina card magnets & top tacklers: Ivan Sunjic
- Key stat: Ivan Sunjic won more tackles and gave away more free-kicks than any other Bosnia-Herzegovina player during the qualifying campaign.
A former Birmingham City midfielder, Ivan Sunjic is now plying his trade for Cypriot team Pafos, but also remains a crucial member of this Bosnia-Herzegovina team. The 29-year-old won 19 tackles, but he also gave away 24 fouls, for which he was carded twice. With his experience and destructive capabilities, he could prove a crucial cog in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s side this summer.
Bosnia-Herzegovina rising star: Kerim Alajbegovic
Key stat: Kerim Alajbegovic has already scored 12 times in 41 appearances for his club side Red Bull Salzburg despite still only being 18.
The 2025/26 campaign has been a breakthrough one for young Bosnian starlet Kerim Alajbegovic. The 18-year-old has captured the imagination of fans in the Austrian Bundesliga with his technical ability and close control. Having already earned his first eight caps for his country, he’ll hope to force his way into Sergej Barbarez’s first-choice plans this summer.
STAND-OUT STAT: Bosnia-Herzegovina completed more take-ons and won more duels than any other team in UEFA qualifying for World Cup 2026 with 97 and 544 respectively.
Set-piece specialists
- Penalties: Edin Dzeko, Haris Tabakovic
- Free kicks: Amar Dedic, Benjamin Tahirovic
- Corners: Amar Dedic, Benjamin Tahirovic
Bosnia-Herzegovina tactical analysis and formation
Team stats (average per game from qualifying):
- Corners: 4.6
- Shots on target: 5.3
- Shots on target conceded: 2.8
- Offsides: 1.7
Bosnia-Herzegovina have been known for playing a back three more often than not in recent years, although they’ve recently switched to a more compact 4-4-2 formation. That allows prolific Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demerovic to start alongside skipper Edin Dzeko.
Tarik Muharemovic and Nikola Katic appear to be the current first-choice centre-back pairing. Former Arsenal man Sead Kolasinac will start at left-back with much of the team’s creativity coming from Benfica right-back Amar Dedic on the opposite side.
Bosnia have options in midfield. It remains to be seen who will partner Benjamin Tahirovic with Ivan Sunjic, Ivan Basic and Amir Hazaiahmetovic all staking a claim. Out wide, the success of 21-year-old Esir Bajraktarevic’s inclusion on the right could convince boss Sergej Barbarez that 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegovic may also be worth a start on the left.
Get the latest Bosnia-Herzegovina World Cup goals, shots, tackle, assist stats and more here
Bosnia-Herzegovina manager analysis
Sergej Barbarez has the support of the nation on his side. He is already a hugely popular figure from his playing days, in which he scored 17 times in his 47 caps for Bosnia-Herzegovina while playing for the likes of Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
With this being his first foray into management, there’s still a lot to learn about his coaching style. The 54 year old has shown himself to be fluid and pragmatic in the qualifying stages though, often switching between a back three and a back four. His team will certainly be rigid out of possession and direct in it, looking to get the ball wide and into the box for the likes of Dzeko and Demerovic.
Barbarez will definitely look to tap into his team’s togetherness and mentality. His tactical approach is still something of an unknown and a lack of experience could tell this summer.
The stats below are from his current spell in charge of the team.
| Coach | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergej Barbarez | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 28 | 33 | 40% |
Bosnia-Herzegovina World Cup FAQs
Have Bosnia-Herzegovina ever won the World Cup?
No, Bosnia-Herzegovina have never won the World Cup. This will only be their second appearance at the finals after they exited in the group stages of the 2014 edition of the tournament.
Where did Bosnia-Herzegovina finish in the last World Cup?
Bosnia-Herzegovina did not qualify for the last World Cup. In fact, they finished fourth in their qualifying group behind Finland and won just one of their eight fixtures.
Who will be Bosnia-Herzegovina captain at the World Cup?
Unsurprisingly, Edin Dzeko captains Bosnia-Herzegovina as the country’s leading all-time appearance holder and goalscorer.
Who is Bosnia-Herzegovina’s all-time top goalscorer at World Cups?
With 73 goals, Edin Dzeko has scored 55 more goals than any other player in the history of the Bosnian national team. He is also one of only four players to score for the nation at the World Cup alongside Vedad Ibisevic, Miralem Pjanic and Avdija Vrsajevic.
Read more: