Wikipedia

Bosnia and Herzegovina at the FIFA World Cup

Bosnia and Herzegovina has qualified for the FIFA World Cup on two occasions, their first in 2014 and second in 2026.[1][2]

Bosnian players for Yugoslavia

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Bosnian Josip Katalinski celebrates a Yugoslav goal vs Zaire (present day DR Congo) at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

Yugoslavia participated in the World Cup eight times between 1930 and 1990. While in the early editions they were mainly represented by Serbian players, the squads became all-inclusive after the World War II, from 1945 until break-up.

Several Bosnian players were part of the 1974 first team line-up that advanced from the group stage unbeaten and ahead of Brazil. Striker Dušan Bajević scored three goals in one of the highest World Cup victories of all time: Yugoslavia's 9–0 against Zaire. Defender Josip Katalinski also scored during this game. Other Bosnians from that years' team include goalkeeper Enver Marić and defender Enver Hadžiabdić.

Playmaker Safet Sušić, widely regarded finest player of his generation, and considered to be the best Bosnian player of all time, represented Yugoslavia at the World Cup in 1982, together with other Bosnian players such as Pašić, Šljivo, Halilhodžić and Vujović brothers. Safet Sušić played crucial playmaking role again in Italy in 1990 World Cup, when the team was managed by Bosnian coach Ivica Osim, and often fielded many Bosnian players, such as Jozić, Hadžibegić, Baždarević, Vujović, Baljić, Šabanadžović, Omerović. This Yugoslav team reached the quarterfinals in 1990 and was captained by Zlatko Vujović, while Sušić put some of the best performances of the tournament and was one of the highest rated Yugoslav players, along with his compatriot Davor Jozić, Serbian Dragan Stojković, and Croatian goalkeeper Tomislav Ivković.

Overall record

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Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014 FIFA World Cup match at Estádio do Maracanã against Argentina.

After Bosnia and Herzegovina gained independence from Yugoslavia on 1 March 1992, the national football team was soon formed but could not enter qualifying for the 1994 World Cup as the national association was not yet a member of FIFA. During qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup, Bosnia's first home match against Croatia was played in Bologna.[3] The match was held at the neutral venue due to the renovation of the Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium in Sarajevo.

Bosnia finished in third place during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, recording two draws with Spain along the way. During qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup Bosnia reached its first ever playoffs for a major tournament, where they eventually lost 2–0 on aggregate to Portugal.

The 2014 World Cup was the first time Bosnia appeared at a major tournament as an independent nation, having qualified by topping UEFA Group G.

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA Position
Uruguay 1930 to Italy 1990 Part of  Yugoslavia Part of  Yugoslavia
as Bosnia and Herzegovina Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina as Bosnia and Herzegovina Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
United States 1994 Could not enter Could not enter
France 1998 Did not qualify 8 3 0 5 9 14 4/5
as Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina as Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 8 2 2 4 12 12 4/5
Germany 2006 10 4 4 2 12 9 3/6
South Africa 2010 12 6 1 5 25 15 2/6 Lost Playoff
Brazil 2014 Group stage 20th 3 1 0 2 4 4 Squad 10 8 1 1 30 6 1/6
Russia 2018 Did not qualify 10 5 2 3 24 13 3/6
Qatar 2022 8 1 4 3 9 12 4/5
Canada Mexico United States 2026 Round of 32 29th 4 1 1 2 5 8 Squad 8 5 2 1 17 7 2/5
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Round of 32 — 7 2 1 4 9 12 — 72 34 16 24 138 88 —

List of matches

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World Cup Round Opponent Score Result Venue Bosnia scorers
2014Group F Argentina1–2LRio de JaneiroIbišević
 Nigeria0–1LCuiabá—
 Iran3–1WSalvadorDžeko, Pjanić, Vršajević
2026Group B Canada1–1DTorontoLukić
  Switzerland1–4LInglewoodMahmić
 Qatar3–1WSeattleAlajbegović, Abunada (o.g.), Mahmić
Round of 32 United States0–2LSanta Clara—

2014 FIFA World Cup

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Group Stage

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Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Argentina 3 3 0 0 6 3 +3 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Nigeria 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
3  Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
4  Iran 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1
Source: FIFA
Nigeria 1–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 [Report 2]
Attendance: 40,499

2026 FIFA World Cup

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Group Stage

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Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Switzerland 3 2 1 0 7 3 +4 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Canada (H) 3 1 1 1 8 3 +5 4[a]
3  Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1 4[a]
4  Qatar 3 0 1 2 2 10 −8 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Tied on head-to-head result (Canada 1–1 Bosnia and Herzegovina). Overall goal difference was used as the tiebreaker.
Canada 1–1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 [Report 4]
Attendance: 43,002
Switzerland 4–1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 [Report 5]
Attendance: 70,026
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3–1 Qatar
 [Report 6]
Attendance: 66,925

Knockout stage

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Round of 32
United States 2–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 [Report 7]
Attendance: 68,827

Player records

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Most appearances

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Midway in the Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina match

Edin Džeko and Sead Kolašinac lead Bosnia and Herzegovina in World Cup appearances, both standing as the only two players in Bosnia’s footballing history (as an independent nation from SFR Yugoslavia) to appear in two separate World Cups.

Rank Player Matches World Cups
1 Edin Džeko62014, 2026
Sead Kolašinac62014, 2026
3 Kerim Alajbegović42026
Esmir Bajraktarević42026
Ermedin Demirović42026
Nikola Katić42026
Amar Memić42026
Ivan Šunjić42026
Benjamin Tahirović42026
Nikola Vasilj42026

Goalscorers

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Seattle hosting Bosnia and Herzegovina v Qatar during
2026 FIFA World Cup.
Player Goals 2014 2026
Ermin Mahmić 2 2
Vedad Ibišević 1 1
Edin Džeko 1 1
Miralem Pjanić 1 1
Avdija Vršajević 1 1
Jovo Lukić 1 1
Kerim Alajbegović 1 1
Own goals 1 1
Total 9 45

Historical performances

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The Bosnia-Herzegovina team records during its participation in the FIFA World Cup.

  • 2014: Edin Džeko goal vs Nigeria was ruled out for offside, which replays later showed to be an incorrect decision.[5] Referee Peter O'Leary later admitted Džeko's goal was disallowed in error.[6]
  • 2014: On 25 June 2014, a historic first victory in FIFA World Cup was recorded vs Iran.
  • 2026: Kerim Alajbegović at 18 years and 276 days old is 8th youngest goalscorer in World Cup tournament history, right behind legends like Pelé. Kerim's strike outside the box broke the previous record held by Kylian Mbappe (19 years and 207 days).
  • 2026: On July 1, 2026 in a round of 32 game between Bosnia and the US the match referee Raphael Claus issued a controversial red card following a VAR review to Balogun, which many including Tarik Muharemović (the player he had been involved in the initial incident with) considered excessive or illegitimate.[7][8][9][10] Several experts compared the incident to that of Lionel Messi in the group stage game between Argentina vs Algeria, where he did not get a red card for the same offense on Aïssa Mandi, with some speculating that his status played a role in the decision.[11][12][13] The automatic 1 game suspension for receiving a red card was overturned by FIFA following a call from United States President Donald Trump to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, prompting accusations of political manipulation from UEFA[14] and others in the football world, including former FIFA President Sepp Blatter.[15] As a result, Balogun would play in the United States vs Belgium match on 6 July 2026 in Seattle. The US team lost the match vs Belgium 1-4.

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Bosnians make history, Iceland maintain dream". FIFA.com. 15 October 2013. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Ibišević sparks Bosnia and Herzegovina joy". UEFA. 15 October 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ↑ "World Cup 1998 qualifications". Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  4. ↑ Janela, Mike (2 July 2014). "World Cup records fall in Brazil as tournament reaches the quarterfinals". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Jonathan (22 June 2014). "Nigeria's Peter Odemwingie sends Bosnia-Herzegovina out of World Cup". The Observer. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Theunissen, Matthew (9 November 2014). "Death threat ref's international return". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Thompson, Scott (July 1, 2026). "USA advances in World Cup after controversial red card vs Bosnia and Herzegovina".
  8. ↑ de Artola, Alicia (2 July 2026). "Absurd USA red card puts referee to shame at the World Cup". www.msn.com.
  9. ↑ "Why Folarin Balogun Was Sent Off for USMNT vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina—2026 World Cup". SI. July 2, 2026.
  10. ↑ Abnos, Alexander (July 2, 2026). "Steely USA overcome Bosnia and Herzegovina and controversial red to reach World Cup last 16". The Guardian.
  11. ↑ Jacobs-Bryant, Kerrie (2026-07-02). "Balogun was wrongly red-carded due to protocol error but USA still can't appeal". talkSPORT. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  12. ↑ Bakshi, Sahil (2026). "World Cup 2026: Fans Rage At FIFA After Folarin Balogun Red Card Evokes Lionel Messi Row".
  13. ↑ "Balogun red card draws comparisons with earlier Messi incident". The Business Standard. 2026-07-02. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  14. ↑ "UEFA statement on the Balogun case". UEFA.com. July 6, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Trump admits he asked FIFA to review US striker's red card". July 6, 2026 – via www.abc.net.au.

Reports

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