Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup 2026: Squad, fixtures, group and history

Bosnia and Herzegovina are participating in their second finals after qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Sergej Barbarez’s side, led by captain Edin Džeko, face Canada, Switzerland and Qatar in Group B. Below you will find everything you need to know about Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 World Cup: their fixtures, squad, qualifying record, key players, coach and tournament history.

Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup 2026: At a glance

Coach: Sergej Barbarez
Captain: Edin Džeko
World Cup appearances: 2
Best finish: Group stage (2014)

Bosnia and Herzegovina's World Cup matches

Group B

12 June: Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Toronto, 21:00 CET)
18 June: Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Los Angeles, 21:00 CET)
24 June: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar (Seattle, 21:00 CET)

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s group fixtures are being played across three host cities, with the knockout rounds to follow for teams that progress from Group B.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's World Cup squad

A team with a healthy mix of young stars and strong veterans, Bosnia and Herzegovina can call upon the likes of the promising Kerim Alajbegović and Esmir Bajraktarević in their 26-man World Cup squad, while the 40-year-old Edin Džeko remains their go-to man for goals.

How Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the World Cup

Runners-up in Group H: W5 D2 L1 F17 A7

Romania 0-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1 Cyprus
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 San Marino
San Marino 0-6 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-2 Austria
Cyprus 2-2 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 Romania
Austria 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina

Play-off semi-finals

Wales 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina win 4-2 on pens)

Play-off final

Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 Italy (Bosnia and Herzegovina win 4-1 on pens)

Top scorer: Edin Džeko (6 goals)

Bosnia and Herzegovina coach: Sergej Barbarez

A forward who started his career in the youth ranks at Velež in his native Mostar, Sergej Barbarez has been coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina since April 2024. His peak playing years were in Germany, representing Hannover, Union Berlin, Hansa Rostock, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburg and Leverkusen. He scored 17 goals in 47 games for the national team.

Bosnia and Herzegovina captain: Edin Džeko

Now 40, the 'Bosnian Diamond' is his national team's top scorer (73) and most-capped player (148). He started his career at Željezničar in his native Sarajevo, and won league titles in Germany (Wolfsburg 2008/09) and England (Man City 2011/12 and 2013/14). UEFA Europa League joint-top scorer with Roma in 2016/17, he played in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League final with Inter and is the oldest player to score in the Conference League.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's World Cup history 

Most appearances: Asmir Begović, Muhamed Bešić, Edin Džeko, Vedad Ibišević, Miralem Pjanić, Emir Spahić (3)
Top scorer: Edin Džeko, Vedad Ibišević, Miralem Pjanić, Avdija Vršajević (1)
Best performance: Group stage (2014)
World Cup 2022: Did not qualify

Part of Yugoslavia until the early 1990s, Bosnia and Herzegovina have yet to qualify for a UEFA European Championship, but this is their second World Cup. In their first, they lost to Argentina and Nigeria in their opening games, and ended up third in the Group F rankings following a 3-1 last-day victory against Iran.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's UEFA Nations League fixtures: Group B4

25 September: Poland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (20:45)
28 September: Romania vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (20:45)
2 October: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Sweden (20:45)
5 October: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Poland (20:45)
14 November: Sweden vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (20:45)
17 November: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Romania (20:45)

All times CET.