Jump to content

Bosnia and Herzegovina at the FIFA World Cup

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

[edit]
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

[edit]
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 TBD 3 1 1 1 5 6 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 2/12 6 2 1 3 9 10 — 72 34 16 24 138 88 —

List of matches

[edit]
Bosnia-Herzegovina during 2026 FIFA World Cup at Lumen Field in Seattle.
World Cup Round Opponent Score Result Venue Bosnia scorers
2014 Group F  Argentina 1–2 L Rio de Janeiro Ibišević
 Nigeria 0–1 L Cuiabá —
 Iran 3–1 W Salvador Džeko, Pjanić, Vršajević
2026 Group B  Canada 1–1 D Toronto Lukić
  Switzerland 1–4 L Inglewood Mahmić
 Qatar 3–1 W Seattle Alajbegović, Abunada (o.g.), Mahmić
Round of 32  United States v Santa Clara

Player records

[edit]

Most appearances

[edit]

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 to appear in two separate World Cups.

Edin Džeko and Sead Kolašinac share the record for most matches played for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the FIFA World Cup
Rank Player Matches World Cups
1 Edin Džeko 5 2014 and 2026
Sead Kolašinac 5 2014 and 2026
3 Asmir Begović 3 2014
Muhamed Bešić 3 2014
Vedad Ibišević 3 2014
Miralem Pjanić 3 2014
Emir Spahić 3 2014
Nikola Vasilj 3 2026
Ermedin Demirović 3 2026
Esmir Bajraktarević 3 2026
Amar Memić 3 2026
Benjamin Tahirović 3 2026
Nikola Katić 3 2026
Ivan Bašić 3 2026
Ivan Šunjić 3 2026
Kerim Alajbegović 3 2026

Goalscorers

[edit]
Ermin Mahmić currently stands as Bosnia and Herzegovina's top goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup
Player Goals 2014 2026
Ermin Mahmić 2 2
Edin Džeko 1 1
Vedad Ibišević 1 1
Miralem Pjanić 1 1
Avdija Vršajević 1 1
Jovo Lukić 1 1
Kerim Alajbegović 1 1
Own goals 1 1
Total 9 4 5

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  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.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bosnia_and_Herzegovina_at_the_FIFA_World_Cup&oldid=1361657631"