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Bosnia-Herzegovina become the first nation to confirm a 26-player squad for the 2026 World Cup, with 40-year-old Edin Dzeko set to lead the team. Dzeko and Sead Kolasinac are the only players who also featured at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
Head coach Sergej Barbarez selects the group for a second World Cup appearance, after the federation confirmed the list on 11 May 2026. Bosnia are drawn in Group B and will face Canada, Switzerland and Qatar in the group stage across North America.
Selektor Sergej Barbarez odabrao je 26 reprezentativaca koji e predstavljati Bosnu i Hercegovinu na Svjetskom prvenstvu u SAD, Kanadi i Meksiku.#NFSBiH #zmajevi #FIFAWorldCup2026 #dreambigdreambih pic.twitter.com/tnmmSNEXYxNFS BIH (@NFSBiH) May 11, 2026
Bosnia
reach the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico through the play-offs. The team beat Wales before edging four-time champions Italy on penalties. Bosnia start their campaign on 12 June against co-hosts Canada, then meet Switzerland and Qatar to complete Group B.
| Match | Opponent | Date | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening match | Canada | 12 June 2026 | Group B |
| Second match | Switzerland | TBC | Group B |
| Third match | Qatar | TBC | Group B |
Among the standout selections for Barbarez is PSV winger Esmir Bajraktarevic, aged 21, after a strong season in the Eredivisie. Bajraktarevic records four goals and four assists in 28 league games, with only eight starts, and completes 21 dribbles, the fifth-highest figure for PSV in 2025-26.
Dzeko enters the World Cup after helping Schalke earn promotion back to the Bundesliga, scoring six goals in 10 matches in Germany’s second division. Dzeko is Bosnia’s record scorer, with 73 goals in 148 internationals since a debut against Turkiye in 2007, and previously experienced a group-stage exit in 2014 against Argentina, Nigeria and Iran.
Bosnia’s 2014 campaign ended after defeats to Argentina and Nigeria, followed by a 3-1 win over Iran in Salvador, and that history frames the current squad’s task. With Dzeko and Kolasinac providing experience, and Bajraktarevic adding youthful drive, Barbarez takes a balanced Bosnia group into World Cup duty.
