Bosnia's Demirovic to buy Stuttgart fans beer
Bosnia and Herzegovina's FIFA World Cup play-off victory over Italy is set to leave Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirovic with an eye-watering bar tab after he promised to buy the club's fans beer if his country qualified for the tournament.
The 28-year-old forward made the promise before his nation's play-off campaign, which ended with its shootout win over the Azzurri in Zenica.
"I said I'd do it and I'm a man of my word. Drinks are on me," Demirovic said when asked after the win if he would honour his promise.
"It'll probably be expensive but it's something I'll do with love after an achievement like this. Stuttgart, the drinks are on me."
Bosnia and Herzegovina's, which will be making a second FIFA World Cup appearance, will play in Group B at the 2026 tournament, joining co-host Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
"It's surreal, I've got no words and I've lost my voice," Demirovic, who started the match, said.
"We played really well and we 100 per cent deserve to be going to the [FIFA] World Cup.
"What we've achieved for our country still hasn't properly sunk in."
The gesture could leave Demirovic with a hefty bill of around €300,000 ($501,280), with Stuttgart's MHPArena averaging an attendance of around 60,000 and charging around €5 for a pint of beer.
Stuttgart, which is third in the Bundesliga, hosts second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Sunday (AEST).
