Bosnia officially opens the road to the 2026 World Cup

The countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has officially begun. Bosnia and Herzegovina became the first qualified nation to publicly announce their final squad for the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Head coach Sergej Barbarez unveiled the 26 players who will represent the Balkan nation after a historic qualifying campaign that saw Bosnia eliminate Italy. Led by stars such as Edin Dzeko, Sead Kolasinac, and Ermedin Demirovic, the Europeans will look to become one of the surprises of the tournament.

Bosnia And Herzegovina’s Official Squad For The 2026 World Cup

Goalkeepers

• Nikola Vasilj — FC St. Pauli (Bundesliga, Germany)
• Martin Zlomislić — HNK Rijeka (SuperSport HNL, Croatia)
• Osman Hadžikić — Slaven Belupo Koprivnica (SuperSport HNL, Croatia)

Defenders

• Sead Kolašinac — Atalanta (Serie A, Italy)
• Amar Dedić — SL Benfica (Primeira Liga, Portugal)
• Nihad Mujakić — Gaziantep FK (Süper Lig, Türkiye)
• Nikola Katić — FC Schalke 04 (2. Bundesliga, Germany)
• Tarik Muharemović — US Sassuolo (Serie A, Italy)
• Stjepan Radeljić — HNK Rijeka (SuperSport HNL, Croatia)
• Dennis Hadžikadunić — UC Sampdoria (Serie B, Italy)
• Nidal Čelik — RC Lens (Ligue 1, France)

Midfielders

• Amir Hadžiahmetović — Hull City (Championship, England)
• Ivan Šunjić — Pafos FC (Cypriot First Division, Cyprus)
• Ivan Bašić — FC Astana (Kazakhstan Premier League, Kazakhstan)
• Dzenis Burnić — Karlsruher SC (2. Bundesliga, Germany)
• Ermin Mahmić — Slovan Liberec (Czech First League, Czech Republic)
• Benjamin Tahirović — Brøndby IF (Danish Superliga, Denmark)
• Amar Memić — Viktoria Plzen (Czech First League, Czech Republic)
• Kerim Alajbegović — RB Salzburg (Bundesliga, Austria)
• Esmir Bajraktarević — PSV Eindhoven (Eredivisie, Netherlands)

Forwards

• Ermedin Demirović — VfB Stuttgart (Bundesliga, Germany)
• Jovo Lukić — Universitatea Cluj (Liga I, Romania)
• Samed Baždar — Jagiellonia Białystok (Ekstraklasa, Poland)
• Haris Tabaković — Borussia Mönchengladbach (Bundesliga, Germany)
• Edin Džeko — FC Schalke 04 (2. Bundesliga, Germany)

Head Coach

• Sergej Barbarez

Player To Watch

Beyond Edin Džeko, who at 40 years old will play the final World Cup of his career and arrives as Bosnia’s all-time leading scorer with 73 goals, the player generating the most excitement is Esmir Bajraktarević of PSV Eindhoven.

At just 21 years old, Bajraktarević represents the future of Bosnian football. The winger returns to the country where he was born through the biggest possible stage after previously representing United States youth teams before officially committing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024. He also scored the decisive penalty that secured Bosnia’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup, making him one of the nation’s brightest hopes heading into the tournament.

Bosnia dreams of surprising the world

After becoming one of the biggest stories of the European qualifiers by eliminating Italy, Bosnia heads into the World Cup with renewed belief and a squad blending experienced veterans with promising young talent spread across Europe’s top leagues.

Now, while the rest of the football world continues finalizing its squads, Bosnia and Herzegovina have already made history by becoming the first nation to officially reveal their final roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Follow all the coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on beIN SPORTS.

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