First squad for the 2026 World Cup: Bosnia and Herzegovina announce their roster for the tournament

Bosnia and Herzegovina head coach Sergej Barbarez announced a 26-man squad at a press conference for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The tournament will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the 2026 World Cup as one of the last teams, beating Italy in the play-offs, but became the first national team to officially publish its squad for the upcoming tournament. In the group stage, Bosnia and Herzegovina will play in Group B against Switzerland, Canada and Qatar.

There are no major surprises in the squad. The only debutant is 21-year-old attacking midfielder Ermin Mahmić from Czech club Slovan Liberec. He previously played for Austria’s youth national team.

The team’s average age is 26.8. All players represent foreign clubs. The squad includes three players each from the German Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, three representatives of the Croatian league, two players each from the Czech league and Italy’s Serie A, as well as players from Serie B, the English Championship and the top divisions of Portugal, France, Austria, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Denmark, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Cyprus and the Netherlands.

The oldest player in the squad is Edin Džeko, who has already turned 40. At the same time, Bosnia and Herzegovina have only four other players over the age of 30.

Bosnia and Herzegovina squad for the 2026 World Cup

Goalkeepers

Nikola Vasilj — St. Pauli, Germany-1
Martin Zlomislić — Rijeka, Croatia-1
Osman Hadžikić — Slaven Belupo, Croatia-1

Defenders

Sead Kolašinac — Atalanta, Italy-1
Tarik Muharemović — Sassuolo, Italy-1
Nidal Čelik — Lens, France-1
Stjepan Radeljić — Rijeka, Croatia-1
Nikola Katić — Schalke, Germany-2
Dennis Hadžikadunić — Sampdoria, Italy-2
Nihad Mujakić — Gaziantep, Turkey-1
Amar Dedić — Benfica, Portugal-1

Midfielders

Amir Hadžiahmetović — Hull City, England-2
Ivan Šunjić — Pafos, Cyprus-1
Denis Burnić — Karlsruhe, Germany-2
Benjamin Tahirović — Brøndby, Denmark-1
Armin Gigović — Young Boys, Switzerland-1
Ivan Bašić — Astana, Kazakhstan-1
Amar Memić — Viktoria Plzeň, Czech Republic-1
Ermin Mahmić — Slovan Liberec, Czech Republic-1

Forwards

Kerim Alajbegović — Red Bull Salzburg, Austria-1
Esmir Bajraktarević — PSV, Netherlands-1
Ermedin Demirović — Stuttgart, Germany-1
Haris Tabaković — Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany-1
Jovo Lukić — Universitatea Cluj, Romania-1
Samed Baždar — Jagiellonia, Poland-1
Edin Džeko — Schalke, Germany-2