Edin Dzeko heads the list for Bosnia, who eliminated Italy in the playoffs, for the World Cup. The veteran striker, aged 40, will lead the Bosnia national team at the 2026 World Cup, head coach Sergej Barbarez (54) announced on Monday.
The experienced Schalke 04 attacker, who has also played for Manchester City and Inter Milan, commands a rejuvenated 26-player squad.
“I am still driven by that feeling that was born on the pitch at the end of the match against Italy, and I have held onto it ever since,” Barbarez said during a press conference in Sarajevo.
Bosnia secured their spot in the World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, by defeating Italy in the European playoffs on penalties (1-1, 4-1) at the end of March.
That defeat echoed like thunder in Italy. The federation president, Gabriele Gravina, Azzurri manager Gianluigi Buffon, and head coach Gennaro Gattuso all resigned after the match in Zenica, central Bosnia.
For Barbarez, it was a “joy” that came “after a lot of hard work and great cohesion.” He added, “This cohesion is the foundation of everything. We have known from the start that this is the only way it can work.” Barbarez, a former striker and national team captain, took over the team in April 2024 without prior coaching experience.
Bosnia achieved their second World Cup qualification, following Brazil 2014, where they were eliminated in the group stage. They will play their first match on June 12 in Toronto against hosts Canada, followed by matches in Group B against Switzerland and Qatar.
The team will set up base camp in Salt Lake City, USA, where they will travel after the first match, the head coach announced. “My wish is to reach July (the knockout stage), and then we’ll see,” said Barbarez, who has called up a large number of young players. “These are the guys who will be the backbone of the team for the next 10 years,” he explained.
But their leader will be Dzeko, with an extensive career that includes achieving promotion to the Bundesliga with Schalke.
**List of 26 players called up by Bosnia-Herzegovina:**
– **Goalkeepers:** Nikola Vasilj (St. Pauli), Martin Zlomislic (Rijeka), Osman Hadzikic (Slaven Belupo Koprivnica)
– **Defenders:** Sead Kolasinac (Atalanta), Amar Dedic (Benfica), Nihad Mujakic (Gaziantep), Nikola Katic (Schalke 04), Tarik Muharemovic (Sassuolo), Stjepan Radeljic (Rijeka), Dennis Hadzikadunic (Sampdoria), Nidal Celik (RC Lens)
– **Midfielders:** Amir Hadziahmetovic (Hull City), Ivan Sunjic (Pafos), Ivan Basic (Astana), Dzenis Burnic (Karlsruher SC), Ermin Mahmic (Slovan Liberec), Benjamin Tahirovic (Brondby), Amar Memic (Viktoria Plzen), Armin Gigovic (BSC Young Boys), Kerim Alajbegovic (RB Salzburg), Esmir Bajraktarevic (PSV Eindhoven)
– **Forwards:** Ermedin Demirovic (VfB Stuttgart), Jovo Lukic (Universitatea Cluj), Samed Bazdar (Jagiellonia), Haris Tabakovic (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Edin Dzeko (Schalke 04)
**Keywords:** Football, World Cup, Edin Dzeko, Sergej Barbarez, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina