Barbarez announces Bosnia and Herzegovina squad for the World Cup: Džeko leads 26 players for the tournament in North America
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team head coach Sergej Barbarez has announced the official list of 26 players for the 2026 World Cup, as confirmed in a statement by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina after a press conference held on 11 May in Sarajevo. This is the squad with which Bosnia and Herzegovina will appear at the final tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America, the second World Cup in the national team’s history after its appearance in 2014. The list is led by captain Edin Džeko, the most experienced player in the team, while the main names also include Nikola Vasilj, Sead Kolašinac, Amar Dedić, Amir Hadžiahmetović, Benjamin Tahirović, Ermedin Demirović and Esmir Bajraktarević.
According to the official NS/FS BiH list, Barbarez selected three goalkeepers, eight defenders, ten midfielders and five forwards. At the same time, the association also announced preliminary call-ups for nine players, which is standard practice ahead of major competitions because it leaves the head coach the option to react in the event of injuries, changes in form or other unforeseen circumstances. The preliminary call-ups are Tarik Karić, Mladen Jurkas, Arjan Malić, Emir Karić, Jusuf Gazibegović, Ifet Đakovac, Dario Šarić, Amer Gojak and Haris Hajradinović.
The backbone of the team remains a combination of experience and the new generation
The greatest symbolic weight on the list belongs to Edin Džeko, who, according to the association’s official document, enters the tournament with 148 appearances and 73 goals for the national team. The captain remains the central figure of the attack, not only because of his goalscoring output but also because of his experience in major matches, leadership in the dressing room and the continuity that connects him with the generation that took Bosnia and Herzegovina to the 2014 World Cup. Alongside him in attack are Ermedin Demirović of Stuttgart, Jovo Lukić of Universitatea Cluj, Samed Baždar of Jagiellonia Białystok and Haris Tabaković of Borussia Mönchengladbach.
In his final selection, Barbarez also relied on players who have taken on increasing responsibility in the national team in recent seasons. Demirović is among the most important attacking options, and the official list states that before the tournament he had collected 38 appearances and four goals. Esmir Bajraktarević, a PSV player, belongs to the younger part of the squad, but he has already gained national-team experience and the profile of a player who can bring width in the final third. Kerim Alajbegović, Samed Baždar, Nidal Čelik and Ermin Mahmić also belong to the same generational group, confirming that the list has also been shaped with an eye toward the period after the World Cup.
In midfield, Barbarez is counting on Amir Hadžiahmetović, Ivan Šunjić, Ivan Bašić, Dženis Burnić, Ermin Mahmić, Benjamin Tahirović, Amar Memić, Armin Gigović, Kerim Alajbegović and Esmir Bajraktarević. Such a selection points to the intention to combine defensive stability, running capacity and players capable of linking the middle of the pitch with the attack. The role of Hadžiahmetović is especially important; according to the association’s list he has 34 appearances, while Tahirović, with 26 appearances and two goals, brings a different midfield profile, more technically expressive and useful in the ball-progression phase.
Three goalkeepers and a defence with players from strong European leagues
The goalkeeping positions are occupied by Nikola Vasilj of St. Pauli, Martin Zlomislić of Rijeka and Osman Hadžikić of Slaven Belupo. By number of appearances, Vasilj is the most experienced goalkeeper on the list, and the official NS/FS BiH document states that he has recorded 25 national-team appearances. Zlomislić and Hadžikić arrive as additional options, with their inclusion showing that the coaching staff wanted to ensure competition in a position that often takes on special significance at major tournaments because of the short interval between matches and the pressure of the knockout stage.
The defensive line consists of Sead Kolašinac, Amar Dedić, Nihad Mujakić, Nikola Katić, Tarik Muharemović, Stjepan Radeljić, Dennis Hadžikadunić and Nidal Čelik. Kolašinac, an Atalanta player, enters the tournament as the most experienced defender on the list with 64 appearances, according to the association’s official document. Dedić of Benfica, Hadžikadunić of Sampdoria and Katić of Schalke 04 give the head coach several solutions in different defensive formations, while younger players such as Čelik of Lens and Muharemović of Sassuolo bring perspective and the possibility of expanding competition.
The inclusion of players from clubs such as Atalanta, Benfica, Stuttgart, PSV, Young Boys, Sassuolo, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Schalke 04 shows that the national-team base relies on footballers with experience in European club football. This is important because the 2026 World Cup will be played in an expanded format, with 48 national teams and 104 matches, as stated by FIFA. The tournament will run from 11 June to 19 July 2026, and because of the distances between host cities and the demanding pace of the competition, squad depth will be one of the key factors for every national team.
Preliminary call-ups leave room for changes until the start of the tournament
The preliminary call-up list contains nine footballers who did not make the main list of 26 players but remain within the national-team circle. They are Tarik Karić of Velež, Mladen Jurkas of Borac Banja Luka, Arjan Malić, Emir Karić and Jusuf Gazibegović of Sturm Graz, Ifet Đakovac of Akron Tolyatti, Dario Šarić of Antalyaspor, Amer Gojak of Rijeka and Haris Hajradinović of Kasımpaşa. Among them are players with greater national-team experience, especially Gojak, Gazibegović and Hajradinović, so the preliminary call-up is not merely an administrative reserve but also an indicator of the depth of competition in certain positions.
According to the official list, Amer Gojak has 35 appearances and four goals for the national team, Jusuf Gazibegović has 23 appearances, and Haris Hajradinović has 16 appearances and two goals. Their place on the preliminary call-up list shows that Barbarez had to make decisions in competition among players who had already been part of the national-team cycle. Ahead of a major competition, such lists often remain important right up to the final gathering because players’ situations can change after the end of club seasons, medical examinations or preparation matches.
In its announcement, the association stated that, alongside Barbarez, A-national team director Emir Spahić also answered journalists’ questions at the press conference. That detail confirms that the publication of the squad list was organized as an official national-team event, and not merely as an administrative announcement. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, this list is particularly important because it comes ahead of the first appearance on the world stage after 12 years and after a qualifying cycle that ended with a dramatic European play-off.
The road to the World Cup led through the play-offs
According to UEFA data on the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, Bosnia and Herzegovina finished the qualifying stage in Group H with a result that took it to the play-offs, and qualification was secured after two matches decided after extra time and penalties. UEFA states that on 26 March 2026, Bosnia and Herzegovina played 1:1 with Wales after extra time in the play-off semi-final and advanced through better penalty taking, by a score of 4:2. In the play-off final on 31 March, Bosnia and Herzegovina played 1:1 with Italy and again advanced after penalties, this time 4:1.
Such a path to the final tournament adds additional weight to Barbarez’s squad list because the selected group has come through an extremely stressful finish to qualification. In the play-offs, the national team had to withstand two psychologically demanding encounters and, in doing so, show stability at moments when details decided the outcome. For the coaching staff, this means that some of the players have already gone through situations similar to those that may be expected at the World Cup, especially if Bosnia and Herzegovina enters matches in which the result remains open until the very end.
UEFA’s data also show that Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded important results against Romania, Cyprus and San Marino during the qualifiers and drew with Austria in the final stage of the group. The qualifiers were completed in a system that included a group stage and an additional play-off for the remaining European places, and UEFA states that 16 European national teams will take part in the tournament. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, this is the second qualification for the World Cup, while the previous appearance in 2014 ended in the group stage after matches against Argentina, Nigeria and Iran.
Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland
FIFA’s overview of participants at the 2026 World Cup states that Bosnia and Herzegovina has been placed in Group B. The same group also includes Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. Such a schedule brings different types of challenges: Canada is one of the tournament hosts, Switzerland is a European national team with a long continuity of appearances at major competitions, and Qatar arrives with experience of hosting the 2022 World Cup. For Barbarez’s team, this means that preparation will have to cover several styles of play, from physically demanding and fast football to tactically disciplined opponents.
FIFA has announced that the 2026 World Cup will be played in a new format with 48 national teams arranged in 12 groups of four teams. According to the explanation by world football’s governing body, the group winners and runners-up from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage. This increases the number of matches and opens additional possibilities, but it does not reduce the importance of the opening fixtures because every points advantage can prove decisive in the group standings and among the third-placed teams.
For Bosnia and Herzegovina, Group B is important both competitively and symbolically. In its participant overview, FIFA states that Bosnia and Herzegovina has one previous participation at the World Cup, confirming that this is a national team returning to the biggest stage after a long period of waiting. Compared with 2014, almost the entire playing squad has changed, but Džeko remains the link between the two appearances. Precisely for that reason, the appearance in North America will also have an additional generational dimension: some players will be seeking their first major result at world level, while the most experienced members of the team will try to round off a national-team cycle on the highest stage.
Player list for the 2026 World Cup
Goalkeepers:
- Nikola Vasilj, St. Pauli
- Martin Zlomislić, Rijeka
- Osman Hadžikić, Slaven Belupo
Defenders:
- Sead Kolašinac, Atalanta
- Amar Dedić, Benfica
- Nihad Mujakić, Gaziantep FK
- Nikola Katić, Schalke 04
- Tarik Muharemović, Sassuolo
- Stjepan Radeljić, Rijeka
- Dennis Hadžikadunić, Sampdoria
- Nidal Čelik, Lens
Midfielders:
- Amir Hadžiahmetović, Hull City
- Ivan Šunjić, Pafos
- Ivan Bašić, Astana
- Dženis Burnić, Karlsruher SC
- Ermin Mahmić, Slovan Liberec
- Benjamin Tahirović, Brøndby
- Amar Memić, Viktoria Plzen
- Armin Gigović, Young Boys
- Kerim Alajbegović, Red Bull Salzburg
- Esmir Bajraktarević, PSV Eindhoven
Forwards:
- Ermedin Demirović, Stuttgart
- Jovo Lukić, Universitatea Cluj
- Samed Baždar, Jagiellonia Białystok
- Haris Tabaković, Borussia Mönchengladbach
- Edin Džeko, Schalke 04
Preliminary call-ups:
- Tarik Karić, Velež Mostar
- Mladen Jurkas, Borac Banja Luka
- Arjan Malić, Sturm Graz
- Emir Karić, Sturm Graz
- Jusuf Gazibegović, Sturm Graz
- Ifet Đakovac, Akron Tolyatti
- Dario Šarić, Antalyaspor
- Amer Gojak, Rijeka
- Haris Hajradinović, Kasımpaşa
Barbarez faces the biggest test of his coaching mandate
Sergej Barbarez took over the national team in a period when it was necessary to rebuild the competitive identity and find a balance between long-serving players and the younger generation. The published list shows that he did not move toward a radical cut, but toward a combination of continuity and freshness. Experienced players such as Džeko, Kolašinac, Hadžiahmetović and Hadžikadunić should provide stability, while younger candidates can offer energy, speed and long-term value for the national team.
The squad selection simultaneously opens several tactical questions. In defence, Barbarez has players who can cover several positions, giving him the possibility of switching between systems with three and four defenders. In midfield the competition is broad, but the balance between defensive security and creativity will be one of the most important tasks. In attack, Džeko’s role remains special, but the presence of Demirović, Tabaković, Baždar and Lukić gives the staff several ways to adapt to opponents.
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in the history of the competition, and FIFA states that it will be played in 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the USA. For national teams such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, the challenge will not only be the quality of the opponents, but also logistics, changes in time zones, travel and the rhythm of recovery. For that reason, the role of the wider squad, medical staff and training planning will be just as important as the starting eleven itself. Barbarez’s list now provides the basis for the final phase of preparations, in which the selected players will try to impose themselves for roles in the Group B matches.
Sources:
- Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina – official announcement of the press conference and player list for the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina – official PDF list of players, clubs, appearances and goals (link)
- FIFA – official tournament page, overview of participants, groups and information on the 2026 World Cup format (link)
- FIFA – explanation of the 2026 World Cup format with 48 national teams and group-stage qualification rules (link)
- UEFA – results of the European qualifiers and play-offs for the 2026 World Cup (link)