2026 World Cup: Bosnia-Herzegovina beats Qatar, likely to face U.S. next

by · The Seattle Times

Sections 302 to 305 was where the party was at on Wednesday afternoon.

That was where “BHFanaticos” supporters stood, and clapped and chanted for 90 minutes on a toasty afternoon. More than 5,000 miles from home for most of these Bosnia-Herzegovina fans, they pounded drums, shouted through megaphones, set off smoke bombs and flung beer trying desperately to will their country to a place never experienced before on the biggest stage of international soccer.

It’s not guaranteed yet, but it very likely they saw that goal accomplished and all those Bosnian fans in blue and white — young and old alike — will get to see their country playing in the knockout stages of the FIFA Men’s World Cup after a 3-1 win over Qatar before an announced sellout of 66,925 at Seattle Stadium.

“I’m really proud. It’s a big moment for all of us, for our country, for our people,” Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj said.

Bosnia-Herzegovina finished third in Group B after Switzerland beat Canada 2-1 in a match played simultaneously in Vancouver, B.C. The Canadians and Bosnia finished even on points and Canada had the tiebreaker on goal differential.

But the top eight third-place teams advance to the knockout stage and with four points earned it’s almost assured that the Golden Lillies still have a World Cup life to play.

And while not finalized, it’s almost assured that Bosnia will head down the West Coast and be the opponent for the United States on July 1 in Santa Clara, Calif., in the round of 32. The winner there gets a return trip to Seattle on July 6 for the round of 16.

“That’ll be great. For me, it doesn’t really matter who we play next,” said Bosnia forward Esmir Bajraktarević, who grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin but plays for the country his parents are from. “Obviously, we’re ready for everything.”

Related More World Cup

More

The young and old of the Bosnian roster were responsible for the two goals that proved to be just enough to hold off Qatar. Kerim Alajbegović, all of 18 years old, scored a banger from outside the penalty area midway through the first half. Minutes later, 40-year-old Edin Džeko, the “Bosnian Diamond,” redirected a long pass across the penalty area, off the leg of a Qatari defender and in for an own goal.

While he wasn’t credited with the goal, it was another in a long line of important moments in Bosnia’s soccer history where Džeko was at the center of what happens.

“It’s amazing the way he works, his work ethic and the belief he has in this team,” Vasilj said. “I’m really happy for him at this age that he is able to celebrate this.”

Qatar had the better of the chances for the next 40 minutes of the match and cut the deficit in half just before halftime when Hassan Alhaydos scored in the 42nd minute. Qatar nearly pulled even in first-half stoppage time only to see Pedro Miguel’s shot squarely hit the far post and ricochet away.

“We had a few opportunities, and we didn’t do what we had to. We had more expected goals than them. More clutch situations (big chances) than them,” Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui said. “Maybe, we deserved much more today.”

But for all Qatar did to hang around, it was Bosnia’s Ermin Mahmić who scored in the 80th minute and clinched the victory. Mahmić ran toward the corner of the stadium where the “BHFanaticos” were stationed, ripped off his shirt — earning a yellow card in the process — and joined in a celebration that could be felt back in Sarajevo.

“We came here as complete underdogs,” Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez said. “We’re trying to do something big and major. This is something that has now come true, but there are a lot of things that we need to discuss and things that are simply not the way we expected things to be. But this was a perfect match.”

Unlike last Friday when the stadium was decidedly either American or Australian, this day was a hodgepodge. The mix of fans in touched all parts of the soccer landscape. Sounders and U.S. jerseys were swirled together with those from France, Colombia, England, Egypt and various club teams from around the world.

Thanks in part to a matchup that wasn’t the most attractive on paper and was the least draining to the pocketbook, this was the game where fans who wanted to say they attended a World Cup match showed up.

But many of those neutrals became engrossed with the Bosnian fans and joined in. It wasn’t completely one-sided, but it felt notable and impactful. When Mahmić scored, it was well beyond just the Bosnian fans in the stadium that were jumping and joining in the party, causing a building known for shaking to sway in the revelry.

“I don’t think it’s surprising. I think it’s something we’re used to now,” Bajraktarević said. “I’ve said it so many times, our fans are incredible and they follow us everywhere.”

The entire day was a celebration of Bosnia’s presence in the tournament. They were the team that wasn’t supposed to be here. It was supposed to be Italy in this spot until Bosnia decided otherwise and knocked out the Italians in the European playoffs.

And now, they’re very likely to get the chance to take down one of the host countries in the knockout rounds.

“Let’s see now what comes next,” Vasilj said.

BOX SCORE