The Bosnia and Herzegovina national team is making its way to Seattle this summer.
With Bosnia and Herzegovina’s penalty-kick shootout win over Italy on March 31 in the World Cup qualifiers, they will now take the final spot in Group B in FIFA World Cup 2026, alongside Qatar, Switzerland, and Canada.Â
In the 15th minute, Italy forward Moise Kean found the back of the net after displaying a beautiful strike from outside the box, giving his team the opening lead. While it looked as if it was Italy’s match for the taking, Bosnia equalized in the 79th minute off a rebounded tap-in from second-half substitute, Haris Taboković. Tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the two teams went to overtime and eventually a penalty shootout, where Bosnia and Herzegovina secured their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more than 100 minutes of action.
Like the other 47 qualified nations, Bosnia and Herzegovina will compete in three group stage matches, one of which will be in Seattle on June 24 against Qatar at 12 p.m. PT.
Fans can purchase all-inclusive hospitality packages to Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar, as well as all other FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in Seattle, HERE.
Here is a quick preview of the upcoming match-up between Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina set to play in Seattle:
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar on June 24 at 12 p.m. PT (Group B)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Manager: Sergej Barbarez
FIFA Ranking: 71
Fast Facts:Â
- Bosnia and Herzegovina has only made one FIFA World Cup appearance, when the independent nation qualified in 2014. They won their first World Cup match against Iran with a score of 3-1 on June 25, 2014
- Bosnia and Herzegovina advanced to the World Cup qualifiers final after defeating Wales in a penalty shootout on March 26. Following a 1-1 draw by the end of 90 minutes, in addition to a scoreless overtime, the semi-final match closed out in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s favor with a 2-4 result in penalties.
Player to watch:Â
Edin Džeko: Džeko is not only Bosnia and Herzegovina’s captain, but he also holds the records as the national team’s all-time leading goalscorer (65) and most capped player with over 130. He tallied the team’s lone goal in their win over Wales last Thursday to advance to the World Cup qualifiers final.
Qatar
Manager: Julen Lopetegui
FIFA Ranking: 56
Fast Facts:
This is the first time Qatar has secured a spot in the World Cup through Asian qualifying. The nation was automatically placed in the tournament in 2022 as hosts of the tournament.
Following the hiring of former Spain and Real Madrid head coach Lopetegui, Qatar went from struggling in qualifying to punching its ticket to the global finals.
How they qualified: Qatar finished first in their fourth-round qualification group within the Asian Football Confederation, earning a spot in FIFA World Cup 2026 following a 2-2 draw against Uzbekistan back in March.
Player to watch:
Akram Afif: Afif is a winger who is a consistent threat in the attack. In 2019 and 2023, Afif was honored with the Asian Footballer of the Year award. He currently plays for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd.
