Bosnia and Herzegovina at the FIFA World Cup

Bosnia and Herzegovina appeared for the first time in a FIFA World Cup at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, ^{[1] [2]} and remains the only time the team participated at a major international tournament to date.

Although Serbia is accepted by FIFA as the official successor of Yugoslavia, Bosnian players have played a role in World Cup history before their independence in 1992.

Yugoslavia qualified for the World Cup eight times between 1930 and 1990. While in the early editions Yugoslavia was mainly represented by Serbs, the squads grew more inclusive over time.

A notable early appearance of a Bosnian player at a FIFA World Cup was in 1962, when striker Arman Spahić broke an opponent's leg in a brutal foul. Although he was not carded by the referee, he was sent home by his own federation and was never called up for an international match again.

More positively, several Bosnian players were part of the 1974 first team line-up that advanced from the group stage unbeaten and ahead of Brazil. Striker Dušan Bajević scored three goals in one of the highest World Cup victories of all time: Yugoslavia's 9–0 against Zaire. Defender Josip Katalinski also scored during that game. Other Bosnians from that years team include goalkeeper Enver Marić and defender Enver Hadžiabdić.

Playmaker Safet Sušić, often considered to be the best Bosnian Muslim player of all time, represented Yugoslavia at the World Cup both in 1982 and 1990. The team that reached the quarter-finals in 1990 was captained by Zlatko Vujović, another player of Bosnian Croat heritage.

FIFA World Cup record

After Bosnia and Herzegovina gained independence from Yugoslavia on 1 March 1992, the national football team was soon formed but could not enter qualifying for 1994 World Cup as the national association was not yet a member of FIFA. During qualifiers for 1998 World Cup, Bosnia's first home match against Croatia was played at Bologna. ^[3] The match was held at the neutral venue due to the renovation of the Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium.

The team finished in third place during 2006 World Cup qualifying, recording two draws with Spain along the way. During qualifiers for 2010 World Cup Bosnia reached its first ever playoffs for a major tournament, though eventually losing to Portugal 2–0 on aggregate.

The 2014 World Cup was the first time Bosnia had appeared at a major tournament as an independent nation, having qualified as winners of UEFA Group G.

FIFA World Cup record											FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Position
1930 to 1990	Part of   Yugoslavia										Part of   Yugoslavia
as Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina											as Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
1994	Could not enter										Could not enter
1998	Did not qualify										8	3	0	5	9	14	4/5
as Bosnia and Herzegovina											as Bosnia and Herzegovina
2002	Did not qualify										8	2	2	4	12	12	4/5
2006											10	4	4	2	12	9	3/6
2010											12	6	1	5	25	15	2/6 Lost Playoff
2014	Group stage	20th	3	1	0	2	4	4	Squad		10	8	1	1	30	6	1/6
2018	Did not qualify										10	5	2	3	24	13	3/6
2022											8	1	4	3	9	12	4/5
2026	To be determined										To be determined
2030
2034
Total	Group stage	1/11	3	1	0	2	4	4	—		66	29	14	23	121	81	—

List of matches

World Cup	Round	Opponent	Score	Result	Venue	Scorers
2014	Group F	Argentina	1–2	L	Rio de Janeiro	Ibišević
		Nigeria	0–1	L	Cuiabá
		Iran	3–1	W	Salvador	Džeko, Pjanić, Vršajević

Record players

Six players were fielded in all of Bosnia and Herzegovina's matches at the 2014 World Cup, making them record players for their country.

Rank	Player	Matches
1	Asmir Begović	3
	Muhamed Bešić	3
	Edin Džeko	3
	Vedad Ibišević	3
	Miralem Pjanić	3
	Emir Spahić	3

Top goalscorers

Four players scored one goal each for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In addition, an own goal was scored by left-back Sead Kolašinac in their match against Argentina, which holds the record for fastest own goal at a FIFA World Cup at two minutes and six seconds.

Rank	Player	Goals
1	Edin Džeko	1
	Vedad Ibišević	1
	Miralem Pjanić	1
	Avdija Vršajević	1

See also

• Serbia at the FIFA World Cup (records for Yugoslavia)

References

1. Fifa.com (15 October 2013). "Bosnians make history by winning the 2013 world cup". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013.
2. uefa.com (15 October 2013). "Ibišević sparks Bosnia and Herzegovina joy". uefa.com.
3. "World Cup 1998 qualifications". Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-20.

External links

• Bosnia at FIFA