Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Nickname(s) Zmajevi (The Dragons)
Zlatni ljiljani (The Golden Lilies)
Association Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina (N/FSBiH)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Robert Prosinečki
Captain Edin Džeko
Most caps Edin Džeko (96)
Top scorer Edin Džeko (53)
Home stadium Bilino Polje
FIFA code BIH
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 34 Increase 5 (20 September 2018)
Highest 13 (August 2013)
Lowest 173 (September 1996)
Elo ranking
Current 23 Steady (11 October 2018)
Highest 21 (June 2013)
Lowest 87 (October 1999)
First international

Non-FIFA international
 Iran 1–3 Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina
(Tehran, Iran; 12 September 1993)[1][2][3]

FIFA international
 Albania 2–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina
(Tirana, Albania; 30 November 1995)[4]
Biggest win
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 7–0 Estonia 
(Zenica, BiH; 10 September 2008)
 Liechtenstein 1–8 Bosnia and Herzegovina 
(Vaduz, Liechtenstein; 7 September 2012)
Biggest defeat
 Argentina 5–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina 
(Córdoba, Argentina; 14 May 1998)
World Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2014)
Best result Group Stage, 2014

The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team (Bosnian: Nogometna/Fudbalska reprezentacija Bosne i Hercegovine; Cyrillic: Ногометна/Фудбалска репрезентација Боснe и Херцеговинe) represents Bosnia and Herzegovina in association football and is governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Until 1992, Bosnian footballers played for Yugoslavia.

Bosnia and Herzegovina achieved their best result when they reached the 2014 FIFA World Cup as winners of their qualifying group.[5][6] They were eliminated after group stage narrow losses to Argentina and Nigeria and a win over Iran.

The team has appeared in numerous other qualification play-offs, in 2010 FIFA World Cup play-offs loss to Portugal, as well as qualifying play-offs for UEFA Euro 2012 and UEFA Euro 2016, losing to Portugal and Republic of Ireland respectively, preventing the team from reaching their first UEFA European Championship.[7][8][9][10]

Bosnia and Herzegovina's home stadium is Bilino Polje in the city of Zenica. The team's highest FIFA World Ranking was 13th in August 2013.[11][12]

History

Bosnia and Herzegovina squad in March 2002 under manager Blaž Slišković.

Bosnia and Herzegovina have seen a steady rise in their fortunes on the international football stage in recent times. Historically, Bosnia, a war torn and divided nation, has managed multiple playoff appearances and has qualified to one FIFA World Cup. More often than not, the team produces solid results in qualifiers and challenges for a top spot.

From 1920 to 1992, the players lined out for Yugoslavia, but following the outbreak of the Bosnian war and subsequent independence, a new football nation arose from the ashes.

The early period saw Bosnia and Herzegovina have to wait until the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to compete for a place in a major competition. Bosnia finished fourth in a group that included Greece, Denmark, Croatia and Slovenia. This was then subsequently followed by further disappointment with lackluster campaigns in the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifiers, as well as the 2002 FIFA World Cup.[13][14]

This early period was followed by Bosnia coming very close to qualifying directly for their first ever major competition, UEFA Euro 2004, narrowly missing out by a single goal against Denmark.[15]

Bosnia failed to make the grade in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, despite being unbeaten at home, and the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers, which saw their poor home form cost them. Bosnia and Herzegovina then experienced double heartbreak, bowing out twice in the playoffs to Portugal, first 2–0 on aggregate in the 2010 FIFA World Cup decider and then 6–2 on aggregate in the UEFA Euro 2012 decider, before finally breaking their curse by qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[16][17][18]

Bosnia and Herzegovina squad in March 2015 under manager Mehmed Baždarević.

Bosnia managed to finish a creditable third in a group which included Argentina at their first ever major competition, and tasted their first victory thanks to a 3–1 win over Iran.[19] Nigeria pipped Bosnia for second place in the group with a 1–0 win marred with controversy following an incorrectly disallowed goal scored by Edin Džeko in the first half.[20][21][22]

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Argentina 330063+39
 Nigeria 31113304
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 31024403
 Iran 301214−31

Bosnia finished third in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers behind Belgium and Wales. After making an unfortunate start to the qualifiers with a surprise 2–1 home defeat against Cyprus and managing just two points through four games, manager Safet Sušić was dismissed and replaced by Mehmed Baždarević.[23][24][25]

After the slow start, the Bosnian performance improved dramatically, with five wins in their remaining six matches, including victories over Wales and Israel along with three clean sheets. However, they ultimately failed to qualify after a two legged playoff encounter with the Republic of Ireland.[26][27][28] Bosnia failed to make back-to-back FIFA World Cup's after failing to qualify to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

2018–19 UEFA Nations League B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation Bosnia and Herzegovina Austria Northern Ireland
1  Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 3 0 0 5 1 +4 9 Promotion to League A — 1–0 2–0
2  Austria 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3 15 Nov — 1–0
3  Northern Ireland 3 0 0 3 1 5 −4 0 Relegation to League C 1–2 18 Nov —
Updated to match(es) played on 15 October 2018. Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Northern Ireland 1–2 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Grigg  90+3' Report Duljević  36'
Sarić  64'
Attendance: 16,942
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–0 Austria
Džeko  78' Report
Attendance: 9,100
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (France)
Bosnia and Herzegovina v Northern Ireland
Report
Austria v Bosnia and Herzegovina
Report

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for friendly game against Turkey on 11 October 2018 and UEFA Nations League game against Northern Ireland on 15 October.
Caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2018 after the game against Turkey.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Asmir Begović (vice-captain) (1987-06-20) 20 June 1987 62 0 England Bournemouth
12 1GK Ibrahim Šehić (1988-09-02) 2 September 1988 15 0 Turkey BB Erzurumspor
22 1GK Vedran Kjosevski (1995-05-22) 22 May 1995 0 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar
6 2DF Ognjen Vranješ (1989-10-24) 24 October 1989 36 0 Belgium Anderlecht
15 2DF Toni Šunjić (1988-12-15) 15 December 1988 35 1 Russia Dynamo Moscow
17 2DF Ervin Zukanović (1987-02-11) 11 February 1987 29 0 Italy Genoa
4 2DF Darko Todorović (1997-05-05) 5 May 1997 6 0 Austria Red Bull Salzburg
2 2DF Eldar Ćivić (1996-05-28) 28 May 1996 3 0 Czech Republic Sparta Prague
5 2DF Bojan Nastić (1994-07-06) 6 July 1994 2 0 Belgium Genk
10 3MF Miralem Pjanić (1990-04-02) 2 April 1990 82 12 Italy Juventus
8 3MF Edin Višća (1990-02-17) 17 February 1990 39 8 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir
7 3MF Muhamed Bešić (1992-09-10) 10 September 1992 33 0 England Middlesbrough
9 3MF Haris Duljević (1993-11-16) 16 November 1993 14 1 Germany Dynamo Dresden
13 3MF Gojko Cimirot (1992-12-19) 19 December 1992 13 0 Belgium Standard Liège
21 3MF Elvis Sarić (1990-07-21) 21 July 1990 9 1 South Korea Suwon Bluewings
20 3MF Goran Zakarić (1992-11-07) 7 November 1992 9 0 Serbia Partizan
14 3MF Sanjin Prcić (1993-11-29) 29 November 1993 7 0 Spain Levante
19 3MF Rade Krunić (1993-10-07) 7 October 1993 6 0 Italy Empoli
23 3MF Deni Milošević (1995-03-09) 9 March 1995 3 0 Turkey Konyaspor
11 4FW Edin Džeko (captain) (1986-03-17) 17 March 1986 96 53 Italy Roma
18 4FW Kenan Kodro (1993-08-19) 19 August 1993 8 2 Denmark Copenhagen
16 4FW Riad Bajić (1994-05-06) 6 May 1994 8 0 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last twelve months:

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Kenan Pirić (1994-07-07) 7 July 1994 1 0 Slovenia Maribor v.  Austria, 11 September 2018
GK Jasmin Burić (1987-02-18) 18 February 1987 2 0 Poland Lech Poznań v.  Bulgaria, 23 March 2018 INJ
GK Nemanja Trkulja (1996-01-01) 1 January 1996 0 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Borac Banja Luka v.  United States, 28 January 2018 PRE
DF Sead Kolašinac (1993-06-20) 20 June 1993 24 0 England Arsenal v.  Turkey, 11 October 2018 WD
DF Ermin Bičakčić (1990-01-24) 24 January 1990 24 3 Germany 1899 Hoffenheim v.  Turkey, 11 October 2018 INJ
DF Emir Spahić RET (1980-08-18) 18 August 1980 94 6 Unattached v.  Montenegro, 28 May 2018
DF Samir Memišević (1993-08-13) 13 August 1993 2 0 Netherlands Groningen v.  Senegal, 27 March 2018
DF Jozo Šimunović (1994-08-04) 4 August 1994 0 0 Scotland Celtic v.  Bulgaria, 23 March 2018 WD
DF Almir Bekić (1989-06-01) 1 June 1989 3 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo v.  Mexico, 31 January 2018
DF Daniel Graovac (1993-08-08) 8 August 1993 3 0 Serbia Vojvodina v.  Mexico, 31 January 2018
DF Marko Mihojević (1996-04-21) 21 April 1996 1 0 Greece OFI v.  United States, 28 January 2018
DF Besim Šerbečić (1998-05-01) 1 May 1998 0 0 Norway Rosenborg v.  United States, 28 January 2018 PRE
DF Srđan Stanić (1989-07-06) 6 July 1989 0 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar v.  United States, 28 January 2018 PRE
MF Stjepan Lončar (1996-11-10) 10 November 1996 2 0 Croatia Rijeka v.  South Korea, 1 June 2018
MF Zvjezdan Misimović RET (1982-06-05) 5 June 1982 85 25 Unattached v.  Montenegro, 28 May 2018
MF Haris Medunjanin RET (1985-03-08) 8 March 1985 60 9 United States Philadelphia Union v.  Senegal, 27 March 2018
MF Dino Beširović (1994-01-31) 31 January 1994 2 0 Croatia Hajduk Split v.  Mexico, 31 January 2018
MF Marijan Ćavar (1998-02-02) 2 February 1998 2 0 Croatia Osijek v.  Mexico, 31 January 2018
MF Luka Menalo (1996-07-22) 22 July 1996 2 0 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb v.  Mexico, 31 January 2018
MF Ognjen Todorović (1989-03-24) 24 March 1989 2 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar v.  Mexico, 31 January 2018
MF Tomislav Tomić (1990-11-16) 16 November 1990 2 0 Slovenia Olimpija Ljubljana v.  Mexico, 31 January 2018
MF Adnan Šećerović (1991-12-01) 1 December 1991 1 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Tuzla City v.  Mexico, 31 January 2018
MF Zoran Kvržić (1988-08-07) 7 August 1988 4 0 Croatia Rijeka v.  United States, 28 January 2018 PRE
MF Amer Ordagić (1993-05-05) 5 May 1993 0 0 Norway Brann v.  United States, 28 January 2018 PRE
FW Smail Prevljak (1995-05-10) 10 May 1995 1 0 Austria Red Bull Salzburg v.  South Korea, 1 June 2018
FW Vedad Ibišević RET (1984-08-06) 6 August 1984 83 28 Germany Hertha BSC v.  Montenegro, 28 May 2018
FW Mersudin Ahmetović (1985-03-19) 19 March 1985 2 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo v.  Mexico, 31 January 2018
FW Elvir Koljić (1995-07-08) 8 July 1995 2 0 Romania U Craiova v.  Mexico, 31 January 2018
FW Nemanja Bilbija (1990-11-02) 2 November 1990 1 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar v.  Mexico, 31 January 2018
FW Elvir Ibišević (1998-02-10) 10 February 1998 1 0 Slovenia Celje v.  United States, 28 January 2018
FW Armin Hodžić (1994-11-17) 17 November 1994 5 0 Hungary MOL Vidi v.  United States, 28 January 2018 PRE
FW Jasmin Mešanović (1992-01-06) 6 January 1992 1 0 Slovenia Maribor v.  United States, 28 January 2018 PRE

INJ Withdrawn due to injury.
PRE Preliminary squad.
RET Retired from international football.
SUS Suspended.
WD Withdrawn.

Previous squads

Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

2018

2019

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

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.[29] 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 is the first time Bosnia has 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
United States 1994 Could not enter———————
France 1998 Did not qualify 8 3 0 5 9 14 4/5
as Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 8 2 2 4 12 12 4/5
Germany 2006 10 4 4 2 12 9 3/6
South Africa 2010 12 6 1 5 25 15 2/6 Lost Playoff
Brazil 2014 Group stage 20th 3 1 0 2 4 4 Squad 10 8 1 1 30 6 1/6
Russia 2018 Did not qualify 10 5 2 3 24 13 3/6
Qatar 2022 To be determined
Canada Mexico United States 2026
Total Group stage 1/7 3 1 0 2 4 4 — 57 28 10 19 109 65 —

UEFA European Championship

UEFA Euro record UEFA European Championship qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA Position
Part of  Yugoslavia Part of  Yugoslavia
1960 to 1992 ————————
as Bosnia and Herzegovina Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
England 1996 Did not enter———————
as  Bosnia and Herzegovina
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Did not qualify 10 3 2 5 14 17 3/6
Portugal 2004 8 4 1 3 7 8 4/5
Austria Switzerland 2008 12 4 1 7 16 22 4/7
Poland Ukraine 2012 12 6 3 3 19 14 2/6 Lost Playoff
France 2016 12 5 3 4 18 15 3/6 Lost Playoff
European Union 2020 To be determined———————
Germany 2024 ———————
Total 54 22 10 22 74 76 —

Euro 1996 – Could not enter as the national team was not yet a member of UEFA.

Minor tournaments

Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Malaysia 1997 Dunhill Cup Malaysia Runners-up 2 5 3 1 1 9 5
India 2001 Millennium Soccer Cup Runners-up 2 5 3 1 1 7 5
Malaysia 2001 Merdeka Tournament Runners-up 2 5 3 1 1 7 4
Iran 2001 LG Cup Runners-up 2 2 1 0 1 4 6
Japan 2016 Kirin Cup Champions 1 2 1 1 0 4 3
Total - 1 Title 19 11 4 4 31 23

Personnel

Current technical staff

PositionName
Head Coach Croatia Robert Prosinečki
Assistant Coach(es) Croatia Gordan Ciprić

Serbia Dragan Spasić

Coach(es) Bosnia and Herzegovina Elvir Rahimić
Goalkeeping Coach Bosnia and Herzegovina Kenan Hasagić
Team Doctor Bosnia and Herzegovina Reuf Karabeg
Physiotherapist(s) Bosnia and Herzegovina Ismar Hadžibajrić

Bosnia and Herzegovina Radomir Ćosović

Managing Director(s) Bosnia and Herzegovina Fuad Kečo

Bosnia and Herzegovina Adem Đipa

Secretary Bosnia and Herzegovina Darko Ljubojević

Managers

Name First game Last game Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Win % Achievements
Bosnia and Herzegovina Fuad Muzurović 30 November 1995 5 November 1997 18 7 2 9 21 25 −4 38.88%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Džemaludin Mušović 14 May 1998 27 January 1999 7 1 2 4 7 16 −9 14.28%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Faruk Hadžibegić 10 March 1999 9 October 1999 7 2 2 3 10 10 0 28.57%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Avdo Kalajdžić (caretaker) 18 August 1999 18 August 1999 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Mišo Smajlović 24 January 2000 7 October 2001 14 5 4 5 20 17 +3 35.71%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Blaž Slišković 27 March 2002 11 October 2006 37 11 11 15 44 56 −12 29.73%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Fuad Muzurović 24 March 2007 21 November 2007 9 3 0 6 11 16 −5 33.33%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Meho Kodro 30 January 2008 26 March 2008 2 0 1 1 2 5 −3 0%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Denijal Pirić (caretaker) 1 June 2008 1 June 2008 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.0%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Miroslav Blažević 20 August 2008 18 November 2009 17 8 2 7 34 24 +10 47.05%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Safet Sušić 3 March 2010 16 November 2014 50 23 9 18 83 60 +23 46.0% 2014 FIFA World Cup – Group stage
Bosnia and Herzegovina Mehmed Baždarević 28 March 2015 10 October 2017 25 14 5 6 53 30 +23 56.0% 2016 Kirin Cup – Champions
Croatia Robert Prosinečki 28 January 2018 9 4 4 1 7 3 +4 44.44%
Totals197794375293262+31

Table does not include results of minor tournaments (reserve players) managed by Husnija Arapović.

Due to one match suspension of Mehmed Baždarević for unsportsmanlike behaviour, assistant manager Dragan Perić took charge of the team on 25 March 2017.[30][31]

Statistics

Most appearances

Edin Džeko is Bosnia's most capped player and all-time top goal scorer.
#PlayerPeriodCapsGoals
1 Edin Džeko 2007– 96 53
2 Emir Spahić 2003–2018 94 6
3 Zvjezdan Misimović 2004–2018 85 25
4 Vedad Ibišević 2007–2018 83 28
5 Miralem Pjanić 2008– 82 12
6 Asmir Begović 2009– 62 0
7 Haris Medunjanin 2009–2018 60 9
8 Senad Lulić 2008–2017 57 4
9 Elvir Bolić 1996–2006 51 22
10 Sergej Barbarez 1998–2006 48 17

Most goals

#PlayerPeriodGoalsCapsAverage
1 Edin Džeko 2007– 53 96 0.55
2 Vedad Ibišević 2007–2018 28 83 0.34
3 Zvjezdan Misimović 2004–2018 25 85 0.29
4 Elvir Bolić 1996–2006 22 51 0.43
5 Sergej Barbarez 1998–2006 17 48 0.35
6 Elvir Baljić 1996–2005 14 38 0.37
7 Miralem Pjanić 2008– 12 82 0.15
8 Zlatan Muslimović 2006–2011 12 30 0.40
9 Haris Medunjanin 2009–2018 9 60 0.15
10 Edin Višća 2010– 8 39 0.21

Tables correct as of match played on 11 October 2018.

Captains

Emir Spahić captained Bosnia at their first ever FIFA World Cup tournament. This is a list of Bosnia and Herzegovina captains for ten or more official and friendly matches.

Note: Some of the other players to have captained the team include: Mehmed Baždarević (2 caps) 1996, Meho Kodro (5) 1997 to 1998, Vlatko Glavaš (1) 1997, Suvad Katana (2) 1998, Elvir Bolić (6) 1999 to 2000, Bruno Akrapović (4) 1999 to 2003, Hasan Salihamidžić (1) 2004, Zlatan Bajramović (1) 2006, Džemal Berberović (1) 2007, Asmir Begović (5) 2014 to 2017, Haris Medunjanin (4) 2016 to 2018, Vedad Ibišević (1) 2017.

NamePeriodGames as captainNotes
Muhamed Konjić1995–200220First official captain of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
Mirsad Hibić2000–200314
Sergej Barbarez2004–200620
Zvjezdan Misimović2007–201216
Emir Spahić2006–201455First official captain of the team in a major tournament (2014 FIFA World Cup)
Edin Džeko2014–31

Table correct as of match played on 11 October 2018.

FIFA ranking history

FIFA-ranking yearly averages for Bosnia and Herzegovina.[32]

1993199419951996199719981999200020012002
xxx152999675786987
2003200420052006200720082009201020112012
59796559516151442027
201320142015201620172018
1929222737

Home stadiums

Bilino Polje is the home football stadium of Čelik Zenica from the city of Zenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of two main stadiums of the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The stadium was built and opened in 1972.

Bilino Polje Stadium

It was used in Bosnia and Herzegovina's first match, a friendly played against Albania in 1995 with the final result being a 0–0 draw. The stadium is considered a "curse" for foreign national teams, because the Bosnian national team usually wins or rarely loses their home games at Bilino Polje stadium. In a period stretching from 1995 to October 2006, Bosnia went undefeated at home in around 15 games played in Zenica. The city of Zenica had to wait another five years (1995–2000) before the next match of the national team was played at the stadium. This match was also a friendly, this time against Macedonia, with the final result being a victory for the home side 1–0. The Bosnian national team never lost on this field until the Euro 2008 qualifier against Hungary. During 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Bosnia and Herzegovina national team played all their First round home matches at this stadium, losing only once, to former European and World champions Spain.

On 10 August 2012, the Bosnian Association and the local government of City of Zenica financed the replacement of the old grass surface at the Bilino Polje Stadium after numerous complaints from visiting teams about its quality.[33][34][35][36][37][38]

The secondary home stadium of the national football side of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the City Stadium Koševo, also known as Olympic Stadium Koševo. It is 34,630 seater stadium owned by the city of Sarajevo. Since July 2004, when FK Sarajevo plays its games, stadium is also called Asim ferhatović - Hase after Asim Ferhatović, the FK Sarajevo player who retired in 1967. Koševo Stadium is located in the Koševo neighborhood of Sarajevo and it is used fK Sarajevo and city for variety of different events. The stadium was opened in 1947, and in 1984 it was reconstructed for the 1984 Winter Olympics, and is therefore called Olympic Stadium Koševo.

Bosnian national team also used Stadion Grbavica for some of its games.[39][40]

Its training ground for domestic matches is the N/FSBIH Training Center in Zenica, which was opened in 2013 in conjunction with UEFA.[41]

Team image

Nickname

A popular nickname of all Bosnian sport teams and/or sportsman is "Zmajevi" (Bosnian: zmajevi, lit. 'dragons'), popularized by football TV commentator Marijan Mijailović during Belgium vs. Bosnia (2-4) 2010 WC qualification game on 28 March 2009.

General agreement among Bosnia and Herzegovina sports fans is that nick has historical context, it is considered as an allusion to the famous Bosnian general Husein Gradaščević, who fought for Bosnian independence, and who was known as the "Dragon of Bosnia".[42]

In both local and foreign media, they are sometimes referred to as the Golden Lilies, which was original nickname given to all country's teams and sportsman by fans after independence in reference to official state insignia at the time (flag and coat of arms), which itself referred to the Fleur-de-lis historical state insignia, featured on the coat of arms of the ruling Bosnian medieval Kotromanić dynasty.[43]

Historical kits

The team kit is currently produced by German sports apparel company Adidas. Also sponsoring the team are BH Telecom and Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine, companies from Sarajevo.[44][45]

(1996–1999)
Home Away
Patrick
(2005–2010)
Home Away
Legea
(2010–2012)
Home Away
Legea
(2012–2013)
Home Away
Legea
(2013–2014)
Home Away
Legea
(2014 FIFA World Cup)
Home Away
Adidas
(2015–2017)
Home Away
Adidas
(2018–19 UEFA Nations League)
Home Away
Adidas


The table below shows the history of kit manufacturers for the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Period Kit Provider
1996–1999 Belgium Patrick[46]
1999–2000 Germany Adidas[46]
2000–2005 Germany Reusch[46]
2005–2014 Italy Legea[46]
2014–present Germany Adidas[47]

Supporters

Bosnian fans supporting the national team.[48]

Large number of national team's supporters come from Northern and Western Europe, North America, and some as far away as Australia.[49] Most of these fans are members of BHFanaticos, Belaj Boys, BHLegion, Armija Zmajeva (Dragons Army) and Ljuti Krajišnici groups.[50][51][52]

In the game against Norway, at the Ullevål Stadium in Oslo on 24 March 2007, Bosnian fans caused an hour-long delay due to an unprecedented amount of flares that had been thrown onto the pitch in protest against corruption in the (now former) Football organization of Bosnia.[53] On 1 June 2008, former Bosnia and Herzegovina players Meho Kodro and Elvir Bolić organised a friendly humanitarian game in Sarajevo called "Kodro, Bola and Friends" between former Bosnian football legends, in order to gain support, to say its time for changes in the Bosnian Football Association.[54] The game was organised to commence at the same time as Bosnia and Herzegovina national side faced Azerbaijan in a friendly in Zenica. The attendance in Sarajevo was 15,000 while in Zenica only about 50.[55] The game in Sarajevo was organised by the Federal TV who broadcast the humanitarian game live. A significant number of Bosnian International players were involved in the game,[56] which ended 11–9 in favour of Team Kodro.[57]

Before every game, during the playing of the Bosnian national anthem, BH Fanaticos sing lyrics from the old national anthem Jedna si jedina, as the current national anthem does not have lyrics in all international sports Bosnia is part of (mainly football, basketball and handball).[58][59]

Head-to-Head records against other countries

Tables correct as of match played on 11 October 2018.

The table lists opponents played, sorted by members of FIFA affiliated confederations.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's all-time record sorted by FIFA Confederations, 1995–present

OpponentGamesWinsDrawsLossesGoals ForGoals AgainstGoal DifferentialFirst gamesLast games
UEFA 163693757253206+4730.11.199511.10.2018
AFC 2611693738−122.02.199701.06.2018
CAF 94231211+105.11.199727.03.2018
CONMEBOL 7205614−814.05.199815.06.2014
CONCACAF 611459−409.02.201101.02.2018
OFC 0000000xx
74 Countries211874678313278+3530.11.199511.10.2018

Memorable victories

Source: Results

  • Unofficial games not included.
Date Tournament Place Opponents Score Additional Notes
6 November 1996 Friendly Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina  Italy 2 – 1 Victory over top 5 ranked team at the time (5th)[60]
10 November 1996 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification Ljubljana, Slovenia  Slovenia 2 – 1 Historic first ever victory in qualifiers
20 August 1997 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina  Denmark 3 – 0 Victory over top 5 ranked team at the time (3rd)[61]
2 April 2003 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying Copenhagen, Denmark  Denmark 2 – 0
24 March 2007 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Oslo, Norway  Norway 2 – 1
2 June 2007 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina  Turkey 3 – 2 Edin Džeko's debut senior cap and first international goal.
10 September 2008 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina  Estonia 7 – 0 Largest ever victory (without conceding)
28 March 2009 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Genk, Belgium  Belgium 4 – 2
10 October 2009 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Tallinn, Estonia  Estonia 2 – 0 Qualified to first ever play-offs (2010 FIFA World Cup)
7 September 2012 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification Vaduz, Lichtenstein  Liechtenstein 8 – 1 Largest ever victory
22 March 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina  Greece 3 – 1 Victory over top 15 ranked team at the time (12th)[62]
10 September 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification Žilina, Slovakia  Slovakia 2 – 1
15 October 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification Kaunas, Lithuania  Lithuania 1 – 0 Qualified to 2014 FIFA World Cup
25 June 2014 2014 FIFA World Cup Group Stage Salvador, Brazil  Iran 3 – 1 Historic first victory in FIFA World Cup
10 October 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina  Wales 2 – 0 Victory over top 10 ranked team at the time (8th)[63]
29 March 2016 Friendly Zürich, Switzerland   Switzerland 2 – 0 Victory over top 15 ranked team at the time (12th)[64]
7 June 2016 Kirin Cup Soccer 2016 Osaka, Japan  Japan 2 – 1 Victory in the Final of 2016 Kirin Cup

Honours

Other Cups

See also

Notes

    References

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    2. ↑ wildstat.com (4 April 2015). "Friendly internationals, Bosnia-Herzegovina". wildstat.com. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
    3. ↑ wildstat.com (4 April 2015). "Friendly internationals, Iran". wildstat.com. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
    4. ↑ Jonathan Wilson (1 May 2014). "Despite its inescapable past, Bosnia-Herzegovina writes new chapter". sportsillustrated.cnn.com.
    5. ↑ "Bosnians make history". fifa.com. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
    6. ↑ "Ibišević sparks Bosnia and Herzegovina joy". uefa.com. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
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    8. ↑ "Draw for the UEFA EURO 2012 play-offs". uefa.com. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
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    10. ↑ "Can Bosnia break their hoodoo?". theroar.com.au. 23 March 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
    11. ↑ "Colombia hit third as Brazil rocket ninth". fifa.com. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
    12. ↑ "Best-ever Bosnia scale new heights". fifa.com. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
    13. ↑ Fuad Krvavac (12 October 2012). "Prije 16 godina BiH je igrala sa Grčkom u Kalamati". klix.ba (in Bosnian). Retrieved 12 October 2012.
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    15. ↑ Uefa.com (12 October 2003). "Denmark do just enough". UEFA. Retrieved 12 October 2003.
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    18. ↑ "Bosnia-herzegovina qualifies for first world cup". Goal.com. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
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    36. ↑ "Grass surface replacement Bilino Polje". vimeo.com. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
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    63. ↑ "FIFA Men's Ranking 1 October 2015". FIFA.com. 2015.
    64. ↑ "FIFA Men's Ranking 3 March 2016". FIFA.com. 2016.
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