Zagreb, 1 April 2026 (Hina/MIA) - Bosnia and Herzegovina’s football team defeating Italy and securing a spot in this summer’s World Cup sparked nationwide celebrations that lasted into Wednesday morning.

Bosnia and Herzegovina booked their place at the FIFA World Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout at Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica, capping off an intense encounter that ended 1-1 after extra time.

The level of euphoria still surrounding Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national team after qualifying for the World Cup was evident when a press conference Wednesday was briefly interrupted as players entered the hall, getting everyone on their feet while chanting the name of their emotional head coach, Sergej Barbarez.

Barbarez expressed a strong bond with the team and pride in their achievement.

“Thank you to my boys, my fighters, my sons. I tell them that every day. I’m truly proud to be their coach,” said the former celebrated footballer, for whom the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team is his first major managerial role.

When asked about the team’s ambitions at the World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Barbarez tearfully said: “I’m just waiting for 12 June, to hear our national anthem played at the World Cup—that is my dream.”

There is some concern over an injury to captain Edin Džeko, who hurt his shoulder in the very final moments of the match in Zenica.

“I feel like it was all fate—that it happened in the very last second of the game, and then I couldn’t take the penalty and someone else scored instead. Who knows, maybe I wouldn’t have scored anyway. All of this comes ‘from above’,” Džeko said at the press conference in Sarajevo. He added that he will most likely not require surgery and should be able to resume training in about a month.

The president of the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vico Zeljković, said the result was achieved despite significant criticism of the federation and national team leadership. He also announced plans to build a new national stadium.

“The existing stadium needs to be demolished and a new one built. That will be our first priority,” said Zeljković.

He added that the association has already taken steps to reserve a training camp for the team at the World Cup this summer. Before that, Bosnia and Herzegovina will play two friendly matches—one in Sarajevo at the end of May, and another in the United States in early June.

Bosnia and Herzegovina will compete in Group B at the World Cup, opening against hosts Canada, followed by Switzerland, and finally Qatar.

This marks Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second qualification for the World Cup, after they participated in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.