Bosnia and Herzegovina First to Name Final World Cup Squad: Barbarez Picks 26 With Džeko Captain
Sergej Barbarez announced his 26-man squad at 14:00 in Sarajevo, three weeks ahead of FIFA's June 1 deadline and ahead of every other qualified nation. Edin Džeko, 40, leads the list for what will be his country's first World Cup since 2014.
B osnia and Herzegovina became the first nation in the world to name a final 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup, three weeks ahead of FIFA's June 1 deadline. Head coach Sergej Barbarez announced the list at a 14:00 press conference in Sarajevo, with captain Edin Džeko leading the line. At 40, Džeko remains the country's record scorer and the emblem of a golden generation.
The squad runs three goalkeepers deep, with Bundesliga regular Nikola Vasilj at FC St. Pauli the established first choice. The outfield 23 lean heavily European-based: Atalanta full-back Sead Kolašinac and Benfica right-back Amar Dedić anchor the defence, Hull City loanee Amir Hadžiahmetović and Pafos midfielder Ivan Šunjić provide experience through the middle, and Brøndby's Benjamin Tahirović plus PSV Eindhoven's Esmir Bajraktarević represent the younger creative core.
Up front, VfB Stuttgart's Ermedin Demirović is the most direct support to Džeko, who himself joined Schalke 04 in January 2026 after a Fiorentina spell. Borussia Mönchengladbach loanee Haris Tabaković and Jagiellonia loanee Samed Baždar give Barbarez two further centre-forward profiles to call on from the bench across a tournament that could run six matches deep.
Barbarez also published a nine-player waiting list eligible to step in via FIFA's pre-tournament injury-replacement mechanism: Tarik Karić, Mladen Jurkas, Arjan Malić, Emir Karić, Jusuf Gazibegović, Ifet Đakovac, Dario Šarić, Amer Gojak and Haris Hajradinović. Under FIFA's May 11 preliminary-squad rule any pre-tournament substitution for injury must be drawn from this pool, giving the nine names a real path into the final 26 if anyone goes down between now and the opener.
Bosnia and Herzegovina are in Group B of the expanded 48-team tournament, where they will face co-hosts Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. The campaign opens against Canada on June 12 in Toronto. It is the country's first World Cup appearance since Brazil 2014 and only its second ever. Announcing the list more than three weeks ahead of the rest of the world is the federation's most explicit signal yet that the longest, most physically demanding World Cup format in history will be met with the longest possible runway.