SARAJEVO: Evergreen forward Edin Dzeko, 40, leads a Bosnia-Herzegovina squad for the World Cup announced on Monday that also contains a raft of younger players.

Coach Sergej Barbarez said he was setting his team, who reached the finals by beating Italy in a penalty shootout at the end of a tense playoff in March, the goal of getting through the group phase.

“I am still carried by this feeling that I had on the pitch at the end of the match against Italy, and I have been holding onto it ever since,” Barbarez said at a press conference in Sarajevo.

Barbarez, the former captain of the national team who took over the management reins in April 2024, said the victory against Italy was the result of “a lot of work and great cohesion”.

“This cohesion is the foundation of everything. We have been aware from the start that this is the only way it can work,” he added.

“My wish is to get into July (when the knockout stage begins), and then we will see,” said Barbarez, who has brought in a number of new young players alongside veterans like former Manchester City, Roma and Inter Milan striker Dzeko.

The latest recruit, 21-year-old attacking midfielder Ermin Mahmic, made international appearances at lower age groups for the country of his birth, Austria, before switching to Bosnia.

“He’s the type of player that we didn’t have, a very attacking player who can strike high up the pitch,” Barbarez said.

Bosnia will be playing in their second World Cup finals. They were eliminated in the group stage in 2014 in Brazil.

They will play joint hosts Canada in their first Group ‘B’ match on June 12 in Toronto and will then face Switzerland and Qatar.

Barbarez said they will only move into their training base in Salt Lake City after their first match.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Nikola Vasilj, Martin Zlomislic, Osman Hadzikic; Defenders: Sead Kolasinac, Amar Dedic, Nihad Mujakic, Nikola Katic, Tarik Muharemovic, Stjepan Radeljic, Dennis Hadzikadunic, Nidal Celik; Midfielders: Amir Hadziahmetovic, Ivan Sunjic, Ivan Basic, Dzenis Burnic, Ermin Mahmic, Benjamin Tahirovic, Amar Memic, Armin Gigovic, Kerim Alajbegovic, Esmir Bajraktarevic; Forwards: Ermedin Demirovic, Jovo Lukic, Samed Bazdar, Haris Tabakovic, Edin Dzeko.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2026