in 2015 Bosnia and Herzegovina have seen a steady rise in their fortunes on the international
football stage in recent times. Historically, they have managed multiple play-off appearances and qualified for 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 up 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 and Herzegovina 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. This early period was followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina coming very close to
qualifying directly for their first major competition,
UEFA Euro 2004, narrowly missing out by a single goal against Denmark. Bosnia and Herzegovina 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. Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the
2014 FIFA World Cup, their first major tournament, by beating
Lithuania in October 2013. They managed to finish third in a group which included
Argentina and won their first match 3–1 over
Iran.
Nigeria pipped them for second place in the group with a 1–0 win marred with controversy following an incorrectly-disallowed goal by
Edin Džeko in the first half. In the
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers, Bosnia and Herzegovina finished third behind
Belgium and
Wales. After a bad start to the qualifiers with a surprise 2–1 defeat at home against
Cyprus and managing just two points in four games,
Safet Sušić was dismissed and replaced by
Mehmed Baždarević. After the slow start, 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. and with new manager
Dušan Bajević, they ultimately missed out on yet another Euro after losing to
Northern Ireland on
penalties. They finished bottom of Group 1 in the
2020–21 UEFA Nations League A, thus relegating them to the
2022–23 UEFA Nations League B. Following several years of disappointment, Bulgarian
Ivaylo Petev was named as Bosnia and Herzegovina's new manager, marking the first time a Bosnia and Herzegovina manager was not from the
former Yugoslavia. In their first campaign under Petev, Bosnia and Herzegovina were drawn into a group with
2018 FIFA World Cup champions
France and kept their chances of qualification alive until the final two matches; ultimately failing to qualify for the
2022 FIFA World Cup. He also led the team to winning Group 3 of the
2022–23 UEFA Nations League B, thus earning promotion back to
2024–25 UEFA Nations League A and guaranteed a play-off berth for the
UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. They suffered disappointment in their
UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying group that saw three managers:
Faruk Hadžibegić,
Meho Kodro and
Savo Milošević pick up only one win each for a total of 9 points and entered the
playoffs. There, they lost 2–1 to
Ukraine, failing to qualify for
UEFA Euro 2024. Under their new manager, former national team captain
Sergej Barbarez, Bosnia and Herzegovina played well in their
2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying group. Following a victory over
Romania at home on 15 November, Barbarez's side needed to defeat
Austria three days later in the final group match to qualify directly for the
World Cup. Despite holding on to a 1–0 lead until the 77th minute, the match ended in a draw. As a result, Barbarez's team finished second in the group, two points behind Austria, securing a spot in the
playoffs. In the playoffs, they defeated both Wales and
Italy on penalties, qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and marking their second appearance as an independent nation. ==Team image==