Bosnia & Herzegovina

From the creation of Yugoslavia in 1918 to the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992, players from the modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina lined up for Yugoslavia, but following their independence and devastating Bosnian War, a new football nation arose from the ashes.

Following acceptance into FIFA, Bosnia and Herzegovina entered 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 (reached Quarter-finals), Croatia (finishing third) and Slovenia. During 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification, Bosnia and Herzegovina also finished in fourth in a group with Spain (eventual tournament Quarter-finalist).

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 (needing a victory to top the group). Bosnia and Herzegovina failed to make the grade in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, despite being unbeaten at home (drawing twice with Spain). The national team then experienced double heartbreak, bowing out twice in the playoffs to Portugal. First 2–0 on aggregate in the 2010 FIFA World Cup play-offs decider (having been grouped with UEFA Euro 2008 champion and eventual 2010 FIFA World Cup winners Spain during qualifying phase) and then 6–2 on aggregate in the UEFA Euro 2012 play-offs decider after finishing second by a point to France.

2014 FIFA World Cup

Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, their first major tournament, by beating Lithuania in October 2013 during UEFA qualifying that also included Greece and Slovakia. At the tournament, Bosnia and Herzegovina finished third in a group which included Argentina and won their first match 3–1 over Iran. Nigeria (2013 Africa Cup of Nations champion) 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. With five wins in their remaining six matches, including victories over Wales and Israel along with three clean sheets Bosnia and Herzegovina ultimately failed to qualify after a two legged playoff encounter with the Republic of Ireland. Bosnia and Herzegovina failed to make back-to-back FIFA World Cups after failing to qualify to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Bosnia and Herzegovina won their UEFA Nations League group and guaranteed a playoffs berth for UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying. Still, they finished fourth in their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying group with the manager Robert Prosinečki, missing out on direct qualification and entered the playoffs, 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. Bosnia and Herzegovina failed to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024 after conceding two late goals, losing 2–1 to Ukraine.

2026 FIFA World Cup

In April 2024, former national team captain Sergej Barbarez was appointed manager. He debuted in friendlies against England and Italy. After relegation from the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A (posting their worst loss in history to Germany), Bosnia and Herzegovina played well in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Following their victory over Romania at home on 15 November, Barbarez's side needed to defeat Austria 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.

At the tournament, Bosnia and Herzegovina finished in third with four points following a victory over Qatar (2023 AFC Asian Cup champion) as one of the eight best third-place teams, allowing them to progress to the knockout stage; a historic first for the nation.