Bosnia-Herzegovina head coach Sergej Barbarez has become the first of 48 national team managers to announce his squad for the upcoming World Cup. The 26-man roster features a strong presence of players with ties to German football, led by captain Edin Dzeko (40).
Alongside Dzeko, his Schalke teammate Nikola Katic (29) also made the cut. From Germany’s second tier, KSC midfielder Dzenis Burnic (27) earned a spot. Bundesliga representatives include St. Pauli goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj (30), Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirovic (28), and Gladbach forward Haris Tabakovic (31) — the latter having secured Bosnia’s World Cup berth with a decisive goal in the playoff victory over Italy (4-1 on penalties).
Other familiar names from Germany include former Schalke defender Sead Kolasinac (32), ex-HSV player Dennis Hadzikadunic (27), former Kiel midfielder Armin Gigovic (24), ex-Hertha midfielder Ivan Sunjic (29), and Stjepan Radeljic (28), who briefly trained at Stuttgart. Top talent Kerim Alajbegovic (18), set to return to Bayer Leverkusen this summer, is among the squad’s most valuable players with a market value of €15 million. Only Stuttgart’s Demirovic (€22M) and Sassuolo defender Tarik Muharemović (23, €20M) are valued higher.
Unlike Alajbegovic, the Sturm Graz defensive trio consisting of Köln loanee Jusuf Gazibegovic (26), Emir Karic (28), and Arjan Malic (20) did not make the final cut and are listed as reserves. However, Ermin Mahmic (21), who recently switched from the Austrian Football Association to the Bosnian federation, is included. Barbarez’s team kicks off their campaign on June 12 against hosts Canada, followed by group matches against Switzerland (June 18) and Qatar (June 24).
