From war to World Cup: Dzeko’s last dance reignites Bosnia

Bosnia’s World – Edin Džeko’s final international tournament moment has turned into something bigger for Bosnia and Herzegovina: a breakthrough after years of play-off heartbreak, with a qualification that fans, artists, and players describe as emotional proof that the country

On the night Bosnia waited for another play-off result, it wasn’t just football at stake. When the final whistle came and the country’s team had done it again—this time beating Wales before then overcoming Italy on penalties after trailing in both matches—thousands of people didn’t go home quietly.

They spilled into the streets and partied until dawn.

Edin Džeko. now credited with Bosnia’s most appearances (148) and most goals (73). has long been the symbol of a team that refused to disappear. He made his international debut in 2007. and now. with his international career entering its closing chapter. his “last dance” has coincided with the moment Bosnia return to the World Cup after a long stretch of disappointment.

Bosnia had suffered play-off losses to Portugal for both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Džeko helped Bosnia qualify for their first major tournament since independence. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil became the first and last for Bosnia’s so-called golden generation. Then, heartbreak returned in the play-offs again—this time for Euro 2016, 2020 and 2024.

Twelve years later, Bosnia’s escape from those demons felt different. They did it by beating Wales and then Italy on penalties, having trailed in both matches.

For Ibrulj, the emotional meaning is inseparable from time. “2014 felt historic because it was the first generation that truly gave Bosnia international sporting legitimacy after independence.” This new qualification, he said, “feels even heavier emotionally.”

Bosnia spent more than a decade failing to return to major tournaments, and in that long wait came disappointment, pessimism, and a growing feeling that the country had missed its moment.

The squad taking the pitch also carries a different kind of belonging. For younger supporters, the team that qualified now feels like their own in the same way older generations emotionally belonged to the side of Džeko, Miralem Pjanic and Emir Spahic.

“It’s a unique dynamic of players growing up all over the world but coming back to represent Bosnia,” says former Bosnia goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. In the World Cup squad, Serjeј Barbarez has a mix of experience and youth: seventeen of the 26 players were born outside of Bosnia & Herzegovina.

That reality isn’t abstract. Esmir Bajraktarevic, the scorer of the penalty that sent Bosnia to the World Cup, is 21 years old and was born and raised in Wisconsin after his parents fled Srebrenica.

“What the country has been through, there’s still lingering effects from the conflict and the past,” he says. When everyone comes together. he adds. “it’s a pretty unique feeling and really special.” He points to the size of the task as part of what makes it land so hard: “For a country so small to compete at this stage is a really big thing.”.

The cultural language around the qualification echoes that same defiance. Musician Alen Dokic—who has produced a World Cup song under the alias Doppelganger—frames the moment as “Bosanski Inat,” a mindset of defiance and overcoming adversity.

“Never forget, never forgive—this is one of the mottos that reminds us who we are, what we have been through, and how resilient we Bosnians are,” Dokic says.

For the people celebrating in the early hours, those words aren’t decoration. Bosnia is still shaped by the divisions of politics, the instability of economic uncertainty, and the long shadow of war, Ibrulj says. That’s why joy—real, collective joy—arrives with unusual weight.

After the Italy match, the streets became a release valve for years of waiting. And for a country that has had to learn how to keep going through heartbreak, the sight of Bosnia celebrating together felt like more than sport. It felt like a statement that the past doesn’t get the final word.

Bosnia and Herzegovina World Cup qualification Edin Dzeko Bosanski Inat Wales Italy penalties Srebrenica Esmir Bajraktarevic Asmir Begovic Miralem Pjanic Emir Spahic Alen Dokic Doppelganger Serjeј Barbarez political division economic uncertainty