Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by defeating Italy 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in their play-off final in Zenica. The match, played on March 31, 2026, saw Italy's Federico Chiesa open the scoring in the 53rd minute before Bosnia's Ermedin Demirović equalized in the 78th minute.
Italy played the final 20 minutes with ten men after defender Giorgio Scalvini received a second yellow card. In the decisive shootout, Bosnia converted all four of their penalties, with Esmir Bajraktarević scoring the winning kick. Italy's Nicolò Zaniolo missed the Azzurri's third attempt.
The result marks Bosnia and Herzegovina's second-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup, having previously appeared in 2014. Italy, the four-time world champions, will miss the tournament for the second consecutive time after failing to qualify for the 2022 edition.
