Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina – football beyond divisions

Bosnia and Herzegovina sits around the middle of the fourth decade of the UEFA country ranking. It is positioned alongside Latvia, Kosovo, Armenia and Finland. The differences between these federations are small, meaning that one successful season can lead to a significant rise, while a poor campaign can result in a drop of several places.

Bosnian football has several clubs with strong traditions, but for many years no team managed to establish itself as a regular participant in the league phases of European competitions. In recent seasons, the situation has started to improve thanks to Zrinjski Mostar and Borac Banja Luka.

Zrinjski Mostar – the historic leader

Zrinjski Mostar is currently the highest-ranked Bosnian club in the UEFA rankings. The Mostar side has been part of the domestic elite for years, but its real breakthrough came only in the modern era of European competitions.

In the 2023/24 season, Zrinjski became the first club from Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach the league phase of a European competition. They achieved this in the Conference League, and in their opening match they produced a remarkable comeback against AZ Alkmaar. The Bosnians were heavily behind but eventually turned the game around to secure an extraordinary victory.

The qualification represented a breakthrough for the entire country. Previously, Bosnian clubs had regularly been eliminated in qualifying, often after close two-legged ties against more experienced opponents. Zrinjski showed that a club from the Bosnian league could not only survive qualifying but also compete in the league phase against teams from the Netherlands, Austria and other stronger football nations.

The Mostar club is also one of Bosnia's most experienced participants in European competitions. In recent seasons, it has collected ranking points with considerable regularity, putting it well ahead of most domestic rivals.

Borac Banja Luka and a new rivalry

Borac Banja Luka has become the second pillar of Bosnia's European ranking. The club from Republika Srpska has achieved results comparable to Zrinjski in recent seasons and has increasingly progressed into the later rounds of European competitions.

Borac gained valuable experience in the Conference League, while its European campaign helped the club expand its profile beyond its traditional regional base. The Banja Luka side began competing with the Mostar club for the position of Bosnia's leading European representative.

The rivalry between Zrinjski and Borac also has a political and social dimension. Mostar is a city divided between Bosniak and Croat communities, while Banja Luka is the capital of Republika Srpska, one of the two main entities making up Bosnia and Herzegovina. Matches between the two clubs therefore carry significance beyond football.

Modern Borac is an example of a club that, through organisational stability and strong domestic results, has established itself as a serious contender for European points. In the five-year UEFA club ranking, it is close to Zrinjski.

Sarajevo, Velež and Željezničar

FK Sarajevo is one of the best-known clubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The capital's team has a large fan base and a rich tradition, but in recent seasons it has not collected as many European points as Zrinjski and Borac.

The capital also has another major club – Željezničar Sarajevo. The rivalry between the two sides is one of the most important derbies of the former Yugoslavia. The Sarajevo derby is known for its intense atmosphere, with its significance stemming from both the clubs' histories and the city's social divisions.

Velež Mostar represents the Bosniak part of Mostar. The club has a distinctive history, strong ties to the local community and an important role in the city's culture. The rivalry between Velež and Zrinjski is one of the most emotionally charged derbies in the region.

Other clubs, including Tuzla City, Široki Brijeg and Radnik Bijeljina, have also appeared in European qualifying. Their results have been less consistent, but every successful qualifying round helps improve the country's coefficient. The biggest problem remains that, outside the two leading clubs, few teams are able to progress beyond the first round.

The national team with Džeko and Pjanić

The greatest achievement of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team came at the 2014 World Cup. It was the first time that independent Bosnia and Herzegovina had qualified for the finals of the tournament.

The team's leader was Edin Džeko, one of the greatest strikers in the history of Bosnian football. Miralem Pjanić, Vedad Ibišević, Senad Lulić and Asmir Begović were also part of the squad. Many of the players were competing in Europe's top leagues at the time.

Bosnia did not progress from the group, but recorded a victory over Iran, and simply reaching the World Cup had enormous symbolic importance. The national team brought together players from different regions and communities of the country in a common sporting project.

Bosnia and Herzegovina have still not qualified for the finals of the European Championship. Its history nevertheless shows that the country has been capable of producing a national team able to compete with Europe's best, even while its domestic league has remained weaker in organisational and financial terms.

Football in a divided country

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a complex political structure shaped by the war of the 1990s. The country consists of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, while the Brčko District has a special status.

These divisions are also visible in football. Clubs often have strong connections with particular national or religious communities. Zrinjski is primarily associated with Croats, Borac with Serbs, while Sarajevo and Velež are associated with the Bosniak community.

This does not mean that football simply reinforces divisions. The national team is one of the few projects capable of bringing people from across the country together. National-team matches can have an integrative role, although the choice of stadium, symbols and venue can sometimes be politically sensitive.

Stadiums and difficult infrastructure

The national team's most important stadium is Bilino Polje in Zenica, although Bosnia have also played matches in Sarajevo and other cities. The stadium in Zenica is known for its intense atmosphere and stands located close to the pitch.

In Sarajevo, the Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium, also known as Koševo, plays an important role. The arena hosted the opening ceremony of the 1984 Winter Olympics and remains one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most symbolic sporting venues.

Stadion Pod Bijelim Brijegom in Mostar is the home of Zrinjski. Its location and atmosphere give European matches a distinctive character. The club can use its home ground as one of its most important advantages during qualifying.

Infrastructure nevertheless remains a problem across the league. Some stadiums require modernisation, while certain clubs have to move European matches to larger or better-equipped venues.

Bosnia and Herzegovina in the UEFA ranking

Bosnia and Herzegovina currently sits around 36th place in the UEFA country ranking. Its coefficient is slightly higher than Finland's but very close to those of Latvia and Kosovo.

During the period analysed, Zrinjski Mostar and Borac Banja Luka made the largest contributions. Both clubs are around the top 120 of the UEFA club ranking, while FK Sarajevo, Velež and Željezničar are considerably lower.

The greatest achievement remains Zrinjski's qualification for the Conference League league phase and its subsequent progression to the knockout phase. Borac has also collected important points and increased competition at the top of the domestic game.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has never won a European trophy, but in recent seasons its clubs have begun reaching the later stages of European competitions with increasing regularity. If Sarajevo, Velež and Željezničar can join Zrinjski and Borac, the country could move towards the higher positions in the UEFA ranking.

Bosnian football has enormous fan potential, strong traditions and a national team that has appeared at a World Cup. Its biggest challenges remain social divisions, inadequate infrastructure and dependence on a small number of clubs. Nevertheless, the recent success of Zrinjski and Borac shows that the league can gradually regain significance in European football.