Zlatan Ibrahimovic Struggles To Hold Back Tears As Bosnia And Herzegovina Enter FIFA World Cup 2026 Knockouts
The FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout round is beginning to take shape. For the first time, Bosnia and Herzegovina advanced to the FIFA World Cup knockout stage after finishing third in Group B
The FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout round is beginning to take shape. For the first time, Bosnia and Herzegovina advanced to the FIFA World Cup knockout stage after finishing third in Group B. The U.S. will face Bosnia-Herzegovina on July 1 in Santa Clara, California, getting to stay on the West Coast after competing in the Los Angeles area and Seattle during the group stage. The Americans had already clinched a spot in the knockout round before a 3-2 loss to Turkey on Thursday night in front of a raucous, celebrity-studded Southern California crowd at SoFi Stadium.
Getting emotional on Bosnia's achievement was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who played for Sweden, but his father's roots are in Bosnia. Ibrahimovic was eligible to represent Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Croatia (from his mother's side) at the international level; he chose the country of his birth.
"That's what football is all about. Especially for Bosnia, how much this country has suffered. To see this happiness makes me very emotional, gives me goosebumps. There's my father's roots, and just to see 70,000 singing. Clearly, the Bosnian fans already won the World Cup. It makes me very happy, proud to see them advance from the group stage," a visibly emotional Zlatan said.
Not Zlatan tearing up over Bosnia's win…okay, okay I forgive him for not playing for us. Finally. pic.twitter.com/fUYYGZVkY3
— Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura (@arnesa_kustura) June 25, 2026
Bosnia-Herzegovina is 62nd in the FIFA rankings - the lowest-ranked World Cup qualifier from Europe. Bosnia finished third in Group B with four points.
These nations have already made history. It'll be the first time both are in the knockout stage of the World Cup. Co-host Canada advanced as runner-up in Group B with four points - one win, one draw, and one loss. South Africa was runner-up in Group A, also with four points, including a surprising win over South Korea.
Japan advanced as Group F runner-up with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Sweden, and the Samurai Blue's reward is a knockout match against five-time World Cup champion Brazil. It'll be a full-circle moment for Japan, which welcomed Brazilian soccer legend Zico in 1991. He was brought in to professionalize the country's new domestic league and support Japan's successful bid to host the World Cup in 2002. Now, the Japanese have a chance to show how far they've come against a country that has set the standard.
The Netherlands won Group F after playing to a draw with Japan and outscoring Sweden and Tunisia by a combined 8-2. Morocco went unbeaten to finish second in Group C in pursuit of becoming the first African winner of the World Cup. Morocco reached the semifinals four years ago in Qatar.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Zlatan Ibrahimovic