Bosnia and Herzegovina Beat Qatar 3-1 to Keep World Cup Knockout Hopes Alive

SEATTLE: Bosnia and Herzegovina kept their hopes of reaching the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stage alive with a convincing 3-1 victory over Qatar in their final Group B match.

Playing in Seattle, Bosnia started aggressively and created several early chances, forcing Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada into a series of impressive saves.

The breakthrough came in the 29th minute when 18-year-old Karim Alibegovic dribbled past two defenders before firing a powerful shot into the net to give Bosnia a deserved lead.

Just six minutes later, Bosnia doubled their advantage. Captain Edin Džeko’s volley took a deflection off Qatar defender Sultan Al-Brake and ended up in the goal, with the effort recorded as an own goal.

Qatar responded before halftime when Hassan Al-Haydos found the net three minutes before the break to reduce the deficit to 2-1. Pedro Miguel came close to equalizing shortly afterward, but his effort struck the post.

In the second half, Qatar increased the pressure through counterattacks, but Bosnia’s defense remained organized and resilient.

The decisive moment arrived in the 80th minute when substitute Armin Mahmić capitalized on a goalmouth scramble inside the penalty area to score Bosnia’s third goal and seal the victory.

The win marked only Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second-ever victory in FIFA World Cup history. Their first came at the 2014 tournament when they defeated Iran 3-1.

Bosnia finished the group stage with four points but had to settle for third place due to an inferior head-to-head record against Canada.

The team must now wait for results from other groups, hoping to secure a place among the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams and advance to the knockout rounds.

Qatar, meanwhile, finished bottom of Group B with just one point and was eliminated from the competition.