Bosnia and Herzegovina stuns Italy to qualify for 2026 World Cup. See group schedule.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina came back to beat Italy to and secure its spot in the 2026 World Cup, extending the misery for the four-time champions who have now failed to qualify for the tournament since 2014.
Italy took the lead in the 15th minute but Alessandro Bastoni's red card right before halftime put the Italians on the back foot. Down to 10 men, Italy resisted until the 79th minute when Haris Tabakovic equalized for Bosnia.
After a scoreless extra time, the Bosnians converted all four of their penalty kicks – with Italy going 1-for-3.
This is Bosnia and Herzegovina's second appearance in the World Cup, making its debut at the 2014 tournament in debut. The team competed as part of Yugoslavia from 1930-1990 before making its first attempt at qualification in 1998.
Bosnia will join World Cup Group B with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland, and will face co-host Canada in the opener on June 12 in Toronto.
Bosnia World Cup group schedule
- June 12 vs. Canada, BMO Field – Toronto
- June 18 vs. Switzerland, SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, California
- June 24 vs. Qatar, Lumen Field – Seattle
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bosnia World Cup group schedule after upset vs. Italy in qualifying playoffs
