Bosnia and Herzegovina
Twelve years is a long time to wait for a second act. Bosnia and Herzegovina reached only one World Cup before this, going out in the group at Brazil 2014 with four points, and now they return at last. The man tasked with ending that drought is Sergej Barbarez, a feared Bundesliga striker in his playing days and a national-team coach for the first time on this stage. He has built around an ageing spine while folding in players who came of age after 2014. Up front, Edin Dzeko carries the team one final time, a farewell for the country's all-time talisman, with Ermedin Demirovic of Stuttgart pushing alongside him and Sead Kolasinac steadying things behind. Group B brings Switzerland, Canada and Qatar. Kinder than the 2014 draw, and the round of 32 looks within reach.
Standings · B
After matchday 3 of 3| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SUI | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 7 |
| 2 | CAN | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +5 | 4 |
| 3 | BIH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | QAT | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -8 | 1 |