Bosnia-Herzegovina embraces underdog role in World Cup opener against Canada

“Even if we are underrated or underdogs, we did something that everyone knows who we are,” forward Ermedin Demirovic said before practice Thursday. “It’s not a problem to be the underdog, to be honest,”

Bosnia kicks off its second World Cup appearance Friday against Canada, a team that sits more than 30 places above it in the FIFA rankings.

Bosnia is 64th, the lowest-ranked team in Group B behind Switzerland (19), Canada (30) and Qatar (56).

“We are a small country, this is our second ever World Cup and for sure we are sort of an underdog in many of the matches ahead,” coach Sergej Barbarez said. “But if you look at the previous 20 or so games there were only two teams that were ranked lower than us, and if you know our results, I think that you have to just admire what we’ve managed to achieve.”

The Bosnians qualified for the World Cup via the European playoffs, defeating Wales in the semifinals and upsetting Italy in the finals. They advanced on penalties each time.

Midfielder Amar Memic said Bosnia’s difficult qualifying road has prepared the team for the global stage.

“I think that it shows how much quality we have that we can play these big games and that we are prepared,” he said.

Bosnia’s only previous World Cup appearance was in 2014 in Brazil. The team lost to Argentina and Nigeria, then beat Iran and finished third in Group F.

Two players return from that squad: defender Sead Kolasinac and forward Edin Dzeko.

This time the team has brought along a viral song to the World Cup, “I Am from Bosnia — Take Me To America.” On Friday, the Bosnians will at least be playing in North America, and judging from the blue jerseys spotted on Toronto streets Thursday, they’ll have some support.

Dzeko, Bosnia’s career goals leader, suffered a shoulder injury in the win over Italy in March. He’s played just 64 minutes since and did not feature in either of Bosnia’s recent friendlies against North Macedonia and Panama.

The 40-year-old striker was a full participant in Bosnia’s final practice before its opening match, and Barbarez said he would be available for the game.

“The quality of him is something really special,” Demirovic said. “Not many teams have this quality.”

Owen Cameros is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.

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