Edin Dzeko is due to win his 149th cap on Friday when Bosnia and Herzegovina host North Macedonia in a friendly at 8:30 p.m. in Sarajevo’s Asim Ferhatović Hase stadium as the team complete final preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The fixture — Bosnia and Herzegovina vs North Macedonia — is being searched for now because it is one of the last opportunities to test the squad before the tournament: Dzeko’s milestone and the timing make the match a live barometer of form and fitness ahead of the group stage.
The game is not a tune-up in isolation. Bosnia and Herzegovina come into Koševo riding the momentum of a UEFA playoff campaign that ended in March with a penalty-shootout victory that knocked Italy out of the qualification trail, a result that secured their place in next month’s World Cup and raised expectations at home.
That optimism meets a reminder of a stubborn record. Bosnia have not beaten North Macedonia since 2000 and the teams last met in 2008 in a 2-2 draw. Coach Sergej Barbarez told reporters the Koševo fixture will be “a test of character” and stressed that North Macedonia, under a new coach, will be strong opponents who will try to win — language that undercut the comfortable favorite tag Bosnia carries after qualification.
Barbarez’s warning is practical: friendlies reveal more than tactics — they expose rust, concentration lapses and mental reaction to pressure. Tarik Muharemović, a member of the squad, said discipline has been maintained even after the success of qualification and highlighted newcomer Ermin Mahmić, who has impressed in training and could give the team a boost when he plays with the rest of the group.
Fans who cannot be in Koševo can watch the match live; the fixture is available on FOX Soccer Plus + with Fubo. The Sarajevo friendly is the start of a compact run for Bosnia and Herzegovina: they travel to St. Louis to meet Panama on June 6 before opening their World Cup against Canada on June 12 in Toronto, then face Switzerland on June 18 in Los Angeles and Qatar on June 24 in Seattle.
The result in Sarajevo will matter for selection and tone. A convincing win would reinforce the belief that the playoff surge was no fluke and that an experienced captain on the brink of his 149th appearance can still steer the team forward. A flat performance, or a slip against an opponent Bosnia have not beaten in more than two decades, would sharpen the question no one has answered yet: can Bosnia and Herzegovina translate qualification momentum into a convincing performance when the World Cup begins?
