Bosnia vs Qatar prediction, tips and odds | World Cup 2026

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar meet in the third and final round of Group B at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday 24 June at Seattle Stadium, with both sides locked on one point and facing elimination without a victory.

Bosnia drew 1-1 with Canada on matchday one before losing 4-1 to Switzerland, while Qatar earned a 1-1 draw with the Swiss courtesy of a stoppage-time equaliser before suffering a historic 6-0 defeat to Canada, the heaviest loss in the country's World Cup history.

Match preview and recent form: Bosnia vs Qatar

Bosnia arrive at this decisive fixture carrying the hopes of a nation competing at a World Cup for only the second time in their history, having qualified through a dramatic playoff campaign that saw them eliminate both Wales and Italy, each time on penalties.

Sergej Barbarez's side opened the tournament with a creditable 1-1 draw against Canada, with Jovo Lukic finding the net in the 21st minute before the Canadians equalised.

The 4-1 defeat to Switzerland in the second round was more severe than the game warranted for long periods, with the score locked at 0-0 until the 74th minute when Johan Manzambi broke the deadlock for the Swiss.

The red card shown to defender Tarik Muharemovic in the 80th minute fundamentally altered the contest, with Switzerland scoring three of their four goals in the final ten minutes, including a Granit Xhaka penalty deep into stoppage time.

Ermin Mahmic scored a late consolation, but Bosnia's goal difference of minus three (two scored, five conceded) remains significantly better than Qatar's minus six (one scored, seven conceded), a factor that could prove decisive in determining the final group standings.

Bosnia's squad features players drawn from leading European leagues, with Sead Kolasinac at Atalanta, Amar Dedic at Benfica, Ermedin Demirovic at Stuttgart and Esmir Bajraktarevic at PSV, providing a level of quality and competitive experience that Qatar's domestically-based squad cannot match, and the TNT Sports betting hub outlines the markets available for this fixture.

Qatar are enduring another difficult World Cup campaign under the management of Julen Lopetegui, the former Spain head coach, although the point earned against Switzerland at least marks an improvement on the 2022 tournament, where Qatar lost all three group matches as hosts.

The 6-0 defeat to Canada on matchday two stands as the worst single result in Qatari World Cup history, dwarfing any scoreline from the three defeats suffered as hosts during the 2022 tournament.

Against Canada, Qatar managed just 22% possession and attempted only two shots across the entire 90 minutes, none of which found the target.

Two red cards compounded the difficulty, with defender Homam Ahmed dismissed in the 33rd minute and midfielder Assim Madibo following in the 53rd, and both players will serve suspensions for this fixture against Bosnia.

Across their last five matches, Qatar have scored just one goal and conceded 11, figures that speak to the depth of offensive and defensive dysfunction within the squad.

Team news and line-ups: Bosnia vs Qatar

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The most significant absence for Bosnia is centre-back Tarik Muharemovic of Sassuolo, who received a straight red card in the 80th minute against Switzerland for a foul on Breel Embolo and must serve a one-match ban.

Dennis Hadzikadunic of Sampdoria is expected to partner Nikola Katic of Schalke 04 in central defence as his replacement.

Captain Edin Dzeko, who at 40 years of age remains Bosnia's all-time leading scorer with 73 goals in 149 appearances, was rested for the opening fixture against Canada before playing 63 minutes against Switzerland and is expected to start this decisive contest.

The 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegovic of Red Bull Salzburg retains his place on the right side of midfield after starting both group-stage fixtures, and Boylesports offer enhanced odds on several Bosnian player markets for this match.

Qatar

Qatar face two significant suspensions for this decisive match, with Homam Ahmed, a starter in defence across both group games, and Assim Madibo, an established presence in central midfield, both sent off during the 6-0 loss to Canada.

Sultan Al-Brake of Al-Duhail is the most likely replacement at left-back, while veteran Karim Boudiaf, 35, with 123 caps to his name, is expected to come into midfield in place of Madibo.

Mahmud Abunada of Al-Rayyan has started in goal in both group matches and should retain his position against Bosnia.

The psychological impact of the Canada result weighs heavily on a squad that already experienced the disappointment of failing to win a single game as World Cup hosts in 2022.

Bosnia vs Qatar predicted line-ups

Predicted Bosnia XI (4-4-2): Vasilj; Dedic, Katic, Hadzikadunic, Kolasinac; Alajbegovic, Sunjic, Tahirovic, Memic; Demirovic, Dzeko.

Predicted Qatar XI (4-3-3): Abunada; Al-Oui, Pedro Miguel, Khoukhi, Sultan Al-Brake; Gaber, Laye, Boudiaf; Edmilson Junior, Abdurisag, Akram Afif.

Head-to-head record: Bosnia vs Qatar

Bosnia and Qatar have met on only two previous occasions, both in friendly fixtures, and this encounter will represent their first competitive meeting at any level.

Qatar won the first meeting 2-0 in January 2000 in Doha, but that result is more than 25 years old and bears no relevance to the current balance of quality between the two nations.

The most recent encounter, a 1-1 draw in Zenica in August 2010, also predates the present era by more than 15 years, a period in which both squads have been entirely transformed.

Our Bosnia vs Qatar prediction and betting tips