Bosnia and Herzegovina Defeats Qatar 3-1 in World Cup Group B Match

Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a convincing 3-1 victory over Qatar in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B match held in Seattle on 24 June. The match was part of the tournament's third round of group play. Bosnia's 18-year-old winger Kerim Alajbegovic opened the scoring with a stunning goal in the 29th minute, setting the tone for a dominant performance. Qatar equalised briefly through Hassan Al-Haidos in the 42nd minute, but Bosnia regained control when Qatar's Sultan Al-Barakah scored an own goal in the 34th minute. Bosnia sealed victory with Emir Mahmutovic adding a third goal in the 80th minute.

Alajbegovic's goal proved historically significant, as the teenager became the eighth-youngest goal scorer in World Cup history at 18 years and 276 days old, behind Pelé's record of 17 years and 241 days. The 18-year-old's performance earned recognition as one of the match's standout players.

With this victory, Bosnia and Herzegovina accumulated four points in the group stage but remained in third place in Group B, narrowly missing second place on additional criteria. Despite their strong showing, Qatar's tournament participation effectively ended with just one point from three matches. Under the tournament format, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups advance directly to the knockout stage, along with the eight best-performing third-placed teams.

The 2026 World Cup is being hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, running from 11 June to 19 July.