Bosnia and Qatar Draw 0-0 in Seattle as World Cup Hopes Hang in the Balance

Bosnia and Qatar met on Wednesday night in Seattle knowing that a draw would likely send both teams out of the 2026 World Cup, while a win would lift the victor into third place in Group B and give it a strong chance of reaching the round of 32. Bosnia were without Tarik Muharemovic, who was sent off in the 4-1 loss to Switzerland, and made three other changes. Qatar also had to cope without Homam Ahmed and Assim Madibo, both dismissed in the heavy 6-0 defeat to host Canada, while Karim Boudiaf and Hassan Al-Haydos started for the first time in the tournament.

The matchup carried added significance for Bosnia, which has one World Cup win in its history, a group-stage victory on the final day in 2014 against Iran. Bosnia had also failed to beat Qatar in two previous friendlies, losing 2-0 in January 2000 and drawing 1-1 in August 2010. Edin Dzeko, who started in that 2010 match 16 years ago, again led Bosnia's attack.

The game kicked off at Lumen Field in Seattle, with Venezuelan referee Jesus Valenzuela in charge. After two minutes, Ermedin Demirovic created Bosnia's first chance from the edge of the box and forced a difficult save from the goalkeeper. The article listed the lineups and showed the Group B table, in which Canada and Switzerland led with four points each, while Bosnia and Qatar were level on one point apiece.

The schedule for the knockout rounds was also noted, with the round of 32 set for June 28 to July 3, the round of 16 for July 4 to 7, the quarterfinals for July 9 to 11, the semifinals for July 14 and 15, the third-place match on July 18 and the final on July 19.