Bosnia & Herzegovina take on the visitors Italy in the final match of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification. The match will be played on Tuesday, March 31st at Bilino Polje (Zenica).
Bosnia have always had a fairly star-studded squad. However, they have played at the World Cup only once, back in 2014 FIFA World Cup. Since then, they have often reached the playoffs, only to lose there. It was the same before the European Championship, when, after opening the scoring at home against Ukraine national football team, they eventually lost 1-2. In the current qualification campaign, they quite predictably finished second in their group, collecting 17 points from 8 matches — two fewer than leaders Austria national football team, but ahead of the rest, including Romania national football team, who were rated at least as highly. It seemed the playoffs would end already in the first match, when Wales national football team took the lead in Cardiff. However, Bosnia equalized in the 86th minute and then performed better in the penalty shootout to advance. Their recent results show resilience in decisive moments, although consistency remains questionable.
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Italy hope to break the curse. The “Squadra Azzurra” have already missed two World Cups, both times losing in the playoffs. Even after becoming European champions, they soon suffered another setback, losing a playoff match at home to Albania national football team. In the latest qualification campaign, the giants started with a heavy defeat to Norway national football team, which led to the resignation of Luciano Spalletti. He was replaced by Gennaro Gattuso, under whom there were some victories, but they again lost convincingly to the Scandinavians, finishing second overall. As a result, they had to go through the playoffs once more. However, in the first round they had no problems, beating Northern Ireland national football team 2-0. Their current form looks stable enough, suggesting they are determined to finally secure qualification.
There have been five meetings in total, all between 2019 and 2024. Italy have won four of them, while Bosnia managed just one draw — a 1-1 result away in the Nations League in autumn 2020. One of these teams will finally achieve a crucial success by qualifying for the World Cup. Considering the overall class and other factors, the pick is Italy to win.
Prediction for the match: Italy to win.
