Sergej Barbarez

Sergej Barbarez is the head coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, his first senior managerial role anywhere. Born in Mostar on 17 September 1971 — then SR Bosnia and Herzegovina inside Yugoslavia — he is one of the most beloved sporting figures the country has produced, a tall, technical second striker who became a Bundesliga legend.

After leaving Velež Mostar he played in Germany for Hannover 96, Union Berlin, Hansa Rostock and Borussia Dortmund before joining Hamburger SV in 2000, where he scored 65 league goals in 174 matches and shared the 2000–01 Bundesliga top-scorer title on 22 goals with Schalke's Ebbe Sand. He captained Bosnia until 2005, served on the Hamburger SV board between 2009 and 2010, then stepped quietly away from football altogether for more than a decade.

The Bosnian federation took an unusual gamble on 19 April 2024, handing him a four-year contract with no senior coaching experience to his name. The bet paid off in dramatic fashion: an Edin Džeko equaliser in the play-off semi-final against Wales on 26 March 2026, penalties survived, and then a 1–1 draw and a penalty-shootout win over Italy in the final on 31 March — Bosnia's first World Cup since 2014. Bosnia are placed in Group A. With Džeko at the front, captain on a farewell mission, and a midfield core of Edin Bajraktarević and Benjamin Tahirović, Barbarez's task is to convert the romance of the play-off run into a tournament Bosnia can be proud of.