Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published Monday, March 30, 2026 8:34 p.m. / Updated Monday, March 30, 2026 8:34 p.m.
The team coached by Sergej Barbarez will play on Tuesday evening, on “Bilino Polje”, the decisive match to go to the World Championship for the second time in history. Among the 8,800 spectators in Zenica will be the legendary Novak Djokovic. “The world went crazy when they found out that the greatest tennis player of all time will be at the stadium to give us a hand,” Bosnia-Herzegovina media announced.
The play-off final for the 2026 World Cup qualification in Zenica will benefit from a luxury guest on Tuesday. The publication Klix.ba writes that Novak Djokovic arrived in Sarajevo today at 16:30 to encourage Bosnia.
The holder of the men's record for most Grand Slams won didn't just come to visit, however. Sources from the federation say that Djokovic will be at the Bilino Polje stadium tomorrow to support his Bosnian friends.
Tarik Muharemovic / Photo: Imago
We are not afraid of anyone, we only fear God! We will enter the pitch and devour the Azzurri. We believe in ourselves, from the staff to the last player. We believe in qualification and will fight to the end for our dream. Zenica will be a volcano!
– Tarik Muharemovic, Bosnian defender
“The greatest tennis player of all time is also a football fan will be at the stadium to give us a hand”
“Everybody's gone crazy here because the greatest tennis player of all time is going to be at the stadium to give us a hand,” explains the cited publication. Moreover, Novak Djokovic had written a message to Edin Dzeko a few days ago to congratulate him on the Bosnian's victory against Wales on Friday.
The Serbian tennis player is expected at the stadium tomorrow. “Even if Bilino Polje is not exactly five stars, the atmosphere, as has been announced for days, will be incandescent. And it seems that Nole, a lifelong football fan, does not want to miss such a match.
Sergej Barbarez, the coach of Bosnia
And because, if Bosnia would qualify for the World Cup, where it has not reached since the premiere in 2014, many say it would be something historic for the entire Balkan area. And it's great that Djokovic came to cheer on Dzeko's national team.”
“If we score 1-0, we will park the bus on one side (no – defensive). But if we concede a goal, we will park it on the other side (no – in Italy's box). We are happy to have come this far, I can feel and see the love coming from these players of mine
– Sergey BarbarezBosnia-Herzegovina coach
