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Not Zlatan tearing up over Bosnia’s win…okay, okay I forgive him for not playing for us. Finally. pic.twitter.com/fUYYGZVkY3

— Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura (@arnesa_kustura) June 25, 2026

What Zlatan Ibrahimovic Said

Bosnia and Herzegovina's historic qualification also left Zlatan Ibrahimović emotional. Although he represented Sweden during his international career, his father is from Bosnia and Herzegovina, while his mother is from Croatia. Ibrahimović was eligible to play for Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Croatia, but he chose to represent the country where he was born - Sweden.

Reacting to Bosnia and Herzegovina's qualification, Zlatan said: "That's what football is all about. Especially for Bosnia, how much this country has suffered. To see this happiness makes me very emotional, gives me goosebumps. There's my father's roots, and just to see 70,000 singing. Clearly, the Bosnian fans already won the World Cup. It makes me very happy, proud to see them advance from the group stage."

Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently ranked 62nd in the FIFA rankings, making them the lowest-ranked European team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026. They finished third in Group B with four points and secured a historic place in the knockout stage.

Historic FIFA World Cup

This World Cup has already created history, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, South Africa and Japan have all reached the knockout stage for the first time.

Canada finished as runners-up in Group B with one win, one draw and one loss. South Africa also ended as runners-up in Group A with four points, including a surprise victory over South Korea.

Japan qualified as the runners-up in Group F after earning a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Sweden. Their reward is a Round of 32 clash against five-time World Cup champions Brazil. It will be a special moment for Japan, as Brazilian legend Zico played a key role in helping develop football in the country in the early 1990s. Now, Japan has the chance to show how far they have come against one of the greatest football nations in history.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands topped Group F after drawing with Japan and comfortably outperforming Sweden and Tunisia during the group stage. Morocco also remained unbeaten to finish second in Group C as they continue their dream of becoming the first African nation to win the FIFA World Cup. Morocco had also reached the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.