About Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina (N/FSBiH) traces its roots to 1920, when the Sarajevo football sub-association was established. Football itself arrived in the region far earlier — official competition began in 1908 under Austro-Hungarian rule. For much of the 20th century the association operated within the Yugoslav football system, producing celebrated players such as Safet Sušić and Vahid Halilhodžić.

Following Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of independence, the federation was refounded in 1992 and admitted to both FIFA and UEFA. However, its governance reflected the ethnic power-sharing structure of the Dayton Agreement, with a unique three-person presidency representing Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs, and Bosnian Croats — an arrangement that persisted for nearly two decades.

In April 2011, FIFA and UEFA suspended the association with immediate effect due to non-compliance with statutes requiring a single president. The suspension was lifted on 30 May 2011 after a FIFA-appointed normalisation committee, headed by legendary coach Ivica Osim, restructured the organisation. In December 2012, Elvedin Begić became the federation's first single president, marking a new era of unified governance.

Today the association oversees the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, national teams across all age groups and genders, and futsal competitions. The national team reached the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2014, a landmark achievement in the country's football history.