Bosnia and Herzegovina football clubs in European competitions

Did You Know?

• Bashkimi were awarded a 3–0 win because Žepče fielded an ineligible player.
• The biggest aggregate win by a Bosnian club is Borac's 14–1 victory over Rumelange in the 1975–76 Cup Winners' Cup.

History

Sarajevo were the first Bosnian club to play in Europe, entering the 1967–68 European Cup as Yugoslav champions. They beat Cyprus’s Olympiakos Nicosia in the first round before falling to Manchester United in the second. While Bosnia and Herzegovina was still part of Yugoslavia, four other clubs also took part in European tournaments. The best run came from Željezničar, who reached the 1984–85 UEFA Cup semi-finals, losing 4–3 on aggregate to Hungary’s Videoton. Since independence, fourteen more Bosnian clubs have appeared in Europe. A major milestone arrived in 2023–24 when Zrinjski became the country’s first team to reach a UEFA group stage. They beat Iceland’s Breiðablik in the Europa League third qualifying round, then lost to Austria’s LASK in the play-offs, dropping into the Europa Conference League group stage. Drawn with Aston Villa, Legia Warsaw, and AZ Alkmaar, Zrinjski pulled off a stunning comeback on 21 September 2023, trailing 3–0 at halftime against AZ before winning 4–3 with goals from Zvonimir Kožulj, Josip Ćorluka, and Aldin Hrvanović. They also drew 1–1 at home with Aston Villa, finishing fourth in the group with one win, one draw, four defeats, six goals scored, and ten conceded. The next season, Borac entered the league phase under UEFA’s new format. After eliminating Faroese champions KÍ in the Europa League third qualifying round, they lost on penalties to Ferencváros in the play-offs but still reached the Conference League league phase. Facing Panathinaikos, APOEL, LASK, Omonia, Víkingur Reykjavík, and Shamrock Rovers, Borac started with a 1–1 home draw against Panathinaikos, then won 1–0 away at APOEL. They beat LASK 2–1, held Omonia to a goalless draw in Banja Luka, and lost away to Víkingur and Shamrock Rovers. Finishing 20th out of 36 teams, they advanced to the knockout phase play-offs, where they edged Olimpija Ljubljana 1–0 on aggregate. In the round of 16, Borac drew 1–1 at home with Rapid Wien before losing 2–1 in extra time in Vienna.

Pre-war period

Five Bosnian clubs once competed in Europe’s top three tournaments: the European Cup, the UEFA Cup (and its predecessor the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup), and the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Sarajevo was the only side to win a round, beating their first opponent in 1967–68 before falling to Manchester United in the second. Their next European Cup appearance, in 1985–86, ended with a 4–2 aggregate defeat by Finnish champions Kuusysi Lahti. City rivals Željezničar lost to Derby County in the first round of their sole European Cup campaign. Two clubs, Velež Mostar and Borac Banja Luka, each played twice in the Cup Winners’ Cup before it was scrapped in 1999. Željezničar was the lone Bosnian entrant in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, competing in its final season before UEFA took over and renamed it the UEFA Cup; they were knocked out in the first round by Anderlecht. After the UEFA Cup launched in 1971–72, Bosnian clubs played far more European matches. The standout run came from Željezničar, who reached the semifinals in 1984–85 before losing to Videoton. Velež appeared in four UEFA Cup seasons, Sarajevo and Željezničar in two each, and Sloboda Tuzla in one. The biggest win was Borac’s 9–0 thrashing of Rumelange in the 1975–76 Cup Winners’ Cup, also the largest aggregate victory at 14–1. The heaviest loss was Sarajevo’s 6–1 defeat to Anderlecht in the 1982–83 UEFA Cup, which also produced the worst aggregate, 2–6.

Post-war period

Bosnia and Herzegovina formed its own football league after the breakup of Yugoslavia. Bosnian clubs made their European debut in 1998, when two teams from Sarajevo entered the UEFA Cup. The following year, Jedinstvo Bihać took part in the now-defunct UEFA Intertoto Cup. The nation’s first Champions League appearance came in 2000, when Brotnjo Čitluk qualified by winning the Bosniak–Croatian playoff. Apart from Jedinstvo’s Intertoto run, no Bosnian club played in Europe during the 1999–2000 season. Since 2000–01, eight different teams have entered the Champions League, but none have ever reached the group stage or league phase. Only two clubs have made it as far as the third qualifying round, and both suffered heavy losses. In 2002–03, Željezničar beat the champions of Iceland and Norway before facing Newcastle United. They lost 1–0 at home and 4–0 away. In 2007–08, Sarajevo got past the Maltese champions and surprised Genk, then lost both legs to Dynamo Kyiv. Among Bosnian sides, Zrinjski leads with nine Champions League campaigns. Borac has three, Široki Brijeg two, and Brotnjo, Modriča, and Leotar Trebinje each have one. No Bosnian club has yet reached the group stage or league phase in European competition. Sarajevo came closest several times, falling in the play-off round to Cluj in 2009–10, Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014–15, and Celtic in 2019–20. Zrinjski reached the play-off twice: LASK eliminated them in 2023–24, and Utrecht did the same in 2025–26. Borac also made the play-off in 2024–25, losing to Ferencváros.