Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia are at their first World Cup since 2014, when they went out in the group stage in their debut tournament — qualifying after a long absence, and with a squad that has more depth than the 2014 edition.

Edin Džeko, their legendary striker who scored at the 2014 World Cup and is their all-time top scorer, has retired from international football — this squad has to prove it can perform without the player who defined Bosnian football for 15 years.

They're in Group B with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland — a genuinely competitive group where any three teams could realistically advance, and Bosnia have the quality to surprise.

Bosnia's football is known for producing technical, creative midfielders — Miralem Pjanić played for Juventus and Barcelona, and the current generation shows similar qualities.

The country's football development has always been complicated by its political structure — three entities sharing governance of the national team — but the team itself functions as a genuinely unified side on the pitch.