Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina LIVE
Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina face off tonight in a huge World Cup play-off. Having both finished as runners-up in their qualifying groups, to Belgium and Austria respectively, they have another chance to punch their ticket for this summer’s tournament. The winner will face the victor between Italy and Northern Ireland for a place at the 2026 World Cup.
The Dragons, managed by Craig Bellamy, have recovered from a mini wobble in the winter which saw them lose three games in a row, one of which proved costly in their attempts to overtake Belgium in the table. They have won their last two matches, but now need to beat Bosnia for the first ever time - at the fifth time of asking.
Wales are the seeded team, so welcome Bosnia to the Cardiff City Stadium tonight, and will hope home advantage proves key as they look to reach back-to-back World Cups for the first ever time. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis.
Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina latest news
- GOAL! Dzeko heads home huge equaliser
- GOAL! Dan James stunner from distance
Agony for Wales, and a hugely painful night for the home nations as Northern Irelana and Republic of Ireland also crash out.
BOSNIA WIN ON PENALTIES!
22:35 , Alex YoungAlajbegovic can win it for Bosnia... AND DOES!
Wales’ World Cup dream is over!
Neco Williams.... SEES HIT SHOT SAVED!
Advantage Bosnia!
Hadžiahmetović scores a beauty into the top corner!
All square.
Johnson... BLAZES OVER!
That is an awful, awful penalty.
Basic steps up... and lashes it home!
Darlow went the right way, but that’s a great pen.
Harris to restore the lead... AND DOES!
Tabakovic’s turn... and he angles it just inside the bottom corner.
Wilson steps up... AND SCORES!
Demirovic steps up... and DARLOW SAVES!
Penalties
22:28 , Alex YoungBosnia up first, in front of their fans.
PENALTY SHOOTOUT
22:24 , Alex Young125min: A shootout to settle it!
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:23 , Alex Young124min: What a ball from Thomas to find Johnson at the back post, who connects to send it back but Harris is not there to slot into an empty net!
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:23 , Alex Young123min: Cries of a Bosnia handball but it clearly hits the player’s head.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:21 , Alex Young122min: Cullen and Basic tumble inside the Bosnia box, but the Wales man is penalised.
Looked a bit of six of one...
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:20 , Alex Young120min: It doesn’t beat the first man.
Four minutes added on.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:19 , Alex Young119min: Final minute, and Wales win a possible final corner. This time Thomas is to take.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:17 , Alex Young118min: Another cross from Thomas, but again aimless.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:14 , Alex Young114min: Harris looked to have the beating of Basic when scampering into the area, but the Bosnian pulls off a superb recovery tackle to nick the ball away just in time.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:12 , Alex Young113min: Wilson finally takes, straight at Rodon who heads wide.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:11 , Alex Young112min: Just Dzeko booked, as Bellamy keeps getting dragged into other arguments.
Meanwhile, Wales are waiting to take a corner.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:10 , Alex Young110min: Bellamy and Dzeko involved in a touchline clash. Looks like both have now been booked.
No idea what caused it.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:09 , Alex Young109min: It’s a scrappy start. Lots of tired legs out there.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:05 , Alex Young106min: 15 more minutes.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:02 , Alex Young107min: Wilson takes, towards the near post, but Bosnia clear.
Wales try to rally but again meet a Bosnia brick wall.
And that’s half-time.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
22:01 , Alex Young106min: Final minute of first half of extra time and Ampadu wins a corner.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
21:57 , Alex Young101min: Thomas is out wide on the left and is sending in cross after cross with mixed success, but his latest is flicked on by Johnson past the far post.
Getting closer.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
21:54 , Alex Young99min: Demirovic drives into the area, but the angle is fast closing and his shot finds the side netting.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
21:53 , Alex Young97min: Wales have started this extra time well, after that early scare. Wilson again guilty of one too many touches as the hosts steam forward.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
21:50 , Alex Young94min: Wilson looks destined to score!
The ball drops to him dead centre of the goal, in the area, he takes a superb first touch and then another, goes for placement and the keeper is able to save.
Should he have hit it sooner? Perhaps.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
21:47 , Alex Young92min: Wales get a wake-up call straight away as Bosnia burst into the area, but thankfully Alajbegovic blazes over when in space.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
21:46 , Alex Young91min: Here we go, again.
End of 90 minutes
21:40 , Alex Young96min: We’ll have another half an hour of this.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
21:38 , Alex Young94min: End to end in these final minutes of added on.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
21:36 , Alex Young92min: Wales corner towards Cullen, to head back towards goal but there’s no bundling it in. Extra time beckons.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
21:35 , Alex Young91min: Five minutes added on.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
21:34 , Alex Young88min: If Demirovic had his shooting boots on, Bosnia would be out of sight.
He’s just mistimed another good chance from close range.
Wales 1-1 Bosnia
21:33 , Alex Young87min: A sickener for Wales. And now they must respond.
GOAL!
21:31 , Alex Young86min: It’s that man Dzeko!
Wales give away a cheap corner, and you can’t give the Bosnia captain space to head home a huge equaliser!
Wales 1-0 Bosnia
21:28 , Alex Young84min: James replaced to a standing ovation. Thomas is on.
Wales 1-0 Bosnia
21:26 , Alex Young82min: Alajbegovic lets fly from the left and his shot fizzes wide of the far post.
Bosnia pushing and pushing.
Wales 1-0 Bosnia
21:21 , Alex Young76min: Oh my, Bosnia should be level.
Rodon loses sight of Demirovic at the back post, and the striker seemingly did not expect the ball to land at his feet three yards, but it does and the bounces wide.
Wales 1-0 Bosnia
21:18 , Alex Young74min: Harris replaces Brooks.
Wales 1-0 Bosnia
21:17 , Alex Young72min: Darlow forced into another fine save by Dedic, across his body from out wide.
Wales 1-0 Bosnia
21:10 , Alex Young66min: Bosnia are growing in confidence, with Wales starting to sit back.
A second would kill this game.
Wales 1-0 Bosnia
21:08 , Alex Young63min: WHAT A SAVE FROM DARLOW!
Demirovic looks certain to score from close range with a header, but Darlow at full stretch somehow palms it away.
Wales 1-0 Bosnia
21:04 , Alex Young60min: James within inches of a second!
He is fed into the area, creates space for a shot but it’s deflected onto the crossbar from close range!
Wales 1-0 Bosnia
21:00 , Alex Young55min: First change for Wales, and it’s a forced one as Jordan James is replaced by Cullen.
Wales 1-0 Bosnia
20:59 , Alex Young53min: Katic and Memic get away with yet more poor tackles.
GOALLLLLLLLL!
20:57 , Alex Young52min: SENSATIONAL FROM DAN JAMES!
A stunner from distance to put Wales in the driving seat. It’s a brilliantly hit half-volley, with remarkable technique to beat the keeper at the near post from 30 yards!
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:54 , Alex Young49min: Almost brilliant from Brooks to find Dan James inside the area, but the forward cannot direct a shot on target from inside the area.
Second half
20:50 , Alex Young46min: Here we go!
Right then, a huge 45 minutes ahead.
The hosts have been largely in control - and Wilson was inches away from a glorious opener - but will be frustrated not to have created more chances.
Bosnia's game plan appears to be a bruising one.
Half-time
20:35 , Alex Young49min: There’s the whistle.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:35 , Alex Young48min: Huge from Rodon to stop Demirovic advancing on goal. Big tackle rewarded wtih a huge roar.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:33 , Alex Young47min: Katic with the most obvious yellow-card foul you’ll see - after his one earlier - but gets away with it.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:32 , Alex Young46min: Two minutes added on.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:31 , Alex Young43min: Dan James is again on the wrong end of Kolasinac’s boot, and stays down. He looks to be OK, but it’s been a bruising first half.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:28 , Alex Young41min: Wilson tries to catch the keeper out with a quick free kick, but Vasilj makes a smart save.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:26 , Alex Young40min: Kolasinac is finally booked for taking out Dan James for the third time.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:24 , Alex Young37min: Demirovic just clatters into Dan James, to earn Bosnia’s second yellow card.
The second of many, I confidently predict.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:18 , Alex Young31min: Concern for Wales and Jordan James is down.
He looks to have tweaked his ankle or foot when attempting a tackle, without making progress.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:17 , Alex Young30min: Decent break from Bajraktarevic through the middle and towards the right, but his searching cross into the area is deflected into Darlow’s hands.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:15 , Alex Young28min: Wales back in control after a brief spell of dominance from Bosnia before Wilson’s post-hitting strike.
Hosts on top.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:10 , Alex Young22min: OFF THE POST!
Wilson cuts inside and bends a beauty off the far upright.
Ampadu tripped by Tahirovic inside the area in the immediate aftermath, but referee and VAR are not interested in a penalty.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:08 , Alex Young21min: Wilson now goes down under Kolasinac, but the referee isn’t interested.
Surely another yellow card is only a matter of time.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:08 , Alex Young20min: Brooks hacked down by Katic, who escapes a yellow card. These Bosnia defenders are all walking the tightest of tightropes.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
20:00 , Alex Young12min: Comforting to see that Kolasinac has not improved his tackling from his Arsenal days.
Lucky to avoid two yellow cards already.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
19:57 , Alex Young9min: First effort on target as Demirovic flicks a Dzeko cross into Darlow’s grateful grasp.
Both teams seeing plenty of the ball in the opening stages.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
19:52 , Alex Young5min: Memic already booked, for dragging down Wilson.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
19:50 , Alex Young3min: Wilson whips it in towards Ampadu, but his header spins up and is cleared.
Wales 0-0 Bosnia
19:50 , Alex Young2min: Kolasinac with a robust tackle on James to set an early tone, and give away a free kick. Around 25 yards from goal, on the right-hand side.
Kick-off!
19:47 , Alex Young1min: Here we go.
Time for the national anthems.
‘Zombie Nation’ is blaring out around the Cardiff City Stadium.
And here come the players.
Not long to go now.
Final prep.
Bosnia-Cooper row
19:07 , Alex YoungBosnia manager Sergej Barbarez has refused to apologise to Steve Cooper after claiming the Brondby boss dropped his player Benjamin Tahirovic from club action to help Wales' World Cup bid.
Barbarez accused Cooper of trying to help his native Wales on Monday, claims which were flatly rebuffed by Brondby, who said sidelining key Bosnia midfielder Tahirovic was a club decision.
Tahirovic subsequently apologised to Cooper for Barbarez's words but the Bosnia head coach was in no mood to back down after arriving in Cardiff, saying he had created a "puzzle" for people to consider.
"I don't think I should apologise for anything," Barbarez said at his pre-match press conference.
"The only important thing for me is that I trust my players and the idea of all this was to create a puzzle for you, so you can think about all these things.
"I had the idea to protect the player. That's where all this talking was from.
"I've known Benjamin for the last two years and I know what a good player he is and how he can be.
"So I think we should concentrate on the match, which is the most important thing for both teams."
As expected, Wilson starts for Wales.
Ampadu is back after suspension and James replaces Liam Cullen in the two changes from the 7-1 win over North Macedonia in March.
Confirmed team news in full
18:52 , Alex YoungWales XI: Darlow; Williams, Rodon, Lawlor, Ampadu, Dasilva; D.James, J.James, Wilson, Brooks; Johnson
Subs: Ward, King, Koumas, Cullen, Cabango, Norrington-Davies, Kpakio, Colwill, Harris, Thomas, Sheehan, Broadhead
Bosnia-Herzegovina XI: Vasilj; Dedic, Muharemovic, Katic, Kolasinac, Memic; Bajraktarevic, Tahirovic, Sunjic; Demirovic, Dzeko
Subs: Hadzikic, Zlomislic,d Mujakic, Celik, Radeljic, Gigovic, Basic, Hadziahmetovic, Burnic, Bazdar, Alajbegovic, Tabakovic
Craig Bellamy speaks
18:33 , Alex Young“We’re going all out, we’ve got to go full gas. We want 100mph football. It might not be perfect. That’s what I love about our game.
“We ain’t sitting back. You might look at me after the game, maybe I need to change. We’ll deal with that question then, but this is us. This is who I am. This is what the players are. So why not?
“But this is what I like and I hope the fans like it.”
Bosnia-Herzegovina XI
18:25 , Alex YoungAnd the visitors!
🏴🆚🇧🇦 Ovo je 11 Zmajeva koje je Sergej Barbarez odabrao za Vels.
— NFS BIH (@NFSBiH) March 26, 2026
💙💛Igra se za ponos i za Bosnu i Hercegovinu!
Sretno! 🍀#NFSBiH #zmajevi #europeanqualifiers #worldcup2026qualifiers #dreambigdreambih pic.twitter.com/ZoV15pJw5N
Wales XI
18:22 , Alex YoungHere’s how the hosts look!
CYMRU XI 🏴🇧🇦
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) March 26, 2026
Representing you in the capital 🫵
💻 https://t.co/UOlGBBmYiO pic.twitter.com/PTWYJqHxIc
Bosnia-Herzegovina team news
18:12 , Alex YoungVeteran striker Edin Dzeko is likely to lead the line tonight, as captain, recording his 147th cap in the process and looking for his 73rd goal.
Defender Dennis Hadzikadunic’s withdrawal from the squad through injury is a blow, with the uncapped Nidal Celik his replacement.
Wales team news
18:00 , Alex YoungThe headline news for Wales is that Harry Wilson is fit, after struggling with injury earlier this month.
He will be looked at to produce the goods, with head coach Craig Bellamy missing the likes of Chris Mepham, Kieffer Moore and Connor Roberts due to injury.
How to watch Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
17:44 , Alex YoungTV channel: The game will be broadcast live in the UK for free on the BBC. Coverage starts at 7.30pm GMT on BBC TWO ahead of an 7.45pm kick-off.
Live stream: Fans can also tune into the contest via the BBC Sport app, website and BBC iPlayer.
Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina LIVE
17:34 , Alex YoungGood evening and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the 2026 World Cup play-off between Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
A huge clash in Cardiff sees the Dragons in one final chance to keep their hopes of qualifying for the summer tournament, and face a daunting task to reach a play-off final against either Italy or Northern Ireland.
Kick-off is at 7.45pm. Stick with us.
