Bosnia Will Play with Hearts in World Cup Opener, Says Coach Barbarez

Sergej Barbarez, head coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina, attends the press conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina one day ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B match between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina at Toronto Stadium on June 11, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)

07:21-12 June 2026 AD ـ 27 Thul-Hijjah 1447 AH

Bosnia and Herzegovina know they are underdogs heading into their World Cup Group B opener against co-hosts Canada, coach Sergej Barbarez said on Thursday, but the Balkan nation will play with pride as they return to the tournament for the first time in 12 years.

Bosnia will look to advance past the group stage this time around after managing one win during their 2014 debut in Brazil.

"We are a small country," Barbarez said. "This is our second ever World ‌Cup and for ‌sure we are sort of an underdog in ‌many ⁠of the matches ⁠ahead."

But despite his side being ranked 64th, the coach is confident in his side's ability to perform on the world's biggest stage.

"If you know our results, I think you have to just admire what we've managed to achieve."

Bosnia claimed one of the six final spots in the World Cup after defeating three-times champions Italy in a penalty shootout. They are heartbreakers who ⁠play with heart and will look to carry that ‌same mentality into the tournament.

"(I once said) ‌I love this game between David and Goliath," Barbarez said. "We play with our ‌hearts and that has been our advantage."

The Dragons are led by ‌40-year-old striker Edin Dzeko, who Barbarez confirmed will be in the squad for Friday's match after overcoming a shoulder injury.

Dzeko is Bosnia's all-time leading scorer with 73 goals.

"Edin will be with us tomorrow," Barbarez said. "Edin will be playing just ‌as usual."

CANADA GAME WILL BE 'QUITE INTENSE'

Barbarez is expecting a tough game against Canada, who are also ⁠aiming to reach ⁠the knockout stage for the first time but face the added pressures of chasing their first ever World Cup win and playing on home soil.

"I am maybe exaggerating a bit, but I'm sure (the game) is going to be quite intense, which is characteristic of both the teams," Barbarez said.

While Canada will have the local crowd behind them, Bosnia will not be without strong support. The Dragons have enjoyed a warm welcome since arriving in Toronto, with fans flocking to the team's training sessions this week.

"We really want to show our best to the whole world," Barbarez said. "We really want to be the team that earns respect and we can only do that by showing what we know on the pitch."

Xavi Says Honored to Be Named Netherlands Coach

12 September 2022, Bavaria, Munich: Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez leads a training session at Allianz Arena ahead of the UEFA Champions League group C soccer match against Bayern Munich. (dpa)

09:14-13 August 2026 AD ـ 29 Safar 1448 AH

Xavi Says Honored to Be Named Netherlands Coach

12 September 2022, Bavaria, Munich: Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez leads a training session at Allianz Arena ahead of the UEFA Champions League group C soccer match against Bayern Munich. (dpa)

The appointment of Xavi as Netherlands ‌coach late on Wednesday completes an extensive search and brings full circle the special relationship between Dutch football and Barcelona.

Xavi replaces Ronald Koeman, who quit after the Netherlands were eliminated from the World Cup in the round of 32 in June.

A World Cup winner with Spain as a player in 2010, Xavi has been out of coaching since leaving Barcelona in 2024, where he spent three seasons in charge.

He has signed a four-year contract through the 2030 World Cup and is the first foreign coach to take charge of the Dutch since Austrian ‌Ernst Happel at ‌the 1978 World Cup.

The six-week wait for a ‌coach ⁠drew criticism from ⁠Dutch media, but the country's football association received several rejections, including from Arne Slot and Erik ten Hag, before turning to the former Barcelona playmaker.

Xavi had also succeeded Koeman at Camp Nou in November 2021 and coached Barcelona to the La Liga title in 2023 before leaving after a run of poor results a year later.

Barcelona’s football philosophy of ⁠dominant possession, short passing and quick ball recovery ‌was introduced with the arrival of Rinus ‌Michels as coach and Johan Cruyff as a player, the pair bringing “Total ‌Football”, a philosophy honed at Ajax Amsterdam in the early 1970s.

Cruyff, ‌who later coached Barcelona, was a major influence on subsequent coaches, particularly Pep Guardiola, who had Xavi as one of his key players during his time in charge from 2008 to 2012.

“As someone who received his training at ‌the Barcelona academy, with strong influences from Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels, among others, I feel a ⁠special connection to ⁠Dutch football,” Xavi said in a statement on Wednesday.

“You could say that I am a bit of a son of Dutch football. I consider it a tremendous honor to become the national coach of the Dutch national team."

Xavi also played under Frank Rijkaard and Louis van Gaal, who gave him his Barcelona debut in 1998, and had as his teammates a myriad of Dutch internationals, including Frank and Ronald de Boer, Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert.

His most pressing tasks include building towards the European Championship in 2028 and the World Cup two years later.

The Netherlands also play four Nations League matches in quick succession in the September-October international window against Germany, Serbia (twice) and Greece.

Sports

Zverev Says Cutting Masters Events to One Week Is an Easy Fix for Crowded Calendar

05 August 2026, Canada, Montreal: German tennis player Alexander Zverev plays a backhand return against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor during their men's singles second round tennis match at the National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal. (dpa)

07:56-13 August 2026 AD ـ 29 Safar 1448 AH

Zverev Says Cutting Masters Events to One Week Is an Easy Fix for Crowded Calendar

World number three Alexander Zverev ‌said cutting Masters tournaments back to one week would help players maintain their fitness instead of having to manage their workload and be selective about which events they compete in.

Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Canadian Open to prioritize his health after retaining his Wimbledon title, while 24-times Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic also skipped the US Open tune-up to manage his workload.

Carlos Alcaraz missed out due to a wrist ‌injury that ‌has kept him out since April.

The ‌withdrawals ⁠once again left ⁠the tournament without three of the sport's top names after the trio also missed last year's edition.

French Open champion Zverev, who lost his opening match in Montreal, told reporters: "I think that's what two-week events do.

"Unfortunately, especially if there's a Grand Slam coming after that. ⁠If you play everything and you're ‌a top player, you spend ‌seven weeks here in North America.

"That is quite a ‌long time and I think that's why a lot ‌of top players choose not to play Canada for multiple years now. That's unfortunately the sad reality of it.

"It's quite simple. Make us be here for two weeks, ‌not seven. For the Masters, it's two weeks for both of them. I think ⁠that's ⁠an easy fix regarding top players playing," added the German, speaking ahead of the Cincinnati Open.

Since 2025, seven of the nine ATP Masters 1000 events on the calendar have each been held across 12 days, with only the Monte-Carlo and Paris Masters still played over a single week.

Players have criticized the extended events, but the ATP has said they choose their own schedules and that it is working to create incentives for an appropriate number of matches to be played during the season.

Sports

Swiatek Sinks Svitolina to Set Up Rybakina Title Clash in Toronto

Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates her 6-3 1-6 6-3 win over Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in a National Bank Open semi-final tennis match in Toronto on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

07:28-13 August 2026 AD ـ 29 Safar 1448 AH

Swiatek Sinks Svitolina to Set Up Rybakina Title Clash in Toronto

Iga Swiatek outlasted Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 on Wednesday to book a Toronto title showdown with world number two Elena Rybakina.

Australian Open champion Rybakina delivered another gutsy comeback, beating fourth-seeded Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to reach Thursday's final in the hard court warm-up for the US Open.

Former world number one Swiatek, seeded seventh, is in her first final of the year, having last lifted a trophy in Seoul almost a year ago.

She improved to 5-3 against Svitolina, who had narrowed their head-to-head record with two wins over the Polish star this year.

In a match delayed more than an hour by rain, six-time major champion Swiatek raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set.

The Ukrainian made Swiatek work to serve it out, saving a pair of set points in the final game of the first.

Energized, she raced through the second set before Swiatek rebounded in the third, breaking Svitolina to love for a 5-3 lead before holding serve to secure the win.

"Against Elina it's always tough, so I'm happy that I won this one," said Swiatek.

"Especially that I came back in the third set playing better. So, yeah, that's for sure a big improvement. I'm proud of myself."

Svitolina, who won the Canadian crown in 2017, was seeking her third 1000 level final of the season after winning at Rome and finishing runner-up in Dubai.

But she couldn't hang on as Swiatek upped her game again in the final set.

"Mostly I just wanted to adjust the quality," Swiatek said. "Because tactics can't do much if you're just not hitting the ball right. I knew I can do it, because I did it in the first set. I'm happy that I was patient enough to do that and didn't get disappointed or didn't give up."

Rybakina, who also rallied from a set down to beat Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals, is on the cusp of her third title of the season after her triumph in Melbourne and a trophy in Stuttgart.

Her Canadian run has her inching closer to No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the rankings as the August 31 start of the US Open approaches.

- Taking opportunities -

Kazakhstan's Rybakina polished off the victory over Gauff shortly before 1 a.m. local time, taking advantage as the American began to falter in the face of pressure on her serve.

"She served really well in the first set," Rybakina said. "It was pretty close the first one, and then I feel like on my serve I rushed a little bit in the end.

"I knew that I need to start straight away the second set well. I'm happy that I did a couple of good returns, and then things turned around."

While Rybakina had to battle past Osaka to reach the semis, Gauff had advanced via a walkover. But Rybakina said the hard work may have helped her.

"I guess the adrenaline and so many hours on the court helped a bit," she said. "In the third set also, few moments I felt like I was just swinging, and some crazy return at 30-all, and it went my way.

"So, I got my opportunities, I took them."

Bosnia Will Play with Hearts in World Cup Opener, Says Coach Barbarez

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