At 40 years old, Edin Džeko is proving that age is just a number. The legendary Schalke striker has been named captain of Bosnia and Herzegovina's squad for the 2026 World Cup, making history as his team becomes the first to announce a full roster for the tournament.
Džeko is set to join an exclusive club of outfield players who have competed in a World Cup after turning 40. The only other player to achieve this feat was Cameroon's Roger Milla, who dazzled at the 1994 World Cup in the USA. This summer, Džeko will be joined by two other football icons: Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (41) and Croatia's Luka Modrić (40), both expected to make their nations' final lists.
This isn't Džeko's first World Cup rodeo. He was part of Bosnia and Herzegovina's debut campaign in 2014, scoring one of the team's four goals before they were eliminated in the group stage. That tournament also saw former Hoffenheim striker Vedad Ibišević score Bosnia's first-ever World Cup goal in a 2-1 loss to Argentina.
Speaking of that 2014 match, it also featured a moment of infamy: Sead Kolašinac scored an own-goal just two minutes and six seconds into the game. The former Schalke defender, now 32 and playing for Atalanta, still holds the record for the fastest own-goal in World Cup history. He's been named to the squad for this summer's tournament, hoping to rewrite his legacy.
Džeko's teammate Nikola Katić is also eager to shine on the global stage, while goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj faces a different kind of pressure. The 30-year-old St. Pauli shot-stopper, who has 25 caps, could be facing relegation to the 2. Bundesliga if his club fails to beat VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday. He'll need to stay sharp as Bosnia takes on Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland in the group stage.
The squad also features German-born Dženis Burnić, who has Bundesliga ties despite playing only seven top-flight games for Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart. Since joining Karlsruhe after Heidenheim's promotion, he's become a midfield mainstay. Fellow midfielder Armin Gigović, who played in the Bundesliga last season with Holstein Kiel, adds further depth.
As Bosnia and Herzegovina prepare for their second World Cup appearance, all eyes will be on Džeko—a veteran leader ready to inspire a new generation on football's biggest stage.