Esmir Bajraktarević chose Bosnia-Herzegovina over the USMNT. Now he faces the U.S. at the World Cup

IRVINE, Calif. — In January 2024, at the end of a low-key winter camp heavy with Major League Soccer players, the U.S. national team played a friendly against Slovenia at a small stadium in unseasonably cold San Antonio. Most players were on the fringe of then-coach Gregg Berhalter’s talent pool, but with European-based regulars unavailable, the assembly provided a nice opportunity to make a case ahead of serious summer matters. In the 61st minute, an 18-year-old midfielder with a long family name and short portfolio was among four players subbed into the match. Esmir Bajraktarević performed well, but given his age and experience on both the club and international front, he had almost no hope of cracking the Copa América squad that summer. 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One: Make your predictions for the Round of 32! Within nine months, he was in a senior national team uniform again — not the USA’s, but Bosnia and Herzegovina’s. Seeing a brighter immediate future with his parents’ homeland, the Wisconsin native who rose through the New England Revolution’s developmental system stepped onto the pitch in the second half of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Nations League match in the Dutch city of Eindhoven. (More on that place later.) Five minutes into his debut, he posted an assist. Fast forward to this Wednesday. The U.S. has a World Cup Round-of-32 clash in Santa Clara, California, against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, in all likelihood, will include Bajraktarević in the starting lineup. While the U.S. employs several multinational players, there are a number with U.S. ties who have opted — for personal reasons or professional opportunity — to represent other countries. “He chose the other side, but hopefully he will .. regret [it] after Wednesday,” U.S. left wing Sergiño Dest said with a grin this week. Dest and U.S. striker Ricardo Pepi know Bajraktarević well. They were all teammates at Dutch champion PSV Eindhoven this past season. While Dest was a starter and Pepi the top scorer, Bajraktarević made 28 league appearances (eight starts) and contributed four goals and four assists. Bajraktarević, 21, is not considered someone who got away for the World Cup, though a goal Wednesday would certainly sting the U.S. He might have grown into a larger role before the 2030 World Cup, but at the time of his decision to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was strictly a young prospect. Bosnia and Herzegovina's Esmir Bajraktarević Hayden Hodge/Yahoo Sports He was in the mix for a 2024 Olympic roster loaded with young players, but when that didn’t pan out, he turned his full attention to Bosnia and Herzegovina, a former Yugoslav republic that last qualified for the World Cup in 2014. “From the very first moment, everything moved in one direction — from the initial contact with him and his family,” Emir Spahic, executive director of the Bosnian team, said after Bajraktarević’s move was finalized. “That is why he is here with us now.” Family ties to the war-scarred country drew him. Bajraktarević’s parents, Elmir and Emina, escaped their hometown, Srebrinca, during the 1995 Muslim genocide perpetrated by Serbian forces. Several relatives were killed. They became refugees in Switzerland before ending up in Appleton, Wisconsin, in 2001. Four years later, Esmir was born. “I played soccer ever since I could walk, really,” Bajraktarević told the Boston Globe in 2024. “I played in rec leagues, just for fun. My family couldn’t really afford playing for club teams.” Through a teammate’s family, he got onto an organized track at SC Wave in Greater Milwaukee and eventually landed in Massachusetts with the Revolution academy. A year later, he signed a pro contract. (He later earned the nickname, “Milwaukee Messi.”) Nurtured at New England’s second team competing in the lower divisions, Bajraktarević made strides with the U.S. youth sides, prompting his call-up by Berhalter to that 2024 camp. The lineup in the San Antonio friendly featured one current U.S. World Cup player: center back Miles Robinson, who wore the captain’s armband. Other starters included two players who narrowly missed this summer’s roster: midfielders Diego Luna and Aidan Morris. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Bajraktarević made his first — and last — U.S. appearance. His MLS career began to take off during the 2024 season and, by the summer, the Bosnian federation reached out. He had a decision to make, though “there wasn’t any doubt because I always knew it was going to be Bosnia,” he told the Athletic. He received call-ups to each of the three international windows in the fall, and in January 2025, moved to PSV Eindhoven for a reported $6 million transfer fee. That fall, he was in the mix again for World Cup qualifiers and scored against Romania as Bosnia advanced to the European playoffs. After logging 120 minutes in a shootout victory over Wales, Bajraktarević went the distance again against Italy and converted the clinching penalty kick in the 4-1 shootout triumph. The Bosnians and their American-born midfielder were heading to America. 🇧🇦 ✅✅✅✅ 🇮🇹 ❌✅❌ BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA TO THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP! 😱 pic.twitter.com/9KLVVPIUfI — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 31, 2026 In World Cup Group B, Bajraktarević started in the 1-1 draw with Canada, came off the bench in the 4-1 loss to Switzerland and played all 90 minutes in a 3-1 victory over Qatar that secured passage into the Round of 32. Now, with Bosnia in his heart and on his jersey’s crest, he will join his teammates in trying to upset the country that welcomed his family with open arms a quarter-century ago. “My parents lost a good part of their family,” Bajraktarević told reporters recently. “It’s a tragedy and something I will never forget. Srebrenica is something I will never forget. It’s a part of me and who I am. It’s in my blood.”