FC Astana player assists as Bosnia and Herzegovina draws Canada at World Cup 2026 opener
Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder Ivan Bašić, who plays for Astana, Kazakhstan’s Premier League club, played a key role in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s opening match against Canada at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the “Schrodinger’s Sport” Telegram channel.
Ivan Bašić started for Bosnia and Herzegovina and assisted on their opening goal. He delivered a corner kick that Jovo Lukić converted, giving Bosnia the lead in the opening match.
Bašić was substituted at the 62nd minute.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Lukić opened the scoring in the 21st minute, and Cyle Larin equalized in the 78th minute, earning a point for Canada.
The result marked the first draw in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
For Canada, the outcome was historic, marking the first time the national team had avoided defeat in a World Cup match. Canada previously played in the 1986 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.
For Bosnia and Herzegovina, this is only their second World Cup appearance. In their debut campaign in 2014, they recorded a win over Iran and suffered defeats to Argentina and Nigeria.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Mexico opened the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a convincing 2-0 win over South Africa in Group A.
