Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the World Cup qualifying match.
In the first half of this year, San Marino faced a higher level of competition. In June, the team lost narrowly to Bosnia and Herzegovina (0:1), but the second leg could be different; the favourites need to boost their goal difference.
San Marino
Last autumn, San Marino performed respectably in the UEFA Nations League, winning their League D group featuring Liechtenstein and Gibraltar to earn promotion. At the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Nicola Nanni and his team-mates suffered four defeats on the spin with a 1:12 aggregate — the heaviest losses came against Romania (1:5) and Austria (0:4). A month ago, San Marino were beaten 1:4 in a friendly against Modena 2018.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
It appears Bosnia and Herzegovina were not expected to start this strongly, yet by the start of the autumn stretch of qualifying they lead the five-team group without dropping points. Ermedin Demirović and his team-mates still have Austria ahead, but they have already dealt with another direct rival, Romania (1:0). In June against San Marino, Bosnia and Herzegovina were propelled by the bench, as Amar Dedić and Edin Džeko combined off the bench for the only goal, even though the underlying statistics were lopsided (2.70-0.19 in xG).
San Marino vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Prediction
For San Marino, the brief remains the same: minimise errors. Bosnia and Herzegovina, by contrast, are likely to commit fully to attacking, and the extra aggression should translate into a comfortable win.
