Bosnia fans celebrate in Santa Clara ahead of US clash.

The World Cup has thrust Bosnia and Herzegovina's fans and global diaspora into the spotlight as the national team battles to secure a spot in the Round of 16 for the first time in its history. Santa Clara, California — It is the eve of Bosnia and Herzegovina's clash with the United States in the Round of 32, yet inside a modest restaurant serving Balkan specialties, the celebration is already in full swing.

Waiters race through Euro Grill, where walls display posters from the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, delivering massive portions of cevapi and burek to crowds clad in blue. Outside, groups of men light cigarettes and capture photos of vehicles draped in flags and team paraphernalia. Many supporters have journeyed vast distances to rally behind their team. One fan drove 25 hours from Canada in a truck plastered with player faces, a "Free Palestine" sticker, and a giant model of the Marvel character Hulk wearing a Bosnia jersey.

For members of the country's diaspora, many displaced by the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, this tournament stands as a testament to their enduring shared identity. "It's like a big family," said 60-year-old Senad Durakovic, who relocated to Boston in 1996, describing the fans converging from across the US and beyond. "We're all here for the same reason." He added, "It feels like I'm part of something bigger than me. It feels like we've already won."

Bosnian fans have also channeled the tournament into expressing solidarity with Palestine, a bond rooted in their own experiences of violence and displacement. "There's a mutual traumatic experience. I think they're going through the same things that we went through," explained 22-year-old Aldin Muminovic. "So we'll never forget them. We'll always be there for them."

Bosnia and Herzegovina earned qualification for the 2026 World Cup with a stunning victory over Italy in April, marking their first global appearance since 2014 after a dramatic penalty shootout that ignited nationwide delirium. Led by 40-year-old Edin Dzeko, the squad relies on a tenacious defense and a fresh wave of talent, including younger players like Kerim Alajbegovic and Ermin Mahmic. The team defeated Qatar convincingly, scoring three goals to one, and advanced to the knockout stage where they will face the formidable host nation, the United States.

"If we play like we did against Qatar, I think we'll pull through," said 20-year-old Elvis Graco, who traveled from Jacksonville, Florida, to California. "We'll win, of course."

However, the tournament has highlighted more than just the talented squad. Videos of jubilant fans marching through host cities have brought the country's large, vibrant diaspora into the global spotlight, many scattered worldwide during and after the war. "Prior to the war, there was hardly any Bosnian diaspora to speak of," noted Jasmin Mujanovic, a scholar specializing in Balkan history. He added that many current national team members were born outside the country to parents who fled during the conflict and its aftermath.

Amid the global spotlight of the World Cup, a profound narrative is emerging from Bosnia and Herzegovina, where families have long worked to instill a deep connection to their national identity and culture in the next generation. This cultural preservation finds its most powerful expression in the current World Cup campaign, according to observers who view the team's journey as a testament to resilience.

The weight of this identity is rooted in a traumatic history. The Bosnian War, one of the most devastating conflicts of the 1990s, claimed an estimated 100,000 lives during the violent disintegration of socialist Yugoslavia. The violence was largely targeted along ethnic lines, with Bosniak Muslims constituting the majority of the victims. Systematic ethnic cleansing and the forcible expulsion of thousands of Bosniak Muslims and Croats by Serb forces and paramilitaries characterized the conflict.

Perhaps the darkest chapter occurred in 1995, when Serb forces carried out a massacre of 8,372 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in the town of Srebrenica. This atrocity was subsequently classified as genocide by both the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).

This historical trauma has directly informed the passionate support many Bosnians now show for Palestine, particularly in the wake of the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Since October 7, 2023, more than 70,000 people, predominantly women and children, have been killed in Gaza. During the World Cup, social media feeds have been flooded with footage of supporters chanting "Palestina, Palestina" and waving Palestinian flags, turning the tournament into a platform for solidarity.

Ildaj Husovic, who manages an Instagram account dedicated to highlighting the parallels between Bosnia and Palestine, told Al Jazeera that many Bosnians see the suffering of Palestinian civilians as a mirror to their own past. "The fans are using this opportunity to draw the world's attention to the suffering of the people in Palestine, which they believe should be a top priority for the international community in this moment," Husovic added.

The sentiment extends beyond the stadium. Graco, speaking from outside a restaurant in Santa Clara, emphasized the emotional resonance of the situation. "We can obviously relate to what they're going through, because our country went through it as well," he said. The fans are not merely observing the news; they are actively campaigning for justice and an end to the violence, insisting that the daily reality of the Palestinian people must remain a central focus for the international community.