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Bosnia and Herzegovina have never played a match at a Women’s Under-19 European Championship final tournament. Germany have played 92.
When the ball rolls this afternoon in Zenica, one side will be entering the competition for the very first time. On the other will be a country that has won it on six occasions and that for years turned the tournament into an extension of its own development structure.
The historical distance is enormous. The match, however, will start 0-0.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany open this Saturday’s Women’s U19 European Championship. Poland and Sweden complete a Group A in which only the top two sides will advance to the semi-finals. Three matchdays, no quarter-finals and very little margin for recovering from a poor start.
For Bosnia, this will be the day they stop being merely the host nation and become one of the teams in the competition.
For Germany, the beginning of an attempt to reclaim the place they occupied for so long.
The hosts who refuse to be the backdrop
Bosnia had their place in the tournament secured as hosts, but they have not arrived by simply waiting for it to begin.
The side managed by Jelena Milović played through both qualifying rounds. In the first they lost to Ukraine and Romania before closing out with a 0-10 defeat to San Marino. In March they took a step forward and won their Liga B group: beating Luxembourg 5-0, drawing 1-1 with Belarus and coming from behind to beat Armenia 3-1. Finishing top earned them promotion to Liga A for the next qualifying cycle.
Their preparation has maintained that momentum. Bosnia drew 0-0 with Slovenia on 4 June and beat the same opponents 3-1 two days later. They have gone five matches without defeat since the end of February.
The level of this afternoon’s opponents will be an altogether different challenge. Germany operate at a considerably higher standard and will force Bosnia to defend for longer spells than anything they have faced in recent months. But the hosts arrive with results that allow them to present something more than local enthusiasm and home support.
They also have a recognisable attacking reference point.
Ana Jurić scored six goals across the six qualifying matches Bosnia played across both rounds. At 17, the ŽFK Leotar forward was their main attacking focal point throughout a campaign that began unevenly and ended with promotion to Liga A.
Around her is a squad built across two different realities. Part of the squad comes from the leading Bosnian clubs; another part has developed in Germany, Norway, France, Switzerland and the United States.
Bosnia are making their debut at a final tournament, but they are not arriving completely isolated from the European football they are trying to become part of.
Milović has insisted in the days leading up to the tournament that her side are not here merely to take part. This afternoon will begin to reveal how far that statement goes.
Germany return with wounds
Germany need no introduction in this competition.
They won six titles between 2000 and 2011, reached four more finals and spent decades at the top of the tournament’s historical records. But their relationship with the competition has changed. They failed to qualify for the 2025 edition — their first absence in eleven championships — and Spain have overtaken them in the all-time roll of honour.
The side managed by Melanie Behringer, a former German international now at the helm of the Under-19s, returns after a qualifying campaign with two distinct faces.
In the first round they drew 2-2 with Belgium, beat the Faroe Islands 8-0 and were hammered 0-5 by Spain. In the second round they responded by winning all three of their matches: 3-0 against Ireland, 4-2 against Slovakia and 2-1 against France.
The win over France secured their place in the tournament and confirmed the squad’s ability to bounce back after their worst result of the campaign. Their last two friendlies, both against the United States, also produced contrasting outcomes: a 0-2 defeat in the first and a 1-0 win four days later.
Germany arrive with the credentials to challenge for the title, but without the look of an invulnerable side.
Nor do they arrive at full strength.
Rosa Rückert, who captained the side throughout qualifying and was their top scorer with three goals, misses the tournament through an ankle injury. Lotta Wrede, Jonna Wrede and Amy Wrigge are also absent despite having played important roles in building this team.
Luzie Zähringer, a defender from Bayern Munich, will captain a side forced to redistribute responsibilities in the middle of a competition.
Behringer has acknowledged that injuries have followed the group in recent months, though she insists the team has avoided using them as an excuse. The opening match will show what effect they have once the tournament stops being preparation.
Opening the scoring before the match starts to weigh
Germany will be favourites and will likely see more of the ball, more territory and more chances. The question is not so much who will take the initiative as what they do with it.
Behringer herself is expecting a very deep Bosnia, willing to defend near their own area and sustained by local expectation. It is a prediction rather than a certainty, but it fits the difference in level and the type of match that might suit the hosts.
Bosnia will try to reduce the space in central areas, stop Germany from getting clean shots at goal and keep the scores level for as long as possible. Every minute without a goal can build their confidence and shift some of the urgency onto the favourites.
Germany must stop their dominance from becoming slow circulation in front of a disciplined Bosnian block. Leni Eggert’s ability to advance down the left and Laila Portella’s movement could be two of their key tools for stretching the defence, attacking the space between full-back and centre-back and finding passes into the area.
Both were decisive in the 4-2 win over Slovakia. Portella opened the scoring in the first minute and Eggert made it 3-1 before the break. Their ability to drive forward from wide and create imbalances could prove especially valuable against a deep defensive shape.
Bosnia will need Ana Jurić to hold up some of the ball and give the team a way out of their own half. If the striker ends up completely isolated, the hosts risk spending too long defending without any means of breathing.
Germany’s danger will come from their own turnovers. The higher up the pitch they push, the more space they leave in behind. An isolated transition, a wide free kick or a corner could carry enormous weight for a side unlikely to have many opportunities.
Set pieces also offer solutions for Germany. Lina Száraz headed in from a corner to score the winner against the United States in their last friendly. Against a packed defence, those situations could become one of the most direct ways to break the match open.
The first goal will split the game into two very different scenarios.
If Germany score early, they will force Bosnia to abandon part of the defensive shape with which they intend to compete. If the 0-0 stretches on, the match could move into the territory that suits the hosts best: a tight scoreline, an uncomfortable rhythm and every defensive action greeted like a small victory.
A debut at the limit of the heat
The match kicks off at 17:00 with temperatures forecast to be close to 36 degrees in Zenica.
The heat does not erase the technical gap, but it can influence how it is managed. Pressing for long stretches, repeating runs and maintaining a quick circulation of the ball will all be more costly.
Bosnia will need to manage the fatigue of defending for many minutes. Germany will need to manage the fatigue of attacking again and again without losing precision or patience. Substitution timing and any cooling breaks could matter more than usual.
It will be another variable in a match that brings together two sides with opposing relationships with this competition.
Bosnia will play for the first time.
Germany return to try to prove that their history still counts for something.
Confirmed official line-ups
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Bosnia and Herzegovina (1-4-2-3-1): Golubović; Mešan, Mirković, Maslać, Milićević; Abdukić, Rankić; Jurić, Hadžihajdarević, Mujdžić; Marković.
Coach: Jelena Milović. -
Germany (1-3-4-3): Krumme; Müller, Zähringer, Maas; Eggert, Gmeineder, Schneider, Sträßer; Portella, Börner, Schick.
Coach: Melanie Behringer.
Kick-off, venue, referee and how to watch Bosnia vs Germany
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Germany takes place this Saturday, 27 June at 17:00 at the Training Centre FFBH in Zenica.
Michaela Pachtová of the Czech Republic will be the referee. She will be assisted by her compatriot Tereza Hessová and Serbia’s Aleksandra Kostić. Ukraine’s Sofiya Prychyna will serve as the fourth official.
The match does not appear on RTVE Play’s schedule. The German Football Association lists coverage via DFB.TV, Sportdigital, RTL+ and the RTL Sport YouTube channel. Access from outside Germany may be subject to territorial restrictions.
The other Group A first-round fixture sees Sweden face Poland from 20:00 in Sarajevo.
