Bosnia v Italy: why the match in Zenica will be played in a stadium with a reduced capacity of 9,000 spectators

The stadium, built and opened in 1972, officially has a capacity of 15,600 seats, but its layout means it is, as Bosnian playmaker Alajbegovic put it: "A very, very noisy stadium. One of the noisiest for national teams." There is, in fact, no athletics track, and as a result, the stands are very close to the pitch.

However, the stadium will not be full to capacity, as several sections will be officially closed. This is due to the last home match played by Bosnia, during which there were serious tensions with Romania.

On 15 November, FIFA imposed both a financial penalty and a reduction in seating capacity on the federation for the next home match, following “misconduct by the team, discrimination, racism, the use of pyrotechnics, disruption during the national anthems and a lack of order and discipline inside and outside the stadium”.

All things considered, and taking into account the areas that must be kept clear for safety reasons in the away section, the final capacity will be just under 9,000 seats.

The Bosnian Football Association has confirmed the closure of two specific sections: "Following the decision by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to close part of the stadium for the first scheduled qualifying match, due to events linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania, the SOUTH stand (sections B, C and D) and part of the WEST stand (first three rows) will be closed".