Current Muharemovic represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at youth level, captained the Under-21 team and made his senior debut against England in June 2024. He later scored his first international goal and became part of the team that reached the 2026 World Cup.
This national-team chapter is updated through 7 August 2026 using official federation, UEFA, Juventus, Sassuolo and Leeds United records.
The choice
Representing the country of his family
Tarik Muharemovic was born in Ljubljana, grew up in Austria and built his early club career in Austrian football, but his international pathway led to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The decision connected football with family identity. For players raised outside the country they represent, international duty can carry a distinctive emotional weight. The shirt is not only a sporting selection; it is a public expression of belonging and a link to relatives, language and family history.
Muharemovic has consistently spoken about the honour of representing Bosnia and Herzegovina. His commitment developed through the youth teams rather than appearing only after he reached senior club football. That progression allowed him to understand the federation environment, build relationships with players of the same generation and learn the particular pressure attached to the national team. Every camp brought together footballers developed in different countries, making adaptability one of the group’s strengths and challenges.
Youth internationals
Learning international football before the senior team
Muharemovic represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in youth competition, including the Under-19 and Under-21 levels. International youth matches differ from club football because preparation time is short and opponents are less familiar. Players must absorb a tactical plan quickly, communicate across different club backgrounds and handle the emotional intensity of representing a country. For a central defender, the task includes building a partnership with teammates he may see only during international windows.
These matches also exposed him to leading European youth sides. Muharemovic later referred to the value of facing teams such as France, explaining that such opposition gave young Bosnian players significant professional experience. The results were not always positive, but the level showed him how quickly decisions must be made against elite attackers. Youth international football therefore complemented his Juventus education: the club provided daily tactical detail, while Bosnia provided compressed, high-emotion competition against varied opponents.
U21 captain
Leadership becomes an official responsibility
Muharemovic became captain of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Under-21 team. In an official federation interview in October 2024, he described playing for the national team as a dream and a great honour, adding that the captaincy meant even more. The role matched the leadership he had already developed as vice-captain of Juventus Next Gen. As a centre-back, he was positioned to organise the team and communicate through difficult periods, but the armband also required him to speak for the group away from the pitch.
He was honest about the team’s situation before the final Euro 2025 qualifier against Cyprus. Bosnia could no longer achieve its objective, yet he insisted the players would give everything to win. That response is important. Leadership is tested when a campaign is no longer going as planned. The captain must protect standards even when the larger reward has disappeared. Muharemovic’s language focused on responsibility, experience and finishing properly rather than searching for excuses.
Family and role models
The people behind the international ambition
In the same federation interview, Muharemovic identified his parents as the people who helped him most. He placed special emphasis on his father, who attended matches, prepared him when he was younger and reminded him to work harder than others. That family support helps explain why representing Bosnia carried such personal meaning. The national team allowed the career built in Austria and Italy to connect directly with the identity encouraged at home.
Muharemovic also named Emir Spahić and Edin Džeko as role models. Spahić’s significance is especially clear for a Bosnian centre-back: he captained the national team and represented the combative leadership associated with the position. Džeko represented the highest level achieved by a Bosnian player across major European leagues. Muharemovic described meeting them, and training with Džeko, as an indescribable feeling. The experience turned distant examples from childhood into people inside his own professional environment.
First senior contact
Training with the A team in 2023
While at Juventus Next Gen, Muharemovic received the opportunity to train with the senior Bosnia and Herzegovina team in 2023. He described it as the fulfilment of a childhood dream and highlighted the experience of working alongside Džeko, Miralem Pjanić and Rade Krunić. Even without an immediate debut, the camp was an important transition. It allowed the senior staff to assess him directly and gave the player a first understanding of the speed and authority inside the A-team environment.
Training with the senior side also creates a clearer target. Muharemovic returned to club football knowing the standard required to become a regular international. He needed more professional matches, greater consistency and the ability to perform under pressure. His leadership at Under-21 level and progression with Juventus kept him close to the senior picture until the formal call arrived under Sergej Barbarez in 2024.
Senior debut
England at St James’ Park in June 2024
Muharemovic made his senior Bosnia and Herzegovina debut against England on 3 June 2024 at St James’ Park. Official federation records show that he entered as a substitute in the 82nd minute. The match was a demanding introduction against one of Europe’s strongest national teams and formed part of the first window under new head coach Sergej Barbarez. Bosnia lost 3–0, but the occasion marked the completion of Muharemovic’s rise from youth international to senior player.
A debut late in a difficult away match requires immediate concentration. The player has little time to settle, and the opponent may be attacking with fresh substitutes. For Muharemovic, the appearance also came while he was still a Juventus player competing primarily in Serie C. International selection therefore recognised qualities that extended beyond his current club division. He remained involved around the senior squad and was called again later in 2024 after moving to Sassuolo.
Becoming established
From call-ups to important qualifiers
The move to Sassuolo strengthened Muharemovic’s senior international case. Regular Serie B football gave him match rhythm, while his promotion campaign showed that he could handle pressure across a full season. Bosnia called him for Nations League and qualifying fixtures, and his role grew as the team developed a younger defensive core. The national team required him to adapt to different partners and structures, sometimes defending deeper than at club level and sometimes stepping forward to help build possession.
In 2025 he produced authoritative performances in key matches, including the two November fixtures in which Sassuolo reported that he played all 180 minutes: a 3–1 home win over Romania and a 1–1 draw away to Austria. The federation praised his fighting performance against Austria and his ability to win duels. These matches showed that he was no longer simply a young option. He was becoming a defender trusted through complete, high-pressure international games.
First international goal
Scoring against the country of his birth
Muharemovic scored his first senior international goal against Slovenia on 10 June 2025. The moment carried an unusual personal dimension because he had been born in Ljubljana. Bosnia lost the match 2–1, so the goal did not produce the result he wanted, but it added another milestone to his international development. For a centre-back, goals often come from set pieces, and his height makes him a constant target when Bosnia attacks dead-ball situations.
The goal also reflected the increasingly complete role expected from him. International defenders must contribute to both penalty areas. A team with limited training time can gain a major advantage from rehearsed set pieces, and a dominant aerial player changes how opponents defend. Muharemovic’s threat forces markers to track him closely, potentially creating space for teammates even when he does not make the final contact.
The road to 2026
Playoffs, pressure and qualification
Bosnia’s route to the 2026 World Cup required playoff football. Leeds United’s official fact file records that Muharemovic played the full 120 minutes in both playoff matches as Bosnia overcame Wales and Italy on penalties. Those games represented some of the most intense minutes of his career. Knockout football compresses years of ambition into a single evening, and central defenders must manage fatigue, extra time and the emotional swings of a penalty shootout.
Surviving both ties demonstrated resilience at team and individual level. Muharemovic entered the playoffs with experience from Serie A and previous international qualifiers, but the pressure of reaching a World Cup was unique. His earlier comments about dreaming of representing Bosnia at the highest level now had a direct outcome. Qualification turned a personal ambition into national history and prepared the team for the tournament in North America.
The World Cup
Three appearances and a historic run
Muharemovic represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and made three appearances. Leeds’ official profile described the team’s run to the Round of 32 as Bosnia’s best finish at the tournament. For a player who had spoken repeatedly about the honour of the national shirt, the competition was the largest stage available. It also arrived immediately before his move to Leeds United, placing him under global scrutiny at a decisive moment in his club career.
During the tournament, Muharemovic spoke about the pride of making history and said the team would give “300 percent” with all its heart. The language reflected the emotional relationship between the squad and supporters. World Cup matches demand tactical discipline, but they are also shaped by national energy. Muharemovic’s role was to combine both: remain calm enough to make correct defensive decisions while using the emotion as fuel rather than allowing it to create rushed actions.
The long-term ambition
A future leader of the senior team
Before becoming established in the A team, Muharemovic said his goal and dream was to captain Bosnia and Herzegovina at senior level. That ambition remains part of the future rather than a completed fact, but it is supported by his pathway. He captained the Under-21 side, served as vice-captain at Juventus Next Gen and has increasingly taken responsibility in senior international matches. Leadership is therefore not an image added after success; it has developed across several environments.
The next stage will depend on availability, club form and the evolution of the national team. Muharemovic will be expected to help younger players in the same way older internationals once helped him. His experience now includes Austria, Italy, England, youth internationals, playoffs and a World Cup. The Bosnia chapter is still active, but it already contains a clear progression from a player inspired by Spahić and Džeko to one of the defenders responsible for the team’s future.