Bosnia and Herzegovina is planning a significant step in the development of its sports infrastructure. A new national stadium will be built in the city of Zenica to replace the existing venue, Bilino Polje.

Zenica back in spotlight

The Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BaH FF) has announced that a new national stadium will be built in Zenica, a city that has for years served as a key centre for football in the country. The previous stadium, Bilino Polje, was the venue for all national team matches, as other venues in the country did not meet FIFA and UEFA requirements.

The decision to choose Zenica is also due to the difficulties in Sarajevo. According to the president of BaH FF, Vico Zeljković, it was not possible to find partners ready to support the ambitious project in the capital. Zenica, with its central location and existing infrastructure, proved to be a natural choice.

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Modernity and increased capacity

The current Bilino Polje Stadium, with a capacity of 15,000 spectators, will undergo a major redevelopment. Upon completion, the capacity of the venue will be increased to at least 18 000 seats.

According to information provided by the Hina agency, the Federation plans to sign a contract with the Zenica authorities by the end of January 2025. After that, a detailed design of the stadium will be presented in the spring. The planned completion time is several years - the new facility is expected to be ready by 2029.

In 2018, visualizations of a national stadium planned for Sarajevo were published. However, its capacity was expected to be much larger than what is planned for Zenica.

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