St. Louis Bosnian and Panamanian communities celebrate cultures in tied 1-1 World Cup lead up

Saturday's Bosnia and Herzegovina match against Panama wasn't a regular match for Mila Mujdzic and her son Nermin Hajrizi. Mujdzic came to the St. Louis area from Bosnia in the 1990s fleeing the Bosnian genocide.

While she's called St. Louis home since then, Saturday’s match also felt like a home game.

“This is my home, and I’m celebrating with our neighbors, with our community,†Mujdzic said. “This is so emotional, I’m almost crying.â€

It's a sentiment shared by thousands from the St. Louis Bosnian community who headed to Energizer Park Saturday for the match up. The match ended in a 1-1 tie.

Bosnia and Herzegovina fans came out in droves, wearing the white, blue and yellow of the flag — including hats and wigs sporting the colors. Others wore the flag itself draped around them or the jerseys of star players.

Panama fans donned the red and white colors of their team and flag.

The St. Louis region sports the largest Bosnian population outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many Bosnians flew from across the country to see their national team ahead of the World Cup in Los Angeles.

“We're from Iowa, so it’s about a six-hour drive,†Sadmir Dzafic, who was there with family, said. “It almost feels like we’re watching them at home, because we are actually physically here.â€

Saturday's friendly match follows Bosnia's win against Italy earlier this spring. The win culminated in a penalty shootout that qualified them for the cup. The win brought a wave of excitement throughout the region's Bosnian community.

“I was crying more when they won the last penalty than when I had two of my kids,†Damir Miljkovic said. “I’m just being honest. Did we go to the World Cup in Brazil? Yes, we did, but this was a different moment. This was something more touching.â€

Harisa Caus was at a Bevo neighborhood bar that day and remembers the intense energy. It led up to an even better Saturday.

“This is the best day of my life and everyone else here, I can speak for everybody,†Caus said. “Even though this is a friendly match, it means everything to us. “It’s that string between our home country and, you know, how much we love soccer, so this means everything to us.â€

The last time Bosnia and Herzegovina played in St. Louis was in 2014.

The match and festivities brought out St. Louisans, including former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, who is running to return to Congress this year. She said the match is a celebration of St. Louis' cultures.

“We have a huge Bosnian population here that is out right now, we have our Panamanian community out here as well,†Bush said. “It shouldn’t have to just be Bosnians out here to support the Bosnian team; all of us should be out here supporting one another.â€

And the Panamanian community came out to support its team as well. Some traveled back to St. Louis even though they live in other parts of the country, like Julia Beliz, who now lives in Miami.

The Panamanian Cultural Society of St. Louis hosted a tailgate that Beliz attended.

“Panama is a small country, there’s maybe almost 4 million of us,†Beliz said. “It's very, very exciting to see so many people supporting such a small country in the Midwest.â€

Some Panama fans marched into Energizer Park, playing their drums and celebrating their team. But fans of each side said, win or lose, they hoped the event brought out the best of the St. Louis communities.

“They gathered in one spot and everyone’s just smiling, laughing, whether they’re Bosnian, whether they’re American, whether Panamanian,†Hajrizi said. “Everyone’s just having a good day today and that’s hard to come by in this part of the world.â€

The match included halftime performances from folklore groups representing Panamanian and Bosnian dance. The energy that was felt in the stands was also matched by the coaches.

“I’m very honored that we chose this place to come here,†Bosnia and Herzegovina Manager Sergej Barbarez said after the game. “We all knew that St. Louis has a really large Bosnian community and you definitely felt the love here at the game today.â€

Bosnia and Herzegovina will play Canada in its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday, June 12 at 2:00 p.m.

See more photos from St. Louis Public Radio Visuals Editor Brian Munoz.