FK Željezničar Sarajevo in European football

FK Željezničar Sarajevo in European football
ClubFK Željezničar Sarajevo
First entry1963 Mitropa Cup
Latest entry2025–26 UEFA Conference League
Titles
Europa League

Fudbalski klub Željezničar Sarajevo is a professional football club based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The first ever involvement of the club in European competitions was in the 1963 Mitropa Cup.

History

FK Željezničar Sarajevo is a professional football club based in Grbavica in Novo Sarajevo; a municipality in the capital city Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The club's first ever European match was against Austria Wien in the 1963 Mitropa Cup. Željezničar is most famous for becoming the first Bosnian football club to reach both the UEFA Cup (now named UEFA Europa League) semi-finals during the 1984–85 season and the quarter-finals during the 1971–72 season, and one of the first few clubs ever to do so from the former Yugoslavia.[1]

In modern times, the clubs best finish in European competitions was reaching the 2002–03 Champions League third qualifying round, losing to Newcastle United.[2]

From 1998 to 2015, Željezničar played its home European matches at the nation's largest Olympic stadium, Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium (also known as the Koševo Stadium), as their traditional home stadium, Grbavica Stadium, did not meet UEFA requirements. Since recent renovations at Grbavica, the club has been playing its home matches back at their home ground since July 2017.

European record

As of 3 August 2023[3]
Competition P W D L GF GA GD
European Cup / Champions League 16 4 1 11 13 31 −18
UEFA Cup / Europa League 55 21 14 20 71 67 +4
Conference League 4 1 2 1 6 7 –1
Total 75 26 17 32 90 105 −15

P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goals difference. Defunct competitions indicated in italics.

Best results in European competitions
Season Achievement Notes
UEFA Cup
1971–72 Quarter-final eliminated on penalties by Ferencváros 2–1 in Budapest, 1–2 in Sarajevo
1984–85 Semi-final eliminated by Videoton 2–1 in Sarajevo, 1–3 in Fehérvár
Mitropa Cup
1962–63 Semi-final eliminated by MTK Budapest 1–1 in Sarajevo, 0–1 in Budapest
1968–69 Semi-final eliminated by Sklo Union Teplice 1–1 in Sarajevo, 1–2 in Teplice

List of matches

1960s–1990

Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Agg.
1963 Mitropa Cup QF Austria Wien 4–1 0–2 4–3
SF MTK 1–1 0–1 1–2
1964 Mitropa Cup QF Slovan Bratislava 2–1 1–3 3–4
1965–66 International Football Cup (UEFA Intertoto Cup) Group B3 Gwardia Warszawa 2–1 1–2
Baník Ostrava 3–1 1–1
Lokomotive Leipzig 2–2 0–0
1967–68 Mitropa Cup 1R Jednota Trenčín 1–0 0–0 1–0
QF Spartak Trnava 2–2 1–2 3–4
1968–69 Mitropa Cup 1R Budapesti Honvéd SE 1–0 1–0 2–0
QF Baník Ostrava 4–0 1–1 5–1
SF Sklo Union Teplice 1–1 1–2 2–3
1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1R Anderlecht 3–4 4–5 7–9
1971–72 UEFA Cup 1R Club Brugge 3–0 1–3 4–3
2R Bologna 1–1 2–2 3–3 (a)
3R St. Johnstone 5–1 0–1 5–2
QF Ferencváros 1–2 2–1 3–3 (p)
1972–73 European Cup 1R Derby County 1–2 0–2 1–4
1984–85 UEFA Cup 1R Sliven 5–1 0–1 5–2
2R Sion 2–1 1–1 3–2
3R Universitatea Craiova 4–0 0–2 4–2
QF Dinamo Minsk 2–0 1–1 3–1
SF Videoton 2–1 1–3 3–4

1990–present

Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Agg.
1998–99 UEFA Cup 1Q Kilmarnock 1–1 0–1 1–2
2000–01 UEFA Cup QR Wisła Kraków 0–0 1–3 1–3
2001–02 UEFA Champions League 1Q Levski Sofia 0–0 0–4 0–4
2002–03 UEFA Champions League 1Q Akranes 3–0 1–0 4–0
2Q Lillestrøm 1–0 1–0 2–0
3Q Newcastle United 0–1 0–4 0–5
UEFA Cup 1R Málaga 0–0 0–1 0–1
2003–04 UEFA Cup QR Anorthosis Famagusta 1–0 3–1 4–1
1R Heart of Midlothian 0–0 0–2 0–2
2004–05 UEFA Cup 1Q Pennarossa 4–0 5–1 9–1
2Q Litex Lovech 1–2 0–7 1–9
2010–11 UEFA Champions League 2Q Hapoel Tel Aviv 0–1 0–5 0–6
2011–12 UEFA Europa League 2Q Sheriff Tiraspol 1–0 0–0 1–0
3Q Maccabi Tel Aviv 0–2 0–6 0–8
2012–13 UEFA Champions League 2Q Maribor 1–2 1–4 2–6
2013–14 UEFA Champions League 2Q Viktoria Plzeň 1–2 3–4 4–6
2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1Q Lovćen Cetinje 0–0 1–0 1–0
2Q Metalurg Skopje 2–2 0–0 2–2 (a)
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1Q Balzan 1–0 2–0 3–0
2Q Ferencváros 2–0 1–0 3–0
3Q Standard Liège 0–1 1–2 1–3
2017–18 UEFA Europa League 1Q Zeta 1–0 2–2 3–2
2Q AIK 0–0 0–2 0–2
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1Q Narva Trans 3−1 2–0 5–1
2Q Apollon Limassol 1–2 1–3 2–5
2020–21 UEFA Europa League 1Q Maccabi Haifa 1–3
2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League 1Q Dinamo Minsk 2–2 2–1 4–3
2Q Neftçi 2–2 0−2 2−4
2025–26 UEFA Conference League 1Q Koper

See also

References