Sarajevo vendors turn the 'desetka' ćevapi into an 'eleven' for Edin Džeko

All of Bosnia is preparing for a festive farewell to Edin Džeko: on October 2, 2026, the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team play Sweden in a Nations League match at home, and Džeko will leave the national shirt after that game.

Among the gestures planned across Sarajevo, an association of local ćevapi vendors has announced a small, symbolic tribute. For the day of the match they will serve the standard "desetka" portion of ćevapi as an "eleven" portion in honour of Džeko and his legendary number 11 in the national jersey.

How the tribute will look

The organisers say the change is meant to be simple and rooted in Sarajevo's everyday culture: a local food gesture that fans can share before or after the match. The move is intended as a city-level salute to the player who has guided Bosnia through many of its biggest moments.

"Because Edin was not just the number 11. He was a man with whom we celebrated, mourned, believed and were proud. His goals, matches and victories, but also the way he represented Bosnia and Herzegovina, left a mark that will be hard to repeat. That is precisely why we wanted to create something that is ours, Sarajevan and simple. Something that belongs to the city where ćevapi are eaten with special love and where great people are always spoken of, with half a pita, onion and a cup of conversation," say the Association of Sarajevo kebap makers.

The tribute joins other planned homages centred on Džeko during the match weekend. The association stressed the gesture is informal: a culinary nod that local supporters and visitors can take part in while they follow Bosnia vs Sweden on October 2, 2026.

Photo: press material from the event