Church bells rang for Bosnia’s World Cup goals, now Bosnians are raising money for the parish

During Bosnia’s match against Qatar, the bells of the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Dobrinja rang as the national anthem was played. They rang again after every Bosnian goal, turning a local parish into an unexpected part of the country’s World Cup celebration.

Videos of the moment quickly spread on social media, where many Bosnians described the gesture as moving and deeply symbolic - not only as support for the national team, but as a sign of unity in a country where football success often brings people together across social and religious lines.

In the days that followed, public attention shifted toward the parish itself and its long-running community work.

The church has also opened its premises as a fan zone, where residents gather to watch Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup matches together. But its role in the neighbourhood goes far beyond football. Through its soup kitchen, the parish prepares and distributes meals to people in need, while work is also nearing completion on a children’s playground for the youngest residents of Dobrinja.

Moved by the sound of the bells, but also by the parish’s humanitarian work, citizens launched a social media campaign encouraging people to support the church’s activities.

“Whoever can give two marks, let them give two. Whoever can give more, let them give more. The amount is not important — the message is that we recognise good and want to support it,” the organisers said.

They said real unity is not shown only in moments of sporting success, but also in support for those who help others every day.

“Unity is when we extend a hand to one another. When we repay good with good. When we show that Dobrinja has a big heart,” they said.

For many, the story has become one of the most touching side notes of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup campaign: church bells ringing for football goals, neighbours gathering to watch matches, and citizens responding by backing a parish known for feeding the vulnerable and building spaces for children.

The organisers said their goal is to spread the initiative as widely as possible and show that solidarity does not end with cheering from the stands or in front of television screens.

“We are not strong only when we cheer,” they said, “but also when we stand together behind those who do good for the whole community.”