SOCCER: Drinks on me! Bosnia's Demirovic to buy Stuttgart fans beer after World Cup qualification

Bosnia’s dramatic World Cup playoff victory over Italy on Tuesday has left VfB Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirovic preparing for an eye-watering bar tab, after he promised to buy fans a beer if his country qualified for the tournament.

The 28-year-old forward made the pledge ahead of Bosnia’s playoff campaign, which ended with a shootout win over Italy in Zenica.

"I said I'd do it and I'm a man of my word. Drinks are on me," Demirovic told Sky Sports after the match. "It'll probably be expensive but it's something I'll do with love after an achievement like this. Stuttgart, the drinks are on me."

Bosnia, making their second World Cup appearance, will play in Group B of the tournament from June 11 to July 19, joining co-hosts Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland.

"It's surreal, I've got no words and I've lost my voice," said Demirovic, who started the match. "We played really well and we 100% deserve to be going to the World Cup. What we've achieved for our country still hasn't properly sunk in."

The generous gesture could cost Demirovic around 300,000 euros ($346,380), based on Stuttgart's MHPArena averaging just under 60,000 fans per match and charging approximately five euros per pint of beer.

Stuttgart, currently third in the Bundesliga, will host second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. -Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters