Against Turkey: Kosovo in the playoff final

Nno one can know whether Kosovo will qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday; If he succeeded, he would be sure of a superlative. Because no matter who secures one of the six remaining starting places for the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada in the remaining elimination games – no participant would be younger than Kosovo: It has been less than 20 years since the country declared itself independent, and less than ten years since it was accepted as a full member of the European Football Union Uefa and the world association Fifa. Even those responsible are surprised: The plan was to “first develop something” with a view to the 2028 European Championship, said former German national player Franco Foda, the Kosovars’ national coach since 2024, to the trade magazine Kicker. “Now we are basically ahead of schedule, but that is very, very nice,” added the former Lauterer.

The whole context of the World Cup playoff final – Kosovo plays against Turkey in Pristina for a place in the United States’ World Cup preliminary group – invites you to delve into Kosovo’s recent past. The USA was Kosovo’s most important midwife after the Balkan wars and the breakup of Yugoslavia; The Kosovars’ gratitude for this has many aspects. There is a statue dedicated to former US President Bill Clinton in the pedestrian zone of the capital Pristina; The country is home to the largest US military base in the Balkans. Kosovo’s government is of course part of the so-called “Board of Peace” of current US President Donald Trump.

Turkey, in turn, was among the first countries to recognize Kosovo as an independent state in February 2008, and consequently the Turkish national team was also among the first teams to travel to Kosovo for a friendly match. Other countries still reject this recognition for reasons of international law and out of concern for their own territorial integrity – including Slovakia, against which Kosovo beat 4-3 in the playoff semi-finals on Thursday, and Spain, where a Kosovar is currently making headlines: Fisnik Asllani, 23-year-old striker for Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

The sensation is less due to Asllani’s goal to make it 2-2 in the win against the Slovaks, but rather to an alleged interest from FC Barcelona. Ayman Dahmani, who advises Asllani, told an Abu Dhabi-based news portal called Erem News from “Contacts from the Catalan club”. On the one hand, in Barcelona we hear that Asllani has actually been scouted. On the other hand, the Berlin-born player’s season output so far (eight goals, seven assists) raises doubts as to whether he will actually make it onto the Catalans’ shortlist in the end. On the one hand, the transfer fee is allegedly contractually fixed at a – comparatively affordable – 28 million euros; On the other hand, there is also a big-caliber shooter named Robert Lewandowski to replace (who, by the way, is competing with Poland in Sweden in the World Cup playoff on Tuesday).

Some, like Asllani, could have played for other nations

The fact that the Kosovars’ dream of taking part in a major tournament for the first time does not seem illusory does not only depend on Asllani. Captain Amir Rrahmani (SSC Napoli) is currently injured, but he was part of the teams that left Sweden and Slovenia behind in the group phase. Wing players like Edon Zhegrova (Juventus Turin) or strikers like Vedat Muriqi (Real Mallorca) also illustrate that the number of players who have potential has grown. There are also a number of players who have made a name for themselves in German professional football: the former Bremen Milot Rashica (Besiktas) is one of them, Florent Muslija from the second division club Fortuna Düsseldorf, as well as current first division professionals such as Elvis Rexhbecaj (FC Augsburg), Leon Avdullahu oder Albian Hajdari (beide Hoffenheim).

Some of them – like Asllani – had the chance to play for nations other than Kosovo; The fact that they decided against the DFB or the Swiss association was not just for sentimental reasons, Asllani explained to the Hoffenheim club magazine playing field: “We all saw a sporting opportunity that perhaps not many people saw. We are now in a good position as a national team, and with every decision that is made for us it gets even better. And that might make it easier for the next people to say: ‘I’m going to Kosovo, we’re good, I’m playing for my country.'”

Such thoughts are likely to increase if Kosovo actually qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Although the Turks are considered highly favorites, they have hardly any World Cup experience. So far they have only taken part in two finals, in 1954 in Switzerland and 2002 in South Korea/Japan. Their disadvantage: The Kosovars have not lost a game in the Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Pristina since a 3-0 defeat against Romania in September 2024. “Only” 14,000 spectators fit there; but despite the running track that frames the pitch, the atmosphere is intimidating for any opponent. Just in case, the Kosovo government offered one million euros as a bonus for the entire team.