Friday, March 27th 2026
They are a World Cup sensation, a soccer nation barely a decade old with fewer inhabitants than the state of South Australia. A Balkan “West Virginia”, but with a small part of the surface and a troubled past, this is how the prestigious British writes about last night’s victory of Kosovo against Slovakia.
“Little” Kosovo is just one game away from its first appearance in a World Cup, and a place in Group D along with Australia, Paraguay and the co-hosts, the United States.
Everything that separates them. it’s a one-off, all-or-nothing play-off against Turkey at home in Pristina on Tuesday. It’s a wonderful end to a qualifying campaign that has turned into a rallying cry for optimism and national pride.
Kosovo coach Franco Foda said Tuesday’s game would have attracted 100,000 people – close to half the population of the capital, Pristina – if the Fadil Vokrri Stadium was big enough to host them all. Unfortunately, its capacity is only 14,000, although 25,000 were packed in for a performance by rapper 50 Cent in 2007, which was an important moment of healing after the war.
This is a place where conflict is not easily forgotten. Not far from the stadium, a police station was bombed by NATO during the 1998-99 war. In the north of the country, tensions still simmer with neighboring Serbia.
For a country like Kosovo, football has a greater meaning. “As a national team, we became a symbol that anything is possible,” says Melbourne City winger Elbasan Rashani, who played 29 times for Kosovo between 2016 and 2024. “We showed the people of Kosovo the way to recognition”.
After the dramatic 4-3 win over Slovakia in the play-off semi-final in Bratislava on Thursday, the president of the Kosovo Football Federation, Agim Ademi, called the Kosovo players “gladiators”. Kosovars celebrated the victory with fireworks in the streets of Pristina and in the comments on social networks. Slovakia, like Serbia, does not recognize the independence of Kosovo. It was pointed out that neither of these two representatives will cross the Atlantic this summer.
Kosovo may be closer than ever to a historic World Cup appearance, but Foda said people should not get carried away. “We have emotional fans, but we must be careful and not allow ourselves to make mistakes. Success can only be achieved by keeping calm”.
Kosovo star striker Vedat Muriqi, who plays for Mallorca in Spain, said that reaching the World Cup is the pinnacle of a footballer’s career and that there is only “one small step” left. “Then we can bring happiness to people all over Kosovo,” he said.
However, Turkey – ranked 23rd in the world – presents a strong challenge. “We know Turkey’s qualities. They are a better team than Slovakia. We also know their weaknesses,” said the attacker. “We will give our best. With the support of the fans, I believe it will be a little easier”.
In 2021, Kosovo finished last in its World Cup qualifying group, winning just one match. Before the draw for the 2026 edition, the Kosovars were ranked 99th when the qualifiers started, even behind the historical “little ones”, Luxembourg.
They were clearly ‘outsiders’ in a group consisting of Sweden, Switzerland and Slovenia, and qualification seemed almost impossible after the 4-0 loss in Basel in the first leg. But two surprise wins against Sweden, as well as another upset over Slovenia, secured Kosovo a place in the play-offs.
A World Cup appearance would be an inspiring achievement for a country that declared independence in 2008 and only joined FIFA and UEFA in 2016.
Rashani – born in Sweden and raised in Norway by Kosovar parents who left their homeland in 1992 – was a big part of the team’s formative period, as one of several Kosovar players from the diaspora who were invited to play. “We have always believed,” he said.
“I remember our first coach, Albert Bunjaki, when they wanted to create a national team. He would take his car and travel all over Europe to meet us one by one, the players, to tell us about the project and convince us to play for Kosovo. From early on, you could feel that this was something special.”
Kosovo was only 90 minutes away from qualifying for Euro 2020, when a team weakened by absences due to Covid-19 restrictions lost 2-1 in a play-off to North Macedonia. Rashani played in that match in Skopje and knows well the advantage that the home crowd will give this time. “I always tell my friends, you don’t need to warm up before playing for Kosovo – you get chills just listening to the fans”.
This time, however, Rashani will wake up before 5am to watch the match as a fan, from his home in Australia. “People from all over the world who have anything to do with Kosovo will follow. It’s a very big match for us and hopefully we can make it”.
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Source: prizrenpost
