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Kosovo national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Kosovo women's national football team.

Kosovo
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Dardanët (Dardanians)
AssociationFootball Federation of Kosovo (FFK)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachFranco Foda
CaptainAmir Rrahmani
Most capsAmir Rrahmani (61)
Top scorerVedat Muriqi (28)
Home stadiumFadil Vokrri Stadium
FIFA codeKOS[1]
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 101 Increase 3 (24 October 2024)[2]
Highest101 (November 2023[3])
Lowest190 (July–August 2016[3])
First international
Biggest win
Biggest defeat
 Kosovo 0–6 Croatia 
(Shkodër, Albania; 6 October 2016)

The Kosovo national football team (Albanian: Kombëtarja e futbollit të Kosovës; Serbian: Фудбалска репрезентација Косова, romanized: Fudbalska reprezentacija Kosova) represents Kosovo in men's international football. The team is controlled by the Football Federation of Kosovo, the governing body for football in Kosovo, and is under the jurisdiction of FIFA globally.

History

Pre-independence

First match

On 29 November 1942, Kosovo for first time in its history played a friendly match as part of the celebrations for 30th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania against Tirana[a] and the match ended with a 2–0 away defeat and the starting line-up of that match was Mustafa Daci (GK), Ballanca, Ahmet Zaimi, Mazllum Xërxa, Veseli, Hajdar Hamza, Nebil Dylatahu, Ramadan Vraniqi, Dobrica Barbaroga,[b] Bajrami and Henci.[5][6][4]

Yugoslav era

"The purpose of this friendly match is that we wanted to face a team that has the same temperament and character as Albania national team."

—The reasoning of the then head coach of Yugoslavia, Rajko Mitić for the reason for organizing the Kosovo–Yugoslavia match.[4]

On 8 November 1967, Kosovo for first time as autonomous province of SFR Yugoslavia played a friendly match against Yugoslavia and the match ended with a 3–3 home draw and the starting line-up of that match was a mix between Albanian and Serbian players as Milosavlević, Stevanović, Mušikić, Abrashi, S. Džukić, V. Džukić, Brovina, Hatibi, Radović, Prekazi and Pindović, for Yugoslavia this match it was a pre-preparation before the UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying match against Albania.

As part of Yugoslavia national team
See also: Yugoslavia national football team

Yugoslav squads at international competitions often included players from Kosovo, such as Fadil Vokrri and Stevan Stojanović. Three other footballers from Kosovo, Fahrudin Jusufi, Milutin Šoškić and Vladimir Durković, were part of the Yugoslav team that won the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics and silver medal at the 1960 European Nations' Cup.

After breakup of Yugoslavia

On 20 January 1993, The Football Federation of Kosovo signed a cooperation protocol with the Albanian Football Association and in the framework of this protocol it was decided to play on 14 February a friendly match between Albania and Kosovo, which was the first match of Kosovo following the breakup of Yugoslavia,[7] and this match ended with a 1–3 defeat and the starting line-up of that match was Ahmet Beselica (GK), Ardian Kozniku, Bardhec Seferi, Fadil Berisha, Gani Llapashtica, Genc Hoxha, Isa Sadriu, Kushtrim Munishi, Muharrem Sahiti, Sadullah Ajeti and Selajdin Jerliu.[8]

After Kosovo War

"I am very pleased with the team's performance even though we had predicted a stronger opponent. However, I want to emphasize that our players have been fantastic. The fact that we do not play many international matches may have inspired the players to give it their all this time."

—Opinion of the then coach Muharrem Sahiti after the match against Monaco.[9]

On 7 September 2002, Kosovo for first time after the Kosovo War played a friendly match against Albania and the match ended with a 0–1 home minimal defeat and the starting line-up of that match was Ahmet Beselica (GK), Ardian Kozniku, Arsim Abazi, Besnik Kollari, Fadil Ademi, Faruk Statovci, Ismet Munishi, Mehmet Dragusha, Sunaj Keqi, Xhevdet Llumnica and Zenun Selimi.[10]

One of the most important international matches was a 1–0 win over Saudi Arabia played on 15 June 2007. It was the first time that Kosovo played against a team that has taken part in the FIFA World Cup and the winning goal was scored by Kristian Nushi from the penalty kick on the 84th minute.[11] On 22 April 2006, Kosovo achieved their biggest win, defeating Monaco 7–1. If one included matches played before Kosovo became a FIFA member, this scoreline is their best result yet.[12]

After independence

First match

On 17 February 2010, for the first time since its declaration of independence, Kosovo played a friendly match against Albania (the match ended with a 2–3 home defeat for Kosovo). The starting line-up of that match was Kushtrim Mushica (GK), Anel Rashkaj, Dukagjin Gashi, Enis Zabërgja, Fisnik Papuçi, Ilir Nallbani, Liridon Kukaj, Robert Gjeraj, Shpëtim Hasani and Yll Hoxha. This match had a charity character as the profits gathered from this meeting went to those affected by floods in Shkodër.[13]

Efforts for internationalization

On 6 May 2008, after its declaration of independence from Serbia, Kosovo applied for FIFA membership. On 24 October 2008, Kosovo's application was discussed at the FIFA Congress in Zürich and Kosovo's bid was rejected. At the occasion, FIFA's determined Kosovo could not even play friendly matches against FIFA members' national teams.[14]

In September 2012, Albania international Lorik Cana, along with Swiss internationals Granit Xhaka, Valon Behrami and Xherdan Shaqiri, all of them with Kosovo Albanian origin, wrote a declaration to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, asking him to allow Kosovo to play friendly matches. The declaration was also signed by eight other Albanian footballers hailing from Kosovo as Ahmed Januzi, Alban Meha, Armend Dallku, Burim Kukeli, Etrit Berisha, Fatmire Bajramaj, Lorik Cana, Mërgim Mavraj and Samir Ujkani.[15] Some players, especially Kosovo Serbs as Milan Biševac and Miloš Krasić, continued to play for Serbia.[16][17]

Permission by FIFA to play friendlies
Kosovo starting line-up in first international friendly against Haiti
(4–3–3)[18][19]

On 6 February 2013, FIFA decided to allow Kosovan club teams to play friendly games against clubs from countries whose national teams were members of FIFA.[20] However, it was stipulated that Kosovan clubs and teams could not display national symbols such as the Kosovan flag, emblem, etc., or play the Kosovan anthem.[20]

On 5 March 2014, the Kosovan football team was finally allowed by FIFA to play its first international friendly match, against Haiti; the match ended in a 0–0 draw.[21][22] Before the match, some players of Kosovo posed with guns at a shooting range, causing a stir in Serbia.[23] On the eve of the match, supporters of Kosovo burned the flag of Serbia.[24] This incident prompted the Football Association of Serbia to request that FIFA revoked Kosovo's right to play international friendlies.[25]

After the match against Haiti, six more matches were held in 2014, against Turkey, Senegal, Oman, Equatorial Guinea and Albania. The first win in these friendlies was against Oman, by 1–0,[26] while the biggest defeat a 1–6 against Turkey.[27]

Membership in UEFA and FIFA

See also: Membership of Kosovo in international sports federations

In September 2015, at an UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Malta, the request from Kosovo for admission in UEFA was scheduled for deliberation in the next Ordinary Congress, to be held in Budapest.[28] On 3 May 2016, at the Ordinary Congress, Kosovo was accepted into UEFA after members voted 28–24 in favor of Kosovo.[29][30] Ten days later, Kosovo was accepted in FIFA during their 66th Congress in Mexico, with 141 votes in favour and 23 against.[31]

First tournament

Debut in World Cup qualification and nearly successful first Euro attempt

Kosovo began to make their debut in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, where Kosovo was assigned with Croatia, Finland, Iceland, Turkey and Ukraine.[32][33] The Kosovars created its first major surprise, holding host Finland to a 1–1 draw,[34] but it turned to be the lone point of Kosovo in the qualification, as the team lost the remaining games and finished last.

Kosovo's most used starting line-up during their fifteen-match unbeaten run (4–3–3)[35][36]

Following the failure to qualify for 2018 FIFA World Cup, Kosovo participated in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League D sharing group with Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands and Malta,[37][38] where the Kosovars topped their group undefeated to reach the country's first-ever play-offs in its attempt to qualify for UEFA Euro 2020.[39] After the successful Nations League, Kosovo entered the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, where they shared group A with Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Montenegro and 2018 World Cup fourth place finisher England.[40] As the dark horse of the qualification, Kosovo however created a major phenomenon, managed to beat Bulgaria, Montenegro and especially, a shock home win over the Czechs to take the second place behind England, being 15 matches and on that time nearly two years without defeat winning 11 of these 15 matches. The game against England away even saw the Kosovars took an early lead in the surprise, even though they were unable to protect it and fell 3–5 away, ending the longest unbeaten run in the football history of Kosovo.[41] In the decisive match against the Czechs away, which Kosovo needed a win to directly qualify for the first time, Kosovo gained a shock lead, but failed to protect it again as they lost 1–2 and could only participate in the play-off,[42] but this remained to be Kosovo's greatest success up to date.

Setback

After successfully obtained a play-off position, Kosovo headed to the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C, being drawn with Greece, Moldova and Slovenia.[43] After impressive performance in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, Kosovo was tipped favorably to promote to League B. Yet, Kosovo began the Nations League with a disappointing 1–1 away draw to Moldova,[44] before the team which was halved due to the absences of key players suffered a 1–2 home loss against Greece.[45]

In Kosovo's first competitive UEFA Euro play-offs, Kosovo was drawn against North Macedonia.[42] However, Kosovo was eliminated after losing 1–2 to the Macedonians in Skopje.[46] After the elimination in the play-off's semifinals, the Kosovo's setback continues and the year 2020 was ended six losses, two draws and a victory in the last match of the year against Moldova, a victory which secured the attitude even for another season in the League C of the UEFA Nations League.[47]

Team image

Nicknames

The Kosovo national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Dardanët" ("Dardanians"). In addition to the official nickname, the Kosovo national team had different nicknames in different periods as:

  • "Shqipëria B" ("Albania B") — During the period before 2016, the national teams of Kosovo and Albania have exchanged players with each other, which influenced these two teams to be nicknamed reserve (B) teams of each other, the Kosovo national team was nicknamed Albania B due to many players came to play for Kosovo as they had no space to play for Albania, but the same thing happened with the Albanian national team which was nicknamed Kosovo B due to of the large number of players of Kosovo Albanian descent in its composition.[48]
  • "Ekipi i Kosovës" ("Team Kosovo") — The Kosovo national team during the 2009–10 period was introduced with the nickname that was used as an alternative name in order to avoid possible sanctions by UEFA and FIFA against Kosovo and the opponents that Kosovo played. After Kosovo was allowed on 6 February 2013 by FIFA to play against FIFA member associations in international friendlies,[20] this alternative name was no longer used.
  • "Brazili i Ballkanit" ("Brazil of the Balkans") — The Kosovo national team was nicknamed the Brazil of the Balkans during their fifteen-match unbeaten run during the 2018–19 season.[36][49][50]

Kits and crest

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kosovo national football team kits.
Kosovo kit in the first competitive match against Finland in September 2016.

The Kosovo kit has been mostly red and black before declaration of independence with few changes throughout the years and after the independence the kits are mostly blue and yellow. On 5 October 2016, Kosovo signed with Spanish sportswear company Kelme to a four-year contract and was the first official kit suppliers of Kosovo after membership in UEFA and FIFA.[51] On 23 February 2022, Kosovo signed with Italian sportswear company Erreà to a three-year contract for it to the kit suppliers of Kosovo.[52]

Kit sponsorship

Kit supplier Period Contract
Announcement Duration
Legea 2014 March 2014
Puma 2014 May 2014
Legea 2014 September 2014
Umbro 2015 October 2015 November 2015
Puma 2016 June 2016
Kelme 2016–2018 5 October 2016 2016–2020 (4 years)
Fourteen 2018–2022 16 June 2018 2018–2022 (4 years)
Erreà 2023–present 23 February 2023 2023–2026 (3 years)

Home stadium

Fadil Vokrri Stadium
Loro Boriçi Stadium
Adem Jashari Olympic Stadium

Kosovo's home stadium is the Fadil Vokrri Stadium. The stadium capacity is 13,500, which makes it the second largest national stadium in Kosovo. Kosovo's previous national stadium was the Adem Jashari Olympic Stadium which is currently under renovation. Kosovo also used Loro Boriçi Stadium during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign,[53][54] and this happened after the two stadiums in Pristina and Mitrovica at that time were under renovation and do not meet UEFA standards.[55] On 12 July 2019, the construction of Kosovo National Stadium began,[56] and two days later the project of this stadium was presented which would have a capacity of 30,000 seats,[57] but after the presentation, the construction was suspended for political reasons related to the location.[58]

As of 6 September 2024[59]
Kosovo national football team home stadiums
Stadium Capacity Location Pld W D L Win % First match Last match UEFA
category 		Ref
Opponent Date Opponent Date
Fadil Vokrri Stadium 13,500 Pristina, Kosovo 37 15 10 12 040.54  Yugoslavia 8 November 1967  Romania 6 September 2024 [60]
Loro Boriçi Stadium 16,000 Shkodër, Albania 5 0 0 5 000.00  Croatia 6 October 2016  Ukraine 6 October 2017 [61]
Adem Jashari Olympic Stadium 18,500 Mitrovica, Kosovo 3 1 1 1 033.33  Haiti 5 March 2014  Latvia 13 November 2017 [62]

Rivalries

Albania

Main article: Brotherly derby

This derby is otherwise known as Brotherly derby (Albanian: Derbi vëllazëror), also known as the Brotherly (Albanian: Vëllazërorja). The documented beginnings of this derby date back to the time during the World War II, respectively on 29 November 1942, where they played a friendly match as part of the celebrations for 30th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania and the match ended with a 2–0 win for Tirana,[a][5][6][4] this derby is back 50 years after the first match, when the Football Federation of Kosovo signed a cooperation protocol with the Albanian Football Association and in the framework of this protocol it was decided to play on 14 February a friendly match between these two national teams,[7] and this match ended with a 3–1 win for Albania.[8]

Media coverage

Results and fixtures

Main article: Kosovo national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

12 November[c] Euro 2024 qualifying Kosovo  1–0  Israel Pristina, Kosovo
20:45 Rashica 41' Report Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium
Attendance: 5,245
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia)
18 November Euro 2024 qualifying Switzerland  1–1  Kosovo Basel, Switzerland
20:45 Vargas 47' Report Hyseni 82' Stadium: St. Jakob-Park
Attendance: 33,000
Referee: António Nobre (Portugal)
21 November Euro 2024 qualifying Kosovo  0–1  Belarus Pristina, Kosovo
20:45 Report Antilevsky 43' Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium
Attendance: 5,026
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (Bulgaria)

2024

22 March Friendly Armenia  0–1  Kosovo Yerevan, Armenia
17:00 Report Rashica 25' Stadium: Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Irakli Kvirikashvili (Georgia)
26 March Friendly Hungary  2–0  Kosovo Budapest, Hungary
19:00
Report Stadium: Puskás Aréna
Attendance: 57,000
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania)
5 June Friendly Norway  3–0  Kosovo Oslo, Norway
19:00 Haaland 15', 70', 75' Report Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion
Attendance: 19,634
Referee: Mikkel Redder (Denmark)
6 September 2024–25 Nations League Kosovo  0–3  Romania Pristina, Kosovo
20:45 Report
Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium
Attendance: 12,872
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (Azerbaijan)
9 September 2024–25 Nations League Cyprus  0–4  Kosovo Larnaca, Cyprus
18:00 (19:00 UTC+3) Report
Stadium: AEK Arena – Georgios Karapatakis
Attendance: 2,041
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (Austria)
12 October 2024–25 Nations League Lithuania  1–2  Kosovo Kaunas, Lithuania
15:00 (16:00 UTC+3) Golubickas 84' Report
Stadium: Darius and Girėnas Stadium
Attendance: 7,554
Referee: Ondřej Berka (Czech Republic)
15 October 2024–25 Nations League Kosovo  3–0  Cyprus Pristina, Kosovo
20:45
Report Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium
Attendance: 12,863
Referee: Matej Jug (Slovenia)
15 November 2024–25 Nations League Romania  v  Kosovo Bucharest, Romania
20:45 (21:45 UTC+2) Report Stadium: Arena Națională
18 November 2024–25 Nations League Kosovo  v  Lithuania Pristina, Kosovo
20:45 Report Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium

Coaching staff

Franco Foda, the current head coach of Kosovo national football team.

Current coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Germany Franco Foda
Assistant coach(es) Germany Thomas Kristl
Austria Robert Ibertsberger
Athletic coach Morocco Yassir Laqrachli
Conditioning coach Kosovo Ardian Sallahu
Goalkeeping coach Kosovo Ahmet Beselica
Team manager Kosovo Bajram Shala
Sports director Kosovo Muharrem Sahiti
Kosovo Samir Ujkani

Manager history

Muharrem Sahiti has been the manager of the national team in three separate stints.
No. Name Period Record
G W D L Win %
1 Republic of Kosova Ajet Shosholli 1993–2002 1 0 0 1 000.00
2 Kosovo Bylbyl Sokoli 2002–2005 1 0 0 1 000.00
3 Kosovo Muharrem Sahiti 2005–2006 3 2 0 1 066.67
4 Kosovo Edmond Rugova 2006–2009 1 1 0 0 100.00
5 Kosovo Albert Bunjaki 2009–2017 18 3 3 12 016.67
C Kosovo Muharrem Sahiti 2017–2018 1 1 0 0 100.00
6
C 		Switzerland Bernard Challandes
→ Kosovo Muharrem Sahiti[d] 		2018–2021
2020 		40 17 8 15 042.50
C Slovenia Primož Gliha 2021–2022 2 0 1 1 000.00
7 France Alain Giresse 2022–2023 14 4 6 4 028.57
8 Slovenia Primož Gliha 2023 6 2 2 2 033.33
9 Germany Franco Foda 2024–present 7 4 0 3 057.14
Total 94 34 20 40 036.17

Players

Current squad

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Arijanet Muric (1998-11-07) 7 November 1998 (age 26) 40 0 England Ipswich Town
1GK Visar Bekaj (1997-05-24) 24 May 1997 (age 27) 9 0 Turkey Hatayspor
1GK Amir Saipi (2000-07-08) 8 July 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Switzerland Lugano
2DF Amir Rrahmani (captain) (1994-02-24) 24 February 1994 (age 30) 61 7 Italy Napoli
2DF Mërgim Vojvoda (3rd captain) (1995-02-01) 1 February 1995 (age 29) 59 2 Italy Torino
2DF Fidan Aliti (4rd captain) (1993-10-03) 3 October 1993 (age 31) 58 1 Turkey Alanyaspor
2DF Florent Hadergjonaj (1994-07-31) 31 July 1994 (age 30) 35 1 Turkey Alanyaspor
2DF Leart Paqarada (1994-08-10) 10 August 1994 (age 30) 33 1 Germany 1. FC Köln
2DF Lumbardh Dellova (1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 25) 12 1 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia
2DF Ilir Krasniqi (2000-04-02) 2 April 2000 (age 24) 9 0 Ukraine Kolos Kovalivka
2DF Andi Hoti (2003-03-02) 2 March 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Germany 1. FC Magdeburg
3MF Valon Berisha (1993-02-07) 7 February 1993 (age 31) 46 4 Austria LASK
3MF Edon Zhegrova (1999-03-31) 31 March 1999 (age 25) 40 5 France Lille
3MF Bersant Celina (1996-09-09) 9 September 1996 (age 28) 38 2 Sweden AIK
3MF Florent Muslija (1998-07-06) 6 July 1998 (age 26) 28 1 Germany SC Freiburg
3MF Donat Rrudhani (1999-05-02) 2 May 1999 (age 25) 16 2 Switzerland Luzern
3MF Muharrem Jashari (1998-02-21) 21 February 1998 (age 26) 5 0 Ukraine LNZ Cherkasy
3MF Lindon Emërllahu (2002-12-07) 7 December 2002 (age 21) 5 0 Kosovo Ballkani
3MF Elvis Rexhbeçaj (1997-11-01) 1 November 1997 (age 27) 3 0 Germany FC Augsburg
4FW Milot Rashica (vice-captain) (1996-06-28) 28 June 1996 (age 28) 59 12 Turkey Beşiktaş
4FW Vedat Muriqi (1994-04-24) 24 April 1994 (age 30) 56 28 Spain Mallorca
4FW Albion Rrahmani (2000-08-31) 31 August 2000 (age 24) 9 1 Czech Republic Sparta Prague
4FW Fisnik Asllani (2002-08-08) 8 August 2002 (age 22) 3 0 Germany SV Elversberg
4FW Baton Zabërgja (2001-04-18) 18 April 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Albania FC Dinamo City

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Ilir Avdyli (1990-05-20) 20 May 1990 (age 34) 0 0 Kosovo Llapi v.  Romania, 15 November 2024PRE
GK Mustafë Abdullahu (2004-02-27) 27 February 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Kosovo Malisheva v.  Romania, 15 November 2024PRE
GK Faton Maloku (1991-06-11) 11 June 1991 (age 33) 0 0 Kosovo Drita v.  Cyprus, 9 September 2024
GK Kenan Haxhihamza (1996-12-28) 28 December 1996 (age 27) 0 0 Kosovo Gjilani v.  Belarus, 21 November 2023
DF Lirim Kastrati (1999-02-02) 2 February 1999 (age 25) 15 0 Poland Widzew Łódź v.  Romania, 15 November 2024PRE
DF Mirlind Kryeziu (1997-01-26) 26 January 1997 (age 27) 10 0 Switzerland Zürich v.  Romania, 15 November 2024PRE
DF Leard Sadriu (2001-04-22) 22 April 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Slovenia Mura v.  Romania, 15 November 2024PRE
DF Kreshnik Hajrizi (1999-05-28) 28 May 1999 (age 25) 4 0 Poland Widzew Łódź v.  Armenia, 22 March 2024PRE
MF Altin Zeqiri (2000-07-18) 18 July 2000 (age 24) 3 1 Turkey Çaykur Rizespor v.  Romania, 15 November 2024PRE
MF Art Smakaj (2003-02-04) 4 February 2003 (age 21) 1 0 Croatia Lokomotiva v.  Romania, 15 November 2024PRE
MF Arbër Zeneli (1995-02-25) 25 February 1995 (age 29) 33 9 Sweden Elfsborg v.  Lithuania, 12 October 2024PRE
MF Qëndrim Zyba (2001-02-03) 3 February 2001 (age 23) 4 0 Czech Republic Slovan Liberec v.  Lithuania, 12 October 2024PRE
MF Bernard Berisha (1991-10-21) 21 October 1991 (age 33) 27 1 Russia Akhmat Grozny v.  Romania, 6 September 2024INJ
MF Ismet Lushaku (2000-09-22) 22 September 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Sweden Norrköping v.  Romania, 6 September 2024INJ
MF Idriz Voca (1997-05-15) 15 May 1997 (age 27) 15 0 Italy Triestina v.  Norway, 5 June 2024WD
MF Blendi Idrizi (1998-05-02) 2 May 1998 (age 26) 9 0 Unattached v.  Norway, 5 June 2024
MF Kreshnik Krasniqi (2000-12-22) 22 December 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Norway Strømsgodset v.  Norway, 5 June 2024CLUB
MF Zymer Bytyqi (1996-09-11) 11 September 1996 (age 28) 24 1 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia v.  Hungary, 26 March 2024
MF Florian Loshaj (1996-08-13) 13 August 1996 (age 28) 24 0 Turkey İstanbulspor v.  Hungary, 26 March 2024
MF Meriton Korenica (1996-12-15) 15 December 1996 (age 27) 5 0 Romania CFR Cluj v.  Belarus, 21 November 2023
MF Alban Ajdini (1999-07-09) 9 July 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Switzerland Lausanne-Sport v.  Belarus, 21 November 2023
FW Astrit Selmani (1997-05-13) 13 May 1997 (age 27) 5 1 Romania Dinamo București v.  Romania, 15 November 2024PRE
FW Muhamet Hyseni (2001-02-06) 6 February 2001 (age 23) 2 1 Denmark Horsens v.  Romania, 15 November 2024PRE
FW Drilon Hazrollaj (2004-02-19) 19 February 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Kosovo Malisheva v.  Romania, 15 November 2024PRE
FW Ermal Krasniqi (1998-09-07) 7 September 1998 (age 26) 8 2 Czech Republic Sparta Prague v.  Cyprus, 15 October 2024
FW Emir Sahiti (1998-11-29) 29 November 1998 (age 25) 5 1 Germany Hamburger SV v.  Cyprus, 15 October 2024
FW Eliot Bujupi (2006-07-03) 3 July 2006 (age 18) 1 0 Germany VfB Stuttgart v.  Cyprus, 15 October 2024
FW Shkelqim Vladi (2000-09-21) 21 September 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Switzerland Lugano v.  Romania, 6 September 2024PRE
FW Elbasan Rashani (1993-05-09) 9 May 1993 (age 31) 29 5 Spain Elche v.  Norway, 5 June 2024
Notes
  • PRE = Preliminary squad/standby.
  • U21 = Was called up from national U21 squad.
  • INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury.
  • SUS = Not available in next match due to red card suspension.
  • WD = Player withdrew from the current squad due to non-injury issue.
  • CLUB = Not part of the current squad after the club has not allowed him to join.

Records

Main article: List of Kosovo international footballers
As of 9 September 2024[74]
Players in bold are still active with Kosovo.

Most appearances

As of 12 October 2024[75]
Mërgim Vojvoda is the third-most capped player in the history of Kosovo with 58 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Pos. Career
1 Amir Rrahmani 61 7 DF 2014–present
2 Milot Rashica 59 12 FW 2016–present
3 Mërgim Vojvoda 58 2 DF 2017–present
4 Fidan Aliti 57 1 DF 2017–present
5 Vedat Muriqi 56 28 FW 2016–present
6 Valon Berisha 46 4 MF 2016–present
7 Arijanet Muric 40 0 GK 2018–present
Edon Zhegrova 40 5 MF 2018–present
9 Bersant Celina 38 2 MF 2014–present
10 Samir Ujkani 36 0 GK 2014–2022

Top goalscorers

As of 12 October 2024[76]
Vedat Muriqi is the top scorer in the history of Kosovo with 28 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Vedat Muriqi 28 56 0.5 2016–present
2 Milot Rashica 12 58 0.21 2016–present
3 Arbër Zeneli 9 33 0.27 2016–present
4 Amir Rrahmani 7 61 0.11 2014–present
5 Elbasan Rashani 5 29 0.17 2015–present
Edon Zhegrova 5 40 0.13 2018–present
7 Benjamin Kololli 4 24 0.17 2016–present
Valon Berisha 4 46 0.09 2016–present
8 Albert Bunjaku 3 6 0.5 2014–2016
Atdhe Nuhiu 3 19 0.16 2017–2020
Besar Halimi 3 34 0.09 2015–2021

Captains

As of 12 October 2024[77]
Samir Ujkani is the second-most capped player as captain in the history of Kosovo, with 30 appearances.
Anel Rashkaj is the first captain who led Kosovo in the first international match against Haiti.
Rank Pos. Player As captain Total
Career Caps Career Caps
1 DF Amir Rrahmani 2019–present 35 2014–present 60
2 GK Samir Ujkani 2015–2022 30 2014–2022 36
3 DF Fidan Aliti 2020–present 3 2017–present 57
MF Valon Berisha 2018–2020 3 2016–present 45
MF Anel Rashkaj 2014 3 2014–2020 14
FW Vedat Muriqi 2022–present 3 2016–present 56
7 MF Herolind Shala 2019–2020 2 2016–2021 27
GK Visar Bekaj 2021–2022 2 2015–present 9
9 MF Milot Rashica 2023–present 1 2016–present 57
MF Hekuran Kryeziu 2019 1 2015–2023 30
MF Florian Loshaj 2021 1 2020–present 24
DF Lirim R. Kastrati 2022 1 2017–present 16
MF Enis Alushi 2014 1 2014–2017 10
MF Besnik Hasi 2007 1 2007 1
MF Genc Hoxha 1993 1 1993 1

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

On 9 June 2016, the UEFA Emergency Panel decided that Kosovo would join Croatia, Finland, Iceland, Turkey and Ukraine in Group I, and also decided that Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia should not play against Kosovo for security reasons.[32][33] On 5 September 2016, Kosovo made its debut in FIFA World Cup qualification with a 1–1 away draw against Finland, with Kosovo's equalizing goal being scored by newcomer Valon Berisha from a penalty kick in the 60th minute.[34] On 2 September 2021, Kosovo achieved their first win in the FIFA World Cup qualifications a 1–0 away win against Georgia.[78]

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pos. Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 to France 1938 Part of  Kingdom of Yugoslavia Part of  Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Brazil 1950 to Italy 1990 Part of  SFR Yugoslavia Part of  SFR Yugoslavia
United States 1994 to South KoreaJapan 2002 Part of  FR Yugoslavia Part of  FR Yugoslavia
Germany 2006 Part of  Serbia and Montenegro Part of  Serbia and Montenegro
South Africa 2010 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Brazil 2014
Russia 2018 Did not qualify 6th 10 0 1 9 3 24
Qatar 2022 5th 8 1 2 5 5 15
CanadaMexicoUnited States 2026 To be determined To be determined
MoroccoPortugalSpain 2030[e]
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total — 0/2 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 2/2 18 1 3 14 8 39
  • Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks; correct as of 14 November 2021 after the match against  Greece.[80]

UEFA European Championship

On 2 December 2018, in Dublin, it was decided that Kosovo should be part in Group A of the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, together with Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Montenegro and 2018 World Cup fourth place finisher England.[40] On 25 March 2019, Kosovo made their debut on UEFA European Championship qualifying with a 1–1 home draw against Bulgaria and the draw goal was scored by Arbër Zeneli on the 61st minute.[81] On 11 June 2019, Kosovo won their first qualifying match for a major tournament by defeating Bulgaria 3–2.[82]

UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pos Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 to Sweden 1992 Part of  SFR Yugoslavia Part of  SFR Yugoslavia
England 1996 to BelgiumNetherlands 2000 Part of  FR Yugoslavia Part of  FR Yugoslavia
Portugal 2004 Part of  Serbia and Montenegro Part of  Serbia and Montenegro
AustriaSwitzerland 2008 Part of  Serbia Part of  Serbia
PolandUkraine 2012 Not a UEFA member Not a UEFA member
France 2016
Europe 2020 Did not qualify 3rd (PO) 9 3 2 4 14 18
Germany 2024 5th 10 2 5 3 10 10
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total — 0/2 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 2/2 19 5 7 7 24 28

UEFA Nations League

Kosovo's Nations League record
First match  Azerbaijan 0–0 Kosovo 
(Baku, Azerbaijan; 7 September 2018)
Biggest win  Malta 0–5 Kosovo 
(Ta' Qali, Malta; 17 November 2018)
Biggest defeat  Kosovo 0–3 Romania 
(Pristina, Kosovo; 6 September 2024)
Best result 39th place in 2022–23
Worst result 44th place in 2020–21

On 24 January 2018, in Lausanne, it was decided that Kosovo should be part of League D in Group 3 of the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, together with Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands and Malta.[37][38] On 7 September 2018, Kosovo made their debut in the UEFA Nations League with a 0–0 away draw against Azerbaijan.[84] On 10 September 2018, Kosovo achieved their first win in the UEFA Nations League, which was also the team's first-ever competitive win, a 2–0 home win against the Faroe Islands.[85] Kosovo finished the league unbeaten (with four wins and two draws) and will be promoted to the next tier (C league) for the next edition.[39]

UEFA Nations League record
League phase Finals
Season LG Grp Pos. Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK Year Pos. Pld W D L GF GA Squad
2018–19 D 3 1st 6 4 2 0 15 2 Rise 42nd Portugal 2019 Did not qualify
2020–21 C 3 3rd 6 1 2 3 4 6 Same position 44th Italy 2021
2022–23 C 2 2nd 6 3 0 3 11 8 Same position 39th Netherlands 2023
2024–25 C 2 2nd 4 3 0 1 9 4 TBD 2025
Total 22 11 4 7 39 20 39th Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Non-FIFA Tournament

Kosovo for first time after the Kosovo War participated in a tournament held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cyprus Turkish Football Association. Kosovo lost against the host with result 1–0 and won against Sàpmi with result 4–1.[87]

Year Round Pos. Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Northern Cyprus KTFF 50th Anniversary Cup Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 4 2 Squad
Total Runners-up 1/1 2 1 0 1 4 2 —

FIFA ranking history

As of 19 September 2024[3]

  Best ranking   Worst ranking   Best mover   Worst mover

Rank Year Pld W D L Win % Ranking Move
Best (+) Worst (−) Best Worst
104 2024 7 4 0 3 057.14 102 106 4 (April) 18 (July)
  101 2023 10 2 5 3 020.00 101 111 30 (November) 21 (September)
107 2022 10 4 3 3 040.00 106 109 2 (February) 1 (October)
111 2021 14 5 2 7 035.71 109 120 6 (September) 4 (October)
117 2020 9 1 2 6 011.11 115 117 0 (February) 1 (October)
115 2019 10 4 3 3 040.00 114 130 6 (June) 1 (November)
  131 2018 9 7 2 0 077.78 131 178 24 (August) 1 (January)
  177 2017 7 1 0 6 014.29 164 184 9 (November) 6 (April)
  165 2016 5 1 1 3 020.00 164 190 22 (September) 190 (July)

Head-to-head record

As of 16 October 2024 after the match against Cyprus.[73]
For head-to-head record before 1993, see this article.
Opponent Pld W D L GF GA GD Win % Reference
1993–present
 Albania 6 1 1 4 9 11 −2 016.67 H2H results[6][88][89]
 Andorra 2 1 1 0 4 1 +3 050.00 H2H results
 Armenia 2 1 1 0 3 2 +1 050.00 H2H results
 Azerbaijan 2 1 1 0 4 0 +4 050.00 H2H results
 Belarus 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 000.00 H2H results
 Bulgaria 2 1 1 0 4 3 +1 050.00 H2H results
 Burkina Faso 2 2 0 0 7 0 +7 100.00 H2H results
 Croatia 2 0 0 2 0 7 −7 000.00 H2H results
 Cyprus 4 4 0 0 14 1 +13 100.00 H2H results
 Czech Republic 2 1 0 1 3 3 +0 050.00 H2H results
 Denmark 1 0 1 0 2 2 +0 000.00 H2H results
 England 2 0 0 2 3 9 −6 000.00 H2H results
 Equatorial Guinea 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100.00 H2H results
 Faroe Islands 4 2 2 0 5 1 +4 050.00 H2H results
 Finland 2 0 1 1 1 2 −1 000.00 H2H results
 Gambia 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00 H2H results
 Georgia 2 1 0 1 2 2 +0 050.00 H2H results
 Gibraltar 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00 H2H results
 Greece 6 0 3 3 3 7 −4 000.00 H2H results
 Guinea 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 000.00 H2H results
 Haiti 1 0 1 0 0 0 +0 000.00 H2H results
 Hungary 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 000.00 H2H results
 Iceland 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3 000.00 H2H results
 Israel 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 050.00 H2H results
 Jordan 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 000.00 H2H results
 Latvia 1 1 0 0 4 3 +1 100.00 H2H results
 Lithuania 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5 100.00 H2H results
 Madagascar 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00 H2H results
 Malta 3 3 0 0 10 2 +8 100.00 H2H results
 Moldova 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 050.00 H2H results
 Monaco 1 1 0 0 7 1 +6 100.00 H2H results
 Montenegro 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2 050.00 H2H results
 North Macedonia 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 000.00 H2H results
 Northern Cyprus 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 000.00 H2H results
 Northern Ireland 2 1 0 1 4 4 +0 050.00 H2H results
 Norway 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 000.00 H2H results
 Oman 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00 H2H results
 Romania 3 0 1 2 0 5 −5 000.00 H2H results
 San Marino 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3 100.00 H2H results
 Sápmi 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3 100.00
 Saudi Arabia 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00 H2H results
 Senegal 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 000.00 H2H results
 Slovenia 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 000.00 H2H results
 Spain 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 000.00 H2H results
 Sweden 3 0 0 3 0 7 −7 000.00 H2H results
  Switzerland 3 0 3 0 4 4 +0 000.00 H2H results
 Turkey 3 0 0 3 2 12 −10 000.00 H2H results
H2H results*
 Ukraine 2 0 0 2 0 5 −5 000.00 H2H results
48 countries 93 34 20 39 132 127 +5 036.56 All H2H results

See also

Men's

Women's

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ a b The alternative name of the Albania national team that was used during this match.[4]
  2. ^ Dobrica Barbaroga was the Albanianized full name of Dobrica Barbarogić by the media of that time, which seems to be expression of peaceful coexistence with national minorities even in Kosovo at that time.[5]
  3. ^ The Kosovo v Israel match, originally scheduled to be played on 15 October 2023, was postponed to 12 November 2023 due to the Israel–Hamas war.[66][67]
  4. ^ On 11 November 2020, Bernard Challandes tested positive with COVID-19 and Muharrem Sahiti was named as his replacement for the November 2020 matches,[68] against Albania (2–1 away defeat),[69] Slovenia (2–1 away defeat),[70] and Moldova (1–0 home win).[71]
  5. ^ Additional matches are scheduled to be played in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the first world cup, however they are not considered to be official hosts of the tournament.[79]

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