Kosovo and Switzerland drew 1–1 at “Fadil Vokrri” Stadium on Tuesday night, maintaining the same positions in the table that they held before kickoff.
As expected, Switzerland secured qualification for next year’s FIFA World Cup, while Kosovo will advance to the playoff stage an unprecedented achievement. For Switzerland, it is just another routine qualification for a major tournament; for Kosovo, it marks a historic milestone, as the national team enters the World Cup playoff for the first time ever.
The match, played on a slippery and challenging pitch in Pristina, delivered several intriguing and unexpected moments.
Before the game even began, fireworks were set off—presumably a celebration of Kosovo’s successful qualifying campaign. It signaled that reaching the playoff was seen as the ultimate objective and a major accomplishment. To qualify directly, Kosovo would have needed a 6–0 win on Tuesday, a result that was never realistically within reach.
Soon after kickoff, whistles filled the stadium. They sounded every time Swiss captain Granit Xhaka touched the ball. The reaction appeared linked to Xhaka’s recent remarks about Leon Avdullahu and Albian Hajdari choosing to represent Kosovo. Xhaka stated that the two players were not close to Switzerland’s starting lineup—a comment interpreted in various ways, sparking anger among Kosovo fans.
Avdullahu and Hajdari were not on the pitch, nor even on the bench. Coach Franco Foda opted to leave them out due to the risk of accumulating cards that could cause them to miss the crucial World Cup playoff matches in March.
Apart from the whistles directed at Xhaka, the first half offered few noteworthy events. Veldin Hoxha attempted a mildly dangerous shot for Kosovo, while Vedat Muriqi’s header went off target. Switzerland threatened only in the opening minutes, taking advantage of Kosovo’s difficulty in maintaining balance on the wet turf.
The score remained 0–0 at halftime.
The game changed immediately after the restart.
Ruben Vargas put Switzerland ahead 1–0 in the 47th minute.
Kosovo responded with tactical changes. In the 63rd minute, Baton Zabërgja came on for Veldin Hoxha, while Edon Zhegrova replaced Fisnik Asllani. Later, Ilir Krasniqi entered the field in the 71st minute, substituting captain Amir Rrahmani.
And in the 74th minute, Kosovo equalized. Florent Muslija struck a brilliant long-range shot to level the score at 1–1.
Kosovo pushed aggressively for a winning goal in the final phase of the match, but couldn’t break through Switzerland’s defense.
For Switzerland, Andi Zeqiri also entered the match—and was met with whistles from the stands as well.
Switzerland finished atop Group B with 14 points and can now begin preparations for the World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Kosovo closed the group stage in second place with 11 points. The team now eagerly awaits Thursday’s playoff draw at 13:00. Kosovo will play the playoff semifinal on March 26, hoping to reach the playoff final on March 31. Only the four winners of the playoff finals will qualify for the World Cup.
