Kosovo national football team

Pre-independence

First ever 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

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

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

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

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

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.

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 ever 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]

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 9 September 2023^[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	35	15	10	10	042.86	Yugoslavia	8 November 1967	Israel	12 November 2023		[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

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

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

Kosovo  v  Romania

16 June Euro 2024 qualifying	Kosovo	0–0	Romania	Pristina, Kosovo
20:45		Report		Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium Attendance: 12,600 Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

Belarus  v  Kosovo

19 June Euro 2024 qualifying	Belarus	2–1	Kosovo	Budapest, Hungary[c]
20:45	Morozov 73' Ebong 75'	Report	Muriqi 87' (pen.)	Stadium: Szusza Ferenc Stadion[c] Attendance: 0[c] Referee: Julian Weinberger (Austria)

Kosovo  v   Switzerland

9 September Euro 2024 qualifying	Kosovo	2–2	Switzerland	Pristina, Kosovo
20:45	Muriqi 65', 90+4'	Report	Freuler 14' Am. Rrahmani 79' (o.g.)	Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium Attendance: 12,700 Referee: Jakob Kehlet (Denmark)

Romania  v  Kosovo

12 September Euro 2024 qualifying	Romania	2–0	Kosovo	Bucharest, Romania
20:45	Stanciu 83' Mihăilă 90+3'	Report		Stadium: Arena Națională Attendance: 29,982 Referee: Willy Delajod (France)

Andorra  v  Kosovo

12 October Euro 2024 qualifying	Andorra	0–3	Kosovo	Andorra la Vella, Andorra
20:45		Report	Rashica 26', 71' Zeqiri 83'	Stadium: Estadi Nacional Attendance: 1,207 Referee: Nick Walsh (Scotland)

Kosovo  v  Israel

12 November[d] 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)

Switzerland  v  Kosovo

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)

Kosovo  v  Belarus

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

Armenia  v  Kosovo

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)

Hungary  v  Kosovo

26 March Friendly	Hungary	2–0	Kosovo	Budapest, Hungary
19:00	Szoboszlai 58' Nagy 86'	Report		Stadium: Puskás Aréna Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania)

Norway  v  Kosovo

5 June Friendly	Norway	v	Kosovo	Oslo, Norway
		Report		Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion

Kosovo  v  Romania

6 September 2024–25 Nations League	Kosovo	v	Romania	TBD
20:45		Report

Cyprus  v  Kosovo

9 September 2024–25 Nations League	Cyprus	v	Kosovo	Cyprus
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)		Report

Lithuania  v  Kosovo

12 October 2024–25 Nations League	Lithuania	v	Kosovo	Kaunas, Lithuania
15:00		Report		Stadium: Darius and Girėnas Stadium

Kosovo  v  Cyprus

15 October 2024–25 Nations League	Kosovo	v	Cyprus	TBD
20:45		Report

Romania  v  Kosovo

15 November 2024–25 Nations League	Romania	v	Kosovo	Romania
20:45 (21:45 UTC+2)		Report

Kosovo  v  Lithuania

18 November 2024–25 Nations League	Kosovo	v	Lithuania	TBD
20:45		Report

Current coaching staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Franco Foda
Assistant coach(es)	Thomas Kristl
	Robert Ibertsberger
Goalkeeping coach	Ahmet Beselica
Team manager	Bajram Shala
Sports director	Muharrem Sahiti
	Samir Ujkani

Manager history

No.	Name	Period	Record
			G	W	D	L	Win %
1	Ajet Shosholli	1993–2002	1	0	0	1	000.00
2	Bylbyl Sokoli	2002–2005	1	0	0	1	000.00
3	Muharrem Sahiti	2005–2006	3	2	0	1	066.67
4	Edmond Rugova	2006–2009	1	1	0	0	100.00
5	Albert Bunjaki	2009–2017	18	3	3	12	016.67
C	Muharrem Sahiti	2017–2018	1	1	0	0	100.00
6	Bernard Challandes → Muharrem Sahiti[e]	2018–2021 2020	40	17	8	15	042.50
C	Primož Gliha	2021–2022	2	0	1	1	000.00
7	Alain Giresse	2022–2023	14	4	6	4	028.57
8	Primož Gliha	2023	6	2	2	2	033.33
9	Franco Foda	2024–present	2	1	0	1	050.00

Current squad

• The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Armenia and Hungary, on 22 and 26 March 2024.^[73]
• Caps and goals are correct as of 26 March 2024^[update], after the match against Hungary.^[74]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
12	1GK	Arijanet Muric	(1998-11-07) 7 November 1998 (age 25)	38	0	Burnley
1	1GK	Visar Bekaj	(1997-05-24) 24 May 1997 (age 26)	7	0	Hatayspor
16	1GK	Ilir Avdyli	(1990-05-20) 20 May 1990 (age 33)	0	0	Llapi
13	2DF	Amir Rrahmani (captain)	(1994-02-24) 24 February 1994 (age 30)	56	6	Napoli
15	2DF	Mërgim Vojvoda	(1995-02-01) 1 February 1995 (age 29)	55	2	Torino
3	2DF	Fidan Aliti (3rd captain)	(1993-10-03) 3 October 1993 (age 30)	54	1	Alanyaspor
2	2DF	Florent Hadergjonaj	(1994-07-31) 31 July 1994 (age 29)	33	1	Alanyaspor
4	2DF	Mirlind Kryeziu	(1997-01-26) 26 January 1997 (age 27)	11	0	Zürich
5	2DF	Lumbardh Dellova	(1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 25)	8	0	Ballkani
6	2DF	Ilir Krasniqi	(2000-04-02) 2 April 2000 (age 24)	6	0	Llapi
7	3MF	Milot Rashica	(1996-06-28) 28 June 1996 (age 27)	55	12	Beşiktaş
14	3MF	Valon Berisha (4th captain)	(1993-02-07) 7 February 1993 (age 31)	42	4	LASK
9	3MF	Bersant Celina	(1996-09-09) 9 September 1996 (age 27)	38	2	AIK
8	3MF	Florent Muslija	(1998-07-06) 6 July 1998 (age 25)	25	1	SC Freiburg
23	3MF	Zymer Bytyqi	(1996-09-11) 11 September 1996 (age 27)	24	1	Unattached
19	3MF	Florian Loshaj	(1996-08-13) 13 August 1996 (age 27)	24	0	İstanbulspor
21	3MF	Donat Rrudhani	(1999-05-02) 2 May 1999 (age 24)	12	2	Lausanne-Sport
22	3MF	Blendi Idrizi	(1998-05-02) 2 May 1998 (age 25)	8	0	Schalke 04
24	3MF	Drilon Hazrollaj	(2004-02-19) 19 February 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Malisheva
18	4FW	Vedat Muriqi (vice-captain)	(1994-04-24) 24 April 1994 (age 30)	53	26	Mallorca
11	4FW	Elbasan Rashani	(1993-05-09) 9 May 1993 (age 30)	28	5	Clermont
10	4FW	Edon Zhegrova	(1999-03-31) 31 March 1999 (age 25)	36	4	Lille
20	4FW	Albion Rrahmani	(2000-08-31) 31 August 2000 (age 23)	3	0	Rapid București

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	Mustafë Abdullahu	(2004-02-27) 27 February 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Tirana	v.  Armenia, 22 March 2024U21
GK	Kenan Haxhihamza	(1996-12-28) 28 December 1996 (age 27)	0	0	Dukagjini	v.  Belarus, 21 November 2023
DF	Leart Paqarada	(1994-08-10) 10 August 1994 (age 29)	31	1	1. FC Köln	v.  Hungary, 26 March 2024INJ
DF	Lirim Kastrati	(1999-02-02) 2 February 1999 (age 25)	15	0	Widzew Łódź	v.  Armenia, 22 March 2024PRE
DF	Kreshnik Hajrizi	(1999-05-28) 28 May 1999 (age 24)	4	0	Lugano	v.  Armenia, 22 March 2024PRE
DF	Betim Fazliji	(1999-04-25) 25 April 1999 (age 25)	22	0	St. Gallen	v.  Andorra, 12 October 2023INJ
DF	Ismajl Beka	(1999-10-31) 31 October 1999 (age 24)	1	0	Luzern	v.  Andorra, 12 October 2023INJ
DF	Ibrahim Drešević	(1997-01-24) 24 January 1997 (age 27)	25	0	Machida Zelvia	v.  Romania, 12 September 2023
DF	Valon Zumberi	(2002-11-24) 24 November 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Schaffhausen	v.   Switzerland, 9 September 2023U21
DF	Andi Hoti	(2003-03-02) 2 March 2003 (age 21)	0	0	1. FC Magdeburg	v.   Switzerland, 9 September 2023U21
DF	Amar Gërxhaliu	(2002-04-26) 26 April 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Antalyaspor	v.  Belarus, 19 June 2023U21
MF	Qëndrim Zyba	(2001-02-03) 3 February 2001 (age 23)	4	0	Legia Warsaw	v.  Armenia, 22 March 2024PRE
MF	Altin Zeqiri	(2000-07-18) 18 July 2000 (age 23)	3	1	Çaykur Rizespor	v.  Armenia, 22 March 2024PRE
MF	Emir Sahiti	(1998-11-29) 29 November 1998 (age 25)	2	0	Hajduk Split	v.  Armenia, 22 March 2024PRE
MF	Lindon Emërllahu	(2002-12-07) 7 December 2002 (age 21)	2	0	Ballkani	v.  Armenia, 22 March 2024U21
MF	Bernard Berisha	(1991-10-21) 21 October 1991 (age 32)	26	1	Akhmat Grozny	v.  Belarus, 21 November 2023
MF	Meriton Korenica	(1996-12-15) 15 December 1996 (age 27)	5	0	Ballkani	v.  Belarus, 21 November 2023
MF	Alban Ajdini	(1999-07-09) 9 July 1999 (age 24)	1	0	Stade Lausanne Ouchy	v.  Belarus, 21 November 2023
MF	Arbër Zeneli	(1995-02-25) 25 February 1995 (age 29)	33	9	Elfsborg	v.  Romania, 12 September 2023
MF	Hekuran Kryeziu	(1993-02-12) 12 February 1993 (age 31)	29	0	Unattached	v.  Belarus, 19 June 2023
FW	Muhamet Hyseni	(2001-02-06) 6 February 2001 (age 23)	2	1	Llapi	v.  Armenia, 22 March 2024PRE
FW	Shkelqim Vladi	(2000-09-21) 21 September 2000 (age 23)	0	0	Lugano	v.  Armenia, 22 March 2024PRE
FW	Ermal Krasniqi	(1998-09-07) 7 September 1998 (age 25)	4	0	Rapid București	v.  Belarus, 21 November 2023
FW	Jetmir Topalli	(1998-02-07) 7 February 1998 (age 26)	6	0	Manisa	v.  Belarus, 19 June 2023
Notes U21 = Was called up from national U21 squad. INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury. PRE = Preliminary squad/standby.

As of 26 March 2024^[75][76]

Players in bold are still active with Kosovo.

Most appearances

Top goalscorers

Captains

As of 22 March 2024^[77]

Samir Ujkani is the joint-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.

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
1930 to 1938	Part of  Kingdom of Yugoslavia										Part of  Kingdom of Yugoslavia
1950 to 1990	Part of  SFR Yugoslavia										Part of  SFR Yugoslavia
1994 to 2002	Part of  Yugoslavia										Part of  Yugoslavia
2006	Part of  Serbia and Montenegro										Part of  Serbia and Montenegro
2010	Not a FIFA member										Not a FIFA member
2014
2018	Did not qualify										6th	10	0	1	9	3	24
2022											5th	8	1	2	5	5	15
2026	To be determined										To be determined
2030[f]
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 ever 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
1960 to 1992	Part of  SFR Yugoslavia										Part of  SFR Yugoslavia
1996 to 2000	Part of  Yugoslavia										Part of  Yugoslavia
2004	Part of  Serbia and Montenegro										Part of  Serbia and Montenegro
2008	Part of  Serbia										Part of  Serbia
2012	Not a UEFA member										Not a UEFA member
2016
2020	Did not qualify										3rd (PO)	9	3	2	4	14	18
2024											5th	10	2	5	3	10	10
2028	To be determined										To be determined
2032
Total	—	0/2	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		2/2	19	5	7	7	24	28

• Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out; correct as of 21 November 2023 after match against  Belarus.^[83]

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	Three matches  Kosovo 1–2 Greece  (Pristina, Kosovo; 6 September 2020)  Slovenia 2–1 Kosovo  (Ljubljana, Slovenia; 15 November 2020)  Northern Ireland 2–1 Kosovo  (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 24 September 2022)
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		42nd		2019	Did not qualify
2020–21	C	3	3rd	6	1	2	3	4	6		44th		2021
2022–23	C	2	2nd	6	3	0	3	11	8		39th		2023
2024–25	C	2	To be determined										2025
Total				18	8	4	7	30	16	39th			Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	—

• Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out; correct as of 27 September 2022 after match against  Cyprus.^[86]

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
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	—

As of 29 October 2023^[3]

  Best ranking   Worst ranking   Best mover   Worst mover

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against Hungary.^[74]

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
Bulgaria	2	1	1	0	4	3	+1	050.00	H2H results
Belarus	2	0	0	2	1	3	−2	000.00	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	2	2	0	0	7	1	+6	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
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	1	1	0	0	4	0	+4	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 Ireland	2	1	0	1	4	4	+0	050.00	H2H results
Northern Cyprus	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00	H2H results
Oman	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00	H2H results
Romania	2	0	1	1	0	2	−2	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
47 countries	90	32	20	38	122	123	−1	035.56	All H2H results

Men's

• Under-21
• Under-19
• Under-17
• Under-15
• Futsal

Women's

• National team
• Under-19
• Under-17

Notes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kosovo national association football team.

• Official website (in Albanian and English)
• Kosovo at FIFA
• Kosovo at UEFA
• Kosovo at National-Football-Teams.com
• Kosovo at RSSSF