The final of the barrage of the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup between the football teams of Turkey and Kosovo will be played as a sign of close friendship between the two countries and their national teams, reports Anadolu.
As both countries send messages of friendship ahead of the 2026 World Cup European qualifiers play-off final, the US-based social media account Kosovan Football X, which publishes news about the Kosovo national football team, looked back on a 2014 match against Turkey, played before Kosovo was recognized by FIFA in 2016.
“Back in 2014, when nobody wanted to play with us, Turkey came. They played against Kosovo away from home, before we were even recognized by FIFA – a gesture of respect and love that we will never, ever forget. Twelve years later… we are on our way to the World Cup final,” Kosovan Football announced, along with photos from that game.
The football team of Turkey will play against Kosovo away on March 31 in the final of the barrage of European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The two countries have close diplomatic, cultural and economic ties. In Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, where the match will be played, there is also a “Kosovo-Turkey Friendship Park”.
In 2014, the Turkish national football team defeated Kosovo away from home with a score of 6:1 in a friendly match.
The football team of Kosovo scored its first goal against the football team of Turkey in history.
In only their second friendly match, Kosovo hosted the Turkish national team and scored a goal at the national level.
The home team shook the net in the first half with a goal by Albert Bunjaku.
The first friendly match in the history of the Kosovo football team ended without goals against Haiti.
In January 2014, UEFA gave Kosovo permission to play friendly matches.
On May 13, 2016, FIFA accepted the Football Association of Kosovo as its member by majority vote.
At the FIFA Congress, the full membership of the Football Association of Kosovo in FIFA was put to a vote. At the congress, where FIFA Executive Committee member and UEFA vice-president from Turkey Senes Erzik gave an opening speech before the vote, the Football Association of Kosovo was elected as a full member of FIFA with 141 votes in favor and 23 against.
The Football Association of Kosovo, which became the 210th member of FIFA, was admitted to UEFA on May 3, 2016.
(Vijesti.ba)
