The Swiss national team has a comfortable lead going into the last game of the World Cup qualifiers. Nevertheless, the players warn against taking the clash with Kosovo lightly.
18.11.2025, 05:00
18.11.2025, 07:01
SDA
It's actually clear - but not quite yet. Direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America can only be taken away from Switzerland if they lose by at least six goals in Pristina. The last time the Swiss suffered such a heavy defeat was 62 years ago, when they went down 8-1 to England in a test match. This is unlikely to happen against an opponent that the team defeated 4-0 in September. Or is it?
Granit Xhaka warns that he has seen a lot of crazy things in football. "But we certainly don't want to go down in history now." For the captain, it is clear that his team will definitely punch their ticket to the World Cup on Tuesday if they perform at their usual level. "A lot, a lot, a lot" would have to go wrong for the good starting position to be squandered. "And if that happens, it will be our own fault."
At the same time, the 33-year-old paid tribute to his opponents. According to Xhaka, the Kosovan national team has shown "super qualification". "We have to be careful."
An opponent on a high
Kosovo managed to bounce back immediately after their bitter opening defeat in Basel's St. Jakob-Park. In the four games against Sweden and Slovenia, the "Dardans" did not concede a goal and picked up ten points. After the 2:0 victory in Ljubljana last Saturday, there was a big party in the dressing room. Leon Avdullahu and Albian Hajdari, who had decided to transfer from Switzerland to Kosovo shortly before and during the qualifiers respectively, were right in the middle of it. Both are already regulars.
However, Kosovo's high goes back further than the current fall. They have won eleven of their last 15 games. Kosovo have been promoted to League B in the Nations League, and now the dream of participating in the World Cup for the first time lives on. The team is in a veritable frenzy.
Securing a play-off place ahead of time is a huge success. After all, Kosovo was only accepted as a FIFA member nine years ago and started the qualifying group as the supposedly weakest team (pot 4). Now the team led by former FCZ coach Franco Foda can play freely in the final home game. This is the biggest danger for Switzerland.
Taking the final step
That is why Christian Fassnacht also confirmed that the team will once again prepare "with the utmost seriousness". The midfielder, who played his first international match in two and a half years in the 4-1 win over Sweden, is well aware of the special atmosphere in the Fadil Vokrri Stadium, which is packed with 14,000 fans. "It would be negligent if we felt we could play there with just fifty percent."
For the Swiss, the Kosovan capital is yet another opportunity to prove their maturity. In a group that was expected to be much more evenly matched at the start, they have asserted themselves as the favorites with strong performances and have created an ideal starting position for the finals. Now the sixth World Cup finals in a row beckons. That, in turn, would be a story that Xhaka and Co. would love to write.
