Turkiye Edges Kosovo to Qualify for the World Cup, Plays USA in Group D

By Daniel Feuerstein | Pristinia, Kosovo | March 31st, 2026

One of four final World Cup European spots was up for grabs, and a place for both Turkiye and Kosovo to play in Group D with the USA, Paraguay, and Australia. At the Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Kosovo was looking to reach the World Cup for the very first time, while Turkiye was trying to make the World Cup for the first time in 24 years. Once again, the Turks only needed a single goal to advance to the promised land, and this time they did it on the road. When the final whistle blew, it would be Turkiye celebrating as they defeated Kosovo by the final score of one goal to nil.

Game Recap

The only goal of the match came when Turkiye got hold of the ball on their own side of the pitch and started heading toward Kosovo‘s net. A pass from the near side went across the pitch, and as the attacker was prepared to take a shot, the ball deflected off the defender and ricocheted back toward Kerem Akturkoglu, and he shot it into the net in the 53rd minute. Kosovo was arguing for an offside flag because one Turkish player was slightly ahead of the last defender, but he never touched the ball, and VAR’s check was complete to allow the goal to stand.

The entire match, Kosovo were looking for the advantage and put themselves ahead before Turkiye got their goal. After going down, they continued to fight, looking for the equalizer, but unfortunately, they couldn’t get that goal to force an extra time period. While they fought valiantly, Turkiye’s strong defensive posture put them ahead and kept frustrating their hosts until the final whistle blew, allowing them to punch their tickets to North America for the World Cup on the West Coast of the United States. Kosovo will now look toward the next cycle for 2030 as they hope to finally reach the grand tournament of world football.

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