Slovakia take on the visitors Kosovo in semifinal match of FIFA World Cup promotion. The match will be played on Thursday, March 26th at Tehelné pole (Bratislava).
Slovakia have played at the World Cup only once since the split with the Czech Republic. At the same time, they have been quite successful in European Championship qualifiers: in 2024 they reached their third consecutive tournament and even managed to get out of the group again. Moreover, in the latest qualification they started with a sensation, beating Germany 2-0 at home. After that, however, they could not maintain the pace of the race and, despite winning the rest of their matches, slipped up in Belfast, losing 0-2 to Northern Ireland. So they approached the decisive match level on points with the Germans… and were completely outclassed 0-6 in Leipzig. As a result, while Wirtz and company are already preparing for the tournament, Calzona’s team now have to prove their worth in very tough playoffs. Their recent form suggests they can be dangerous at home, but consistency remains a major issue when facing high-pressure situations.
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Kosovo are closer than ever to a “big” tournament. The “Dardanët” were only recently officially recognized — they first took part in qualification for the 2018 World Cup. So far, most of their success has come in the Nations League. They even competed for a place at Euro 2020 through the playoffs, having won their group at the lowest tier in their debut campaign. A couple of years ago, they managed to finish second in a League C group, though far behind winners Romania — but still showed progress. In 2025, however, Kosovo arguably produced their best football yet, challenging Switzerland for top spot and leaving Slovenia and Sweden with no chance in this qualification, even though both were rated higher. In the end, only in the final round did the “Nati” manage to hold a draw and secure first place, sending their rivals into the playoffs. Their latest results highlight a team full of confidence, capable of competing evenly even against stronger and more experienced opponents.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the teams, which represent geographically quite close countries. The visitors once again seem to be underestimated in this pairing. They are capable of avoiding defeat.
Prediction for the match: Kosovo not to lose (X2).
