Kosovo One Game From Being Youngest-Ever Participants

The World Cup will already see two of the smallest nations ever to qualify take part in the 2026 competition. Curacao and Cape Verde both made history by becoming the first and third-smallest countries to qualify for the biggest international competition.

However, they could soon be joined by another tiny nation, who are now just one win away from heading to the United States, Mexico and Canada-hosted tournament.

The expansion from the traditional 32-team format to 48 this summer has allowed many fairytales to happen already​​​​​​. However, one of the biggest could still be yet to come after a huge shock result in the European qualifying playoffs.

Only Two Smaller European Nations Have Qualified

With a population of just 1.6 million people, Kosovo would become the sixth-smallest country to qualify for the World Cup, while only two smaller European nations have made it to the finals before (Iceland and Northern Ireland).

After defying all odds to finish above Sweden and Slovenia in the group stages of European qualifying, Kosovo have once again proven everyone wrong by defeating Slovakia 4-3 in an incredible playoff semi-final tie.

Goals from Veldin Hodza, Fisnik Asllani, Florent Muslija and Kreshnik Hajrizi saw off the Slovakians in their own backyard as Kosovo emerged victorious in a chaotic encounter.

That has secured a match against Turkiye next week, with the winner entering the upcoming international tournament. After finishing last place in their qualifying groups for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, the improvement has been remarkable to see.

The Youngest-Ever World Cup Nation in Waiting

Not only would they be among the tiniest nations to reach the finals based on population, but Kosovo would also be the youngest to ever participate. Just 18 years ago, on February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.

The country was then admitted as an official member in May 2016 at the FIFA Congress held in Mexico. To put into perspective just how fresh the nation is, their all-time top goalscorer, Vedat Muriqi, is 13 years older (31).

Now, an opportunity to fire the Kosovans into a World Cup in front of their own fans will fuel players such as Muriqi, Edon Zhegrova and Mergim Vojvoda. The Turkiye clash will be held at Prishtina Stadium on Tuesday.

If they achieve the impossible, a place in Group D awaits, where they will encounter Australia, Paraguay and co-hosts the United States. Kosovo may even fancy their chances against those opponents, considering the European nations they’ve already taken on.