Ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Kosovo, blue Sport talks to Kosovo international Mirlind Kryeziu about the explosive nature of this clash and dual national Leon Avdullahu, who has decided in favor of Kosovo and against Switzerland.
- Mirlind Kryeziu from Zurich is a Kosovo international.
- However, the central defender is missing from the current squad as he is currently without a contract.
- He does not believe that the clash between Switzerland and Kosovo will be a friendly match: “When you’re on the pitch, you want to win – no matter who you’re up against.”
From now on it’s down to business. On Friday evening, Murat Yakin’s team will kick off the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Basel’s St. Jakob Park.
And the opener against Kosovo is a tough one. A selection with various players with a Swiss connection or even a Swiss passport, such as Lugano goalie Amir Saipi, Basel’s Leon Avdullahu, former FCB star Edon Zhegrova and Florent Hadergjonaj, who was born in Langnau in Emmental.
“This won’t be a real home game for Switzerland,” says former FCZ champion hero Mirlind Kryeziu. The 28-year-old Kosovan international defender is not in the squad for this match as he is currently without a contract.
“The game against Switzerland feels strange”
Switzerland versus Kosovo is a special international match, says Kryeziu, “one that feels a little strange.” He himself was on the pitch for the very first meeting between the two nations at Letzigrund, which ended in a 2-2 draw in March 2022.
Since then, there have been two more games in the 2024 European Championship qualifiers, both of which also ended in a “friendly” draw. Does this match have more of a friendly character due to the large number of Swiss-Kosovars or Kosovo-Swiss players? “No,” says the Zurich native, “when you’re on the pitch, you want to win – no matter who you’re up against.”
And who is the favorite? Kryeziu: “I don’t see a favorite. I think it will be a match of equals. Many Kosovars like Vedat Muriqi or Zhegrova play in the big leagues. Muriqi, for example, just scored against Real Madrid at the weekend.”
“I can fully understand Leon’s decision”
The decision by U21 international Leon Avdullahu to play for the Kosovan team in the future has been the most talked about recently. This is despite the fact that a small SFA delegation led by coach Murat Yakin recently visited the former FCB midfielder in Hoffenheim.
Kryeziu can understand Avdullahu’s decision. “I was in a similar situation a few years ago and opted for Kosovo as a Swiss U21 player.” He switched to Kosovo back then, even though it didn’t have the status and quality of today, when Kosovo can beat big teams. “For me, it was a decision from the heart.”
“I hope that both qualify in the end”
Logically, although he is not currently called up, he is in regular contact with his buddies from the national team. “We have a WhatsApp group where we write to each other regularly.”
Kryeziu is of course keeping his fingers crossed for Kosovo, as he also dreams of playing for his country at the 2026 World Cup in the USA. He says: “I hope that Kosovo and Switzerland will qualify in the end.”
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