Kosovo had the best chance of an entertaining first half but Türkiye goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır pulled off a superb one-handed save to push Fisnik Asllani’s strike onto the crossbar.
Türkiye got the breakthrough eight minutes into the second half when Aktürkoğlu diverted Orkun Kökçü’s shot into the net in Pristina for the only goal of the game, ensuring Türkiye will go to their first World Cup since reaching the semi-finals in 2002.
Their players, including captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu of Inter Milan, Real Madrid’s Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız of Juventus, waved giant Turkish flags as they went across to celebrate at full-time in front of the travelling support.
Vincenzo Montella’s team will go into Group D at the World Cup, along with co-hosts the United States, Paraguay and Australia. They will begin their campaign against Australia in Vancouver on June 13.
Türkiye shaded a close-fought game low on goalmouth action and secured victory early in the second half as a Yıldız cutback from the left was met by Kökçü before Fenerbahce striker Aktürkoğlu made sure.
Montella’s side are ranked 22nd in the world and reached the quarter-finals at Euro 2024, but this will only be Türkiye’s third ever appearance at the World Cup — they went to the 1954 tournament before coming third 24 years ago in South Korea and Japan.
They finished second in European qualifying Group E behind Spain, holding the Spanish to a draw away from home, before beating Romania 1-0 at home in their play-off semi-final last week.
Kosovo, ranked 78th, was targeting a first-ever World Cup appearance, having only been accepted as a FIFA member a decade ago.
They had finished second behind Switzerland in qualifying Group B, notably beating Sweden home and away, before coming from behind twice to defeat Slovakia 4-3 away in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, one of football’s historic powers has reached a once-unfathomable low as four-time champion Italy failed to qualify for a third straight World Cup after getting beaten in a penalty shootout with 10 men at 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Moise Kean scored early on for Italy but then Azzurri center back Alessandro Bastoni was sent off with a direct red card before the break and Bosnia substitute Haris Tabakovic equalized in the 79th to send the game into extra time.
The defeat added more misery for Italy’s once-proud national team after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in the qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups.
Bosnia won the shootout 4-1 and qualified for the first time since 2014 — its only previous appearance.
In March 31’s other European playoff finals, Sweden beat Poland 3-2 and the Czechs beat Denmark in a shootout.
The 48-team field for FIFA’s biggest-ever World Cup is complete after a qualifying process that spanned more than two and a half years.
Iraq edged Bolivia 2-1 in an intercontinental playoff at Monterrey in northern Mexico to secure the 48th spot.