Kosovo stunned Sweden in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Monday, 8 September 2025. Franco Foda’s men surprised many when they beat their star-studded opponents 2-0 in the thriller.
Kosovo’s first win of their qualification campaign saw them climb to second place in Group B’s standings. Switzerland tops the group with six points after winning both its qualifiers.
Kosovo is behind Switzerland with three points from two games. Sweden is in third place with only one point, and Slovenia is at the bottom of the group with one point to its name.
Lethal forwards, including Liverpool’s Alexander Isak, Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres, and Newcastle’s Anthony Elanga, failed to score for the Swedish national team on the night.
Kosovo scored both goals in the first half of the match. Augsburg’s Elvis Rexhbecaj and Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi gave their team a huge advantage when they netted before the halftime break.
Yellow cards marred the clash. The referee dished out five yellow cards and one red card to Kosovo and three yellow cards to Sweden. Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men couldn’t turn their 69% ball possession into goals.
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Did Kosovo and Sweden Win Their Last World Cup Qualifiers?
Kosovo suffered a heavy defeat on 5 September 2025. Switzerland demolished Kosovo 4-0 in the 2026 World Cup qualifier. The Rossocrociati netted all four goals in the first half. Kosovo regrouped in the second half and prevented their hosts from scoring further goals. Breel Embolo netted a brace in the clash.
Sweden was held to a 2-2 draw by Slovenia in their Group B opener on 5 September 2025. Sweden took the lead twice in the thrilling clash, but Slovenia found ways to level the score on both occasions. Anthony Elanga and Yasin Ayari scored for the Swedes.
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Kosovo vs Sweden: Head-to-Head
The two nations last faced each other in 2021 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. On 9 November 2021, Sweden demolished Kosovo 3-0. Sweden’s lethal striker, Alexander Isak, played a pivotal role in the encounter. The Liverpool star scored in the 62nd minute.
The other two Swedish goals were scored by Robin Quaison, who replaced Isak in the 75th minute, and Emil Forsberg opened the scoring from a spot kick in the first half.
In another World Cup qualifier on 23 March 2021, Sweden thumped their hosts 3-0. Isak also registered his name on his country’s score sheet. The other scorers were Ludwig Augustinsson and Sebastian Larsson.
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