The Crescent Stars Book the World Cup Ticket: Kosovo vs Türkiye World Cup Play-Off Finals Recap

Two nations, one game, only one step left to reach football’s grandest stage. In the finals of the UEFA Play-Offs Pathway C, Kosovo hosts Türkiye in Fadil Vokrri Stadium.

(Image credit to ntv.com.tr)

On a special night at Pristina, two friendly and familiar teams face each other to book their ticket to the World Cup. Türkiye is searching for a return, after 24 years of absence since their historic run in 2002. Meanwhile, after a decade since their recognition as a national team by FIFA, Kosovo is on the verge of making history and wants to participate in their first ever World Cup. Kosovo and Türkiye played against each other on three occasions before, the Crescent Stars prevailed in all of them. This fourth game between the nations will decide who joins the USA, Paraguay and Australia in Group D of the 2026 World Cup.

In order to reach this stage, the hosts came second in World Cup Qualifiers Group B after Switzerland and pulled off a statement 4-3 away win against Slovakia. Meanwhile, the Turks followed Spain in the second place of Group D and got a hard-fought 1-0 win against Romania in Istanbul.

Türkiye was missing two important players last time against Romania and one of them came back for the final game against Kosovo. Although his place in the first eleven is uncertain, right-back Zeki Çelik is expected to be at least on the bench in Pristina. 

However, centre-back Merih Demiral’s injury still continues and won’t be in Vincenzo Montella’s 23-men squad against Kosovo. Arda Güler, Kenan Yildiz and Hakan Çalhanoglu are considered the key players for the Crescent Stars ahead of this crucial game. Galatasaray’s Cakir, Bardakci and Brighton’s Kadioglu can also play crucial roles on the defensive side of the Turks. 

On the other hand, Kosovo is ready to host with full force of Franco Foda’s men. Their hopes rely on their experienced all-time scorer Vedat Muriqi, who also played in Çaykur Rizespor and Fenerbahce of the Turkish Super League before. Hoffenheim striker Asllani and Juve winger Zhegrova are also the players that should not be overlooked on the Balkan side.

So, the stage is set and it’s time to see the starting elevens of both teams:

Kosovo XI: Muric - Dellova - Hajrizi - Hajdari - Gallapeni - Vojvoda - Hodža - Rexhbecaj - Muslija - Asllani - Muriqi

Türkiye XI: Cakir - Celik - Kabak - Bardakci - Kadioglu - Yüksek - Çalhanoğlu - Güler - Kökçü - Yildiz - Aktürkoğlu

(Image credit to dazn.com)

First Half

Both teams start the game by cautiously measuring each other under the passionate atmosphere of Fadil Vokrri Stadium. First danger comes from Türkiye, as Kenan Yildiz finds the free ball roaming in the Kosovo box to shoot, but the deflected ball goes just over the bar and corner. Kosovo answers the first attack with two of their own. With quick transition plays, they manage to get Hodža and Asllani inside the Turkish box, but Bardakci and Cakir are there to prevent them from creating even bigger threats. Teams exchange long-range goal threats, when Kokcü’s curved shot barely misses the target in the 27th minute and two minutes later, Asllani’s strong shot is brilliantly saved by Ugurcan Çakir. Kosovo captain Vedat Muriqi follows up the save, but can’t put the ball into the net.

 A few minutes later, Yildiz gets a long-range pass by the centre-back Ozan Kabak and dribbles towards the box. His pass to the middle isn’t controlled well by Aktürkoglu and he gets intercepted by the defenders, before he can shoot. In the remaining minutes, Kosovo finds another opening with a long ball coming from Murić to Muriqi, however Ugurcan Cakir leaves his goal right on time to block the striker’s run. So, the first half ends in a goalless draw. Much like the previous Romania game, Türkiye once again had the ball possession, but the game was not fully under their control. Kosovo’s rather positive football and the fierce away atmosphere definitely gave Turks a harder time than the semi-finals. In addition, Kosovo managed to neutralise the shot power of the Turks so far, despite giving the Crescent Stars some opportunities. Türkiye’s attackers are struggling to match the physicality of the Kosovo defenders so, their hopes for a goal will rely more on their ability to connect with the playmaking midfielders. Both teams are playing carefully and defending well, so the first one to concede is most likely to return home empty-handed.

(Image credit to beinsports.com)

Second Half

The Crescent Stars once again become the ones to break the dreadlock in the 53rd minute. Orkun Kökçü shoots after exchanging passes with Kenan Yildiz on the left side and Kerem Aktürkoglu finishes with a very light tap in to give Turks the lead. Türkiye starts to control the game after the opening goal. Ten minutes later, they find another chance with Kenan Yildiz, who dribbles past Dellova into the box and shoots. However, Arjanet Muric parries the ball well. Towards the closing stages of the game, Kosovo put the pressure on Turks with set pieces and long-range efforts. Muslija, who scored a freekick in the Slovakia game, fails to find the target from long-range, after a passing error from the newly-subbed Baris Alper Yilmaz. Fisnik Asllani followed with another shot from the edge of the Turkish box, but Ugurcan Çakir denied him once again in the 87th minute. The Crescent Stars manage to hold on to their win and take the victory in Pristina with the 1-0 scoreline.

(Image credit to theguardian.com)

This result ends Türkiye’s 24-year World Cup drought and gets them their third World Cup appearance this summer. Kenan Yildiz seemed to be the most effective player on the pitch for Türkiye, however Orkun Kökçü’s playmaking efforts and Ugurcan Çakir’s defying saves shouldn’t be forgotten in the Turks’ journey to reach the world stage. But despite the win, Türkiye’s passing errors were concerning in this game of high stakes. On the other side of the pitch, Kosovo can be proud of the historic efforts they’ve shown to reach this stage and being able to challenge for a World Cup appearance. Despite not being considered as favourites coming to this game, they gave the Crescent Stars a hard time on the pitch and battled to the last minute. However, Ugurcan Çakir was the one obstacle that stood in front of a memorable night in Pristina for the hosts.

(Image credit to @merihdemiral and @millitakimlar on Instagram)

In the end, Türkiye qualified for the 2026 World Cup after a hard-fought victory against Kosovo. The returning Crescent Stars take their place in Group D alongside the co-hosts USA, Australia and Paraguay. Their opening game will take place on 14th of June against the Aussies. In the summer, we'll see how far the Turks can go in the grandest stage of them all.

Article written by Emre Albas © Emre Albas 2026