The Kosovo national football team will have a real test on May 31. Facing Franco Foda's selection will be the Czech Republic footballers, who will appear at the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The Football Federation of Kosovo on Monday confirmed the friendly with the Czech Republic, which will take place at the “Epet Arena” in Prague. Kosovo will play another friendly against Andorra on June 7 in Pristina.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support ContributeBut the focus will be on the test with the Czech Republic, which is in Group A at the World Cup. The Czechs play South Korea in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 11. On June 18, they face South Africa in Atlanta, and on June 24, they play Mexico in Mexico City.
The Czech Republic will also have a friendly on June 4 against Guatemala. But first, the Czechs will be tested by coach Foda's players.
The Czech Republic qualified for the World Cup through a playoff. In the semi-final, they defeated Ireland, while in the playoff final, they eliminated Denmark. They played both matches in Prague and won on penalties.
The Czech Republic is not an unknown opponent for Kosovo. On September 7, 2019 at “Fadil Vokrri”, Kosovo won 2:1 against the Czechs, with goals from Vedat Muriqi and Mërgim Vojvoda. On November 14, 2019 in Plzen, the Czech Republic won 2:1. The goal for the “Dardans” was scored by Atdhe Nuhiu.
The two matches were part of the Euro 2020 qualifiers. The Czech Republic had qualified in second place, while Kosovo finished third.
Kosovo is in a very positive moment. After a very good qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, it secured the play-off as second in a strong group with Switzerland, Slovenia and Sweden. In the semi-finals of the play-off, it defeated Slovakia in Bratislava, but in the final it suffered against Turkey in Pristina. And thus it remained outside the World Cup.
In September, Kosovo begins the new campaign in the Nations League. And the matches with the Czech Republic and Andorra are expected to serve Foda to better prepare the team for the autumn matches. Especially for the match with Andorra, Foda is expected to test more players. For the level that Kosovo has reached, Andorra is considered an inferior opponent.
In the FIFA rankings, the Czech Republic is 41st, Kosovo 78th, and Andorra 173rd.
The "Dardans" gather on May 27 in Pristina.
