Kosovo and Albania play the return matches of the playoff for League B in the Nations League on Tuesday.
Kosovo's football players find it almost impossible to move from League C to League B. Three days ago they were soundly defeated, 4:0, by Turkey at "Fadil Vokrri". The return match is in Izmir, on Tuesday at 18:00. Turkey is only expected to confirm its position in League B, and thus Kosovo will remain in League C.
"Now this result is difficult to recover, but the idea is to analyze the performance and build something more sustainable in the future," Kosovo coach Sami Sermaxhaj admitted after the first match.
He has acknowledged Turkey's dominance and at the same time the high level of this national team's players.
"We took measures to prevent Turkey from playing its game, but we did not achieve our goal. Turkey's players were faster, both in organizing the attack and in finishing. The first half was very difficult, Turkey has a more composed and mature team. We also did not reach the level of expectations and preparations, but football has such results", Sermaxhaj emphasized after the match in Pristina.
The most successful team after two matches continues in League B, while the losing team continues in League C.
In the first edition of the Nations League, which was 2023/2024, Kosovo had won the group in League C and was "promoted" to League B for the Euro 2025 qualifiers. But in League B they lost all six group matches with Wales, Ukraine and Croatia and returned to League C for the second edition of the Nations League.
Last season, they finished second in their group in League C, trailing Latvia and beating North Macedonia. They had the chance to advance to League B through the playoffs, but the first match was a disappointment.
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Kosovo loses again to Turkey, remains in League C
Turkey was third in the group in League B and therefore must confirm its stay at this level through the playoffs.
Albania finished third in the group in League B of the 2025 edition of the Nations League. Albania is also part of the play-offs. On Friday, they lost 3:2 to Cyprus in Larnaca. This result is estimated to be overturned in the return match, which takes place on Tuesday from 18:00 at “Air Albania” in Tirana.
"Against Cyprus tomorrow, only victory counts. The red and black team must win by a margin of at least two goals to ensure their place in League B. If the victory is by only one goal, the match will go into extra time of 15 minutes," the Albanian Football Association wrote on Monday.
