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By:
Arsim Magjera
- 27 January 2026 10:24
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The new edition of the UEFA Nations League begins on September 24 of this year. This is the fifth edition of this league, which the European Football Confederation created to replace friendlies, but which also brings in additional money for national federations and UEFA.
The Nations League is divided into four levels. And for the first time, Kosovo will play in League B, which is the second level.
In the first edition, 2018/19, Kosovo played in League D, which is the fourth and final level. Then for three editions it was in League C. For the 2026/2027 edition, it was “promoted” to League B, thanks to two wins in the playoff against Iceland, in March of last year.
The draw for the new edition of the Nations League will be made on February 12 in Brussels. According to the draw, Kosovo will be in the fourth, respectively the last, pot, along with Sweden, North Macedonia and Northern Ireland.
The first pot of League B is Scotland, Hungary, Poland and Israel. The second pot consists of Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria and Ukraine. The third pot is Slovenia, Georgia, Ireland and Romania.
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Kosovo learns its first opponents in League B on Thursday
In the group, Kosovo will be with one representative from each of the first three pots. But not with Bosnia and Herzegovina, even though it is in the second pot.
"Based on the decisions of the UEFA Executive Committee, valid at the time of the draw, the teams that cannot be in the same group are: Bosnia and Herzegovina (Liga B, pot 2) - Kosovo (Liga B, pot 4). The other prohibited matches cannot take place because the respective teams do not play in the same league," reads the UEFA announcement for the Nations League draw.
Back in 2016, UEFA decided that Kosovo could not play Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina for security reasons. Meanwhile, in 2019, it also banned Kosovo's matches with Russia.
In other sports, for example in handball, Kosovo regularly plays with Bosnia and Herzegovina. And so far there have been no security-related problems.
More complicated than the eventual matches with Bosnia and Herzegovina may be those with Romania. All the matches so far with Romania have been accompanied by troubles of a political nature. Romanian fans have insulted Kosovo. They even shouted "Kosovo, Serbia" in Pristina. In the past, there have been complications of a political nature in the matches with Ukraine.
Consequently, Kosovo's group in the fifth edition of the Nations League could be quite interesting.
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Kosovo in fourth pot in Nations League draw
The league stage matches take place from September 24 to November 17 of this year. There are two matches each in September, October and November.
In Kosovo, all their focus is currently on the playoff to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. On March 26 in Bratislava, the "Dardans" will play against Slovakia in the playoff semifinals. In case of victory, they will host Turkey or Romania in the final on March 31. The winner of the playoff final secures a ticket to the World Cup.
