Switzerland has not recognized the result that Kosovo needs for 62 years

When Kosovo was defeated 4:0 by Switzerland in the opening round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, few could have imagined that the Dardanian team would be guaranteed a playoff berth with one round remaining. And even fewer could have imagined that Kosovo would have a chance, albeit only mathematical, of directly qualifying for the World Cup.

But with one round to go, it still cannot be said that Switzerland will be in the World Cup and Kosovo will not be directly qualified. Switzerland is actually very close, while Kosovo is almost without a chance of directly qualifying.

Only a 6:0 victory for Kosovo, on Tuesday at 20:45 at “Fadil Vokrri”, would see Switzerland finish second in Group B of the qualifiers, while Kosovo first. With one round to go, Switzerland has 13 points and a goal difference of +12. Kosovo has ten points and a goal difference of +1.

Even if Switzerland hadn't won 4-0 on September 5 in Basel, a loss by six goals would have been unthinkable.

The “Swiss” are not defeated by even the world’s greatest teams with this result. And with this goal difference, they have not been defeated for many, many decades. The last time Switzerland suffered a six or more goal difference was 62 years ago. It was the friendly with England, which ended 8:1 for the English. That match was played on June 5, 1963. It was played at “St. Jakob” in Basel, where Kosovo suffered 4:0 from Switzerland in September. Legend Bobby Charlton scored three goals in that match for England.

In modern football, Switzerland is a very stable team. It occasionally scores big wins, but almost never concedes by a large margin.

The exception is the round of 16 match at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. On December 6, 2022, Portugal beat Switzerland, 6:1. That defeat was suffered severely in Switzerland.

But this team reacted immediately in 2023. It started with a 5:0 victory over Belarus and continued with a 3:0 victory over Israel.

Switzerland suffered a fairly heavy defeat by its standards on September 8th of last year, 4:1 to Spain.  

In the current campaign, the one for the 2026 World Cup, Switzerland has not lost a single match. It has only drawn once, while on Saturday it won 4:1 against Sweden.

Switzerland has long been a fixture at major football events. It is also known for showing its mettle when needed – not only in major events but also in qualifying matches.

Consequently, it is right for Kosovo to aim for victory to successfully conclude a historic qualifying campaign. But also for the national team led by Franco Foda to start thinking about the playoff matches for World Cup qualification, which will take place in March next year.