Why Austria is Kosovo's strongest opponent in the Nations League

Although it was in the second pot in the draw, Austria is considered Kosovo's strongest opponent in the 2026/2027 edition of the Nations League.

The draw drawn on Thursday night has placed Kosovo in Group 3 of League B along with Israel and Ireland.

By draw, Israel was last in the first pot, Austria second to last in the second pot, Ireland second to last in the third pot and Kosovo last in the fourth pot.

Based on the placement in the pots, Group 3 is not one of the strongest in League B. 

But for the "Dardans" it is challenging, especially since they are competing for the first time in the second tier of the UEFA Nations League.

It was Kosovo coach Franco Foda who singled out Austria. In addition to having coached Austria for many years, Foda also relied on many other facts when favoring this team.

Austria won their group in the last qualifiers and are part of the World Cup to be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer. This is a testament to their quality.

It was in a group with quality representatives like Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania, but also with Cyprus and San Marino.

As coach, the Austrians have German Ralf Rangnick, one of the most highly regarded coaches in European football.

The Austrians have appeared in the last three European Championships. They even won the group that also included France, the Netherlands and Poland at Euro 2024. In the round of 16, the Austrians lost to Turkey.

Kosovo has not played against Austria so far, but Foda knows that the two autumn matches will be difficult.

"It is clear that Austria is the favorite, but it is an interesting group. Our goal is to do everything to reach second place, because it is a strong group. We have to stay at this level, at least, and not fall into League C," said Foda.

German Foda led Austria from 2018 to 2022. The fact that he stayed for four years proves that he did a good job.

Austria also has a number of players at the top European level. Captain David Alaba is at Real Madrid, although no longer a key player in the defence. Kevin Danso is at Tottenham, while numerous players have made their careers in the Bundesliga, including Borussia Dortmund's Marcel Sabitzer, Bayern Munich's Konrad Laimer and Leipzig's Christoph Baumgartner.

The influence of German football on Austria is very great. In this respect Austria has similarities with Kosovo. Almost half of Kosovo's current players are now part of German football.

While Kosovo is currently focused on the March playoff, Austria is focused on the World Cup. In the group stage, they play Jordan, Argentina and Algeria. 

"Kosovo still has a chance to qualify for the World Cup, which is already a great achievement. The matches with Kosovo will be interesting, both at home and away," said Austria coach Ralf Rangnick.