Kosovo vs Türkiye World Cup play-off final preview: Where to watch, kick-off time and team news
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Article summary
All you need to know as Kosovo meet Türki̇ye in a winner-takes-all play-off.
Article top media content
Article body
Only the winners will reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals as Kosovo take on Türki̇ye on Tuesday 31 March.
Match at a glance
When: Tuesday 31 March (20:45 CET kick-off)
Where: Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri, Pristina
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 European play-off final
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage can be found here
Where to watch Kosovo vs Türki̇ye on TV
Fans can find their local European Qualifiers broadcast partner(s) here.
What do you need to know?
Dreaming of a debut at the World Cup finals, Kosovo showed great resolve to win their play-off semi-final 4-3 in Slovakia – twice levelling before taking a 4-2 lead. They will no doubt take great confidence from the victory, but coach Franco Foda warns that they must not get carried away. "We are in euphoria right now but we need to play the last game with calm," he said.
Arda Güler's awe-inspiring assist and Ferdi Kadıoğlu's expert finish were the difference as Türki̇ye overcame a stubborn Romania in the semi-finals. Looking ahead at full-time, captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu warned against underestimating their potential play-off final opponents: "Slovakia and Kosovo are both tough. No matter who we face, we need to focus on our game."
Reporter's view: Aydın Güvenir
Türkiye have lost only once in seven competitive away fixtures since UEFA EURO 2024, continuing to score on the road despite not having an out-and-out striker. They ground out a win against Romania in the semi-finals and the pressure is off a little as they chase a place in the World Cup for the first time since 2002. Like that side that went to the finals in Korea/Japan, the current crop has plenty of talent, with all of them desperate to scratch an itch by making it to their first World Cup.
Possible line-ups
Kosovo: Muric; Gallapeni, Hajdari, Hajrizi, Dellova; Muslija, Rexhbecaj, Hodža, Vojvoda; Muriqi, Asllani
Türki̇ye: Uğurcan Çakır; Zeki Çelik, Samet Akaydin, Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Ferdi Kadıoğlu; İsmail Yüksek, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Barış Alper Yılmaz, Arda Güler, Kenan Yıldız; Kerem Aktürkoğlu
Views from the camps
Franco Foda, Kosovo coach: "On Tuesday we will have an historic game against Türki̇ye. We are in euphoria right now but we need to play the last game with calm. We have a stadium only for 13,000 spectators, but if it were possible, there would be 100,000, for sure."
Vincenzo Montella, Türki̇ye coach: "I am very happy with our performance [against Romania]. Our players were patient, they didn't lose their shape. We finally got the win we wanted, and now my thoughts are on our next opponents. I'm looking forward to it."
What's in it for the winners?
The winners of this play-off final take the final position in Group D at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, joining the United States, Paraguay and Australia.