The Kosovo national football team has finished the year 2025 in 80th place in the FIFA rankings, the best position ever in its history. The Dardanians started the year from 99th place and, with an improvement of 18 positions, recorded the biggest rise of any national team during the year—a progress officially confirmed by FIFA.
FIFA highlighted Kosovo’s major transformation in 2025, writing: “Before the World Cup qualifiers, Kosovo had won only one of 18 qualifying matches, scoring eight goals and conceding 39. However, this changed in 2025. The team coached by Franco Foda, after losing the opening round to Switzerland, remained unbeaten in the next five matches, won three of them, and secured a place in the European play-offs for the first time.”
According to FIFA, victories, draws, and successful performances in the Nations League and friendly matches earned Kosovo 89.02 points, lifting them from 99th to 80th place. The continuous rise throughout the year—from entering the top 100 at the end of 2024 to the current position—remains both a reward and additional motivation for the Dardanians, who in March aim to take the next step toward a historic qualification for the World Cup.
