Kosovo midfielder Florent Muslija has emphasized that the Kosovo national team will do its maximum to achieve a historic qualification for the 2026 World Cup, as the team prepares for decisive play-off matches in the European qualifiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kosovo secured second place in Group B behind Switzerland, finishing ahead of Sweden and Slovenia. Now the team led by head coach Franco Foda will face Slovakia on March 26 in a decisive duel to continue the path toward the tournament that will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Muslija, who is on loan at Fortuna D\u00fcsseldorf from SC Freiburg, started in all of Kosovo\u2019s matches during the group stage. The 27-year-old, speaking to FIFA, said he believes that his good form with the club can also help his performances with the national team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn international football, you are definitely judged by whether you play for your club or not. I have a good position in the team and have had some good performances in the recent matches. I hope I can carry my good club form into the national team and even improve it,\u201d <\/em>Muslija said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stressed that his role in the national team is similar to the one he has at club level, seeing himself as one of the players who must take more responsibility at this stage of his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is no big difference. I see myself as a leader in D\u00fcsseldorf and for the national team, both on and off the pitch. I\u2019m now at an age where I can and should take more responsibility,\u201d <\/em>the midfielder said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Muslija also spoke about the expectations that coach Foda has of him in the squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe wants me to take responsibility and he knows that I can be a match-winner. He wants to see that on the pitch. Of course, he also wants me to help in defense and I try to do my best in that aspect,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reflecting on the qualifying campaign, Muslija described it as very positive for Kosovo, underlining the team\u2019s growth and unity within the squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was a really positive campaign. We delivered some excellent performances and developed even further as a team. We really clicked as a group; we are all there for each other and support one another,\u201d <\/em>he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kosovo lost only one match during the group stage, against Switzerland, but the midfielder believes the team has reason to be proud of its journey so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have already achieved so much and, of course, our work is not finished yet. We want to qualify for the World Cup and we will give everything to get there,\u201d <\/em>Muslija stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also recalled his goal in the 1\u20131 draw against Switzerland, saying that scoring for the country is a special feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo score a goal for your country \u2014 and such an important goal \u2014 gives you a boost and a feeling of confidence and freedom to play. It was a wonderful feeling,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Muslija, one of Kosovo\u2019s greatest strengths is the unity of the team and the balance between attack and defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have become a really strong unit and we are very consistent in the way we play. We are good in attack and we have also become stronger in defense,\u201d <\/em>he said, mentioning the way the team dealt with forwards like Viktor Gy\u00f6keres and Alexander Isak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The midfielder stressed that although Kosovo is a small country, the team has shown it can compete with bigger opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are a small country. Opponents like Sweden, Switzerland and Slovenia may not lose much sleep over us. But we have a lot of heart, passion and footballing quality,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking about the upcoming challenges, Muslija said the team must first focus on the clash with Slovakia, and could then face Turkey or Romania if it progresses further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have to give everything we have. Each of us must give 100 percent. We must leave everything on the pitch and be aware of what a great opportunity this is for us as a nation,\u201d <\/em>he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, Muslija highlighted the great enthusiasm among fans and people everywhere for this historic opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is huge enthusiasm, both among the players and among all the fans and people living in Kosovo and abroad. If we manage to qualify, it would be history for such a small country. This is a dream we all share,\u201d<\/em> he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kosovo midfielder Florent Muslija has emphasized that the Kosovo national team will do its maximum to achieve a historic qualification for the 2026 World Cup, as the team prepares for decisive play-off matches in the European qualifiers. Kosovo secured second place in Group B behind Switzerland, finishing ahead of Sweden and Slovenia. Now the team […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":81261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[301,299],"tags":[7778,4010],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81260"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81260"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81262,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81260\/revisions\/81262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}