The European World Cup qualifiers feature many weaker teams but also some surprise contenders, like Kosovo, whose world ranking last month was below that of China’s national team.KosovoIn the fourth round of Group B in the European qualifiers, Kosovo, ranked 91st globally, secured a 1-0 away victory over Sweden, ranked 32nd and featuring Premier League stars Isak and Quaison. Including their 2-0 home win, Kosovo has defeated Sweden twice in this qualifier without conceding a single goal, keeping clean sheets in both home and away matches.
After four rounds in Group B of the European World Cup qualifiers, Kosovo stands second with 7 points from 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, having won both matches against Sweden. Currently, Kosovo trails group leader Switzerland by 3 points and holds a 4-point lead over third-placed Slovenia.
According to the latest forecast by We Global Football, Kosovo has only a 2.44% chance of qualifying directly for the World Cup as group winners in UEFA Group B, but their probability of securing a playoff spot (finishing second) is as high as 67.2%, nearly seven out of ten.
To clarify, Kosovo’s world ranking in September was just 95th, one spot below China’s national team, but after a 2-0 home win over Sweden, Kosovo’s ranking rose to 91st, surpassing China by three places. So what is Kosovo’s actual strength? Looking at the total team market value, Kosovo’s squad is worth 107 million euros, while China’s is only 12.63 million euros. Although Kosovo and China have similar world rankings, their team strengths are vastly different.