Kosovo vs Ireland Prediction & Preview - UEFA Nations League
Kosovo and Ireland go into Thursday's game missing key players on both sides, and that is what makes this Nations League opener hard to call. Franco Foda has lost his captain and several regulars to injury for Kosovo's first game at this level. Heimir Hallgrimsson is without his first-choice centre-back, his first-choice defensive midfielder and a forward who has scored for Ireland before. Whichever set of absences hurts less is likely to settle it.
When is Kosovo vs Ireland and how can I follow it?
Kosovo play Ireland in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday 24 September 2026, with kick-off at 19:45 BST.
- Fixture: Kosovo v Ireland
- Competition: UEFA Nations League
- Date: Thursday, 24 September 2026
- Kick-off: 19:45 BST
- Match page: Kosovo vs Ireland
Kosovo's first League B game arrives without their captain
Kosovo captain Amir Rrahmani is not part of the squad, having stepped away from international football after a dispute with the Kosovo federation. Foda is also without Elvis Rexhbeçaj, Florent Muslija, Kreshnik Hajrizi and Donat Rrudhani through injury, which leaves him short in both defence and midfield for a squad already adjusting to a higher level of opposition.
Ireland's injury list is just as long
Nathan Collins, Ireland's first-choice centre-back, misses the whole window with a calf injury. Hallgrimsson is also without Seamus Coleman, Josh Cullen, Bosun Lawal and Evan Ferguson. Jamie McGrath and Harvey Vale both withdrew after picking up knocks for their clubs over the weekend, with St Mirren's Killian Phillips called up in their place.
Recent form tells two different stories
Kosovo's last five results have swung between the impressive and the poor: a 4-3 win away at Slovakia in World Cup qualifying on 26 March, followed five days later by a 0-1 home defeat to Türkiye, then a 2-1 loss away to Czechia on 31 May and a 3-0 friendly win over Andorra on 7 June.
Ireland's picture is similarly mixed. A 6-5 defeat away to Czechia on 26 March exposed the defence badly, and a goalless draw with North Macedonia followed five days later. Since then Ireland have looked sharper going forward, beating Grenada 5-0 on 16 May and Qatar 1-0 on 28 May, before a 1-1 draw away to Canada on 5 June.
Kosovo's route to this level ran through Hallgrimsson's old side
Kosovo reached League B for the first time by beating Iceland, the country Hallgrimsson managed before he took the Ireland job, 5-2 on aggregate in last year's promotion play-off, with Vedat Muriqi scoring a hat-trick in the second leg. Thursday is Kosovo's first competitive fixture at this level.
Kosovo vs Ireland prediction
Ireland to beat Kosovo in Thursday's UEFA Nations League opener, in a game shaped as much by who is missing as who is playing. Kosovo's defensive absences are heavy for a side facing a higher standard of opponent for the first time, and Ireland's forward line has scored eight goals across their last three matches against weaker opposition. Ireland's own defence has been open in recent games, which should keep Kosovo, fresh off that win over Slovakia, in the contest longer than the absentee list suggests.
Our prediction: Kosovo 1-2 Ireland
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