Bratislava's Tehelne Pole Stadion will host Slovakia vs Kosovo on Thursday, as both teams battle for a place in the UEFA Path C play-off final for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
While Slovakia boast a perfect home record in this qualifying campaign, they face a resilient Kosovo side on a five-match unbeaten run.
The winner of this encounter will face either Turkey or Romania in the play-off final.
Read our Slovakia vs Kosovo prediction, preview and betting tips. You can also check out our Today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
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Slovakia vs Kosovo key stats
- Fewer than three goals were scored in six of Slovakia's last seven matches.
- Kosovo's last five games have all gone below the 2.5-goal threshold.
- The visitors kept four clean sheets in their last five fixtures.
Slovakia vs Kosovo preview: Can Kosovo ruin Slovakia's perfect home record?
| Slovakia | vs | Kosovo |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd (WC Qualification, Group A) | Position | 2nd (WC Qualification, Group B) |
| 12 | Points | 11 |
| 6 | Goals For | 6 |
| 8 | Goals Against | 5 |
| 4 | Clean Sheets | 4 |
| 2nd | Home Rank | 2nd |
| 3rd | Away Rank | 1st |
Slovakia will hope to put their humiliating 6-0 defeat at the hands of Germany behind them as they return to Bratislava this Thursday.
Despite that collapse in Leipzig, the Falcons boast a perfect home record in the qualifiers, winning all three matches at the Tehelne Pole without conceding a single goal.
Neither Slovakia nor Kosovo have been awarded a penalty in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Francesco Calzona will be unable to call upon the services of Robert Bozenik, with the Stoke City forward still nursing a shoulder injury.
Milan Skriniar, David Hancko, Stanislav Lobotka, and Martin Dubravka are some of the high-profile names in Calzona’s squad for this game, with these stars all expected to make the starting XI on Thursday night.
Kosovo, on the other hand, are high on confidence ahead of this clash as they have strung together a five-match unbeaten run, keeping four clean sheets in the process.
Winning Path C would yield a historic first World Cup qualification for the Dardanians, and this play-off semi-final marks the furthest they have ever progressed in their quest for a place on the world stage.
Kosovo have the best defensive record in Path C.
On the injury front for Kosovo, Leart Paqarada (ACL), Amir Rrahmani (thigh), and Leon Avdullahu (muscle) are unavailable due to injury.
However, the availability of star forwards Vedat Muriqi and Fisnik Asllani, alongside goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and defender Mergim Vojvoda, should give the visitors a genuine chance to rewrite the record books.
Slovakia vs Kosovo form guide & betting tips
| Slovakia | vs | Kosovo |
|---|---|---|
| W-L-W-W-L | Form | W-D-W-W-D |
| 4 | Goals For | 6 |
| 8 | Goals Against | 1 |
| W-L-W-W-L | World Cup Qualification form | W-D-W-W-D |
Whispers Predicts: Slovakia 1-0 Kosovo
At 2.14, Slovakia are considered favourites by the bookies.
While Kosovo have been nothing short of impressive, Slovakia have won all their home games without conceding, including an impressive 2-0 victory over Germany.
Considering that both teams have been solid defensively, an under 1.5 total goals bet can be backed at 2.60.
We also fancy Slovakia to win-to-nil at 3.00. This outcome paid off in the hosts' last three home games.
> BTTS - No at 1.67 | Likelihood: Probable
> Under 2.5 goals at 1.53 | Likelihood: Probable
> Match result - Slovakia at 2.14 | Likelihood: Possible
> Slovakia & BTTS - No at 3.00 | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score: 1-0 at 5.60 | Likelihood: Outsider