Pre-independence First match On 29 November 1942, Kosovo for first time in its history played a
friendly match as part of the celebrations for 30th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania against
Tirana and the match ended with a 2–0 away defeat and the starting line-up of that match was Mustafa Daci (
GK), Ballanca, Ahmet Zaimi, Mazllum Xërxa, Veseli, Hajdar Hamza, Nebil Dylatahu, Ramadan Vraniqi, Dobrica Barbaroga, Bajrami and Henci.
Yugoslav era On 8 November 1967, Kosovo for first time as
autonomous province of
SFR Yugoslavia played a friendly match against Yugoslavia and the match ended with a 3–3 home draw and the starting line-up of that match was a mix between Albanian and Serbian players as Milosavlević, Stevanović, Mušikić, Abrashi, S. Džukić, V. Džukić, Brovina, Hatibi, Radović,
Prekazi and Pindović, for Yugoslavia this match it was a pre-preparation before the
UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying match against
Albania.
As part of Yugoslavia national team Yugoslav squads at international competitions often included players from Kosovo, such as
Fadil Vokrri and
Stevan Stojanović. Three other footballers from Kosovo,
Fahrudin Jusufi,
Milutin Šoškić and
Vladimir Durković, were part of the Yugoslav team that won the gold medal at the
1960 Summer Olympics and silver medal at the
1960 European Nations' Cup.
After breakup of Yugoslavia On 20 January 1993, The
Football Federation of Kosovo signed a cooperation protocol with the
Albanian Football Association and in the framework of this protocol it was decided to play on 14 February a
friendly match between
Albania and Kosovo, which was the first match of Kosovo following the
breakup of Yugoslavia, and this match ended with a 1–3 defeat and the starting line-up of that match was Ahmet Beselica (GK),
Ardian Kozniku, Bardhec Seferi, Fadil Berisha, Gani Llapashtica,
Genc Hoxha,
Isa Sadriu,
Kushtrim Munishi,
Muharrem Sahiti, Sadullah Ajeti and Selajdin Jerliu.
During UN administration On 7 September 2002, Kosovo for first time after the
Kosovo War played a
friendly match against Albania and the match ended with a 0–1 home minimal defeat and the starting line-up of that match was Ahmet Beselica (GK),
Ardian Kozniku,
Arsim Abazi, Besnik Kollari, Fadil Ademi, Faruk Statovci,
Ismet Munishi,
Mehmet Dragusha, Sunaj Keqi,
Xhevdet Llumnica and
Zenun Selimi. One of the most important international matches was a 1–0 win over
Saudi Arabia played on 15 June 2007. It was the first time that Kosovo played against a team that has taken part in the
FIFA World Cup and the winning goal was scored by
Kristian Nushi from the
penalty kick on the 84th minute. On 22 April 2006, Kosovo achieved their biggest win, defeating
Monaco 7–1. If one included matches played before Kosovo became a FIFA member, this scoreline is their best result yet.
After independence First match On 17 February 2010, for the first time since its
declaration of independence, Kosovo played a
friendly match against
Albania (the match ended with a 2–3 home defeat for Kosovo). The starting line-up of that match was
Kushtrim Mushica (GK),
Anel Rashkaj, Dukagjin Gashi, Enis Zabërgja,
Fisnik Papuçi,
Ilir Nallbani, Liridon Kukaj, Robert Gjeraj,
Shpëtim Hasani and
Yll Hoxha. This match had a charity character as the profits gathered from this meeting went to those affected by floods in
Shkodër.
Efforts for internationalization On 6 May 2008, after its
declaration of independence from
Serbia, Kosovo applied for
FIFA membership. On 24 October 2008, Kosovo's application was discussed at the
FIFA Congress in
Zürich and Kosovo's bid was rejected. At the occasion, FIFA's determined Kosovo could not even play friendly matches against FIFA members' national teams. In September 2012,
Albania international Lorik Cana, along with
Swiss internationals Granit Xhaka,
Valon Behrami and
Xherdan Shaqiri, all of them with
Kosovo Albanian origin, wrote a declaration to FIFA President
Sepp Blatter, asking him to allow Kosovo to play friendly matches. The declaration was also signed by eight other Albanian footballers hailing from Kosovo as
Ahmed Januzi,
Alban Meha,
Armend Dallku,
Burim Kukeli,
Etrit Berisha,
Fatmire Bajramaj,
Mërgim Mavraj and
Samir Ujkani. Some players, especially
Kosovo Serbs as
Milan Biševac and
Miloš Krasić, continued to play for
Serbia.
Permission by FIFA to play friendlies On 6 February 2013, FIFA decided to allow Kosovan club teams to play friendly games against clubs from countries whose national teams were members of FIFA. However, it was stipulated that Kosovan clubs and teams could not display national symbols such as the Kosovan flag, emblem, etc., or play the Kosovan anthem. Before the match, some players of Kosovo posed with
guns at a
shooting range, causing a stir in
Serbia. On the eve of the match, supporters of Kosovo burned the
flag of Serbia. This incident prompted the Football Association of Serbia to request that FIFA revoked Kosovo's right to play international friendlies. After the match against Haiti, six more matches were held in 2014, against
Turkey,
Senegal,
Oman,
Equatorial Guinea and
Albania. The first win in these friendlies was against Oman, by 1–0, while the biggest defeat a 1–6 against Turkey.
Membership in UEFA and FIFA In September 2015, at an
UEFA Executive Committee meeting in
Malta, the request from Kosovo for admission in UEFA was scheduled for deliberation in the next Ordinary Congress, to be held in
Budapest. On 3 May 2016, at the Ordinary Congress, Kosovo was accepted into UEFA after members voted 28–24 in favor of Kosovo. Ten days later, Kosovo was accepted in
FIFA during their 66th Congress in
Mexico, with 141 votes in favour and 23 against.
Debut in World Cup qualification and nearly successful first Euro attempt Kosovo began to make their debut in the
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, where Kosovo was assigned with
Croatia,
Finland,
Iceland,
Turkey and
Ukraine. The Kosovars created its first major surprise, holding host Finland to a 1–1 draw, but it turned to be the lone point of Kosovo in the qualification, as the team lost the remaining games and finished last. {{football squad on pitch|align=right Following the failure to qualify for
2018 FIFA World Cup, Kosovo participated in the
2018–19 UEFA Nations League D sharing group with
Azerbaijan,
Faroe Islands and
Malta, where the Kosovars topped their group undefeated to reach the country's first-ever play-offs in its attempt to qualify for
UEFA Euro 2020. After the successful Nations League, Kosovo entered the
UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, where they shared
group A with
Bulgaria,
Czech Republic,
Montenegro and 2018 World Cup fourth place finisher
England. As the dark horse of the qualification, Kosovo however created a major phenomenon, managed to beat Bulgaria, Montenegro and especially, a shock home win over the Czechs to take the second place behind England, being 15 matches and on that time nearly two years without defeat winning 11 of these 15 matches. The game against England away even saw the Kosovars took an early lead in the surprise, even though they were unable to protect it and fell 3–5 away, ending the longest unbeaten run in the football history of Kosovo. In the decisive match against the Czechs away, which Kosovo needed a win to directly qualify for the first time, Kosovo gained a shock lead, but failed to protect it again as they lost 1–2 and could only participate in the play-off, but this remained to be Kosovo's greatest success up to date.
Setback After successfully obtained a play-off position, Kosovo headed to the
2020–21 UEFA Nations League C, being drawn with
Greece,
Moldova and
Slovenia. After an impressive performance in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, Kosovo was tipped favorably to be promoted to League B. Yet, Kosovo began the Nations League with a disappointing 1–1 away draw to Moldova, before the team which was halved due to the absences of key players suffered a 1–2 home loss against Greece. In Kosovo's first competitive
UEFA Euro play-offs, Kosovo was drawn against
North Macedonia. After the elimination in the play-off's semifinals, the Kosovo's setback continues and the year 2020 was ended six losses, two draws and a victory in the last match of the year against Moldova, a victory which secured the attitude even for
another season in the League C of the UEFA Nations League. The result marked the conclusion of a challenging period and initiated a new phase for the national team. Despite some competitive performances, Kosovo finished second from bottom in the group and did not secure qualification. In the
2022–23 UEFA Nations League, Kosovo showed signs of improvement. The team finished second in its
League C group, registering wins against
Cyprus,
Northern Ireland, and suffering two losses from
Greece. This position granted Kosovo access to the playoff route for
UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying via the Nations League rankings. During the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, Kosovo was placed in a group with
Andorra,
Belarus,
Israel,
Romania and
Switzerland. After a series of results, including multiple draws, Kosovo concluded the campaign in fourth place with 11 points, missing out on direct qualification. In the
2024–25 UEFA Nations League, Kosovo competed in League C, alongside
Cyprus,
Lithuania and
Romania. The national team began the campaign with a home defeat to Romania but responded with several convincing victories, including two wins over Cyprus and an away win against Lithuania. The return match against Romania, held on 15 November 2024 in Bucharest, was abandoned and later awarded as a 3–0 forfeit loss to Kosovo. The decision came after tensions escalated during the match, involving clashes between players and fans, object-throwing, and physical altercations on the pitch, leading UEFA to end the game prematurely and issue disciplinary action. Kosovo finished second in the group with 13 points, securing a spot in the
promotion play-offs to League B.
Promotion to League B and 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign In March 2025, Kosovo faced
Iceland in the promotion play-offs over two legs as part of the
2024–25 UEFA Nations League play-offs. The first leg, played at home in
Pristina on 20 March 2025, ended in a 2–1 victory for Kosovo. Three days later, Kosovo secured a 3–1 win in the return leg on neutral ground in
Murcia, resulting in a 5–2 aggregate score and ensuring promotion to League B of the UEFA Nations League for the first time in its history. In June 2025, Kosovo played two friendly matches at home, recording victories 5–2 against
Armenia, and 4–2 against
Comoros, continuing their strong attacking form. Kosovo then began their
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign in September 2025. The team opened with a 0–4 away defeat to
Switzerland in
Basel, before responding with a 2–0 home win over
Sweden in
Pristina. In October 2025, Kosovo drew goalless at home against
Slovenia, and followed it with a 1–0 away victory over Sweden in
Gothenburg. The campaign concluded in November 2025 with two further positive results, as Kosovo defeated Slovenia 2–0 away in
Ljubljana, securing advancement to the play-offs, and drew 1–1 at home against Switzerland. On 26 March 2026, Kosovo defeated
Slovakia 4–3 in the semi-finals of the
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification play-offs, advancing to their first-ever play-off final, in which they faced
Turkey in
Pristina, where they lost with a minimum score of 1–0. ==Team image==