Preview: Kosovo vs Rep Ireland - prediction, team news, lineups

Kicking off their 2026-27 UEFA Nations League campaign in Pristina, the Republic of Ireland will visit Kosovo for Thursday's League B Group 3 opener.

After both endured agony in the World Cup playoffs, their clash will be the first of four fixtures apiece across the next fortnight, in a group also featuring Austria and Israel.

Match preview

Having let an early two-goal lead slip through their fingers in Prague, a penalty shootout defeat against Czech Republic cost Ireland a place in the final round of the World Cup playoffs.

After stunning Portugal in Dublin, the Boys in Green had overhauled Hungary in dramatic fashion to finish second in Group F and keep dreams alive, but they ultimately came up short once again.

A decade has passed since their last major tournament appearance, but they are desperate not to miss out on the next, as Euro 2028 will take place partly on home soil.

First, though, another Nations League campaign awaits, following their distant third-place finish behind group winners England and runners-up Greece last time around.

With his contract already extended, Heimir Hallgrimsson has stayed on as manager, and his side played four friendlies during the summer, beating both Grenada and Qatar, plus drawing with North Macedonia and Canada.

Now, competitive action will resume, and Hallgrimsson has highlighted how results in this edition of the Nations League can aid Ireland's hopes of reaching the Euros.

Some teams will be given a second chance to enter the European Championship playoffs, while finishing first or second in Group 3 would guarantee a spot in pot two when the qualifying draw takes place in December.

While their visitors are ranked 55th by FIFA, Kosovo sit 78th in the global pecking order, having missed out on another major tournament earlier this year.

Yet to make their World Cup debut, the little Balkan nation came within 90 minutes of qualifying for this summer's finals but were beaten 1-0 by Turkey in their playoff decider.

Still, they had done well to finish ahead of Sweden and Slovenia in Group B, before eliminating Slovakia in a seven-goal semi-final thriller.

Previously, Franco Foda's team made history by gaining promotion in the Nations League, finishing second in their League C section before winning both legs of a playoff against Iceland.

Now preparing to enter Europe's second tier for the first time, they may be outsiders, but recent results show steady progress.

In addition to four wins from their last seven competitive games, Kosovo beat Andorra 3-0 in their final summer friendly, continuing an impressive goalscoring record.

Kosovo form (all competitions):

Republic of Ireland form (all competitions):

Team News

Hallgrimsson selected an experimental squad in May, but most of Ireland's senior players are back in the fold this month - the main exception being veteran defender Seamus Coleman, who remains without a club.

In addition to their former captain, current skipper Nathan Collins has been ruled out by a calf injury; Jack Taylor, Harvey Vale, Mikey Johnston, Evan Ferguson, Jamie McGrath and Josh Cullen are also unavailable.

Fresh blood has been brought in, with Liam Kitching, Joel Bagan and Owen Elding of Hibs all contenders to win their first cap.

Troy Parrott, the team's hero in Hungary, is set to feature up front, having made a bright start to life at Real Betis by scoring the winner against both Real Madrid and Lille.

Kosovo's star striker is undoubtedly Vedat Muriqi, who bagged a second-leg hat-trick in the 2025 Nations League playoffs; his country's all-time top scorer, he also hit four for Fenerbahce last week. Remarkably, Muriqi (18) only sits behind Erling Haaland (22) for goal contributions in this competition.

Like Ireland, the hosts will be without their long-serving captain, as Napoli defender Amir Rrahmanhi has retired from international football due to a dispute with the federation; Udinese wing-back Mergim Vojvoda has stepped to claim the armband.

Among three new faces in Foda's squad, teenage midfielder Erblin Osmani is second-youngest player ever to feature in a Bundesliga game for Bayern Munich, having made his debut aged just 16 years and 306 days.

Kosovo possible starting lineup:

Muric; Vojvoda, Dellova, Hajdari, Gallapeni; Zhegrova, Hoxha, Rrudhani, Rashica; Asllani, Muriqi

Republic of Ireland possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; O'Brien, Egan, O'Shea; Abankwah, Molumby, Knight, Manning; Azaz, Ogbene; Parrott

We say: Kosovo 2-2 Republic of Ireland

Kosovo are a tough nut to crack in Pristina, with the playoff final loss to Turkey the only defeat in their last 10 home fixtures. Meanwhile, Ireland have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last nine competitive away games, conceding at least twice on five occasions.

So, the injury-hit visitors may be ranked higher than their hosts, but they will do well to secure an opening-day draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.