Switzerland will aim to clinch top spot in Group B on Tuesday when they visit Kosovo in the final round of World Cup qualifying.
A three-point gap and an 11-goal cushion mean Murat Yakin’s side only need to avoid a six-goal defeat to claim automatic qualification.
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Kosovo were drawn alongside Switzerland, Sweden, and Slovenia, but have recorded three wins in five matches to secure second place with a game to spare.
Their form has exposed the inconsistency of the two nations chasing behind them, although it has left them with a mathematical task that borders on impossible if they wish to move into first place.
Falling three points short of the group leaders is already a strong outcome for Kosovo, but their goal difference of +1 compared with Switzerland’s +12 leaves them with a mountain too steep to climb.
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Franco Foda’s team would need the biggest victory in their history to change the final standings and book an automatic ticket to their first World Cup.
Switzerland’s performance across the qualifiers underlines why that scenario is so unlikely. They opened the campaign with a 4-0 victory over Kosovo in the reverse fixture.
The only match in which they dropped points was a tight 0-0 draw with Slovenia, which did little to disrupt their momentum.
A 4-1 win against Sweden reaffirmed their command of the group. Benjamin Nygren’s goal was the first they have conceded in the qualifiers, but Switzerland reasserted their dominance.
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Yakin has made consistency a hallmark of his squad and expects them to finish the campaign unbeaten.
Kosovo will still view the match as an opportunity to measure their progress against one of Europe’s most reliable national teams.
Their rise to second place has come through organisation, resilience and a clear tactical identity, traits that have allowed them to outperform more experienced sides despite limited margins for error.
Kosovo’s hopes of turning the group upside down hinge on perfection and fortune aligning in a way that football rarely delivers.
Switzerland need a controlled performance to close out a qualifying campaign that has unfolded almost exactly as predicted.
