Kosovo Government Announces Bonus for Slovakia Victory

Kosovo's national team players will be rewarded by the government following their triumph in Bratislava, where they defeated Slovakia 4-3 in the 2026 World Cup play-off. The Kosovans are now preparing for the decisive final against Turkey.

On Friday, the Pristina press hailed the 4-3 victory over Slovakia as "the greatest win in the national team's history." Ahead of Tuesday's crucial match against Turkey, Finance Minister Hekuran Murati delivered good news for Franco Foda's players.

"Good morning, winners! At the Prime Minister's request, we will allocate 500,000 euros to the players for last night's victory. The amount will be approved at Monday's government meeting," Murati wrote on Facebook. With this, Prime Minister Albin Kurti fulfills the promise he made before the match.

It was a truly wild match! The Slovaks took the lead twice, only to be pegged back each time. Then, they simply fell apart. Florent Muslija of Fortuna Dusseldorf and Kreshnik Hajrizi of Sion extended the visitors' lead to 4-2. The hosts' late reply from Strelec (90+4') was too little, too late, merely changing the final score to 3-4.

A frustrated Slovak goalkeeper, Martin Dúbravka, explained how his team let a match they controlled in the first 45 minutes slip away: "We had a very good first half, but the second half was very poor."

"After Kosovo equalized again, we just couldn't keep up with them. I'm sad, this will haunt me for a long time. For us older players, it was one of our last chances to play at a World Cup. But this is the reality," he added.

Next up for the Kosovans is Turkey. "The difference in value is significant. According to Transfermarkt data, the Kosovo national team has a total squad value of approximately 116 million euros, while Turkey's is around 453 million euros," noted Gazeta Express.

However, the Pristina-based newspaper argues that "for Kosovo, this is the most important match in its history. A victory over Turkey would secure their first-ever participation in a major tournament, just a decade after being recognized and admitted by UEFA and FIFA. On Tuesday in Pristina, it won't be market value that decides, but the heart on the pitch."