Match Overview: Sweden vs. Kosovo

The 8th-round qualifying match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup between Sweden and Kosovo will take place on October 13 at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg. Here’s our detailed preview, prediction, and statistical analysis for this critical encounter.

Sweden Team Analysis

In their last home fixture, the Scandinavian squad suffered a 0-2 defeat against Switzerland. Sweden’s national team is currently struggling, having yet to secure a victory in the ongoing qualification campaign (1 draw, 2 losses). These results place Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side at the bottom of Group B. Furthermore, they possess the worst defensive record in the group, conceding 6 goals. It’s also worth noting that the Swedes have failed to score in 5 of their last 7 World Cup qualifying matches.

• In 8 out of Sweden’s last 9 World Cup qualifiers, at least one team failed to score.
• At home in this competition, the national team has won 9 of their last 11 matches (1 draw, 1 loss).
• The Scandinavians kept a clean sheet in 6 of their last 8 home World Cup qualifying fixtures.

Sweden’s Predicted Lineup (4-3-3)

Viktor Johansson – Daniel Svensson, Hjalmar Ekdal, Victor Lindelöf, Gabriel Gudmundsson – Lucas Bergvall, Jesper Karlström, Emil Holm – Yasin Ayari, Viktor Gyökeres, Alexander Isak.

Kosovo Team Analysis

In their previous match, Kosovo played to a goalless draw at home against Slovenia (0-0). Notably, this marks the first time in their history that the national team has recorded two consecutive clean sheets in World Cup qualifiers. Despite this, they have secured only one victory in their last 8 World Cup qualifying matches (3 draws, 4 losses). Under Franco Foda, Kosovo currently sits in 2nd place in Group B, trailing leaders Switzerland by 5 points.

• At least one team failed to score in 5 of Kosovo’s last 7 World Cup qualifying fixtures.
• Away from home in this tournament, the team has not won in 9 of their last 10 matches (2 draws, 7 losses).
• The team has scored no more than one goal in 10 consecutive away World Cup qualifying games.

Kosovo’s Predicted Lineup (4-4-2)

Arijanet Muric – Mërgim Vojvoda, Ilir Krasniqi, Albian Hajdari, Fidan Aliti – Valon Berisha, Florent Muslija, Elvis Rexhbecaj, Milot Rashica – Vedat Muriqi, Edon Zhegrova.

Match Official Overview

Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

Matches – 5 (International fixtures, 2025/26);

Yellow cards (incl. second yellows) – 12;

Avg. yellow cards per match – 2.4;

Red cards – 1;

Avg. fouls per match – 24;

Penalties – 40%.

Comprehensive Match Prediction

Sweden has had a disappointing start to their qualification campaign. After three rounds, the team has accumulated only one point, though two of these matches were played away. However, on their home turf, the team generally performs much more convincingly. Their recent home defeat ended a remarkable run of 10 consecutive home victories in World Cup qualifiers. Significantly, during this impressive streak, Sweden kept a clean sheet in 8 of those matches.

Franco Foda’s side will find it exceptionally challenging to secure any points in this fixture. Their opponent, Sweden, is formidable at home, while Kosovo themselves have only managed one away win in their entire World Cup qualifying history (along with 2 draws and 7 losses). Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that Kosovo rarely suffers truly embarrassing defensive collapses; only Switzerland has managed to score more than three goals against them.

My prediction for this match is:  Sweden to win or draw and Total Goals Under 3.5 with odds of 1.63.