As part of the Path C route for the UEFA nations, Kosovo and Türkiye will face each other for a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America – and a spot in the same group as Australia.

The two teams will clash in Pristina, Kosovo, on Wednesday, April 1, with kick-off at 06:45 AEDT – with the winner facing Australia in a Group D match on June 14.

Quick Picks

Our pick: Türkiye to win

Value bet: 'Draw / Turkey' outcome in the 'Half-Time/Full-Time' market

Long shot: Under 2.5 goals

Betting Preview

Kosovo have surprised many with their performances throughout qualification. The small nation managed to finish second in Group B, amassing 11 points from six games (3W, 2D, 1L), finishing three points behind Switzerland. Two of their wins were on the road, as they defeated Sweden (1-0) and Slovenia (2-0). The other away game was a 4-0 defeat to the Swiss.

In their first playoff game as they attempt to try and make their first Finals, they defeated Slovakia 4-3 as big underdogs. Having fallen behind early, they managed to score three goals in the second half to secure the victory after entering the half-time break 2-1 down.

Goals from Veldin Hodza, Fisnik Asllani, Florent Muslija, and Kreshnik Hajrizi secured their spot to face off against Türkiye in a huge contest.

Türkiye managed to do what was expected of them against Romania, although it wasn't perhaps the type of dominant performance many would have expected. They only managed to score once, with a second-half goal from Ferdi Kadioglu enough to secure the victory.

In that game, Türkiye had 15 shots and limited Romania to 8, with three on target. They also had the greater share of the ball, as they had 64% possession. It's something that Kosovo may be used to, though, as they only had 45% of the ball against Slovakia, and were outshot 19 to 10 regarding attempts on goal.

Betting Markets to Watch

The betting odds at Sportsbet have Türkiye as the large favourite. They have a solid record against Kosovo in recent head-to-heads, including a 4-1 win in 2017 and a 2-0 victory in 2016 in World Cup qualifiers.

Still, it's worth noting the significance of this game and what's on the line. Kosovo are tight at home, and they'll likely sit deep, defend aggressively, and look to exploit set‑pieces or a mistake rather than dominate.

For this reason, we think there's value in the 'Draw / Turkey' outcome in the 'Half-Time/Full-Time' market. While Türkiye are heavily favoured, we think they'll struggle to break down the hosts in the first half, like they did against Romania. Still, we think it's likely they eventually will in the second half.

For further value, we like what's being offered for the No in the BTTS. We think Türkiye will keep things tight themselves, keeping control of the ball and leaving chances very few and far between for Kosovo throughout.

Our Prediction

Check the latest Kosovo vs Türkiye betting odds at Sportsbet.

Our prediction is that Türkiye are the most likely winners of this encounter. We think the game will be close, which is why we believe there's value in the 'Under 2.5 Goals' market. If you're looking to learn more about betting on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, we've got you covered.