Rexhbecaj aims to lead Kosovo to FIFA World Cup 2026

A 26-year journey has brought Elvis Rexhbecaj back to his roots. Can he now lead Kosovo to the FIFA World Cup 26?

While he was born in the village of Gjonaj in 1997, he and his family moved to Germany when he was just two years old. He grew up in his adopted homeland and went on to spend 12 years with Wolfsburg from 2010 to 2022, rising through the youth ranks to become a first-team player, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Then, in 2022, he moved to Augsburg, but perhaps the biggest change in his life came late last year. With the German law changing to allow its citizens to hold dual citizenship, Rexhbecaj declared that he would play for Kosovo and made his debut for the national team last September at the age of 26, playing the full 90 minutes in the defeat to Romania in the Nations League.

With the aim of adding to his five appearances so far and leading Kosovo to a first world final at the FIFA World Cup 26™, the Kosovar midfielder has given an interview to the official FIFA website to discuss those goals, his early life on the international stage, his relationship with coach Franco Foda and more, KosovaPress reported.

"I was in first contact with Franko Foda at the beginning of last year. As soon as the law was passed that allows German citizens to acquire dual citizenship, there was no doubt that I would play for Kosovo. Since that day, I was naturally trying to make my debut and finally managed to do so at home in Romania in September," Rexhbeqaj initially says.

"I had been waiting for a long time, and my family, my girlfriend and what felt like the entire population of my home village were there, all with smiles on their faces, so it was definitely very special. Club football is one thing, but representing your country is something completely different," he continues.

He then spoke about facing Iceland in the Nations League playoff next month.

"We want to continue where we left off in the group stage by controlling possession and dictating the game, and ultimately come out on top to be promoted to League B. It won't be easy: Iceland is a proven team with some top-class players," said Rexhbeqaj.

Kosovo's UEFA qualifying matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup begin in September.

"We want to achieve it and we have a clear objective in mind: to reach the World Cup. We will only succeed in this goal if we show passion and unity as a team, with each player working for each other," Rexhbeqaj concluded.