Croatia narrowly defeated Kosovo in Pristina and remained in the race for the top of Group C2
The Croatia women's national football team achieved an important away victory in the fifth round of the league phase of UEFA's European qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. In Pristina on 5 June 2026, it defeated Kosovo 1:0, and according to the report of the Croatian Football Federation, the decisive goal was scored by Janja Čanjevac in the 15th minute. The narrow result was enough for the full haul in a match that carried direct weight in the battle for the very top of Group C2, especially because Kosovo had won in Karlovac in March by the same score. With this victory, Croatia avenged that defeat and, according to the table published by the HNS, after five matches played reached 12 points, the same number as Kosovo.
The match was played at the Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Pristina, and the official HNS match record states that the match was watched by 800 spectators. The main referee was Karoline Wacker from Germany, assisted by Melissa Joos and Jessica Bergmann. Croatia reached victory early, but the score did not change again until the end, although the HNS stated in its report that both teams had several good chances in the second half. For the national team led by Nenad Gračan, this victory has double value: in points terms it levelled the top of the group and returned Croatia to the most direct fight for an outcome that leads toward additional qualifying matches and a potential return to a higher tier.
Čanjevac scored from a corner and decided the match
According to the HNS publication, the decisive goal was scored in the 15th minute, when Janja Čanjevac shook Kosovo's net directly from a corner. Such an early goal changed the rhythm of the match because it allowed the Croatian national team, after a home defeat by the same opponent, to lead the match in Pristina from a more favourable scoreline position. Kosovo searched for a comeback until the end, but the Croatian defence and goalkeeper Doris Bačić, who is listed in the official match record as captain, preserved the advantage. The HNS highlighted in its report that in the second half there were situations in front of both goals, but neither team managed to change the score.
According to the HNS, after the match Čanjevac emphasised the importance of the victory for the entire team and coaching staff, especially in the context of the previous defeat to Kosovo in Karlovac. Her goal also carried symbolic weight because Croatia had already earlier shown in this qualifying group that it could be efficient against lower-ranked opponents, but against Kosovo it needed a result that would directly change the standings in the battle for the top. In that sense, the set-piece goal was not only an attractive detail of the match, but also the moment that opened the national team's path toward one of the most important victories in the cycle so far. Croatia had to withstand the pressure of the home team in the second half, and the very fact that the score remained 0:1 shows how decisive the details were.
A young team under the pressure of the result
Head coach Nenad Gračan, according to the HNS report, congratulated the players on the victory after the match and pointed out that it had been a demanding match in which Croatia had to win in order to stay in the game for its goals. The HNS reports that the head coach particularly emphasised the team's character and fighting spirit, but also the process of creating a new national team. According to the same publication, Croatia had two debutants in the starting line-up, while almost the entire team was younger than 23. That detail gives the victory additional context because the result was not achieved with a fully formed and experienced national team, but with a team that is still being built through competitively very demanding matches.
In the official HNS match record, Doris Bačić, Ana Jelenčić, Tea Vračević, Petra Pezelj, Ella Ljustina, Bianca Rose Galić, Karla Kurkutović, Helena Spajić, Martina Ćavar, Janja Čanjevac and Erika Zschuppe played for Croatia from the first minute. Barbara Živković, Lana Kukavica and Ivana Rudelić came into the game, while the Croatian bench also included Carlotta Sesjak, Nika Radolović, Lucija Orkić, Lucija Vunić, Katarina Vrselja, Ana Bakalar, Antonela Grgić, Petra Mikulica and Valentina Akrap. For Kosovo, according to the match record, Djellza Mehmeti, Rrezona Ramadani, Argnesa Gashi, Blerta Smaili, Lumbardha Misini, Ereleta Memeti, Gentiana Fetaj, Kaltrina Biqkaj, Donjeta Halilaj, Marigone Tahiri and Modesta Uka started. Such a list shows that both coaching staffs entered the match with a clear competitive priority because the duel directly affected the standings in the group.
The disciplinary part of the match also confirms the tension of the match. According to the HNS, yellow cards in the Croatian national team were received by Petra Pezelj in the 57th minute and Barbara Živković in the 76th minute. The match record also notes substitutions that influenced the rhythm of the second half: for Croatia, Živković came on as early as the 33rd minute, Kukavica in the 53rd, and Rudelić in the 77th minute. Kosovo attempted to change the dynamics in the second half through the entries of Albulena Fejza and Elona Paci, but Croatia's first-half advantage remained unreachable. In matches like these, a minimal advantage often demands more concentration than an open score difference, and Croatia managed in Pristina to close out the match without conceding a goal.
Group C2 enters the final round with the top open
According to the HNS table after five rounds, Croatia is first in Group C2 with 12 points and a goal difference of +11, while Kosovo is second with 12 points and a goal difference of +9. Bulgaria is third with six points, and Gibraltar is last without points and with a goal difference of -23. UEFA stated in its overview of the fifth-round results that on the same day Bulgaria defeated Gibraltar 3:1, thereby keeping third place, but according to UEFA's situation ahead of the final round it remained without the possibility of reaching the play-offs or promotion. This reduced the focus of the group to the outcome between Croatia and Kosovo, although the final standings depend on the matches of the last round.
UEFA announced that the final round of Group C2 will be played on 9 June 2026, when Croatia hosts Bulgaria at 19:00, while Gibraltar plays against Kosovo at the same time. The HNS states that the Croatian match against Bulgaria will be played in Pula, at the Aldo Drosina Stadium. That match comes for Croatia only four days after the victory in Pristina, which reduces the space for recovery and preparation, but at the same time provides an opportunity to immediately confirm the positive result before the end of the league phase. Considering that Croatia and Kosovo have the same number of points, every change of result in the final round can affect the final standings, and consequently also the status in the wider qualification system.
The importance of the match with Bulgaria also stems from the way in which UEFA's qualifiers connect the fight for the World Cup with promotion and relegation in the next competition cycle. According to UEFA's explanation of the qualifying system, the winners of groups in League C advance to a higher tier for the next cycle, while the participants in the World Cup play-offs are determined through the standings in the leagues and groups. UEFA stated in the situation after the fifth round that Kosovo had already been confirmed among the national teams from League C that have a place in the play-offs, while for Group C2 it announced that the full outcome would wait until the final round. For Croatia, the victory in Pristina was therefore a necessary step, but not the end of the qualifying story.
Context of the qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup
The 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup will be held in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July 2027, according to official FIFA information. FIFA states that this will be the tenth edition of the tournament and the first Women's World Cup to be held in South America. The European qualifiers for that tournament are taking place through UEFA's league system, which is connected with the previous Nations League format and distributes national teams into Leagues A, B and C. Such a system means that national teams from League C are not playing only for the current standings in the group, but also for a longer-term competitive status.
According to UEFA, Europe has 11 direct places for the 2027 World Cup, with the possibility that one more national team reaches the tournament through the intercontinental play-offs. Direct places at the final tournament are won by the winners of the League A groups, while the remaining positions are filled through additional European qualifying rounds. UEFA announced that the play-off draw will be held on 18 June 2026, the first round of the play-offs will be played from 7 to 13 October 2026, and the second round from 25 November to 5 December 2026. The intercontinental play-offs are planned for February 2027. In such a framework, every victory in the league phase has a double effect because it can change both the position in the group and the overall picture of seeding or placement in the further rounds.
For Croatia, Group C2 had a changeable course from the beginning. UEFA's results overview shows that Croatia opened the qualifiers with a 1:0 victory in Bulgaria, then lost to Kosovo 0:1 in Karlovac, after that defeated Gibraltar away 1:0, and then convincingly beat Gibraltar 9:0 in Sinj. The victory in Pristina by 1:0 is therefore the second consecutive match against a direct rival in which the result was minimal, but its value is significantly greater because it was achieved away and because it erased part of the points advantage that Kosovo had gained with its earlier celebration in Croatia. In a group in which Croatia and Kosovo are level on points after five rounds, the outcome depends not only on one duel but on the entire series of results, goal difference and ranking rules.
A victory that brings confidence before Pula
Croatia enters the closing stage of the league phase with a victory that came at the right moment. After the defeat to Kosovo in March, the national team needed in Pristina a result that would show it could respond to a direct challenge in the group. According to the head coach's words conveyed by the HNS, the emphasis after the match was on the fact that the team is being created and that young players are going through demanding matches against national teams that are also growing. Such a context does not diminish the competitive imperative, but further explains why a victory achieved by a minimal margin carries more weight than the result itself.
The next test against Bulgaria will be different in profile, but not less important. Bulgaria lost to Croatia 0:1 in the first round, then defeated Gibraltar 5:0, lost to Kosovo 1:3, lost again to Kosovo 1:2 and in the fifth round beat Gibraltar 3:1, according to UEFA's results overview. Such a sequence shows that Bulgaria can no longer catch the top, but has enough result quality to make the match in Pula unpleasant. Croatia will, according to the schedule of UEFA and the HNS, play the final match of the league phase on 9 June at 19:00 at Aldo Drosina, while the result of the Gibraltar – Kosovo match will also be followed at the same time.
The victory over Kosovo therefore remains the key point of Croatia's June cycle, but its final value will be known only after the last round. Croatia achieved in Pristina what it had to in order to stay in the fight for the top, and the early goal by Čanjevac and the preserved clean sheet give it a results and psychological foothold ahead of Bulgaria. In a qualification system in which league standings spill over into the play-offs and the future tier of competition, a minimal 0:1 can have much broader consequences than a single away victory.
Sources:
- Croatian Football Federation – report from the Kosovo – Croatia match, statements of participants, scorer, cards, line-ups and context of the victory (link)
- HNS results – official match record of Kosovo – Croatia 0:1, stadium, date, spectators, referees, scorer and line-ups (link)
- UEFA – official overview of all results and fixtures of the European qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup (link)
- UEFA – situation in the qualifiers after the fifth round, play-off format, group standings and key dates (link)
- FIFA – official information on the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027, hosting and tournament dates (link)