Kosovo holds up well but loses to Croatia

Kosovo’s women’s handball team suffered another defeat in the second qualifying round for Euro 2026. 

On Sunday at the Palace of Youth and Sports in Pristina, Kosovo were beaten by Croatia by ten goals, 32:22. 

The “Dardanians” were level with the Croatians in the first half. 

They built a two-goal lead on several occasions. They led 4:2, 6:4, 8:6 and 9:7. They even missed good chances to extend their lead to three goals.  

But the Croatians then came back, taking the lead and holding on to it after the first half ended 14:13. 

Kosovo did not get back into the game in the second half, while Croatia only increased the goal difference, celebrating their second win in Group 1 at the end. 

Kosovo have lost both of their two matches. In their first match, they were heavily beaten by France, 43:12, on Wednesday in Nîmes. Croatia beat Finland.

Merlinda Qorraj was Kosovo’s top scorer with six goals. Tina Hetemi, Elvina Qorraj, Arona Krasniqi and Mirjeta Bytyqi scored three goals each. Suzana Ujkiq scored two goals, while Xhesika Mehmetaj and Elisa Mirdita scored one each. 
Goalkeeper Aurora Kryeziu made five saves. 

Tina Barishiq was Croatia’s best player, scoring 12 goals from 18 attempts. Andrea Shimara scored five goals.

Croatia’s coach, Ivica Obervan, praised Kosovo.

“An interesting match. I want to congratulate my players, but also the Kosovo players, on an interesting and tough match, especially in the first half. The home side put up great resistance. Of course, we are neither France nor Sweden, and we did not expect to be superior and dominant in the match. We expected it to go exactly as the second half did. With patience and strong defending, we managed to pull away at the right time and close out the match. We have won two valuable points, just as we did against Finland, and taken an important step towards the European Championship. I hope Kosovo secures third place in the group. They certainly have a chance against Finland,” Obervan said.

In the other group match played on Sunday, France beat Finland 32:15. 

The next matches will be played in March next year. Kosovo travel to Finland on 5 March. Three days later, they host this team. Kosovo are looking for a chance to qualify precisely against Finland.

“The first half went very well for us. We stayed in the game the whole time. In the second half, fatigue and experience played a part, and we were unable to stay close on the scoreboard. We have a great chance against Finland if we are committed and give it our all,” Kosovo captain Mirjeta Bytyqi said.

The top two teams in each of the six groups advance. But the four best third-placed teams from the six groups in total also qualify. Kosovo are looking for their chance precisely through third place. 

Euro 2026 will be held in Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Turkey.  
Kosovo’s senior handball team has not yet qualified for a major event.