Kosovo team to get €1m bonus if they reach World Cup

Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti speaks during a press conference. Wolfgang Kumm/dpa The Kosovo national team will receive a €1 million ($1. 15 million) bonus from the nation's government if they beat Turkey on Tuesday to qualify for the World Cup.

The government of Prime Minister Albin Kurti has pledged the bonus if the team reaches a major tournament for the first time in the match played in the capital city of Pristina. Kosovo reached the play-off final with a 4-3 victory in Slovakia, after which Finance Minister Hekuran Murati said on Facebook that the team will receive €500,000 for the achievement, to be rubberstamped on Monday. It is not known how the bonus of a maximum €1.

5 million would be distributed. Counting players, coaches and backroom staff it would be €40,000-50,000 per person. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

The vast majority of the population is ethnic Albanian. Kosovo's FA has been a member of the governing football bodies FIFA and UEFA since 2016. The team failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018 and 2022, and for Euro 2020 and 2024.