TIRANA, December 26 – The coach of the Albanian national football team, Sylvinho, spoke in an interview with ESPN Brasil about Albania’s opportunity to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

“This opportunity is very important for the team, the federation, and the entire country. The draws have been difficult since the European Championship. We will face these challenges. From January, we will start following our players and some matches closely,” said Sylvinho.

Albania will face Poland in the playoff semi-final on March 26 in Warsaw. The aim is to win and play on March 31 against the winner of the Ukraine-Sweden match. Sylvinho said that such matches can be decided by moments.

“We know Poland well as we have played against them recently. They have a new coach, but the players remain at a high level. They are in a rebuilding phase. We are in a phase of improvement. Advantages or disadvantages? It is hard to say. It is 90 minutes of football, but everything can change in seconds. Our players are used to difficult matches. We will rely on the qualities we have,” added Sylvinho.

/a.p./