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Albania will learn this Thursday the names of the teams it will face in March for a place in the 2026 World Cup, going through its play-off phase. And on paper, the Rossoneri do not seem much favored, at least according to what the current FIFA rankings show.
Albania enters the draw ranked 63rd in FIFA, being part of the third pot, which automatically excludes the possibility of facing Ireland, ranked 59th, Bosnia and Herzegovina, ranked 71st, and Kosovo, ranked 80th.
It is understood that the best ranked teams are in Pot 1, with Italy in 12th place being the biggest team on paper. But Denmark, Turkey and Ukraine, all ranked among the top 30 teams in the world, should certainly not be underestimated.
What is striking is that even in the fourth pot there are teams that are ranked much better than Albania, as Sweden and Romania have also qualified there through the Nations League, respectively in 43rd and 47th place in FIFA. This means that only two potential opponents are ranked below Albania and they are North Macedonia (65) and Northern Ireland (69).
Potting and FIFA ranking:
Pot 1: Italy (12), Denmark (21), Turkey (25), Ukraine (28)
Pot 2: Poland (31), Wales (32), Czech Republic (44), Slovakia (45)
Pot 3: Ireland (59), Albania (63), Bosnia and Herzegovina (71), Kosovo (80)
Pot 4: Sweden (43), Romania (47), North Macedonia (65), Northern Ireland (69)
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