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Austin FC forward Myrto Uzuni has a chance to help Albania qualify for the FIFA Men's World Cup for the first time everWe’re fewer than 80 days shy of kickoff of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, and it’s finally starting to feel like it.
That feeling will only grow over the next week, which marks a critical milestone in the final preparations for the tournament. Over the next several days, 22 nations will compete for the final 6 spots in the 48-team field in a series of intercontinental and European playoff matches spread across this final FIFA international window before the World Cup. Austin FC will be well-represented in these playoff fixtures, as both Ukraine’s Oleksandr Svatok and Albania’s Myrto Uzuni have been called to their respective national teams to fight against the ultimate case of FOMO. Unfortunately, they may have to go through each other to earn a spot at the dance. Both Ukraine and Albania were drawn into European Playoff Path B, along with Sweden and Poland. On Thursday, Uzuni’s Albania will travel to Warsaw to square off against the Poles, while Svatok’s Ukraine host Sweden in Valencia, Spain . Should both nations win their semifinals, the Austin FC teammates would go head-to-head Tuesday in Valencia, in what would surely be the most important match of both players’ careers. “I was very polite, I said good luck to both,” said ATXFC head coach Nico Estévez, careful not to betray any bias. “We’re really proud that they can represent their country, and in this case, for those that are fighting to get into the World Cup.” Goalkeeper Brad Stuver – a skilled diplomat off the pitch but a skilled trash-talker when it comes to soccer – took a different tone. Stuver said he hopes Svatok and Uzuni match up against one another for the juicy drama it would bring back to Austin. “I think ‘Svati’ is going to kick the shit out of Uzuni, and Uzuni’s not going to be happy about it,” Stuver joked. “And then they have to come back into the same locker room and be friends again.” Stuver added that Svatok and Uzuni have talked for weeks about the potential of facing each other in the playoff, and have made their Austin teammates well aware of the long history that exists between the two eastern European nations on the pitch. Of course, there’s a world in which neither Albania nor Ukraine make it through to the World Cup. If that happens, will Austin FC be left without any representation at the tournament? Not necessarily. Facundo Torres, Austin’s newest Designated Player, was called into the Uruguayan national team for friendlies against England and Algeria this week. This marks three call-ups for Torres since October, and though he is unlikely to be a featured player for a Le Celeste squad that includes stars like Federico Valverde and Darwin Núñez, Torres appears set for a bench role at the World Cup. Jayden Nelson is in a similar position for Canada, which is automatically qualified as one of the three host nations. The Austin FC winger was not called up for Canada’s two friendlies against Iceland and Tunisia this window as he deals with nagging discomfort that has apparently been difficult for Austin’s medical staff to pin down . However, Nelson appeared in eight of Canada’s 15 matches in 2025 and, if healthy, should still make the roster.versus LAFC on March 21, Austin FC returns to MLS play April 4 with a trip to South Florida to take on Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF.to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox, and follow The Verde Report columnist Eric Goodman on X: has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
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