15 best soccer moments of 2016

14. Kosovo play first international matches

2016 wasn’t all about megastars getting mega rich. They were a few lesser known stories worth remembering as well. Perhaps the best example was Kosovo, who were finally recognized by FIFA as an international side and competed in their first competitive matches in European qualifying for the World Cup in 2018.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is still only a partially recognized sovereign state in the world of politics — but they’re now fully recognized in the world of soccer. FIFA’s decision enabled several Kosovo-born players to finally play for the country they were born in rather than the ones they adopted. In normal circumstances, FIFA doesn’t allow players to switch countries, but it made an exception for Kosovo.

Albanian players Milot Rashica, Herolind Shala, Amir Rrahmani, Alban Meha and Samir Ujkani were all cleared to play on the same day of their country’s first international. Valon Berisha was given the all-clear only a couple of hours before Kosovo’s match against Finland, just in time to help earn Kosovo their first official point as an international side.

Berisha was highly regarded in Norwegian soccer, and made his debut for the Norwegian national side at the age of 19. His equalizer against Finland now takes its place Kosovan soccer lore.

The team have played three more qualifying matches since their 1-1 draw with Finland, but haven’t taken any more points. However, Kosovo now have the time to grow as an international side and may one day qualify for a major competition.