Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president, supported the move. Despite opposition from Serbia, which sees Kosovo as an inviolable part of its territory, and Michel Platini, the UEFA president, it was agreed in January that Kosovo would be allowed to play FIFA members, albeit with no national symbols, flags or anthem. Matches against former Yugoslav republics were banned.

“This is the first step,” Salihu said. UEFA and FIFA, he added, know that official membership “is not a question of if, but when.”

Choosing the squad for Wednesday’s match, however, has been a diplomatic minefield. Salihu and the federation invited Manchester United’s Belgian-born prodigy Adnan Januzaj, whose heritage qualifies him to represent Kosovo but also Belgium, Serbia, Turkey and, perhaps in a few years, England. Despite the assurance that an appearance for Kosovo would not affect his chances of playing for another national team — because Kosovo is not recognized by FIFA, he could take part in the same way some of Spain’s top players regularly turn out for a Catalonia team — Januzaj’s father said no.

“We just wanted to meet him and explain how important it would be if he played, symbolically, for 10 minutes,” Salihu recalled with disappointment. “We can’t do anything. We have to wait for another match.”

Then there is the issue of players who have played for other countries. None of Switzerland’s Kosovar players, for example, will be in Mitrovica on Wednesday.

“We didn’t call them,” Salihu said. “We have to protect their careers.”

The Switzerland versus Albania game in 2012 — when Shaqiri played with the flags of Switzerland, Kosovo and Albania stitched on his soccer shoes — led some Swiss commentators to question the loyalty of its players. In January, Switzerland held a referendum over whether tougher restrictions should be placed on immigration. The measure was narrowly approved, though a picture soon went viral showing the Swiss starting lineup with its immigrants removed. Only four players remained.