Slovenian Defender Bijol Rejoins National Team for Crucial World Cup Qualifiers

As of November 14th, 2025, Leeds United defender Jaka Bijol has rejoined the Slovenian national team ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Slovenia is set to face Kosovo and Sweden in the coming weeks, with their World Cup fate still hanging in the balance.

Bijol, who spoke exclusively with leedsunited.com, acknowledged the challenges his team will face, especially in the first match against Kosovo. "We have a really tough two games coming up, especially the first one," he said. "I think it is going to be quite offensive from their side because we have to win that game, but we are playing at home with our fans, so it is going to be a hard game but an enjoyable one."

The 26-year-old defender also looks forward to the match against Sweden, where he will have the opportunity to play against his Leeds teammate, Gabriel Gudmundsson. "That will be a difficult match, playing in Sweden. They have a quality team and even if these qualifiers didn't go as planned for them, they have a new coach and will want to show their best side. It will be nice to see Gabi again too and then we will travel back to Leeds together after."