Turkey beat Kosovo to qualify for World Cup for first time in 24 years

Turkey ended a 24-year wait to qualify for the World Cup by beating Kosovo 1-0 in their playoff final on Tuesday, sealing a return to football’s biggest stage for the first time since 2002.

Forward Kerem Akturkoglu scored the only goal in the 53rd minute to settle a tense contest in Pristina, where the hosts had been hoping to reach their first-ever World Cup.

Turkey, ranked 25th in the world, had fallen short in qualifying campaigns over the past two decades and arrived under pressure to deliver...