The Handball Federation of Kosovo (KHF) has appointed Jesper Östlund as the new head coach of the senior men’s national team. 

Östlund, aged 34, has built a strong coaching career in Sweden, starting with Skånela IF’s men’s team, followed by four years with IF Hallby’s men’s team, and most recently leading the IK Sävehof women’s team from 2022 to 2024. With Sävehof, he won the Swedish league and Swedish Cup twice and coached in the EHF Champions League Women before returning to IF Hallby in 2024.

This appointment makes Östlund the fourth foreign coach to lead Kosovo, following Taip Ramadani, Javier Cabanas, and Bujar Qerimi. 
“It is an honour for me to take on this task. It is a pleasure for us to begin this journey together,” said Östlund upon his arrival and unveiling as the new Kosovo men’s senior national team coach.

His national team credentials are significant: he was head coach of Sweden’s men’s junior team (2020–2021) and has led Sweden’s women’s junior team since 2021, achieving fourth and sixth place finishes at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championships in 2022 and 2024 respectively.

“Handball in the Balkans is played with a lot of passion and fire. The combination with Scandinavian work is extremely good. The goal for the next two years is to qualify for the European Championship. There are obstacles, but if we work hard we can get there very quickly,” added Östlund.

The 34-year-old Swedish coach will be assisted by Jasmin Zhuta, a coach who has been working in Sweden for the past years.

Östlund will make his international debut as Kosovo’s coach in October, when his team faces the winners of the 2025 IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship, Great Britain, in the Qualification Phase 1 Europe for the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship. The two matches will be played on 29 October in Derby and on 2 November in Prishtina, with the aggregate winner advancing to the next qualification round.

Photo credit: Federata e Hendbollit e Kosovës