Melbourne Victory striker Besart Berisha has today declared his intentions to play for new FIFA member Kosovo.

The 2011-12 A-League Golden Boot winner was born in Kosovo, and after making 17 appearances for Albania between 2006-2009, Berisha has told Kosovo he is changing allegiances and joining them.

The nation became recognised by FIFA just four months ago, and the national team is out to build a squad before it's opening match of FIFA World Cup qualifying against Finland on September 5.

Kosovo are able to contact every player currently playing for another nation, and it's likely FIFA will not block any player from representing their home land.

While some Albanian squad members have already made the switch, Kosovo are hoping to land some big name players, which would provide a massive boost for the new team.

Arsenal's Granit Xhaka, Stoke's Xherdan Shaqiri and Sunderland's Adnan Januzaj all qualify to play for Kosovo, and decisions will need to be made over the coming days in preparation for this weekend's international fixtures.