Albania national football team

Albania
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Kuq e Zinjtë (The Red and Blacks)
Shqiponjat (The Eagles)
AssociationFederata Shqiptare e Futbollit (FSHF)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachSylvinho
CaptainEtrit Berisha
Most capsLorik Cana (93)
Top scorerErjon Bogdani (18)
Home stadiumArena Kombëtare
FIFA codeALB
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 68 Decrease 2 (6 April 2023)[1]
Highest22 (August 2015[2])
Lowest124 (August 1997[3])
First international
 Albania 2–3 Yugoslavia 
(Tirana, Albania; 7 October 1946)
Biggest win
 Albania 5–0 Vietnam 
(Bastia Umbra, Italy; 12 February 2003)
 Albania 6–1 Cyprus 
(Tirana, Albania; 12 August 2009)
 Albania 5–0 San Marino 
(Elbasan, Albania; 8 September 2021)
Biggest defeat
 Hungary 12–0 Albania 
(Budapest, Hungary; 24 September 1950)
European Championship
Appearances1 (first in 2016)
Best resultGroup stage (2016)
Medal record
Men's football
Balkan Cup
Gold medal – first place1946 AlbaniaTeam
Malta International
Gold medal – first place2000 AlbaniaTeam
This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Albania women's national football team.

The Albania national football team (Albanian: Kombëtarja e futbollit të Shqipërisë) represents Albania in men's international football, and is governed by the Albanian Football Association, the governing body for football in Albania.

Albania competes in the three major international football tournaments—the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship and UEFA Nations League. Albania was the winner of the 1946 Balkan Cup and the 2000 Malta Rothmans International Tournament. At Euro 2016, Albania made its debut at a major men's football tournament, scoring its first goal and recording its first victory in a major tournament against Romania on 19 June 2016.[4]

Since its completion in 2019, Arena Kombëtare (National Arena), known as Air Albania Stadium for sponsorship reasons, has been the team's home ground. Albania's highest FIFA World Ranking was 22nd in August 2015.

The colours of the team are red, white and black, and the double headed eagle is its symbol. Its supporters are collectively known as the Tifozët Kuq e Zi and use the same red and black colours as both the team and the nation's flag.

In 2020, Albania won group 4 of UEFA Nations League C and was promoted to UEFA Nations League B.

History
See also: History of the Albania national football team

20th century
Commemorative stamp (2003) of the ninety years of the first unofficial match of the football nation of Albania.
Loro Boriçi captained the team in winning the 1946 Balkan Cup.
Manifest of the Fifth Albanian Football Spartakiad (1984).

Although it never played any matches, the Albania national football team existed before the Albanian Football Association (Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) was created on 6 June 1930. Albania joined FIFA during a congress held between 12 and 16 June. Albania played its first international match against Yugoslavia in 1946, which ended in a 3–2 home defeat at Qemal Stafa Stadium.[5] In 1946, Albania also participated for the first time in the Balkan Cup in which Albania won by beating Romania 1–0 in the final.[6] In 1954, Albania was one of the founding members of UEFA. Albania waited until 1962 to compete in a Euro Cup competition and the only time Albania was between the best 16 teams of the Continent, the reason being Albania got past the first leg as Greece, for political reasons forfeited the game.[7][8] At the end of the tournament Albania ranked 9th in Europe.[9][10][11] Albania participated at the 1964 Summer Olympics in the Men's qualification tournament, and closely lost both matches against Bulgaria in the preliminary round.[12] They would participate for the second and last time at the 1972 Summer Olympics in which they faced Romania at the Men's European Qualifiers in the Playoffs. Albania would lose both matches close with 2–1 in the first leg and 1–2 at home in the second leg.[13][14]

Albania participated for the first time in a qualifying phrase of a World Cup in the qualifiers of the 1966 edition in England. The team was drawn in the Group 5 which finished in the last position with only one point from six matches. In the qualifiers, of the UEFA Euro 1968 Albania had a draw 0–0 against West Germany that denied the Germans the participation to the UEFA Euro 1968 finals.[15][16] In later years, Albania did not participate in the qualifiers of the World Cup 1970, UEFA Euro 1976, World Cup 1978 and UEFA Euro 1980 for unknown political reasons. After six years without playing any international matches, Albania entered in the qualifiers of the World Cup 1982, managing to finish in a place other than last for the first time in a qualifying match, with Finland getting last place instead. In the following qualification for the World Cup 1986 Albania were able to beat famously Belgium at home in Tirana with 2–0 as well as drawing away in Mielec against Poland with 2–2 despite leading until the end of this match. Their last point were won against Greece at home. Missing out close for their first ever FIFA World Cup as they finished third in the standings. The qualifiers of the World Cup 1990 were probably the worst qualifier in Albania's history as there were 6 losses in as many games with no memorable matches.

21st century

In the qualifiers of the World Cup 2002, Albania recorded a 2–0 win over Greece which was the only team that they beat during the qualifiers. Albania was able to make some impact in the qualifying of the UEFA Euro 2004 by beating 3–1 Russia at Loro Boriçi Stadium.[17] This match was also the debut of the German coach Hans-Peter Briegel who led Albania to an undefeated run at home matches. Despite the good results, Albania finished the group in the penultimate spot with only eight points. In the qualifiers of the World Cup 2006 Albania recorded some historical results. Two months after Greece beat Portugal to win the European Championship, Albania defeated Greece 2–1.[18]

In the qualifiers of the UEFA Euro 2008 Albania won twice in both matches against Luxembourg. Albania also drew 2–2 with Belarus and 0–0 away with Bulgaria. Albania's Euro campaign ended with a 6–1 loss away to Romania which resulted in the resignation of the coach Otto Barić and his assistant.[19] In December 2007, Arie Haan was named Albania's head coach by signing a two-year contract for the qualifiers of the World Cup 2010, where Albania made a very negative performance by winning only one match. Albania won only seven points from ten matches and Haan was replaced by Josip Kuže in May 2009 following the end of the campaign.[20] However, Kuže couldn't lead Albania to the better results as the team ended the qualifiers of the UEFA Euro 2012 with only nine points from ten matches. With Kuže in charge, Albania recorded its second biggest win the history by defeating Cyprus 6–1 at home, equal with Albania's 5–0 victory over Vietnam in 2003.[21]

The team of Albania took the field with the second shirt against Austria on 26 March 2016.

Josip Kuže parted ways with Albania three and a half years after he started the job, and in December 2011, Italian coach Gianni de Biasi replaced him.[22] Albania started the qualifiers and was, at one point, 2nd in group with six matches played and four to spare, but failed to be successful in the last four, losing away in Slovenia and Iceland, as well as at home against Switzerland, and drawing in Cyprus.[23] Albania started the qualifiers of the UEFA Euro 2016 with an emphatic 1–0 away win against Portugal,[24] which was followed by a 1–1 draw against Denmark at the newly renovated stadium Elbasan Arena.[25] After beating Armenia 3–0 in the last qualifying match, Albania made history by qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2016, its first appearance at a major men's football tournament after 50 years.[26] In the tournament itself, Albania lost 0–1 to Switzerland and 0–2 to hosts France. While they beat Romania 1–0 (their first win against Romania since 1947), the team finished last among the third-placed teams and didn't progress beyond the group stage.[27]

In 2018 World Cup qualification, Albania was drawn in a group with Spain, Italy, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, and Israel. Despite the difficult draw, they placed third in the group, their best result in history without qualifying for the final tournament. During this time, manager Gianni De Biasi resigned after disputes with the FSHF and was replaced by Christian Panucci.[28] Albania played poorly in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, winning only once against Israel and losing the return leg as well as both matches against Scotland.[29] Panucci would be sacked after a 2–0 defeat to Turkey in the opening match of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying.[30] Edoardo Reja replaced Panucci as Albania faced home and away series against both 2018 FIFA World Cup champions France and Iceland as well as the return leg against Turkey.[31] In the end, Albania placed fourth in the group, failing to qualify.[32]

Team image

Nicknames

The team's nicknames are the "Kuq e Zinjtë" ("The Red and Blacks") and "Shqiponjat" ("The Eagles"). It is also known, among supporters, as "Kosova B" ("Kosovo B"). During the period before 2016, the national teams of Albania and Kosovo exchanged players with each other due to the complexities of descent brought on by Kosovo's independence, leading supporters to refer to each team as the other team's "reserve" side.[33]

Kits
Albania home kit at 2016–17 season.

Albania' colours are red and black, mirroring the nation's flag. The team typically wears red shirts, black shorts and red socks. Away kits are usually all-white, with red and black trim. In the 2000s, Albania signed with German sportswear company Puma and was the first kit supplier of Albania in the 21st century. On 29 January 2016, Albania signed Italian sportswear company Macron, which continues to be Albania's kit.[34]

Kit sponsorship
Kit supplier Period Contract
Announcement Duration
Adidas 1981–1992
Umbro 1992–1993
Uhlsport 1994–1995
Puma 1996–2005
Nike, Inc. 2005–2010
Adidas 2010–2016
Macron 2016–present 26 January 2016[34] 2016–2022[34]
9 June 2022[35] 2022–2027[35]

Home stadium
Main articles: Arena Kombëtare, Elbasan Arena, and Loro Boriçi Stadium
See also: Qemal Stafa Stadium
Construction of Arena Kombëtare in the city center, 2019

Albania's main stadium for most part of the history was Qemal Stafa Stadium located in Tirana. The work started in April 1939 during the Italy regime. The construction lasted for three years but it stopped briefly in August 1943 following the fall of fascist regime.[36] The stadium had an Olympic Stadium shape, as idealized by Gherardo Bosio, a young fascist architect from Florence, Italy.[37] The stadium's initial capacity was 15,000, this due to the fact that Tirana at that time had only 60,000 inhabitants.[37] It was named after Qemal Stafa, a Hero of Albania in World War II.[38] The stadium was inaugurated officially on 7 October 1946 when Albania played its first competitive match against Yugoslavia.[39] Ever since then, further 130 international matches took place in the stadium, with the last being a friendly against Georgia in November 2015.[40] In 2005, Cecilia de Marco and Elisabetta Lorusso, two young Italian students, called the stadium as "one of the strongest symbols of Italian impact in Albania".[36] In November 2013, Qemal Stafa Stadium was shut down by FIFA for not fulfilling international standards.[41] The stadium's demolition started in June 2016, and it was announced that is going to be replaced by Arena Kombëtare.[42]

Albania sometimes has played home matches at other venues. Outside Tirana, the national team has played matches in Flamurtari Stadium in Vlorë,[43] Tomori Stadium in Berat,[44] Niko Dovana Stadium in Durrës,[45] Loro Boriçi Stadium in Shkodër[46] and Elbasan Arena in Elbasan.[47] In February 2014, due to Albania not having a stadium that fulfills international standards set by FIFA, the work for renovation of Elbasan Arena (at the time Ruzhdi Bizhuta Stadium) started.[48] The work lasted for 7 months, and the stadium was inaugurated on 9 October when Albania played a friendly match against KF Elbasani under-19 squad; Albania won the match 17–0.[49] The official inauguration occurred two days later in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Denmark.[50]

The first international match at Loro Boriçi Stadium was played on 29 March 2003 against Russia, with Albania winning 3–1.[17] In October 2014, Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, promised the reconstruction of the stadium.[51] The stadium's construction started in May 2015 and finished in August 2016.[52] In 2016–17, the stadium served temporary as the home of Kosovo national team, due to stadiums in Mitrovica and Pristina were under renovation and did not meet UEFA standards.[53]

Albania national football team home stadiums
Nr. of
matches		 Image Stadium Capacity Location First match Last match Ref
131 Ex Qemal Stafa Stadium 25,000 Tirana, Albania v.  Yugoslavia, 7 October 1946 v.  Georgia, 16 November 2015 [39]
18 Elbasan Arena 13,800 Elbasan, Albania v.  Denmark, 11 October 2014 v.  San Marino, 8 September 2021 [47]
14 Arena Kombëtare 22,500 Tirana, Albania v.  France, 17 November 2019 v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022 [54]
9 Loro Boriçi Stadium 20,200 Shkodër, Albania v.  Russia, 29 March 2003 v.  Turkey, 22 March 2019 [46]
6 Niko Dovana Stadium 12,040 Durrës, Albania v.  Uzbekistan, 11 August 2010 v.  Malta, 5 March 2014 [45]
2 Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes 19,336 Granada, Spain v.  Ukraine, 29 March 1997 v.  Germany, 2 April 1997 [44]
1 Skënderbeu Stadium 12,343 Korçë, Albania v.  North Macedonia, 17 November 2010 [43]
1 Tomori Stadium 17,890 Berat, Albania v.  Cuba, 6 August 1988 [44]
1 Flamurtari Stadium 10,500 Vlorë, Albania v.  Romania, 28 October 1987 [43]

Kosovo
Main article: Brotherly derby

This derby is otherwise known as Brotherly derby (Albanian: Derbi vëllazëror), also known as the Brotherly (Albanian: Vëllazërorja). The documented beginnings of this derby date back to the time during the World War II, respectively on 29 November 1942, where they played a friendly match as part of the celebrations for 30th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania and the match ended with a 2–0 win for Tirana,[lower-alpha 1][56][57] this derby is back 50 years after the first match, when the Football Federation of Kosovo signed a cooperation protocol with the Albanian Football Association and in the framework of this protocol it was decided to play on 14 February a friendly match between these two national teams,[58] and this match ended with a 3–1 win for Albania.[59]

Serbia
Main article: Albania–Serbia football rivalry

This football rivalry between Albania and Serbia is mainly due to historical tensions between the two countries. It has been described as "one of the fiercest rivalries in the world". During the Euro 2016 qualifying phase, the Serbian crowd were chanting "Kill, kill Albanians"[60] and were throwing flares at the Albania team, after which there was a clash between the Serbia and Albania teams.[61]

Supporters
Main article: Tifozat Kuq e Zi
A choreography of Tifozat Kuq e Zi in the national team's first match at Elbasan Arena against Denmark in October 2014.

Tifozat Kuq e Zi (Red and Black Fans, also known as the Albania National Football Team Supporters Club) is a non-profit football supporters' association for the Albania national football team and various national team sportive activities.[62][63] It was founded on 25 December 2003.[62] In cooperation with FSHF, it organises trips for football fans to visit games, and develops and sells merchandise to support itself and fund sporting related projects.

Tifozat Kuq e Zi stands firm in the political view that Albanians should share only one national team and have continuous aspirations to join in one state (Një Komb, Një Kombëtare), i.e. unification of Albania, Kosovo, etc.[64][65] In this sense, TKZ is joined by different supporters' associations throughout Albanian-speaking regions mainly in Kosovo (Shqiponjat of Peja, Kuqezinjet e Jakoves of Gjakova, Plisat of Prishtina, Torcida of Mitrovica, etc.), North Macedonia (Ballistët of Tetovë, Ilirët of Kumanovë, Shvercerat of Shkupi, etc.) and in Albania itself (Ultras Guerrils of Partizani Tirana, Tirona Fanatics of KF Tirana, Vllaznit Ultras of Vllaznia Shkodër, Ujqërit e Deborës of Skënderbeu Korçë, Shqiponjat of KF Besa Pejë and many other different Albanian fans).[62]

There are sports twinnings with some amateur football teams of the historic Albanian communities of Italy (Arbëreshë): in 2017, on the occasion of the Italy – Albania match played in Palermo (Sicily, Italy) for the World Cup qualifiers, the local team and the Municipality of Piana degli Albanesi welcomed the ambassador of the Republic of Albania, the official delegation of the Albanian football federation and numerous Albanian fans who also came from the Balkans, in a fraternal and sporting twinning Arbëreshë-Shqiptarë.

Albanian and Arbëreshë fans in Palermo (Sicily), for the Italy-Albania match of 24 March 2017, valid for the qualifiers for the Football World Cup.

The ongoing dispute between the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Football Association of Albania has been seen as a political intrusion by FIFA and UEFA, which led to the banning of Albania from international sportive activities. FSHF president Armand Duka is highly unwanted by the TKZ who have numerously asked for his resignation believing he is responsible for internal corruption in the Albanian Football Association.[66][67][68][69]

The TKZ have been praised by many different football players and managers, whom were not just Albanian. One example is with Switzerland's former coach, Ottmar Hitzfeld, who was astonished by how many Albanian fans turned up and how enthusiastic they were in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Switzerland and Albania where the Swiss won 2–0 thanks to goals from Gökhan Inler and Kosovo-born Xherdan Shaqiri. He didn't believe that there was 12,000 Albanian fans in the stands which was more than how many Swiss fans turned up for the game. He stated that "Albanian fans are fantastic and the most passionate fans I have ever seen".[70] During that campaign, TKZ attended all games Albania played apart from a match against Cyprus in Nicosia and were also large in numbers in the away games to Slovenia in Maribor and Norway in Oslo.[71][72][73]

Media coverage

Results and fixtures
Main article: Albania national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2022
6 June 2022–23 Nations League Iceland  1–1  Albania Reykjavík, Iceland
20:45 (18:45; UTC±0) Þorsteinsson 49' Report Seferi 30' Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur
Attendance: 4,033
Referee: Craig Pawson (England)
10 June 2022–23 Nations League Albania  1–2  Israel Tirana, Albania
20:45 (21:45; UTC+3) Broja 45+2' (pen.) Report Solomon 57', 73' Stadium: Arena Kombëtare
Attendance: 18,100
Referee: Tiago Martins (Portugal)
13 June Friendly Albania  0–0  Estonia Tirana, Albania
18:00 Report Stadium: Arena Kombëtare
Referee: Philip Farrugia (Malta)
24 September 2022–23 Nations League Israel  2–1  Albania Tel Aviv, Israel
20:45 (21:45; UTC+3)
Report
Stadium: Bloomfield Stadium
Attendance: 29,200
Referee: Donatas Rumšas (Lithuania)
27 September 2022–23 Nations League Albania  1–1  Iceland Tirana, Albania
20:45 Lenjani 35' Report Anderson 90+7' Stadium: Arena Kombëtare
Attendance: 8,800
Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (Spain)
26 October Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–1  Albania Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
16:30 Al-Shehri 43' (pen.) Report Balaj 47' Stadium: Al Nahyan Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Adel Al Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
9 November Friendly Qatar  1–0  Albania Marbella, Spain
18:30 Ali 37' (pen.) Report Stadium: Estadio Municipal de Marbella
Attendance: 0
Referee: Jason Barcelo (Gibraltar)
16 November Friendly Albania  1–3  Italy Tirana, Albania
20:45 Ismajli 16' Report Di Lorenzo 20'
Grifo 25', 64'		 Stadium: Arena Kombëtare
Attendance: 22,000
Referee: Genc Nuza (Kosovo)
19 November Friendly Albania  2–0  Armenia Tirana, Albania
17:30 Skuka 28'
Asllani 64' (pen.)		 Report Stadium: Arena Kombëtare
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (North Macedonia)

2023
27 March UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Poland  1–0  Albania Warsaw, Poland
20:45
Report Stadium: Stadion Narodowy
Attendance: 56,227
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)
17 June UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Albania  v  Moldova Tirana, Albania
20:45 Report Stadium: Arena Kombëtare
20 June UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Faroe Islands  v  Albania Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
20:45 (19:45 UTC+1) Report Stadium: Tórsvøllur
7 September UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Czech Republic  v  Albania Czech Republic
20:45 Report
10 September UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Albania  v  Poland Tirana, Albania
20:45 Report Stadium: Arena Kombëtare
12 October UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Albania  v  Czech Republic Tirana, Albania
20:45 Report Stadium: Arena Kombëtare
17 November UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Moldova  v  Albania Chişinău, Moldova
20:45 (21:45 UTC+2) Report Stadium: Zimbru Stadium
20 November UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Albania  v  Faroe Islands Tirana, Albania
20:45 Report Stadium: Arena Kombëtare

Coaching staff
See also: List of Albania national football team managers

Current coaching staff
Sylvinho, the current head coach of Albania national football team.
Name Role
Head coach Brazil Sylvinho
Assistant coach(es) Argentina Pablo Zabaleta
Brazil Dorival Guidoni
Albania Ervin Bulku
Albania Hamdi Salihi
Athletic coach(es) Albania Taulant Stërmasi
Albania Elton Kodra
Goalkeeping coach Albania Ilir Bozhiqi
Physiotherapist Albania Altin Haxhia
Doctor Italy Gianluca Stesina
Masseur Albania Arzen Voçi
Material base(s) Albania Eduard Salillari
Albania Osman Bulku
Osteopath Albania Arjan Llaperi
Team manager Albania Dritan Babamusta
Video analyst Italy Alarico Marco Rossi

Players
See also: Albania international footballers

Current squad
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Etrit Berisha (captain) (1989-03-10) 10 March 1989 75 0 Italy Torino
23 1GK Thomas Strakosha (1995-03-19) 19 March 1995 22 0 England Brentford
12 1GK Elhan Kastrati (1997-02-02) 2 February 1997 2 0 Italy Cittadella
4 2DF Elseid Hysaj (vice-captain) (1994-02-20) 20 February 1994 75 2 Italy Lazio
3 2DF Ermir Lenjani (1989-08-05) 5 August 1989 45 5 Turkey Ümraniyespor
5 2DF Frédéric Veseli (1992-11-20) 20 November 1992 44 0 Italy Benevento
15 2DF Marash Kumbulla (2000-02-08) 8 February 2000 18 0 Italy Roma
13 2DF Enea Mihaj (1998-07-05) 5 July 1998 14 0 Portugal Famalicão
2 2DF Iván Balliu (1992-01-01) 1 January 1992 9 0 Spain Rayo Vallecano
17 2DF Andi Hadroj (1999-02-22) 22 February 1999 3 0 Albania Partizani
6 2DF Jon Mersinaj (1999-02-08) 8 February 1999 1 0 Croatia Lokomotiva
22 3MF Amir Abrashi (3rd captain) (1990-03-27) 27 March 1990 50 1 Switzerland Grasshoppers
20 3MF Ylber Ramadani (1996-04-12) 12 April 1996 25 1 Scotland Aberdeen
8 3MF Klaus Gjasula (1989-12-14) 14 December 1989 22 0 Germany SV Darmstadt 98
14 3MF Qazim Laçi (1996-01-19) 19 January 1996 21 1 Czech Republic Sparta Prague
10 3MF Nedim Bajrami (1999-02-28) 28 February 1999 11 0 Italy Sassuolo
21 3MF Kristjan Asllani (2002-03-09) 9 March 2002 8 1 Italy Inter Milan
18 3MF Lindon Selahi (1999-02-26) 26 February 1999 4 0 Croatia Rijeka
9 3MF Jasir Asani (1995-05-19) 19 May 1995 1 0 South Korea Gwangju
19 3MF Anis Mehmeti (2001-01-09) 9 January 2001 1 0 England Bristol City
16 4FW Sokol Cikalleshi (1990-07-27) 27 July 1990 52 12 Saudi Arabia Khaleej
7 4FW Myrto Uzuni (1995-05-31) 31 May 1995 29 5 Spain Granada
11 4FW Taulant Seferi (1996-11-15) 15 November 1996 11 1 Ukraine Vorskla Poltava

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Gentian Selmani (1998-03-09) 9 March 1998 4 0 Albania Laçi v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022
GK Alen Sherri (1997-12-15) 15 December 1997 1 0 Albania Egnatia v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
GK Mario Dajsinani (1998-12-23) 23 December 1998 1 0 Albania Laçi v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
GK Arlis Shala (2000-07-26) 26 July 2000 0 0 Kosovo Drenica v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
GK Endri Dema (2004-04-17) 17 April 2004 0 0 Albania Teuta v.  Saudi Arabia, 26 October 2022U21
GK Simon Simoni (2004-07-14) 14 July 2004 0 0 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt v.  Estonia, 13 June 2022U21
GK Angelo Tafa (2000-07-05) 5 July 2000 0 0 Albania Kukësi v.  Iceland, 6 June 2022
DF Ardian Ismajli (1996-09-30) 30 September 1996 30 2 Italy Empoli v.  Poland, 27 March 2023INJ
DF Eneo Bitri (1996-08-26) 26 August 1996 3 0 Czech Republic Baník Ostrava v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022
DF Adrian Bajrami (2002-04-05) 5 April 2002 3 0 Portugal Benfica B v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022INJ
DF Erdenis Gurishta (1995-04-24) 24 April 1995 2 0 Albania Vllaznia v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022
DF Berat Djimsiti (1993-02-19) 19 February 1993 48 1 Italy Atalanta v.  Italy, 16 November 2022INJ
DF Rudolf Turkaj (1995-02-03) 3 February 1995 2 0 Albania Laçi v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
DF Esin Hakaj (1996-12-06) 6 December 1996 2 0 Albania Vllaznia v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
DF Stivian Janku (1997-06-23) 23 June 1997 2 0 Albania Bylis v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
DF Marsel Ismailgeci (2000-03-14) 14 March 2000 2 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
DF Albion Marku (2000-11-14) 14 November 2000 1 0 Albania Teuta v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
DF Artan Jazxhi (2001-07-06) 6 July 2001 0 0 Albania Teuta v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
DF Mario Mitaj (2003-08-06) 6 August 2003 2 0 Russia Lokomotiv Moscow v.  Saudi Arabia, 26 October 2022U21
DF Ardit Toli (1997-07-12) 12 July 1997 1 0 Georgia (country) Torpedo Kutaisi v.  Saudi Arabia, 26 October 2022
DF Arlind Ajeti (1993-09-25) 25 September 1993 22 1 Italy Pordenone v.  Iceland, 27 September 2022
DF Albi Doka (1997-06-26) 26 June 1997 7 0 Hungary Budapest Honvéd v.  Iceland, 27 September 2022
DF Erion Hoxhallari (1995-10-15) 15 October 1995 4 0 Romania UTA Arad v.  Estonia, 13 June 2022
DF Kevin Haveri (2001-09-18) 18 September 2001 0 0 Italy Rimini v.  Estonia, 13 June 2022
DF Kastriot Dermaku (1992-01-15) 15 January 1992 13 1 Italy Lecce v.  Israel, 10 June 2022
DF Lorenc Trashi (1992-05-19) 19 May 1992 15 1 Kosovo Ballkani v.  Iceland, 6 June 2022
DF Sergio Kalaj (2000-01-28) 28 January 2000 0 0 Italy Frosinone v.  Iceland, 6 June 2022
MF Keidi Bare (1997-08-28) 28 August 1997 23 2 Spain Espanyol v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022INJ
MF Enis Çokaj (1999-02-23) 23 February 1999 5 0 Greece Panathinaikos v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022
MF Arbnor Muçolli (1999-09-15) 15 September 1999 3 0 Denmark Vejle v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022
MF Odise Roshi (1991-05-21) 21 May 1991 71 5 Turkey Sakaryaspor v.  Italy, 16 November 2022
MF Kristal Abazaj (1996-07-06) 6 July 1996 2 0 Albania Tirana v.  Italy, 16 November 2022
MF Sherif Kallaku (1998-03-01) 1 March 1998 7 0 Albania Teuta v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
MF Arinaldo Rrapaj (2001-08-09) 9 August 2001 2 0 Albania Partizani v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
MF Herald Marku (1996-05-18) 18 May 1996 1 0 Albania Vllaznia v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
MF Ardit Deliu (1997-10-26) 26 October 1997 1 0 Albania Tirana v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
MF Serxho Ujka (1998-08-27) 27 August 1998 1 0 Albania Laçi v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
MF Arbin Zejnullai (1999-02-15) 15 February 1999 0 0 Albania Egnatia v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
MF Esat Mala (1998-10-18) 18 October 1998 1 0 Albania Vllaznia v.  Saudi Arabia, 26 October 2022
MF Endri Çekiçi (1996-11-23) 23 November 1996 11 1 Turkey Konyaspor v.  Israel, 24 September 2022
MF Erdis Kraja (2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 0 0 Italy Pescara v.  Iceland, 6 June 2022
MF Armando Dobra (2001-04-14) 14 April 2001 0 0 England Chesterfield v.  Iceland, 6 June 2022
FW Gerald Kubazi (2006-08-17) 17 August 2006 0 0 Albania Vllaznia v.  Poland, 27 March 2023PRE
FW Armando Broja (2001-09-10) 10 September 2001 17 4 England Chelsea v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022INJ
FW Xhuliano Skuka (1998-08-02) 2 August 1998 4 1 France Metz v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022
FW Tedi Cara (2000-04-15) 15 April 2000 2 0 Albania Partizani v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022
FW Ernest Muçi (2001-03-19) 19 March 2001 2 0 Poland Legia Warsaw v.  Armenia, 19 November 2022
FW Redon Xhixha (1998-09-14) 14 September 1998 2 0 Azerbaijan Qarabağ v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
FW Lorenco Vila (1998-12-14) 14 December 1998 1 0 Albania Teuta v.  Qatar, 9 November 2022
FW Bekim Balaj (1991-01-11) 11 January 1991 48 9 Albania Vllaznia v.  Saudi Arabia, 26 October 2022
FW Eljon Toçi (2003-01-09) 9 January 2003 0 0 Italy Fiorentina Primavera v.  Israel, 24 September 2022U21
FW Giacomo Vrioni (1998-10-15) 15 October 1998 6 0 United States New England Revolution v.  Estonia, 13 June 2022
Notes
  • U21 = Was called up from national U21 squad.
  • INJ = It is not part of the current squad due to injury.

Previous squads

Records
Main article: Albania national football team records and statistics
See also: List of Albania international footballers and List of Albania national football team captains
As of 27 March 2023.[77]
Players in bold are still active with Albania.

Most appearances
Panajot Pano, awarded "The Player of the Century" by UEFA and rated by the Albanian Football Federation as the most outstanding national player of the last 50 years.
Lorik Cana is the most capped player in the history of Albania with 93 caps.
Rank Player Caps Goals Period
1 Lorik Cana 93 1 2003–2016
2 Altin Lala 79 3 1998–2011
3 Klodian Duro 77 4 2001–2011
4 Etrit Berisha 75 0 2012–present
Erjon Bogdani 75 18 1996–2013
Elseid Hysaj 75 2 2013–present
Ervin Skela 75 13 2000–2011
8 Ansi Agolli 73 3 2005–2017
Foto Strakosha 73 0 1990–2004
10 Odise Roshi 71 5 2011–present

Top goalscorers
Rank Player Goals Caps Average Period
1 Erjon Bogdani 18 75 0.24 1996–2013
2 Alban Bushi 14 67 0.21 1995–2007
3 Ervin Skela 13 75 0.17 2000–2011
4 Armando Sadiku 12 37 0.32 2012–present
Sokol Cikalleshi 12 52 0.24 2014–present
6 Hamdi Salihi 11 50 0.22 2006–2015
Altin Rraklli 11 63 0.17 1992–2005
8 Sokol Kushta 10 31 0.32 1987–1996
Igli Tare 10 68 0.15 1997–2007
10 Bekim Balaj 9 48 0.19 2012–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Year Pos Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 to Chile 1962 Did not participate —
England 1966 Did not qualify England 1966 4th6015212
Mexico 1970 Entry not accepted[78] —
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify West Germany 1974 4th6105313
Argentina 1978 Did not participate —
Spain 1982 Did not qualify Spain 1982 4th8107422
Mexico 1986 Mexico 1986 3rd612369
Italy 1990 Italy 1990 4th6006315
United States 1994 United States 1994 7th12129626
France 1998 France 1998 6th10118720
South KoreaJapan 2002 South KoreaJapan 2002 5th8107514
Germany 2006 Germany 2006 5th124171120
South Africa 2010 South Africa 2010 5th10145613
Brazil 2014 Brazil 2014 5th10325911
Russia 2018 Russia 2018 3rd104151013
Qatar 2022 Qatar 2022 3rd106041212
CanadaMexicoUnited States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Total — 0/22 0 0 0 0 0 0 — Total 13/21 114 24 14 76 84 200

UEFA European Championship
Main article: Albania at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Year Pos Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Did not participate Did not participate
Spain 1964 Did not qualify Spain 1964 R16430174
Italy 1968 Italy 1968 3rd4013012
Belgium 1972 Belgium 1972 4th611459
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 Did not participate —
Italy 1980 —
France 1984 Did not qualify France 1984 5th8026414
West Germany 1988 West Germany 1988 4th6006217
Sweden 1992 Sweden 1992 5th7106221
England 1996 England 1996 5th102261016
BelgiumNetherlands 2000 BelgiumNetherlands 2000 5th10145814
Portugal 2004 Portugal 2004 4th82241115
AustriaSwitzerland 2008 AustriaSwitzerland 2008 5th122551218
PolandUkraine 2012 PolandUkraine 2012 5th10235714
France 2016 Group stage18th310213Squad France 2016 2nd8422105
Europe 2020 Did not qualify Europe 2020 4th104151614
Germany 2024 To be determined To be determined
Total Best: Group stage 1/16 3 1 0 2 1 3 — Total 13/16 103 22 23 58 88 173

UEFA Nations League
UEFA Nations League record
League phase Finals
Season LG GP Pos Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK Year Pos Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
2018–19 C 1 3rd410318Same position34th Portugal 2019 Did not qualify
2020–21 C 4 1st632184Rise35th Italy 2021 Did not qualify
2022–23 B 2 3rd402246Same position27th Netherlands 2023 Did not qualify
2024–25 A To be determined 2025 To be determined
Total 14 4 4 6 13 18 27th Total — — — — — — —
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Group stage played home and away. Flag shown represents host nation for the finals stage.

Other tournaments
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Balkan Cup
Albania 1946 Winner 1st320164Squad
1947 Fifth place 5th4004213
1948 Fifth place 5th 312010
Malta Malta International Tournament
1998 Third place 3rd302136
2000 Winner 1st330050
Total Best: Winner 5/5 16 6 4 6 17 23 —

Summer Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games record
Year Round GP W D L GS GA
Japan 1964Preliminary round200202
West Germany 1972Play-off stage200224
Total0/2400426

FIFA rankings

As of December 2022 Source:[79]

  Best Ranking    Worst Ranking    Best Mover    Worst Mover  

Albania's FIFA world rankings
Rank Year Pld Best Worst
Rank Move Rank Move
6620221165Increase 169Decrease 1
6620211263Increase 369Decrease 3
662020766Increase 369Decrease 3
6620191661Increase 266Decrease 4
602018956Increase 260Decrease 3
622017951Increase 971Decrease 12
4920161235Increase 549Decrease 10
 382015722Increase 1563Decrease 7
 582014945Increase 2570Decrease 16
572013837Increase 1671Decrease 13
632012958Increase 1797Decrease 10
7420111150Increase 2375Decrease 14
652010958Increase 1397Decrease 7
962009978Increase 398Decrease 11
 812008773Increase 19102Decrease 18
8020071166Increase 1188Decrease 12
872006662Increase 2088Decrease 13
8220051082Increase 793Decrease 4
862004886Increase 594Decrease 5
8920031186Increase 13101Decrease 5
932002992Increase 497Decrease 5
962001774Increase 196Decrease 6
722000872Increase 1394Decrease 6
831999883Increase 1595Decrease 2
1061998897Increase 14109Decrease 8
 11619977113Increase 8124Decrease 4
 1161996590Increase 6116Decrease 12
911995887Increase 13106Decrease 6
1001994593Increase 9113Decrease 11
921993791Increase 193Decrease 6
8619928686

Honours
2007 Postage stamp of Albania, commemorating the 60th Anniversary of Victory at the Balkan Cup.

Head-to-head record
As of 27 March 2023 after the match against Poland
Key
Positive balance (more Wins)
Neutral balance (Wins = Losses)
Negative balance (more Losses)
Opponent Pld W D L GF GA GD Win % Reference
 Algeria[upper-alpha 1] 2 1 1 0 4 1 +3 50% H2H results
H2H results*
 Andorra 7 5 1 1 11 4 +7 71% H2H results
 Argentina 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 0% H2H results
 Armenia 6 4 1 1 10 5 +5 66% H2H results
 Austria 7 0 0 7 2 19 −17 0% H2H results
 Azerbaijan 5 3 1 1 5 3 +2 60% H2H results
 Bahrain 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 0% H2H results
 Belarus 7 3 2 2 10 10 0 42% H2H results
 Belgium 2 1 0 1 3 3 0 50% H2H results
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 1 2 2 4 5 −1 20% H2H results
 Bulgaria 13 2 4 7 8 17 −9 15% H2H results
 Cameroon 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0% H2H results
 China 2 0 1 1 3 4 −1 0% H2H results
H2H results*
 Cuba 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0% H2H results
 Cyprus 6 2 2 2 12 7 +5 33% H2H results
 Czech Republic[upper-alpha 2] 6 2 0 4 7 13 −6 33% H2H results
 Denmark 10 1 3 6 4 19 −15 10% H2H results
 East Germany 3 0 1 2 2 7 −5 0% H2H results
 England 6 0 0 6 1 19 −18 0% H2H results
 Estonia 4 1 3 0 3 1 +2 25% H2H results
 Finland 7 2 1 4 6 8 −2 28% H2H results
 France 9 1 1 7 4 20 −16 11% H2H results
 Georgia 15 3 4 8 13 23 −10 20% H2H results
 Germany[upper-alpha 3] 14 0 1 13 10 38 −28 0% H2H results
 Greece[upper-alpha 4] 15 6 3 6 16 13 +3 50% H2H results
 Hungary 8 2 1 5 2 19 −17 25% H2H results
 Iceland 9 3 2 4 11 12 −1 33% H2H results
 Iran 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100% H2H results
 Israel 6 2 0 4 6 9 −3 33% H2H results
 Italy 4 0 0 4 1 7 −4 0% H2H results
 Jordan 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0% H2H results
 Kazakhstan 4 3 1 0 6 2 +4 75% H2H results
 Kosovo 7 5 1 1 13 9 +1 71% H2H results[57][82][83]
 Latvia 5 0 5 0 6 6 0 0% H2H results
 Liechtenstein 3 3 0 0 6 0 +6 100% H2H results
 Lithuania 6 2 1 3 7 7 0 33% H2H results
 Luxembourg 7 3 1 3 8 7 +1 42% H2H results
 North Macedonia 10 2 4 4 7 12 −5 20% H2H results
 Malta 8 5 2 1 14 3 +11 62% H2H results
 Mexico 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 0% H2H results
 Moldova 5 4 1 0 12 2 +10 80% H2H results
 Montenegro 3 3 0 0 9 2 +7 100% H2H results
H2H results*
 Morocco 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0% H2H results
 Netherlands 4 0 0 4 1 7 −6 0% H2H results
 Northern Ireland 9 2 2 5 5 13 −8 22% H2H results
 Norway 5 1 2 2 5 6 −1 20% H2H results
 Poland 14 1 3 10 8 20 −12 7% H2H results
 Portugal 7 1 1 5 5 13 −8 14% H2H results
 Qatar 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2 66% H2H results
 Republic of Ireland 4 0 1 3 2 6 −4 0% H2H results
 Romania[upper-alpha 5] 19 3 3 13 12 45 −33 15% H2H results
H2H results*
 Russia 2 1 0 1 4 5 −1 50% H2H results
 Scotland 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6 0% H2H results
 San Marino 4 4 0 0 13 0 +13 100% H2H results
 Saudi Arabia 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0% H2H results
 Serbia[upper-alpha 6] 7 1 1 5 7 15 −8 14% H2H results
 Slovenia 7 1 2 4 2 6 −4 14% H2H results
 Spain 8 0 0 8 3 31 −28 0% H2H results
 Sweden 5 1 1 3 5 10 −5 20% H2H results
 Switzerland 7 0 1 6 4 12 −8 0% H2H results
 Turkey 12 4 2 6 14 13 +1 33% H2H results
 Ukraine 6 0 1 5 4 13 −9 0% H2H results
 Uzbekistan 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100% H2H results
 Vietnam 1 1 0 0 5 0 +5 100% H2H results
 Wales 4 1 2 1 2 3 −1 25% H2H results
65 nations37610178197355575−22026%All H2H results
Notes
  1. Includes match against  Algeria Olympic.
  2. Includes matches against  Czechoslovakia.
  3. Includes matches against  West Germany.
  4. Includes awarded matches at the Euro 1964 qualifying.[81]
  5. Includes matches against  Romania Olympic at 1971 Mediterranean Games qualifying.
  6. Includes matches against  Yugoslavia.

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. The alternative name of the Albania national team that was used during this match.[55]

References
  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  2. FIFA World Ranking August 2015
  3. FIFA World Ranking August 1997
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  5. "International football match Albania vs Yugoslavia report". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
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  8. Besnik Dizdari (2007). "Ballkaniada 1946: Shqipëria – kampione e Ballkanit ne startin e "Luftës së ftohtë" në Evropë" (in Albanian). Rozafat. pp. 2–10. ISBN 978-99943-979-0-7. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
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