Albania national football team

Albania

Nickname(s)	Kuq e Zinjtë (The Red and Blacks) Shqiponjat (The Eagles)
Association	Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit (FSHF)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Gianni De Biasi
Captain	Lorik Cana
Most caps	Lorik Cana (89)
Top scorer	Erjon Bogdani (18)
Home stadium	Elbasan Arena
FIFA code	ALB
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	36 2 (4 February 2016)
Highest	22 (August 2015[1])
Lowest	124 (August 1997[1])
Elo ranking
Current	60 (11 October 2015)[2]
Highest	58 (September 2015 [2])
Lowest	127 (14 & 18 December 1994 [2])
First international
Albania 2–3 Yugoslavia (Tirana, Albania; 7 October 1946)[3]
Biggest win
Albania 5–0 Montenegro (Shkodër, Albania; 22 August 1946)  Albania 5–0 Vietnam  (Bastia Umbra, Italy; 12 February 2003)  Albania 6–1 Cyprus  (Tirana, Albania; 12 August 2009)[3]
Biggest defeat
Hungary 12–0 Albania  (Budapest, Hungary; 24 September 1950)[3]
European Championship
Appearances	1 (First in 2016)
Best result	TBD

The Albania national football team (Albanian: Kombëtarja shqiptare e futbollit) is the national association football team of Albania and it has represented the Albanian nation since 1946.

Albania was the winner of the 1946 Balkan Cup and the Malta Rothmans International Tournament 2000, but had never participated in any major UEFA or FIFA tournament, until UEFA Euro 2016, which will be Albania's first ever appearance at the continental tournament and at a major men's football tournament.

History

Although it never played any matches, the Albanian national football team existed before the Albanian Football Association was created in 1930. This is witnessed by the registration of the Albanian team in the Balkan Cup tournament of 1929-1931, which started in 1929, a year before the creation of the association. Albania, however, eventually retired from the competition, before the competition itself started.^[4] FSHF was founded on 6 June 1930, and, in 1932, Albania joined FIFA (during the congress 12 June — 16 June), however no national team matches were registered until the first international match, a debut against Yugoslavia in 1946. In 1954, Albania was one of the founding members of UEFA.

Balkan Cup 1946: Albania is Champion of the Balkans

The early years oversaw a notably successful Balkan Cup in the 1946 campaign. Albania won the cup after overcoming Yugoslavia on level points but a better goal difference. The final match was played and won against Romania 1–0. Four days earlier, Albania had already beaten Bulgaria 3–1. Interestingly, Albania wasn't expected to participate, but the withdrawal of Greece from the tournament offered Albania a chance to join in the re-established post-war cup.^[5]

1960 European Nations' Cup

Albania did not participate in the qualifiers of the 1960 European Nations' Cup.

1964 European Nations' Cup

This was the first time Albania competed in a Euro Cup competition and actually 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. In the eighth finals Albania faced Denmark and won in Albania 1–0, but lost in Denmark 0–4. Denmark advanced to the quarter finals.^[6] At the end of the tournament Albania ranked 9th in Europe.^[7][8][9]

Qualifications campaigns

1966 FIFA World Cup

The first time that Albania competed for a place in the world's elite, for the 1966 World Cup in England, was in a match against Netherlands on 24 May 1964. Drawn in Group 5 with the Dutch were also Northern Ireland and Switzerland. Albania's only point in the qualification round came from a 1–1 draw at home to Northern Ireland in Tirana, which denied Northern Ireland a place in the Finals.

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1	Switzerland	9	6	4	1	1	7	3
2	Northern Ireland	8	6	3	2	1	9	5
3	Netherlands	6	6	2	2	2	6	4
4	Albania	1	6	0	1	5	2	12

Switzerland qualified.

UEFA Euro 1968

This participation will be remembered for a draw 0–0 in Albania with West Germany that denied the Germans the participation to the UEFA Euro 1968 finals.

Pos	Team				Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1.	Yugoslavia		1 - 0	4 - 0	6	4	3	0	1	8	3
2.	West Germany	3 - 1		6 - 0	5	4	2	1	1	9	2
3.	Albania	0 - 2	0 - 0		1	4	0	1	3	0	12

1970 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1972

For unknown political reasons Albania did not participate in the qualifiers of the FIFA World Cup 1970 and the UEFA Euro 1972.

1974 FIFA World Cup

Albania was last of the class behind Finland in these qualifiers. In this campaign Albania participated after having been idle of international matches for nearly 6 years.

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	East Germany	10	6	5	0	1	18	3	15
2	Romania	9	6	4	1	1	17	4	13
3	Finland	3	6	1	1	4	3	21	−18
4	Albania	2	6	1	0	5	3	13	−10

East Germany qualified.

UEFA Euro 1976, 1978 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 1980

For unknown political reasons Albania did not participate in the qualifiers of the UEFA Euro 1976, FIFA World Cup 1978, and UEFA Euro 1980.

1982 FIFA World Cup

Again 6 years after virtually no international matches, Albania made it to be no longer last in the class, but "revenges" Finland allocating the Nordic country to get the "wooden spoon".

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	West Germany	16	8	8	0	0	33	3	30
2	Austria	11	8	5	1	2	16	6	10
3	Bulgaria	9	8	4	1	3	11	10	1
4	Albania	2	8	1	0	7	4	22	−18
5	Finland	2	8	1	0	7	4	27	−23

West Germany and Austria qualified.

UEFA Euro 1984

In the 1984 European Championship qualifiers, Albania finished in last place in their group of five teams. In 8 matches, Albania got 2 points, with 2 draws, 6 losses, and no wins. On the other hand, Albania made some power nations nervous. They lost 0–1 away to Turkey with the goal being scored in the 86th minute. In the next two games, Albania tied Northern Ireland to a scoreless draw and lost 1–2 to Germany, both home games. In the last three matches, Albania tied Turkey, in Qemal Stafa, also losing to Austria 2–1 in Tirana. The last game of the competition was an away game to Germany. After 22 minutes, Albania went ahead 0–1 with a goal by Genc Tomori. However, they were tied one minute later, and after Genc Tomori was sent off by the referee after a simulation of Rudi Voeller, Albania had to play for 60 minutes with one man down. Eventually Albania lost 2–1 with the last goal being scored in the 79th minute.^[10]

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
West Germany	11	8	5	1	2	15	5	10
Northern Ireland	11	8	5	1	2	8	5	3
Austria	9	8	4	1	3	15	10	5
Turkey	7	8	3	1	4	8	16	−8
Albania	2	8	0	2	6	4	14	−10

1986 FIFA World Cup

In a 4-team group, Albania got 4 points with one win and 2 draws. After losing to Belgium in Brussels, Albania were visitors in eventual group winners Poland. There, Albania got its first point in a shocking 2–2 draw. Less than two months later, Albania was host to group runner-ups Belgium in Tirana, defeating them with a clear 2–0 win. After losing to Greece away and Poland at home, Albania got its last point in its last game against neighbour rivals Greece in a 1–1 draw.

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Poland	8	6	3	2	1	10	6	4
2	Belgium	8	6	3	2	1	7	3	4
3	Albania	4	6	1	2	3	6	9	−3
4	Greece	4	6	1	2	3	5	10	−5

Poland qualified. Belgium advanced to the UEFA Play-offs.

UEFA Euro 1988

All 6 matches ended up in losses for Albania in this campaign. The group proved to be too strong for Albania that managed to score only two goals in the entire campaign.

Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD  Spain 10 6 5 0 1 14 6 +8  Romania 9 6 4 1 1 13 3 +10  Austria 5 6 2 1 3 6 9 −3  Albania 0 6 0 0 6 2 17 −15

ALB AUT ROM ESP Albania XXX 0–1 0–1 1–2 Austria 3–0 XXX 0–0 2–3 Romania 5–1 4–0 XXX 3–1 Spain 5–0 2–0 1–0 XXX

1990 FIFA World Cup

This was probably the worst qualifier in Albania's history as there were 6 losses in as many games with no memorable matches. Probably the match at home with Sweden could and should have been won, because Albania was leading and lost at least 5 clear goal chances before Sweden came back and reverted the result.

Rank	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Sweden	6	4	2	0	9	3	6	10
2	England	6	3	3	0	10	0	10	9
3	Poland	6	2	1	3	4	8	−4	5
4	Albania	6	0	0	6	3	15	−12	0

Sweden qualified. England also qualified with the second-best record among runners-up of Groups 1, 2 and 4.

UEFA Euro 1992

In these qualifiers, Albania narrowly lost at home, but had a 0–9 defeat in Spain, which was the heaviest loss of Albania in an international qualifier. It is to be mentioned that the match was played in a very difficult time for Albania because of heavy political turmoil.

Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  France 8 8 0 0 20 6 +14 16  Czechoslovakia 8 5 0 3 12 9 +3 10  Spain 7 3 0 4 17 12 +5 6  Iceland 8 2 0 6 7 10 −3 4  Albania 7 1 0 6 2 21 −19 2

Albania  – 0–2 0–1 1–0 Canc. Czechoslovakia  2–1 – 1–2 1–0 3–2 France  5–0 2–1 – 3–1 3–1 Iceland  2–0 0–1 1–2 – 2–0 Spain  9–0 2–1 1–2 2–1 –

1994 FIFA World Cup

A win over Lithuania and two draws against Latvia were the only things to remember for Albania in this otherwise forgettable campaign, where Albania finished last of the group.

Rank	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Spain	12	8	3	1	27	4	+23	19
2	Republic of Ireland	12	7	4	1	19	6	+13	18
3	Denmark	12	7	4	1	15	2	+13	18
4	Northern Ireland	12	5	3	4	14	13	+1	13
5	Lithuania	12	2	3	7	8	21	−13	7
6	Latvia	12	0	5	7	4	21	−17	5
7	Albania	12	1	2	9	6	26	−20	4

Spain and Republic of Ireland qualified.

UEFA Euro 1996

Albania managed to make life difficult to Germany during this campaign twice with Germany winning both matches only 2–1 and in the last minutes. For the rest, 2 wins, 2 draws and other 4 losses for Albania, which managed to leave Wales at bottom of group for this campaign. To mention that for the first time Albania beat another country (Moldova) as guests in an international qualifier campaign.

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
Germany	25	10	8	1	1	27	10
Bulgaria	22	10	7	1	2	24	10
Georgia	15	10	5	0	5	14	13
Moldova	9	10	3	0	7	11	27
Albania	8	10	2	2	6	10	16
Wales	8	10	2	2	6	9	19

1998 FIFA World Cup

In the 1998 World Cup, Albania was drawn in a 6-team group which included Germany, Portugal, Ukraine, Northern Ireland and Armenia, Albania got 4 points, but showed again that it can battle with the big powers. Its two matches with Germany saw them lose 2–3 at neutral ground and a 3–4 unfortunate defeat in Hannover, in both games taking a lead. Albania got a 1–0 win against Northern Ireland and a 2–2 tie against Armenia.

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Germany	22	10	6	4	0	23	9	12
2	Ukraine	20	10	6	2	2	10	6	4
3	Portugal	19	10	5	4	1	12	4	8
4	Armenia	8	10	1	5	4	8	17	−9
5	Northern Ireland	7	10	1	4	5	6	10	−4
6	Albania	4	10	1	1	8	7	20	−13

UEFA Euro 2000

In a relatively easy group, Albania couldn't go past one single victory at home turf at the expense of Georgia. However, there were some memorable draws against Greece 0–0 in Tirana, 2–2 in Norway, and 0–0 in Latvia. Albania also drew 3–3 Latvia at home. All the other matches were narrowly lost in this unfortunate campaign.

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Norway	25	10	8	1	1	21	9	+12
Slovenia	17	10	5	2	3	12	14	−2
Greece	15	10	4	3	3	13	8	+5
Latvia	13	10	3	4	3	13	12	+1
Albania	7	10	1	4	5	8	14	−6
Georgia	5	10	1	2	7	8	18	−10

2002 FIFA World Cup

After a loss to Finland, Albania won over Greece 2–0 with an own goal and a late goal of Ervin Fakaj. However, after that win, another 6 losses followed for Albania, which brought the Albanian Football Federation to think about hiring a foreign coach, 33 years after the last foreign coach, Luznikov, had led Albania in a Moskow tournament in 1959.

Final table																	Home							Away
Rank	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts								Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
1.	England	8	5	2	1	16	6	+10	17		X	0:1	2:1	2:2	2:0		4	2	1	1	6	4	7	4	3	1	0	10	2	10
2.	Germany	8	5	2	1	14	10	+4	17		1:5	X	0:0	2:0	2:1		4	2	1	1	5	6	7	4	3	1	0	9	4	10
3.	Finland	8	3	3	2	12	7	+5	12		0:0	2:2	X	5:1	2:1		4	2	2	0	9	4	8	4	1	1	2	3	3	4
4.	Greece	8	2	1	5	7	17	−10	7		0:2	2:4	1:0	X	1:0		4	2	0	2	4	6	6	4	0	1	3	3	11	1
5.	Albania	8	1	0	7	5	14	−9	3		1:3	0:2	0:2	2:0	X		4	1	0	3	3	7	3	4	0	0	4	2	7	0

UEFA Euro 2004

The 2004 Qualifications for the European competition was of some success for Albania. This was the season when Albania was undefeated at home, tying two and winning two, but with 0 points on the road. Giuseppe Dossena for the first two matches and Hans-Peter Briegel for the remaining six led Albania to an undefeated run with a 1–1 draw against eventual winners of the group, Switzerland. Afterwards, a back to back encounter with Russia, saw the loss 4–1 in Russian soil, however Albania paid Russia back by beating them 3–1. This game is probably the all-time best result for Albania. After missing a penalty, Albania scored first after just 20 minutes, but Russia tied 56 minutes later. Then after a lot of pressure from Albania, Russia conceded 2 goals in just 3 minutes. In the two other home games, Albania tied Republic of Ireland 0–0 and beat Georgia 3–1. Away Albania got 0 points, but managed to score 4 goals.^[11]

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Switzerland	8	4	3	1	15	11	15
Russia	8	4	2	2	19	12	14
Republic of Ireland	8	3	2	3	10	11	11
Albania	8	2	2	4	11	15	8
Georgia	8	2	1	5	8	14	7

Switzerland qualified. Russia and Ireland advanced to the Play-offs.

2006 FIFA World Cup

Albania kicked off the qualification for a place in Germany 2006 World Cup with a bang. Two months after Greece beat Portugal to win the European championship, Albania defeated Greece 2–1 in a match which Albania scored goals in the 2' and 11' minute. This was an early knock out from the World Cup 2006 in Germany for the Greeks. Albania went on to disappoint by losing to Georgia away and Denmark at home, before returning to winning ways by beating Kazakhstan 0–1. February and March 2005 would be the toughest part of the qualification for Albania since they had to play Ukraine, Turkey, and Greece, losing all three of those ties. Later Albania would beat Georgia 3–2 and Kazakhstan 2–1. The last positive result for Albania in this tournament would be a 2–2 draw away at Ukraine. At the end, Albania got 13 points and topped Georgia and Kazakhstan. The 13-point mark set a new record for group matches.^[12]

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Ukraine	12	7	4	1	18	7	+11	25
Turkey	12	6	5	1	23	9	+14	23
Denmark	12	6	4	2	24	12	+12	22
Greece	12	6	3	3	15	9	+6	21
Albania	12	4	1	7	11	20	−9	13
Georgia	12	2	4	6	14	25	−11	10
Kazakhstan	12	0	1	11	6	29	−23	1

Ukraine qualified. Turkey advanced to the UEFA Play-offs (see ranking of runners-up).

UEFA Euro 2008

In the matches for the 2008 European qualifiers campaign, Albania have managed very good results as well as good team play in some matches comparing to previous outings in such tournaments. Starting with the 2–2 away draw to Belarus, two wins against Luxembourg home and away (2–0, 3–0) and a 0–0 draw away to Bulgaria have been the most cherished results. Great matches have been played against Netherlands in both legs, although allegedly dubious referee decisions have marred Albania's performances,^[13][14] ending up in two losses (2–1, 0–1). Other setbacks have also been suffered after drawing 0–0 against Slovenia and losing 0–2 to Romania in both matches played at home. Albania ended hopes of qualifying mathematically when they failed to win over Slovenia away and managed a yet again 0–0 draw. In the penultimate match at home against Bulgaria, Albania excelled playing wonderfully, but ended up in a very unlucky draw. After going ahead with dominating football, they conceded in the dying minutes and later missed a penalty. In the last match at home, Albania was hugely disappointing losing 2–4 against Belarus. Contrary to the popular belief that this would be the easiest match during the campaign, Albania not only missed a chance to break the points-record of all competitions but also produced a very lethargic performance in a rainy night. Albania's Euro campaign ended with a disaster match, losing 6–1 away to Romania which eventually resulted in the resignation of the coach Otto Barić and his assistant.^[15]

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Romania 12 9 2 1 26 7 +19 29  Netherlands 12 8 2 2 15 5 +10 26  Bulgaria 12 7 4 1 18 7 +11 25  Belarus 12 4 1 7 17 23 −6 13  Albania 12 2 5 5 12 18 −6 11  Slovenia 12 3 2 7 9 16 −7 11  Luxembourg 12 1 0 11 2 23 −21 3

Albania  — 2–4 1–1 2–0 0–1 0–2 0–0 Belarus  2–2 — 0–2 0–1 2–1 1–3 4–2 Bulgaria  0–0 2–1 — 3–0 1–1 1–0 3–0 Luxembourg  0–3 1–2 0–1 — 0–1 0–2 0–3 Netherlands  2–1 3–0 2–0 1–0 — 0–0 2–0 Romania  6–1 3–1 2–2 3–0 1–0 — 2–0 Slovenia  0–0 1–0 0–2 2–0 0–1 1–2 —

Notes on the tie-breaking situation:

• Albania and Slovenia are tied on their head-to-head records, and are thus ranked by their overall goal difference in the group:
  • Albania – 2 pts, 0GD, 0GF, 0 away goals (0–0 H vs Slovenia, 0–0 A vs Slovenia) – Overall GD = −6
  • Slovenia – 2 pts, 0GD, 0GF, 0 away goals (0–0 H vs Albania, 0–0 A vs Albania) – Overall GD = −7

2010 FIFA World Cup

On December 2007, Football Association of Albania's president, Armand Duka, announced Arie Haan would replace Croatian-Austrian Otto Barić as Albania's head coach. Haan signed a two-year contract on 4 January 2008.^[16] On 14 March 2008, Albania was suspended from international football (FIFA and UEFA), due to heavy political interference in the Football Association. The suspension lasted 46 days.^[17][18][19]

With Haan as coach Albania started 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification with a 0–0 draw against Sweden at home. Four days later, the Albanians defeated Malta 3–0 with goals from Erjon Bogdani, Armend Dallku and Klodian Duro. On 11 October 2008, Albania lost 2–0 to Hungary in Budapest and then drew 0–0 with Portugal in Braga, making the biggest shock on this group. On 11 February 2009, Albania drew with Malta in Ta'Qali 0–0. Albania then lost 1–0 to Hungary at home on 28 March 2009 and 3–0 to Denmark in Copenhagen on 1 April 2009. In the home match against Portugal, Hugo Almeida scored early for Portugal, before Albania equalised with a goal from Erjon Bogdani. However, with just a few seconds left in the game, Bruno Alves scored the winner for Portugal, eliminating Albania. At the end of the campaign, Albania drew 1–1 against Denmark and lost 4–1 to Sweden and Haan was replaced by Croatian coach Josip Kuže in May 2009.^[20]

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Denmark 10 6 3 1 16 5 +11 21  Portugal 10 5 4 1 17 5 +12 19  Sweden 10 5 3 2 13 5 +8 18  Hungary 10 5 1 4 10 8 +2 16  Albania 10 1 4 5 6 13 −7 7  Malta 10 0 1 9 0 26 −26 1

Albania  – 1–1 0–1 3–0 1–2 0–0 Denmark  3–0 – 0–1 3–0 1–1 1–0 Hungary  2–0 0–0 – 3–0 0–1 1–2 Malta  0–0 0–3 0–1 – 0–4 0–1 Portugal  0–0 2–3 3–0 4–0 – 0–0 Sweden  4–1 0–1 2–1 4–0 0–0 –

UEFA Euro 2012

The draw for the qualifying rounds of UEFA Euro 2012 was held on 7 February 2010 in Congress Hall of Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw, with matches set to begin on 3–4 September 2010.^[21] Seedings were based on the UEFA national team coefficient ranking.^[22][23] Albania was drawn in Group D along with France, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, and Luxembourg.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  France 10 6 3 1 15 4 +11 21  Bosnia and Herzegovina 10 6 2 2 17 8 +9 20  Romania 10 3 5 2 13 9 +4 14  Belarus 10 3 4 3 8 7 +1 13  Albania 10 2 3 5 7 14 −7 9  Luxembourg 10 1 1 8 3 21 −18 4

Albania  — 1–0 1–1 1–2 1–0 1–1 Belarus  2–0 — 0–2 1–1 2–0 0–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina  2–0 1–0 — 0–2 5–0 2–1 France  3–0 0–1 1–1 — 2–0 2–0 Luxembourg  2–1 0–0 0–3 0–2 — 0–2 Romania  1–1 2–2 3–0 0–0 3–1 —

2014 FIFA World Cup

Josip Kuže parted ways with Albania three years and a half after he started the job, and in December 2011, Italian coach Gianni de Biasi replaced him.^[24] Albania started well the qualifiers and was, at one point, 2nd in group with 6 matches played, and 4 on hand, 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.^[25] With De Biasi the Albania national team reached an unprecedented high number of players, who although are ethnically Albanian, were not born in Albania, but either in Kosovo, or outside of Kosovo, while hailing from Albanian Kosovar parents. As of 13 August 2013, 14 Albanians of Kosovo origin were either part of the start-up team, or have received recent call-ups.^[26]

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts   Switzerland 10 7 3 0 17 6 +11 24  Iceland 10 5 2 3 17 15 +2 17  Slovenia 10 5 0 5 14 11 +3 15  Norway 10 3 3 4 10 13 −3 12  Albania 10 3 2 5 9 11 −2 11  Cyprus 10 1 2 7 4 15 −11 5

Albania  — 3–1 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–2 Cyprus  0–0 — 1–0 1–3 0–2 0–0 Iceland  2–1 2–0 — 2–0 2–4 0–2 Norway  0–1 2–0 1–1 — 2–1 0–2 Slovenia  1–0 2–1 1–2 3–0 — 0–2 Switzerland   2–0 1–0 4–4 1–1 1–0 —

Presence of ethnic Albanian players at the 2014 FIFA World Cup

After the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying ended, Albania captain Lorik Cana was included in the best eleven of the players which missed out at the 2014 FIFA World Cup because of failing to qualify with their national team.^[27] Some of the other well known players (non-ethnic Albanian) on the list that miss out were Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden), Robert Lewandowski (Poland) and Gareth Bale (Wales).

Before the 2014 World Cup, a significant presence of ethnic Albanians had been noted in several national teams. On 5 March 2014, 54 ethnic Albanians were called up by seven different national teams: Albania (19), Kosovo (22), Switzerland (5), Macedonia national football team (4), Finland (2), Germany (1) and Montenegro (1).^[28]

The Catalan newspaper El Mundo Deportivo reported a significant presence of Albanians in the 2014 World Cup thanks to an article published by it. The article said that Albania is not in the World Cup 2014, as a result of the "originating stars who are springing up in major competitions on the globe," noting Xherdan Shaqiri. According to the newspaper, if Gianni De Biasi had been able to use Swiss representative footballers and Adnan Januzaj of Belgium, at the 1/8 finals against Argentina would not be Switzerland, but the Red & Blacks of Albania. According to the article, a country with three million inhabitants, which had never previously participated in a major tournament, could have been present in the Brazilian World Cup if the stars of Albanian origin had chosen to play for Albania. The article said that Xherdan Shaqiri, currently the star of the Swiss youth was too ambitious to play for the Albania in the past, and holds two passports, the Swiss and Albanian. Born in Gjilan, Kosovo, in the end he decided to wear the shirt of Switzerland, the country where he grew up and trained as a footballer. The second name that could have done the job for De Biasi, according to Catalan daily, was Adnan Januzaj of Belgium, which the label as a great talent. For the latter, El Mundo Deportivo writes that he was born in Brussels but emphasizes the origins of his father, who is an Albanian from Kosovo. The article also mentions how the two Xhaka brothers are split, with the younger one, Granit, playing for Switzerland and the elder one, Taulant, for Albania, whereas Macedonian-Albanians, such as Blerim Džemaili, Admir Mehmedi and Valon Behrami, according to El Mundo Deportivo, would make the team of Albania one of the most talented in Europe.^[29]

Then, in September 2014, it was reported that 80 Albanians played with foreign (thus excluding Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia) senior and youth national teams, out of which 46 with Switzerland only.^[30]

First major tournament

UEFA Euro 2016 qualifications campaign

The qualifying draw took place on 23 February 2014. Albania was drawn in Group I along with Portugal, Denmark, Serbia, and Armenia. Qualifying matches started in September 2014. Albania started the qualifiers by grabbing an historic result as they beat the group favourites of Portugal 1–0 at Estádio Municipal de Braga thanks to a goal from Bekim Balaj.^[31] In the second match against Denmark at the newly renovated stadium Elbasan Arena, Albania was on lead until minute 82th where Lasse Vibe equalized, with the match ending 1–1. In the next game against Serbia at Partizan Stadium, the match was abandoned in 42th minute after several on and off the field incidents. Despite the great violence by Serbia's houligans against Albania at Partizan Stadium, Serbia absurditly was awarded with the 3–0 victory after the decision by UEFA.^[32] The decision was appealed by both Serbia and Albania,^[33][34] but the decision was upheld by UEFA.^[35] Both associations then filed further appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,^[36] and on 10 July 2015 the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected the appeal filed by the Serbian FA, and upholds in part the appeal filed by the Albanian FA, meaning the match is deemed to have been forfeited by Serbia with 0–3 and they are still deducted three points.^[37]

In the fourth match against Armenia at home, Albania where behind from the 4th minute after an own goal from Mërgim Mavraj, but it was also Mavraj who equalized the result in the 77th with a powerful header. Four minutes later it was the substitute Shkëlzen Gashi who sealed the 2–1 triumph to put Albania in the 2th position along with Denmark with 10 points.^[38] It was the first time that Albania ended the first part of the qualifiers in the second spot. Albania made history again by beating for the first time ever the one-time World Champions and the major UEFA Euro 2016 tournament hosts of France at Elbasan Arena in the "Group I" Friendly Match.^[39] After a draw against Denmark, Albania clinched at least a play-off place. Despite losing to Portugal and Serbia, Albania defeated Armenia 3–0 in Yerevan and qualified for UEFA Euro 2016, its first ever appearance at a major men's football tournament.^[40] For this achievement the entire team was bestowed the Honor of Nation Order by Albania's President Bujar Nishani.^[41] In addition to the qualification, Albania achieved a world record in terms of not conceding any away goal during the tournament, while scoring seven away goals.

To make this a year to remember for Albanian football, local team KF Skënderbeu Korçë qualified for 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, where they claimed first ever points in UEFA competition with a 3–0 victory over Sporting CP.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Portugal	8	7	0	1	11	5	+6	21	Qualify for final tournament		—	0–1	1–0	2–1	1–0
2	Albania[lower-alpha 1]	8	4	2	2	10	5	+5	14			0–1	—	1–1	0–2	2–1
3	Denmark	8	3	3	2	8	5	+3	12	Advance to play-offs		0–1	0–0	—	2–0	2–1
4	Serbia[lower-alpha 1]	1–3	—	2–0
5	Armenia	8	0	2	6	5	14	−9	2		2–3	0–3	0–0	1–1	—

After the Serbia–Albania match, the national team of Albania was awarded by the cities of Tirana, Vlore, Kamëz, and Bajram Curri awards of honor and city recognition for protecting the national symbols.^[48]

UEFA Euro 2016

The draw for the finals will take place at the Palais des Congrès de la Porte Maillot in Paris on 12 December 2015, 18:00 CET.^[49][50][51] The 24 qualified teams will be drawn into six groups of four teams, with the hosts France being automatically placed in position A1. The remaining teams will be seeded into four pots of five (Pot 1) or six teams (Pots 2, 3 and 4). As the title holders, Spain will be seeded in Pot 1, while the other 22 teams will be seeded according to the UEFA National team coefficients updated after the completion of the qualifying group stage (excluding the play-offs), which were released by UEFA on 14 October 2015.^{[52][53][54][55]}

Pot 4

Team	Coeff	Rank
Turkey	27,033	22
Republic of Ireland	26,902	23
Iceland	25,388	27
Wales	24,531	28
Albania	23,216	31
Northern Ireland	22,961	33

Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

2014

2015

2016

2017

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for two Friendly matches against Kosovo and Georgia on 13 and 16 November 2015 respectively.^[56]
Caps and goals as of 16 November 2015 after the match against Georgia.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club 1 1GK Etrit Berisha (1989-03-10) 10 March 1989 31 0 Lazio 12 1GK Orges Shehi (1977-09-25) 25 September 1977 6 0 Skënderbeu Korçë 23 1GK Alban Hoxha (1987-11-23) 23 November 1987 1 0 Partizani Tirana 5 2DF Lorik Cana (Captain) (1983-06-27) 27 June 1983 89 1 Nantes 7 2DF Ansi Agolli (1982-11-11) 11 November 1982 58 2 Qarabağ 2 2DF Andi Lila (1986-02-12) 12 February 1986 56 0 PAS Giannina 4 2DF Elseid Hysaj (1994-02-20) 20 February 1994 17 0 Napoli 15 2DF Arlind Ajeti (1993-09-25) 25 September 1993 7 0 Frosinone 6 2DF Berat Djimsiti (1993-02-19) 19 February 1993 6 1 Atalanta 17 2DF Naser Aliji (1993-12-27) 27 December 1993 3 0 Basel 24 2DF Amir Rrahmani (1994-02-24) 24 February 1994 2 1 Split 18 2DF Frederic Veseli (1992-11-20) 20 November 1992 2 0 Lugano 21 3MF Odise Roshi (1991-05-21) 21 May 1991 28 1 Rijeka 22 3MF Amir Abrashi (1990-03-27) 27 March 1990 16 0 SC Freiburg 8 3MF Migjen Basha (1987-01-05) 5 January 1987 15 3 Luzern 3 3MF Ermir Lenjani (1989-08-05) 5 August 1989 15 1 Nantes 13 3MF Sabien Lilaj (1989-02-10) 10 February 1989 13 0 Skënderbeu Korçë 9 3MF Ledian Memushaj (1986-12-07) 7 December 1986 12 0 Pescara 11 3MF Shkëlzen Gashi (1988-07-15) 15 July 1988 11 1 Colorado Rapids 14 3MF Taulant Xhaka (1991-03-28) 28 March 1991 10 0 Basel 20 3MF Herolind Shala (1992-02-01) 1 February 1992 4 0 Sparta Prague 10 4FW Armando Sadiku (1991-05-27) 27 May 1991 16 2 Vaduz 16 4FW Sokol Cikalleshi (1990-07-27) 27 July 1990 15 1 İstanbul Başakşehir 19 4FW Bekim Balaj (1991-01-11) 11 January 1991 12 1 Rijeka 25 4FW Rey Manaj (1997-02-24) 24 February 1997 2 1 Inter Milan

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up DF Renato Arapi (1986-09-28) 28 September 1986 4 0 Skënderbeu Korçë v.  France, 13 June 2015 DF Arbnor Fejzullahu (1993-04-08) 8 April 1993 1 0 Partizani Tirana v.  France, 13 June 2015 DF Debatik Curri RET (1984-12-28) 28 December 1984 44 1 Flamurtari Vlore v.  Armenia, 29 March 2015 DF Mërgim Mavraj (1986-06-09) 9 June 1986 23 3 1. FC Köln v.  Armenia, 29 March 2015 MF Ergys Kaçe (1993-07-08) 8 July 1993 13 2 PAOK v.  Armenia, 11 October 2015 MF Burim Kukeli (1984-01-16) 16 January 1984 13 0 Zürich v.  Armenia, 11 October 2015 MF Alban Meha (1986-04-25) 25 April 1986 7 2 Konyaspor v.  Armenia, 11 October 2015 MF Ervin Bulku (1981-03-03) 3 March 1981 56 1 Tirana v.  Denmark, 4 September 2015 PRE MF Valdet Rama (1987-11-20) 20 November 1987 15 3 TSV 1860 München v.  France, 13 June 2015 MF Afrim Taku (1989-08-04) 4 August 1989 0 0 Unattached v.  France, 13 June 2015 FW Hamdi Salihi (1984-01-19) 19 January 1984 50 11 Skënderbeu Korçë v.  Armenia, 11 October 2015

• = Not called-up due to the injury or currently injured.
• ^PRE = Preliminary squad.
• ^RET = Retired from international football.

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff:^[57]

Position	Name
Head Coach	Gianni De Biasi
Assistant Coach	Paolo Tramezzani
Assistant Coach	Erjon Bogdani
Athletic Coach	Alberto Belle
Goalkeeping Coach	Ilir Bozhiqi
National Team Manager	Alban Bushi
National Team Scouter	Erjon Bogdani
Manager of the Young Talents	Redi Jupi
Team Doctor	Arben Celiku
Osteopat	Filippo Iori
Physiotherapists	Alban Merepeza
Physiotherapists	Ylli Mihali
Base materials	Fatos Kademi

Stadium

In November 2013, Qemal Stafa Stadium was shut down by FIFA for not fulfilling international standards.^[58] In fact, not a single stadium in Albania fulfills FIFA standards for international competitions. As a result, the Albanian government is upgrading Ruzhdi Bizhuta stadium of Elbasan named Elbasan Arena in time for the Euro 2016 qualifiers beginning in September 2014, and Loro Boriçi Stadium in Shkodër in time for the October 2015 Euro Qualifier against Serbia.^[59]

Supporters

Tifozat Kuq e Zi (English: 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. It was founded on 25 December 2003. 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. In this sense, TKZ is joined by different supporters' associations throughout Albanian-speaking regions mainly in Kosovo (Kuqezinjet e Jakoves of Gjakova, Plisat of Pristina, Torcida of Mitrovica, etc.), Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Ballistët of Tetovo, Ilirët of Kumanovo, Shvercerat of Skopje, etc.) and in Albania itself (Ultras Guerrils of Partizani Tirana, Tirona Fanatics of KF Tirana, Vllaznit Ultras of Vllaznia Shkodër, Ujqërit e Deborës (English: Snow Wolves) Skënderbeu Korçë, Shqiponjat of KF Besa Pejë and many other different Albanian fans).

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.

The TKZ have been praised by many different football players and managers, whom were not just Albanian. Switzerland's former coach, Ottmar Hitzfeld was astonished by how many Albanian fans turned up and how enthusiastic they were in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) 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 Albanian fans are fantastic and the most passionate fans I have ever seen.^[60] 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 where they lost 1-0 and Norway where they won 1-0 thanks to a stunning goal by Hamdi Salihi.

Media coverage

Albania's qualifying matches and friendlies are currently televised by TVSH and SuperSport Albania, a trademark of Digit-Alb.

Kit History

The Albanian kit has been mostly red and black with few changes throughout the years.

Kit suppliers

Kit provider	Period
Adidas	1980–1991
Uhlsport	1992–1995
Puma	1996–2004
Umbro	2004–2008
Nike	2008–2010
Legea	2010–2011
Adidas	2011–2016
Macron	2016–present

Managerial History

This is a chronological list of the managers who have guided Albania since 1946.^[61]

Individual all-time records

Below are two lists of the top 10 players with the most caps and goals for Albania.

As of 16 November 2015.^[62]

^[63]

^[64]

Appearances records

#	Name	Career	Caps	Goals
1	Lorik Cana[65]	2002–	89	1
2	Altin Lala[65]	1998–2011	80	3
3	Klodian Duro[65]	2001–2011	78	6
4
	Ervin Skela[65]	2000–2011	76	13
5	Foto Strakosha[65]	1990–2004	74	0
Erjon Bogdani	1996–2013	74	18
7	Igli Tare[65]	1997–2007	69	10
8	Alban Bushi[65]	1995–2007	68	14
Altin Haxhi	1995–2009	68	3
10	Altin Rraklli[65]	1992–2005	64	11
Armend Dallku	2005–2013	64	1

Top goalscorers

#	Name	Career	Goals	Caps
1	Erjon Bogdani	1996–2013	18	74
2	Alban Bushi	1995–2007	14	68
3	Ervin Skela	2000–2011	13	76
4	Altin Rraklli	1992–2005	11	64
Hamdi Salihi	2006–	11	50
6	Sokol Kushta	1987–1996	10	31
	Igli Tare	1997–2007	10	68
8	Adrian Aliaj	2002–2006	8	29
9	Bledar Kola	1994–2002	6	41
	Klodian Duro	2000–2011	6	78
	Edmond Kapllani	2004–	6	41
Loro Boriçi	1946–1958	6	24
Qamil Teliti	1946–1952	6	13

Honours

• Winners of VIII Balkan Cup (Tirana, October 1946)
• Winners of Rothmans Football International Tournament: 2000 (VIII) (Valletta, 4 February — 10 February 2000)^[66]

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record									FIFA World Cup Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D *	L	GF	GA	Position	Pld	W	D *	L	GF	GA
1930	Did Not Participate
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966	Did Not Qualify								4/4	6	0	1	5	2	12
1970	Entry Not Accepted[67]
1974	Did Not Qualify								4/4	6	1	0	5	3	13
1978	Did Not Participate
1982	Did Not Qualify								4/5	8	1	0	7	4	22
1986									3/4	6	1	2	3	6	9
1990									4/4	6	0	0	6	3	15
1994									7/7	12	1	2	9	6	26
1998									6/6	10	1	1	8	7	20
2002									5/5	8	1	0	7	5	14
2006									5/7	12	4	1	7	11	20
2010									5/6	10	1	4	5	6	13
2014									5/6	10	3	2	5	9	11
2018	To Be Determined
2022
Total	Best: –	0/20	0	0	0	0	0	0	Total	94	14	13	67	62	175

^* Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record									UEFA European Championship Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D *	L	GF	GA	Position	Pld	W	D *	L	GF	GA
1960	Did Not Participate
1964	Did Not Qualify								First round	4	3	0	1	7	4
1968									3/3	4	0	1	3	0	12
1972									4/4	6	1	1	4	5	9
1976	Did Not Participate
1980
1984	Did Not Qualify								5/5	8	0	2	6	4	14
1988									4/4	6	0	0	6	2	17
1992									5/5	7	1	0	6	2	21
1996									5/6	10	2	2	6	10	16
2000									5/6	10	1	4	5	8	14
2004									4/5	8	2	2	4	11	15
2008									5/7	12	2	5	5	12	18
2012									5/6	10	2	3	5	7	14
2016	Qualified								2/5	8	4	2	2	10	5
Total	Best: –	1/15	0	0	0	0	0	0	Total	93	18	22	53	78	159

^* Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Head-to-Head records against other countries

As of 16 November 2015

Opponent	Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Goals For	Goals Against	Goal Differential	Reference
Algeria	2	1	1	0	4	1	+3	H2H results 1964 match*
Andorra	3	2	0	1	4	2	+2	H2H results
Argentina	1	0	0	1	0	4	-4	H2H results
Armenia	5	3	1	1	8	5	+3	H2H results
Austria	6	0	0	6	1	17	-16	H2H results
Azerbaijan	5	3	1	1	5	3	+2	H2H results
Bahrain	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	H2H results
Belarus	5	1	2	2	5	8	-3	H2H results
Belgium	2	1	0	1	3	3	=0	H2H results
Bosnia and Herzegovina	4	1	2	1	3	3	=0	H2H results
Bulgaria	13	2	4	7	8	17	-9	H2H results
Cameroon	1	0	1	0	0	0	=0	H2H results
China PR	1	0	1	0	1	1	=0	H2H results
Cuba	1	0	1	0	0	0	=0	H2H results
Cyprus	6	2	2	2	12	7	+5	H2H results
Czechoslovakia	5	2	0	3	6	10	-4	H2H results
Denmark	10	1	3	6	4	19	-15	H2H results
East Germany	3	0	1	2	2	7	-5	H2H results
England	4	0	0	4	1	12	-11	H2H results
Estonia	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	H2H results
Finland	7	2	1	4	6	8	-2	H2H results
France	6	1	1	4	3	12	-9	H2H results
Georgia	14	3	3	8	13	23	-10	H2H results
Germany ( West 1967-1983)	14 (8)	0	1 (1)	13 (7)	10 (2)	38 (22)	-28 (-20)	H2H results
Greece	15	6	3	6	16	13	+3	[7][8][9]H2H results
Hungary	6	0	1	5	0	19	-19	H2H resuls
Iceland	5	2	0	3	5	7	-2	H2H results
Iran	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	H2H results
Italy	1	0	0	1	0	1	-1	H2H results
Kazakhstan	2	2	0	0	3	1	+2	H2H results
Kosovo	4	3	1	0	9	5	+4	[68][69][70][71]
Latvia	5	0	5	0	6	6	=0	H2H results
Liechtenstein	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	H2H results
Lithuania	4	2	0	2	7	6	+1	H2H results
Luxembourg	5	3	1	1	7	2	+5	H2H results
Macedonia	8	1	3	4	4	10	-6	H2H results
Malta	8	5	2	1	14	3	+11	H2H results
Mexico	1	0	0	1	0	4	-4	H2H results
Moldova	3	2	1	0	6	2	+4	H2H results
Montenegro	3	3	0	0	9	2	+7	H2H results
Netherlands	4	0	0	4	1	7	-6	H2H results
Northern Ireland	9	2	2	5	5	13	-8	H2H results
Norway	6	1	2	1	5	5	=0	H2H results
Poland	11	1	3	7	7	14	-7	H2H results
Portugal	7	1	1	5	5	13	-8	H2H results
Qatar	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	H2H results
Republic of Ireland	4	0	1	3	2	6	-4	H2H results
Romania	18	2	3	13	11	45	-34	H2H results
Russia	2	1	0	1	4	5	-1	H2H results
San Marino	2	2	0	0	6	0	+6	H2H results
Slovenia	7	1	2	4	2	6	-4	H2H results
Spain	5	0	0	5	2	24	-22	H2H results
Sweden	5	1	1	3	5	10	-5	H2H results
Switzerland	6	0	1	5	4	11	-7	H2H results
Turkey	9	3	2	4	11	8	+3	H2H results
Ukraine	4	0	1	3	2	6	-4	H2H results
Uzbekistan	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	H2H results
Vietnam	1	1	0	0	5	0	+5	H2H Results
Wales	2	0	1	1	1	3	-2	H2H results
Yugoslavia  Serbia	5 2	0 1	1 0	4 1	4 3	13 2	-9 +1	H2H results
60 Countries	307	75	66	163	281	483	−202	All results at EU-Football.info

Memorable victories

Source: Results

Date			Tournament			Place			Opponents	Score	Additional Notes
22 September 1946			N/A			Shkodër, Albania			Montenegro	5 – 0	Largest ever victory (without conceding)
9 October 1946			Balkan Cup in Albania			Tirana, Albania			Bulgaria	3 – 1
13 October 1946			Balkan Cup in Albania			Tirana, Albania			Romania	1 – 0
2 May 1948			Balkan Cup in Romania			Bucharest, Romania			Romania	1 – 0
29 November 1952			Friendly			Tirana, Albania			Czechoslovakia	3 – 2
30 October 1963			1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying			Tirana, Albania			Denmark	1 – 0
9 December 1952			Friendly			Tirana, Albania			Czechoslovakia	2 – 1
29 November 1953			Friendly			Tirana, Albania			Poland	2 – 0
14 November 1971			UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying			Tirana, Albania			Turkey	3 – 0
10 October 1976			Friendly			Tirana, Albania			Algeria	3 – 0
22 December 1984			1986 FIFA World Cup qualification			Tirana, Albania			Belgium	2 – 0
14 February 1993			N/A			N/A, Albania			Kosovo	3 – 1	Unofficial first international for Kosovo was hosted by Albania.
30 November 1995			Friendly			Tirana, Albania			Bosnia and Herzegovina	2 – 0	First FIFA international for Bosnia-Herzegovina was hosted by Albania[72]
10 September 1997			1998 FIFA World Cup qualification			Zürich, Switzerland			Northern Ireland	1 – 0
21 January 1998			Friendly			Ankara, Turkey			Turkey	4 – 1
11 October 2000			2002 FIFA World Cup qualification			Tirana, Albania			Greece	2 – 0
25 April 2001			Friendly			Gaziantep, Turkey			Turkey	2 – 0
29 March 2003			UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying			Shkodër, Albania			Russia	3 – 1
18 February 2004			Friendly			Tirana, Albania			Sweden	2 – 1
4 September 2004			2006 FIFA World Cup qualification			Tirana, Albania			Greece	2 – 1	Victory over top 15 ranked team at the time (14th)[73] and current UEFA Euro 2004 champion.
12 August 2009			Friendly			Tirana, Albania			Cyprus	6 – 1	Largest ever victory
17 February 2010			Friendly			Pristina, Kosovo			Kosovo	3 – 2
25 May 2010			Friendly			Podgorica, Montenegro			Montenegro	1 – 0
22 May 2012			Friendly			Madrid, Spain			Qatar	2 – 1
27 May 2012			Friendly			Istanbul, Turkey			Iran	1 – 0
16 October 2012			2014 FIFA World Cup qualification			Tirana, Albania			Slovenia	1 – 0
22 March 2013			2014 FIFA World Cup qualification			Oslo, Norway			Norway	1 – 0
7 September 2014			UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying			Aveiro, Portugal			Portugal	1 – 0	Victory over top 15 ranked team at the time (11th)[74]
14 October 2014			UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying			Belgrade, Serbia			Serbia	3 – 0	Awarded victory as Serbia forfeited by Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling.
13 June 2015			Friendly			Elbasan, Albania			France	1 – 0	Victory over top 15 ranked team at the time (9th)[75] and the hosts also of the UEFA Euro 2016, tournament of the time.
11 October 2015			UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying			Yerevan, Armenia			Armenia	3 – 0	Qualified to UEFA Euro 2016; first senior final tournament.

See also

• Albania national under-21 football team
• Albania national under-20 football team
• Albania national under-19 football team
• Albania national under-18 football team
• Albania national under-17 football team
• Albania national under-16 football team
• Albania national football team results (2010–present)
• Albania national youth football team
• Albanian Superliga
• Football in Albania
• List of Albania international footballers

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Albania National Football Team.

• Albanian Federation football site
• FutbolliShqiptar.net
• AlbaniaSoccer.com
• AIFR archive of results: 1946-2000/01
• Tifozat Kuq e Zi / Red and Black Fan Club
• Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation – Albania
• Albania Sport
• Albanian Soccer News
• Frasheri, Dash (11 August 2010). "Albania, modest victory against Uzbekistan" (in Albanian). Albania Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2010. 
• Sauku, Endrit (21 January 2010). "History of the Qemal Stafa Temple". Albania Sport (in Albanian) (Dash Frasheri). Retrieved 3 August 2010. 
• Worldstadiums. "Stadia in Albania". Retrieved 3 August 2010. 

Albania national football team General History Head coaches Venues Elbasan Arena Qemal Stafa Stadium Loro Boriçi Stadium Matches / Results Results and Fixtures Albania v Yugoslavia (1946) Serbia v Albania (2014) Players List of Albania international footballers International footballers Balkan Cup Summary Final tournaments 1946 1947 1948 FIFA World Cup Summary Final tournaments UEFA Euro Summary Final tournaments 2016 Other tournaments 2000 Rothmans International Tournament Other Albania teams Men Under-21 Under-20 Under-19 Under-17 Women Under-19

Football in Albania Albanian Football Association National teams men: Albania U23 U21 U20 U19 U18 U17 U16 U15 women: Albania U19 League system men: Albanian Superliga First Division Second Division Third Division women: National Championship Domestic cups men: Albanian Cup Albanian Supercup Independence Cup (pre-season) SuperSport Trophy (pre-season) women: Women's Cup Awards Albanian Footballer of the Year Albanian Superliga Player of the Month Lists List of Albania international footballers List of Albanian Superliga all-time goalscorers List of Albanian Superliga hat-tricks List of clubs List of venues (by capacity) Foreign players Transfers Men's clubs Women's clubs Male players Female players Expatriate footballers Managers Referees Venues Records

International association football FIFA Federations Teams Competitions World Cup U-17 U-20 Confederations Cup Olympics Youth Olympics Universiade World Rankings Player of the Year Ballon d'Or Asia AFC – Asian Cup U-23 U-19 U-16 U-14 Regional (ASEAN, EAFF, SAFF, WAFF) Africa CAF – Africa Cup of Nations U-23 U-20 U-17 Regional (CECAFA, CEMAC, COSAFA, WAFU) North America, Central America and the Caribbean CONCACAF – Gold Cup U-20 U-17 U-15 South America CONMEBOL – Copa América U-20 U-17 U-15 Oceania OFC – Nations Cup U-20 U-17 Europe UEFA – European Championship U-21 U-19 U-17 Non-FIFA NF-Board – Viva World Cup CONIFA - ConIFA World Football Cup ConIFA European Football Cup IGA - Island Games Games All-Africa Games Asian Games Central America Central America and Caribbean East Asian Games Francophonie Games Indian Ocean Island Lusophony Games Mediterranean Games Pan American Games Pan Arab Games Pacific Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games See also Geography Debuts Codes Player of the Century Achievements by nation Women's football

National football teams of Europe (UEFA) Active Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark England Estonia Faroe Islands Finland France Georgia Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Montenegro Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales Defunct Czechoslovakia East Germany Ireland (1882–1950) Saarland Serbia and Montenegro Soviet Union (CIS) Yugoslavia

National sports teams of Albania Basketball M W Football M W M U-21 M U-20 M U-19 M U-18 M U-17 M U-16 Futsal M W Tennis M W Olympics Paralympics Mediterranean Games