Football is the most popular sport in Albania, both at a participatory and spectator level. The sport is governed by the Albanian Football Federation (FSHF) ().
History of football in Albania Football arrived in Albania at the beginning of the 20th century. The first recorded match was between students at a Christian mission in Shkodër. The game increased in popularity and by 1919 the first club, KS Vllaznia Shkodër, had been founded. In 1920 SK Tirana was founded. Other towns and cities followed suit and on 6 June 1930 the Football Association of Albania (FSHF) was established. The association became a member of football's governing body FIFA in 1932, and joined the European governing body UEFA in 1954 as a founding member.
A domestic championship began in 1930 with 6 teams. KF Tirana were the inaugural winners. They, together with such sides are KS Dinamo Tirana, Vllaznia Shkodër and FK Partizani, have continued to dominate the Albanian scene until the present day. The years following World War II saw a new political order, with the introduction of a communist system which had a positive impact as far as the game's appeal was concerned. Football was used as popular entertainment. Its infrastructure grew stronger as the game was organized and developed in state enterprises, schools, villages and towns. New institutional clubs were founded such as Partizani Tirana (1946) and Dinamo Tirana (1950) (governed respectively by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs). Until 1990 they were privileged in relation to the other clubs as they were able to get players from other teams.
From 1991, there were crucial political and economic changes that had a tremendous effect on the nation, as the centralized economy and political system came to an end. The result for the country's footballers was an opportunity to play their trade on foreign fields. Neighbouring Greece and the Balkan states were popular destinations for players who were good enough to go abroad.
League and Cup system The Albanian league is split into 4 divisions. The Albanian Superliga () was formed in 1930. In 1998 it took its current name and is the highest level of Albanian Football. It currently comprises 10 teams. The Superliga displaced the First Division () as the top division, and this is now Albanian Football's second tier. Below this is Second Division (), which is divided geographically into A & B.
The winners of the league are entitled to compete in the UEFA Champions League at the First qualifying round stage. The runners-up are entitled to compete in the UEFA Conference League, also at the First qualifying round stage. KF Tirana hold the record for Albanian league titles, with 26.
LevelLeague(s)/Division(s)1Kategoria Superiore 10 clubs ↓↑ 2-3 clubs 2Kategoria e Parë 12 clubs ↓↑ 2-4 clubs3Kategoria e Dytë 23 clubs ↓↑ 2-4 clubs4Kategoria e Tretë 21 clubs
Cup competitions The Albanian Football Cup (), which is the country's main knockout cup competition, was established in 1939. The winners are entitled to compete in the UEFA Europa League, at the First qualifying round stage. The most successful team in this competition, KF Partizani Tirana, has won the cup 15 times.
The Albanian Supercup, which started in 1989, is a single match played at the beginning of the season between the winners of the Superliga and the Albanian Cup. The most successful team in this competition, KF Tirana, has won 9 times.
Amateur football The highest levels of amateur football are the Sunday League Tiranë or Sunday League Korçë, reached through the Kupa Amatore.
Kategoria Amatore I is the second highest division of amateur football in Albania and hence the sixth highest league. In the 2017-18 season, 10 teams are participating, among which some of them are reserve teams. The team in last place drops to Kategoria Amatore II. In 2017-2018 the teams in Kategoria Amatore I were:
+TeamLocationAkademia ArenaTiranaButrinti BSarandëDajtiTiranaDinamo City BTiranaLuftëtari BGjirokastërPartizani CTiranaPasioniTiranaShqiponjaVelipojëTirana CTiranaVloraVlorë
Women's football Top-tier: Kategoria Superiore Femra 2nd-tier: Divizioni i Parë Femra below: Regional and Grassroots Leagues
Albanian football clubs in European competitions
Albanian football clubs have a long history in European football. The most successful clubs in the past were KF Tirana and Flamurtari FC as well as FK Partizani Tirana. In recent history KF Skënderbeu Korçë were quite successful in the UEFA Europa League.
European Cup / UEFA Champions League
The first Albanian club to enter the European Cup was FK Partizani Tirana in 1962-63 playing in the first round against Norrköping losing out after two legs despite drawing at home with 1–1 in the second leg. The following year, Partizani won their first-ever match in the European Cup 1963-64 in the first leg against Plovdiv through a goal from Kolec Kraja. In the second leg away from home, Partizani nearly qualified for the second round but lost 1-3 despite a goal from Panajot Pano. One year later in 1964–65 Partizani Tirana faced 1. FC Köln from Germany in the preliminary round. The Albanians surprised the Germans and held a 0–0 draw at home. In the second leg in Cologne Partizani Tirana lost the match 0–2.
KF Tirana first entered the European Football scene in 1969-70. After losing the first leg against Belgian team Standard Liège 0–3 away from home, they drew at home 1–1 thanks to a late goal from Josif Kazanxhi.
In the following year, KF Tirana faced Eredivisie team AFC Ajax in the 1970–71 European Cup in the first round. Tirana drew Ajax 2–2 after losing 0–2 at home. The Albanians equalized the game thanks to goals from Josif Kazanxhi and Ceco. Tirana faced Ajax in the second leg at the Olympisch Stadion in Amsterdam. Ajax won the game 2–0 and went on to win the Cup.
KF Vllaznia Shkodër debuted at the European Cup 1978-79 facing FK Austria Wien in the first round. Vllaznia beat Austria in the first leg 2–0 with goals from Medin Zhega and Shyqyri Ballgjini. In the following match, Vllaznia had good chances to qualify as the first Albanian football club in the round of 16. The hopes were dashed for Vllaznia as they lost with 4–1 away in Wien.
Partizani Tirana qualified for the Cup for the fourth time in 1979–80 and beat Celtic 1–0 in the first match with a header from Agim Murati in the 35th minute. Celtic turned things around and beat Partizani 4–1 despite an own goal in the Celtic Park in Glasgow.
Two years later in the 1981–82 European Cup, Partizani Tirana faced Austria Wien in the first round. Partizani lost the first leg away match 1–3. The Albanians played the second leg at home in the Qemal Stafa Stadium and won 1–0. Haxhi Ballgjini scored the goal for Partizani in the 31st minute. Partizani needed to score two goals to qualify into the second round, and they were eliminated from the competition despite the victory.
The historical 1980's in the European cup for the Albanian Football clubs
The following year at the 1982–83 European Cup KF Tirana faced Linfield F.C. in the first round. The teams played the first leg in Tirana. Tirana won the match 1–0 with a goal from Agustin Kola. In the second leg match, Tirana faced Linfied at Windsor Park in Belfast. Arben Minga scored in the 28th minute, but Linfied scored two quick goals in the final minutes of the match. Despite the 2–1 away loss, KF Tirana qualified as the first Albanian football club in history for the round of 16 in the European Cup. The team would have played against Dynamo Kyiv in the round of 16, but Tirana did not participate.
After several years without success for Albania, KF Tirana competed for the sixth time in history at the European Cup in 1988-89. The team faced the Hamrun Spartans from Malta in the first round. In the first leg, they played away from home at National Stadium in Ta' Qali. KF Tirana started with a goal from Anesti Stoja in the 5th minute, but Ħamrun scored two goals to win the match 2–1. In the second leg, Tirana defeated the Spartans 2–0 to qualify for the round of 16. In the first leg of the round of 16, Tirana faced IFK Göteborg at home and lost the match 0–3. Tirana defeated IFK Göteborg 1–0 in the second leg at Ullevi stadium but did not qualify for the quarter-finals.
In the following European Cup in 1989–90, KF Tirana faced Maltese team Sliema Wanderers F.C. in the first round. The first leg was played away from home in the National Stadium. The Albanians lost 0–1. KF Tirana won the second leg game 5–0 with goals from Agustin Kola, Bardhi, Hodja, and Florian Riza to advance to the round of 16 for the third time in the club's history. In the round of 16, KF Tirana faced Bundesliga team FC Bayern Munich from Germany. In the first leg at the Olympiastadion in Munich, KF Tirana lost 3–1. In the second match, Tirana faced Bayern at home and lost 0–3.
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League
Albania did not compete in the UEFA Cup as much as they did in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup or in the European Cup, despite Albania's success in the late '80s. Flamutari Vlora and, in recent years, KF Skënderbeu Korçë have been the most successful Albanian teams in the UEFA Cup.
Dinamo Tirana became the first Albanian football team to debut in the UEFA Cup during the 1981-82 competition. In the first round, they faced Carl Zeiss Jena from East Germany. In the first leg, Dinamo faced the opposition at home at Selman Stërmasi Stadium, winning 1–0 with a goal from Vasillaq Zëri. Dinamo Tirana had to travel to Jena to face Carl Zeiss at Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld in the second leg. The Albanians lost 4–0 and failed to qualify for the second round.
In the 1985–86 UEFA Cup Dinamo Tirana faced the Ħamrun Spartans from Malta. In the first leg, Dinamo defeated the Spartans 1–0 at home with a goal from Eduard Abazi. Dinamo drew the away game in the second leg 0–0 to qualify as the first Albanian football club in the second round. In the second round, Dinamo Tirana faced Portuguese side Sporting Lisabon. In the first leg, Tirana held a 0–0 draw at home. Away from home at José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, Tirana lost 0–1 and was knocked out of the competition.
Flamurtari Vlora debuted at the UEFA Cup 1986–87. They faced FC Barcelona in the first round. The teams played the first leg at the Flamurtari Stadium. Flamutari put themselves in front with a goal from Vasil Ruci in the 68 minute. Barcelona equalized in the 88th minute to secure a 1–1 draw in Vlora. In the second leg, Flamutari traveled to Spain to face Barcelona at Camp Nou. The game ended in a 0–0 draw. Barcelona advanced and knocked Flamutari out of the competition due to the away rule.
Flamutari qualified for a second consecutive UEFA Cup in 1987–88. Flamutari faced in the first round Yugoslavian side Partizan Belgrad. Flamutari won the first leg match at home 2–0 through an own goal and a goal from Roland Iljadhi. The teams played the second leg at Partizan Stadium in Belgrade. The situation was tense between the Albanians and Serbians, due to the political unrest in Kosovo. Partizan led the match 2–0 until Sokol Kushta scored to clinch a 2–1 result and advance Flamutari to the second round for the first time in the history for Albania in the UEFA Cup.
Flamutari Vlora faced East German side Wismut Aue in the second round. Flamutari lost the first leg match at the Otto-Grotewohl-Stadion in Aue 1–0. They won the second leg match at home 2–0 with goals from Rrapo Taho and Vasil Ruci to become the first Albanian team to qualify for the round of 16 in the UEFA Cup. They also became the first Albanian side to beat two clubs in a UEFA competition after two rounds were played.