Albania national football team 1011572 226144143 2008-07-17T00:45:02Z Enea95 6717220 {{Infobox National football team | Name = Albania | Badge = Albania_FA.gif | FIFA Trigramme = ALB | Nickname = Kuq e Zinjtë (Red and Blacks) | Association = [[Football Association of Albania]] | Confederation = [[UEFA]] (Europe) | Coach = {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Haan]] | Captain = [[Altin Lala]] | Most caps = [[Foto Strakosha]] (73) | Top scorer = [[Alban Bushi]] (14) | FIFA Rank = 100 | 1st ranking date = August 1993 | FIFA max = 62 | FIFA max date = August 2006| FIFA min = 124 | FIFA min date = August 1997| Elo Rank = 95 | Home Stadium = [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]] | pattern_la1=_blackshoulders|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=_blackshoulders| leftarm1=FF0000|body1=FF0000|rightarm1=FF0000|shorts1=000000|socks1=000000| pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=| leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF| First game = {{flagicon|Albania|1946}} Albania 2 - 3 [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] {{Flagicon|Yugoslavia}}<br/>([[Tirana]], [[Albania]]; [[October 7]], [[1946]]) | Largest win = {{Flagicon|Turkey}} [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] 1 - 4 Albania {{Flagicon|Albania}}<br/>([[Antalya]], [[Turkey]]; [[January 21]], [[1998]]) | Largest loss = {{Flagicon|Hungary|1949}} [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]] 12 - 0 Albania {{Flagicon|Albania|1946}} <br/>([[Budapest]], [[Hungary]]; [[September 24]], [[1950]]) | World cup apps = | World cup first = | World cup best = | Regional name = [[European Football Championship|European Championship]] | Regional cup apps = | Regional cup first = | Regional cup best = | }} The '''Albania national football team''' is the national [[football (soccer)|football]] team of [[Albania]] and is controlled by the [[Football Association of Albania]]. Although not considered as one of the strongest footballing sides in Europe, Albanians are passionate about their football and have occasionally managed to display a good image against more illustrious opponents. Founded on [[June 6]] [[1930]], Albania had to wait 16 years to play the first international match, debuting against [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] in 1946. In 1932 Albania had already joined [[FIFA]] (during the congress [[June 12]] - [[June 16]]) and in 1954 it was one of the founding members of [[UEFA]]. Albania had been invited to play in [[World Cup 1934]], but owing to organizing difficulties it didn't take part. In addition to the senior football team, Albania also has teams of [[Albania national under-21 football team|U21]], [[Albania national under-19 football team|U19]], and [[Albania national under-17 football team|U17]] level. One of the most successful is the feeder of the senior team, the U21 level. In the finals of the [[1984 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship|Euro 1984 U21]] championship they went all the way to the [[1984 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship#Knockout Stages|quarter-finals]], only to be knocked out by Italy 2-0 on aggregate. They became the only Albanian team in any level to qualify for a competitive tournament. Currently Albania does not have a women's team but they are working towards creating one. <!-- An image of the stadium should be uploaded. --> Most of the matches of Albanian national team have been played in [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]]. The stadium was built around the 1930s as a multi use stadium. Today, it is mostly used for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 19,200 spectators with 15,000 seats. Albania has also used the [[Loro-Boriçi Stadium|Loro-Boriçi]] [[stadium]] in [[Shkodra]] where they have had some successful matches, like beating [[Russia national football team|Russia]] 3-1 in a home [[2004 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2004 qualifying]] match. There is a rumor that the [[Football Association of Albania]] is planning to build a stadium in [[Tirana]] with a capacity of around 30,000. Albania has an official supporters' association, the [[Tifozat Kuq e Zi]] who self-finance their activities using help from FSHF to arrange traveling and stadium visits for the matches.<ref>[http://www.tifozatkuqezi.com/ Tifozat Kuq e Zi]</ref> In December 2007, Albanian Football Federation president Armando Duka announced [[Arie Haan]] would replace Croatia's [[Otto Baric]] as [[Albania]] head coach. He signed a two-year contract on [[January 4]], [[2008]]. <ref>FIFA [http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=667585.html#haan+named+albania+boss Haan named Albania boss]''</ref> Albania start their [[Albania national football team#FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualification|FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualifying campaign]] against [[Sweden national football team|Sweden]] on [[September 6]], [[2008]]. They have been drawn in Group 1 with [[Sweden national football team|Sweden]], [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]], [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]], [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]] and [[Malta national football team|Malta]]. After 46 days of international suspension (FIFA and UEFA) due to heavy political interference, Albania is back in the football scene.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/football/04/29/fifa.albania.ap/index.html Albania suspension lifted by FIFA]</ref> <ref>[http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jqvqNymxClrCYxj_JwtH29T7OgTA FIFA says its emergency committee has decided to lift suspension of Albania]</ref><ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/29/sports/EU-SPT-SOC-FIFA-Albania.php FIFA lifts suspension of Albania over alleged interference]</ref> ==History== The early years oversaw a notably successful [[Balkan Cup]] in the 1946 campaign. Albania won the cup after overcoming [[Yugoslavia national football team|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 [[Greek national football team|Greece]] from the tournament offered Albania a chance to join in the re-established [[WW2|post-war]] cup. After taking part for the first time in [[UEFA European Football Championship|European Championships]] in 1963, for edition [[1964 UEFA European Football Championship|1964]], in the [[1968 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|1968 European qualifiers]], they managed a 0-0 draw against [[West Germany national football team|West Germany]], which eventually eliminated West Germany from qualification. During that era, Albania boasted arguably its greatest ever footballer, [[Panajot Pano]]. The [[1986 FIFA World Cup qualification|1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers]] brought further notable results with a 2-2 draw away to [[Poland national football team|Poland]] and a 2-0 win over eventual semi-finalists [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]]. The qualifiers for the [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification|1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers]] saw Albania forced to play some home games on neutral venues due to [[1997 unrest in Albania|civil unrest]] at home. However, they achieved a 4-1 win over [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] in an away friendly match in 1998 - the only time Albania have scored more than 3 goals in a full international match (although they did win 5-0 at home to Montenegro on [[September 22]], [[1946]], Montenegro was at that time part of Yugoslavia). During the [[2004 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|2004 European qualifiers]], Albania managed a heroic 3-1 win against [[Russia national football team|Russia]] in [[Shkodër]]. The [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification|2006 World Cup qualifiers]] qualifiers have seen Albania's results improve markedly, including an epic 2-1 victory against the then newly crowned [[UEFA European Football Championship|European Champions]], [[Greece national football team|Greece]]. Recently, the [[Albania national under-19 football team|U19]] team also known as ''Shpresat'' (''The Team of Hopes''), managed to qualify for the Elite round in the [[2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship|Euro U19 2008]] which is going to be held in [[Czech Republic]]. Along the way, they lost against [[Spain national under-19 football team|Spain]] (2-0), won a very important match against [[Serbia national under-19 football team|Serbia]] (2-1) and drew with [[Liechtenstein national under-19 football team|Lichtenstein]] (0-0). They are expected to resume the tournament in [[March 1]].<ref>[http://www.uefa.com/competitions/under19/standings/index.html UEFA European U-19 C'ship]</ref> ===FIFA World Cup 1966 Qualification=== The first time that Albania competed for a place in the world's elite for the [[World Cup 1966]] in England was a match against Netherlands in mid-1964. Drawn in Group 5 with the Dutch were also [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]] and [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]]. Albania only got a point from this qualification round in a game against Northern Ireland in Tirana, which actually prevented Northern Ireland from qualfiying. ====Group 5==== [[May 24]], [[1964]], [[Rotterdam]], [[Netherlands]] - {{fb|NED}} '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{fb|ALB|1946}} [[October 25]], [[1964]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] - {{fb|ALB|1946}} '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;2''' {{fb|NED}} [[April 11]], [[1965]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] - {{fb|ALB|1946}} '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;2''' {{fb|SUI}} [[May 2]], [[1965]], [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]] - {{fb|SUI}} '''1&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{fb|ALB|1946}} [[May 7]], [[1965]], [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]] - {{fb|NIR}} '''4&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{fb|ALB|1946}} [[November 24]], [[1965]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] - {{fb|ALB|1946}} '''1&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{fb|NIR}} *'''Switzerland''' qualified. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !width=30|Rank !width=165 style="text-align:left;"|Team !width=20|Pts !width=20|Pld !width=20|W !width=20|D !width=20|L !width=20|GF !width=20|GA |- style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''1''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|SUI}} |'''9'''||6||4||1||1||7||3 |- |'''2''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|NIR}} |'''8'''||6||3||2||1||9||5 |- |'''3''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|NED}} |'''6'''||6||2||2||2||6||4 |- |'''4''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|ALB|1946}} |'''1'''||6||0||1||5||2||12 |} ===UEFA Euro 1984 Qualifications=== In its first participation of a Euro qualifier in group edition, Albania finished last out of four other teams competing for the spot in the tournament. In 8 played 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 national football team|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 (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], also losing to [[Austria national football team|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 eventually lost 2-1 with the last goal being scored in the 79th minute. ====Group 6==== [[September 22]], [[1982]], [[Vienna]], [[Austria]] {{fb|AUT}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=1984/round=205/match=3409/index.html 5&nbsp;-&nbsp;0] {{fb|ALB|1946}} [[October 27]], [[1982]], [[Izmir]], [[Turkey]] {{fb|TUR}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=1984/round=205/match=3411/index.html 1&nbsp;-&nbsp;0] {{fb|ALB|1946}} [[December 15]], [[1982]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{fb|ALB|1946}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=1984/round=205/match=3414/index.html 0&nbsp;-&nbsp;0] {{fb|NIR}} [[March 30]], [[1983]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{flagicon|ALB|1946}} [[Albania national football team|Albania]] [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=1984/round=205/match=3416/index.html 1&nbsp;-&nbsp;2] {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Germany national football team|West Germany]] [[April 27]], [[1983]], [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]] {{fb|NIR}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=1984/round=205/match=3419/index.html 1&nbsp;-&nbsp;0] {{fb|ALB|1946}} [[May 11]], [[1983]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{fb|ALB|1946}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=1984/round=205/match=3420/index.html 1&nbsp;-&nbsp;1] {{fb|TUR}} [[June 8]], [[1983]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{fb|ALB|1946}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=1984/round=205/match=3421/index.html 1&nbsp;-&nbsp;2] {{fb|AUT}} [[November 20]], [[1983]] {{fb|FRG}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=1984/round=205/match=3428/index.html 2&nbsp;-&nbsp;1] {{fb|ALB|1946}} * '''West Germany''' qualified. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !width=30|Rank !width=165 style="text-align:left;"|Team !width=20|Pts !width=20|Pld !width=20|W !width=20|D !width=20|L !width=20|GF !width=20|GA |- style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''1''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|FRG}} |'''11'''||8||5||1||2||15||5 |- |'''2''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|NIR}} |'''11'''||8||5||1||2||8||5 |- |'''3''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|AUT}} |'''9'''||8||4||1||3||15||10 |- |'''4''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|TUR}} |'''7'''||8||3||1||4||8||16 |- |'''5''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|ALB|1946}} |'''2'''||8||0||2||6||4||14 |} ===FIFA World Cup 1986 Qualification=== In a 4-team group Albania got 4 points with one win and 2 draws. After losing to [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]] in [[Brussels]], Albania were visitors in eventual group winners [[Poland national football team|Poland]]. There Albania got its first point in a shocking 2-2 draw. Less than two months later Albania was host to group runners up Belgium in Tirana, defeating them with a clear 2-0 win. After losing to [[Greece national football team|Greece]] away and Poland at home, Albania got its last point in its last game against neighbour rivals Greece in a 1-1 draw. ====Group 1==== [[October 17]] [[1984]], [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]] {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]] '''3&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{flagicon|ALB|1946}} [[Albania national football team|Albania]] [[October 31]] [[1984]], [[Mielec]], [[Poland]] {{flagicon|POL}} [[Poland national football team|Poland]] '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;2''' {{flagicon|ALB|1946}} [[Albania national football team|Albania]] [[December 22]] [[1984]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{flagicon|ALB|1946}} [[Albania national football team|Albania]] '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]] [[February 27]] [[1985]], [[Athens]], [[Greece]] {{flagicon|GRE}} [[Greece national football team|Greece]] '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{flagicon|ALB|1946}} [[Albania national football team|Albania]] [[May 30]] [[1985]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{flagicon|ALB|1946}} [[Albania national football team|Albania]] '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{flagicon|POL}} [[Poland national football team|Poland]] [[October 30]] [[1985]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{flagicon|ALB|1946}} [[Albania national football team|Albania]] '''1&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{flagicon|GRE}} [[Greece national football team|Greece]] * '''Poland''' and '''Belgium''' qualified.<ref>[http://www.rsssf.com/tables/86q.html WC 1986 Qual. Group 1]</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !width=30|Rank !width=165 style="text-align:left;"|Team !width=20|Pts !width=20|Pld !width=20|W !width=20|D !width=20|L !width=20|GF !width=20|GA |- style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''1''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|POL}} |'''8'''||6||3||2||1||10||6 |- style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''2''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|BEL}} |'''8'''||6||3||2||1||7||3 |- |'''3''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|ALB|1946}} |'''4'''||6||1||2||3||6||9 |- |'''4''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|GRE}} |'''4'''||6||1||2||3||5||10 |} ===FIFA World Cup 1998 Qualification=== In the 1998 World Cup, Albania was drawn in a 6-team group which included [[Germany national football team|Germany]], [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]], [[Ukraine national football team|Ukraine]], [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]] and [[Armenia national football team|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]]. Albania got a 1-0 win against Northern Ireland and a 1-1 tie against Armenia. ====Group 9==== [[October 9]] [[1996]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{fb|ALB}} '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;3''' {{fb|POR}} [[November 9]] [[1996]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{fb|ALB}} '''1&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{fb|ARM}} [[December 14]] [[1996]], [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]] {{fb|NIR}} '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{fb|ALB}} [[March 29]] [[1997]], [[Granada]], [[Spain]] {{fb|ALB}} '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{fb|UKR}} [[April 2]] [[1997]], [[Granada]], [[Spain]] {{fb|ALB}} '''&nbsp;2-&nbsp;3''' {{fb|GER}} [[June 7]] [[1997]], [[Porto]], [[Portugal]] {{fb|POR}} '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{fb|ALB}} [[August 20]] [[1997]], [[Kyiv]], [[Ukraine]] {{fb|UKR}} '''1&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{fb|ALB}} [[September 6]] [[1997]], [[Yerevan]], [[Armenia]] {{fb|ARM}} '''3&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{fb|ALB}} [[September 10]] [[1997]], [[Zürich]], [[Switzerland]] {{fb|ALB}} '''1&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{fb|NIR}} [[October 11]] [[1997]], [[Hannover]], [[Germany]] {{fb|GER}} '''4&nbsp;-&nbsp;3''' {{fb|ALB}} * '''Germany''' qualified.<ref>[http://www.rsssf.com/tables/98q.html WC 1998 Qual. Group 9]</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !width=30|Rank !width=165 style="text-align:left;"|Team !width=20|Pts !width=20|Pld !width=20|W !width=20|D !width=20|L !width=20|GF !width=20|GA |- style="background:#ccffcc;" |'''1''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|GER}} |'''22'''||10||6||4||0||23||9 |- |'''2''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|UKR}} |'''20'''||10||6||2||2||10||6 |- |'''3''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|POR}} |'''19'''||10||5||4||1||12||4 |- |'''4''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|ARM}} |'''8'''||10||1||5||4||8||17 |- |'''5''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|NIR}} |'''7'''||10||1||4||5||6||10 |- |'''6''' |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|ALB|1946}} |'''4'''||10||1||1||8||7||20 |} ===UEFA Euro 2004 Qualifications=== 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. Albania started the undefeated run with a 1-1 draw against eventual winners of the group, Switzerland. Then a back to back encounter with Russia, saw the lose 4-1 in Russian soil, but when they returned, they paid them back by beating them 3-1. This game was the biggest 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 national football team|Republic of Ireland]] 0-0 and beat Georgia 3-1. Away Albania got 0 points, but managed to score 4 goals. ====Group 10==== [[October 12]], [[2002]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{fb|ALB}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=2004/round=1579/match=69046/index.html 1&nbsp;-&nbsp;1] {{fb|SUI}} [[October 16]], [[2002]], [[Volgograd]], [[Russia]] {{fb|RUS}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=2004/round=1579/match=69049/index.html 4&nbsp;-&nbsp;1] {{fb|ALB}} [[March 29]], [[2003]], [[Shkodër]], [[Albania]] {{fb|ALB}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=2004/round=1579/match=69051/index.html 3&nbsp;-&nbsp;1] {{fb|RUS}} [[April 2]], [[2003]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{fb|ALB}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=2004/round=1579/match=69052/index.html 0&nbsp;-&nbsp;0] {{fb|IRL}} [[June 7]], [[2003]], [[Dublin]], [[Republic of Ireland]] {{fb|IRL}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=2004/round=1579/match=69055/index.html 2&nbsp;-&nbsp;1] {{fb|ALB}} [[June 11]], [[2003]], [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]] {{fb|SUI}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=2004/round=1579/match=69057/index.html 3&nbsp;-&nbsp;2] {{fb|ALB}} [[September 6]], [[2003]], [[Tbilisi]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] {{fb|GEO}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=2004/round=1579/match=69059/index.html 3&nbsp;-&nbsp;0] {{fb|ALB}} [[September 10]], [[2003]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] {{fb|ALB}} [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=2004/round=1579/match=69061/index.html 3&nbsp;-&nbsp;1] {{fb|GEO}} * '''Switzerland''' qualified. * '''Russia''' play-off. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !width=30|Rank !width=180 style="text-align:left;"|Team !width=20|Pts !width=20|Pld !width=20|W !width=20|D !width=20|L !width=20|GF !width=20|GA |- bgcolor=#C0FFC0 align="center" | '''1''' |align=left| {{fb|SUI}} | '''15''' | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 11 |- bgcolor=#FFFFC0 align="center" | '''2''' |align=left| {{fb|RUS}} | '''14''' | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 12 |- align="center" | '''3''' |align=left| {{fb|IRL}} | '''11''' | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 |- align="center" | '''4''' |align=left| {{fb|ALB}} | '''8''' | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 15 |- align="center" | '''5''' |align=left| {{fb|GEO|1990}} | '''7''' | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 14 |} ===FIFA World Cup 2006 Qualification=== 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. Albania went on to disappoint by losing to [[Georgia national football team|Georgia]] away and [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]] at home, before returning to winning ways by beating [[Kazakhstan national football team|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. ====Group 2==== [[September 4]], [[2004]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] - {{fb|ALB}} '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{fb-rt|GRE}} [[September 8]], [[2004]], [[Tbilisi]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] - {{fb|GEO}} '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{fb-rt|ALB}} [[October 9]], [[2004]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] - {{fb|ALB}} '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;2''' {{fb-rt|DEN}} [[October 13]], [[2004]], [[Almaty]], [[Kazakhstan]] - {{fb|KAZ}} '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{fb-rt|ALB}} [[February 9]], [[2005]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] - {{fb|ALB}} '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;2''' {{fb-rt|UKR}} [[March 26]], [[2005]], [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]] - {{fb|TUR}} '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{fb-rt|ALB}} [[March 30]], [[2005]], [[Piraeus]], [[Greece]] - {{fb|GRE}} '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' {{fb-rt|ALB}} [[June 4]], [[2005]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] - {{fb|ALB}} '''3&nbsp;-&nbsp;2''' {{fb-rt|GEO}} [[June 8]], [[2005]], [[Copenhagen]], [[Denmark]] - {{fb|DEN}} '''3&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{fb-rt|ALB}} [[September 3]], [[2005]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] - {{fb|ALB}} '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{fb-rt|KAZ}} [[October 8]], [[2005]], [[Dnipropetrovsk]], [[Ukraine]] - {{fb|UKR}} '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;2''' {{fb-rt|ALB}} [[October 12]], [[2005]], [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] - {{fb|ALB}} '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' {{fb-rt|TUR}} * '''Ukraine''' qualified. * '''Turkey''' play-off. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !width=165|Team !width=20|Pts !width=20|Pld !width=20|W !width=20|D !width=20|L !width=20|GF !width=20|GA !width=20|GD |- style="background:#ccffcc;" |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|UKR}} |'''25'''||12||7||4||1||18||7||11 |- style="background:#ffebad;" |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|TUR}} |'''23'''||12||6||5||1||23||9||14 |- |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|DEN}} |'''22'''||12||6||4||2||24||12||12 |- |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|GRE}} |'''21'''||12||6||3||3||15||9||6 |- |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|ALB}} |'''13'''||12||4||1||7||11||20||-9 |- |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|GEO}} |'''10'''||12||2||4||6||14||25||-11 |- |style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|KAZ}} |'''1'''||12||0||1||11||6||29||-23 |} ===UEFA Euro 2008 Qualification=== In the matches for the [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|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 national football team|Belarus]], two wins against [[Luxembourg national football team|Luxembourg]] home and away (2-0, 0-3) and a 0-0 draw away to [[Bulgaria national football team|Bulgaria]] have been the most cherished results. Great matches have been played against [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] in both legs, although allegedly dubious referee decisions have marred Albania's performances,<ref>[http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=197400&cc=5739 Disallowed Albanian goal], versus the Netherlands, Euro 2008 qualifier: [[ESPN]]soccernet website. Retrieved on [[September 14]] [[2007]].</ref><ref>[http://www.albaniasoccer.com/en/index.php?id=613 Albanian Football Federation], files official complaint with UEFA regarding Netherlands game: Albania soccer website. Retrieved on [[September 16]] [[2007]].</ref> ending up in two losses (2-1, 0-1). Other set-backs have also been suffered after drawing 0-0 against [[Slovenia national football team|Slovenia]] and losing 0-2 to [[Romania national football team|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.<ref>[http://fshf.org/lajme_m.aspx?id=359 Baric: Po largohem]</ref> ====Group G==== {{footballbox|date = [[September 2]], [[2006]]<br />19:00 [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]] | team1 = {{fb-rt|BLR}} | score = 2 &ndash; 2<br/><small> | team2 = {{fb|ALB}} | goals1= [[Timofei Kalachev|Kalachev]] {{goal|2}}<br/>[[Maxim Romaschenko|Romaschenko]] {{goal|24}} | goals2= [[Ervin Skela|Skela]] {{goal|7|[[penalty kick|pen.]]}} <br> [[Besnik Hasi|Hasi]] {{goal|86}} | stadium = [[Dinamo Stadium (Minsk)|Dinamo Stadium]], [[Minsk]] <br/> '''Attendance: '''23,000 <br/>'''Referee:''' [[Tony Asumaa|Asumaa]] ([[Football Association of Finland|Finland]])|report = [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round=2241/match=83663/index.html Report]}} ---- {{footballbox|date = [[September 6]], [[2006]]<br />20:00 [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]] | team1 = {{fb-rt|ALB}} | score = 0 &ndash; 2<br/><small> | team2 = {{fb|ROU}} | goals1= | goals2= [[Nicolae Dică|Dică]] {{goal|65}} <br> [[Adrian Mutu|Mutu]] {{goal|75|[[penalty kick|pen.]]}} | stadium = [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], [[Tirana]] <br/> '''Attendance:''' 10,000<br/>'''Referee:''' [[Olegário Benquerença|Benquerença]] ([[Portuguese Football Federation|Portugal]])| report = [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round=2241/match=83666/index.html Report]}} ---- {{footballbox|date = [[October 11]], [[2006]]<br />20:30 [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]|team1 = {{fb-rt|NED}} |score= 2 &ndash; 1 <br/><small> |team2 = {{fb|ALB}} |goals1 = [[Robin van Persie|van Persie]] {{goal|15}} <br> [[Arjan Beqaj|Beqaj]] {{goal|42|[[own goal|o.g.]]}} |goals2 = [[Debatik Curri|Curri]] {{goal|67}} |stadium = [[Amsterdam ArenA]], [[Amsterdam]] <br />'''Attendance:''' 40,000 <br />'''Referee:''' [[Alon Yefet|Yefet]] ([[Israel Football Association|Israel]])|report = [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round=2241/match=83673/index.html Report]}} ---- {{footballbox|date = [[March 28]], [[2007]]<br />18:00 [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}} |score= 0 &ndash; 0<br/><small> |team2 = {{fb|ALB}} |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = [[Vasil Levski National Stadium]], [[Sofia]] <br />'''Attendance:''' 25,000<br />'''Referee:''' [[Jonas Eriksson|Eriksson]] ([[Swedish Football Association|Sweden]])|report = [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round=2241/match=83679/index.html Report]}} ---- {{footballbox|date = [[June 2]], [[2007]]<br />20:30 [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]|team1 = {{fb-rt|ALB}} |score= 2 &ndash; 0<br/><small> |team2 = {{fb|LUX}} |goals1 = [[Edmond Kapllani|Kapllani]] {{goal|38}} </br> [[Altin Haxhi|Haxhi]] {{goal|57}}|goals2 =|stadium = [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], [[Tirana]] <br />'''Attendance:''' 8,000<br />'''Referee:''' [[Lasha Silagava|Silagava]] ([[Georgian Football Federation|Georgia]])|report = [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round=2241/match=83680/index.html Report]}} ---- {{footballbox|date = [[June 6]], [[2007]]<br />20:15 [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]|team1 = {{fb-rt|LUX}} |score= 0 &ndash; 3<br/><small> |team2 = {{fb|ALB}} |goals1 = |goals2 =[[Ervin Skela|Skela]] {{goal|25}} </br> [[Edmond Kapllani|Kapllani]] {{goal|36}} {{goal|72}}|stadium = [[Stade Josy Barthel]], [[Luxembourg (city)|Luxembourg]] <br />'''Attendance:''' 4,325<br />'''Referee:''' [[Paulius Malzinskas|Malzinskas]] ([[Lithuanian Football Federation|Lithuania]])|report = [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round=2241/match=83683/index.html Report]}} ---- {{footballbox|date = [[September 12]], [[2007]]<br />20:45 [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]|team1 = {{fb-rt|Albania}}|score = 0 &ndash; 1 <br/><small> |team2 = {{fb|Netherlands}} |goals1 = |goals2 = [[Ruud van Nistelrooy|van Nistelrooy]] {{goal|90+1}}|stadium = [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], [[Tirana]] <br />'''Attendance:''' 19,600<br />'''Referee:''' [[Mike Riley (referee)|Riley]] ([[The Football Association|England]])|report = [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round=2241/match=83691/index.html Report]}} ---- {{footballbox|date = [[October 17]], [[2007]]<br />20:45 [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]|team1 = {{fb-rt|Albania}}|score = 1 &ndash; 1 <br/><small> |team2 = {{fb|Bulgaria}} |goals1 = [[Radostin Kishishev|Kishishev]] {{goal|32|[[own goal|o.g.]]}} |goals2 = [[Dimitar Berbatov|Berbatov]] {{goal|87}} |stadium = [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], [[Tirana]] <br />'''Attendance:''' 8,000<br />'''Referee:''' [[Fritz Stuchlik|Stuchlik]] ([[Austrian Football Association|Austria]])|report = [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round=2241/match=83697/index.html Report]}} ---- {{footballbox|date = [[November 17]], [[2007]]<br />20:00 [[Eastern European Time|EET]]|team1 = {{fb-rt|Albania}}|score = 2 &ndash; 4 <br/><small> |team2 = {{fb|Belarus}} |goals1 = [[Erion Bogdani|Bogdani]] {{goal|39}} </br> [[Edmond Kapllani|Kapllani]] {{goal|43}} |goals2 = [[Maksim Romaschenko|Romaschenko]] {{goal|28}} {{goal|63|[[penalty kick|pen.]]}} </br> [[Vitali Kutuzov|Kutuzov]] {{goal|45+1}} {{goal|54}} |stadium = [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], [[Tirana]] <br />'''Attendance:''' 5,000<br />'''Referee:''' [[Bulent Demirlek|Demirlek]] ([[Turkish Football Association|Turkey]])|report = [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round=2241/match=83699/index.html Report]}} ---- {{footballbox|date = [[November 21]], [[2007]]<br />18:00 [[Eastern European Time|EET]]|team1 = {{fb-rt|Romania}}|score = 6 &ndash; 1 |team2 = {{fb|Albania}} |goals1 = [[Nicolae Dică|Dică]] {{goal|22}} {{goal|71|[[penalty kick|pen.]]}}</br> [[Gabriel Tamaş|Tamaş]] {{goal|53}}</br> [[Daniel Niculae|Niculae]] {{goal|62}} {{goal|65}}<br>[[Ciprian Marica|Marica]] {{goal|69|[[penalty kick|pen.]]}} |goals2 = [[Edmond Kapllani|Kapllani]] {{goal|64}} |stadium = [[Lia Manoliu Stadium]], [[Bucharest]] <br />'''Attendance:''' 25,000<br />'''Referee:''' [[Edo Trivkovic|Trivkovic]] ([[Croatian Football Federation|Croatia]])|report = [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round=2241/match=83702/index.html Report]}} *'''Romania''' and '''Netherlands''' qualified. {{UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group G |expanded=yes }} ===Some memorable matches=== {| class="toccolours" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="left" style="margin:0.5em;" |- bgcolor=#CADCFB ! Date ! ! ! Tournament ! ! ! Place ! ! ! Match ! Score |- |- | align="center" | [[October 9]], [[1946]] | | | align="center" | [[Balkan Cup]] | | | align="center" | [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Albania|1946}} Albania - Bulgaria {{flagicon|Bulgaria}}''''' | align="center" | '''3&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' |- |- | align="center" | [[October 13]], [[1946]] | | | align="center" | [[Balkan Cup]] | | | align="center" | [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Albania|1946}} Albania - Romania {{flagicon|Romania}}''''' | align="center" | '''1&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' |- |- | align="center" | [[December 17]], [[1967]] | | | align="center" | [[1968 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 1968 Qual.]] | | | align="center" | [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Albania|1946}} Albania - West Germany {{flagicon|Germany}}''''' | align="center" | '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' |- |- | align="center" | [[December 22]], [[1984]] | | | align="center" | [[1986 FIFA World Cup qualification|World Cup 1986 Qual.]] | | | align="center" | [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Albania|1946}} Albania - Belgium {{flagicon|Belgium}}''''' | align="center" | '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' |- |- | align="center" | [[January 21]], [[1998]] | | | align="center" | Friendly | | | align="center" | [[Antalya]], [[Turkey]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Turkey}} Turkey - Albania {{flagicon|Albania}}''''' | align="center" | '''1&nbsp;-&nbsp;4''' |- |- | align="center" | [[October 14]], [[1998]] | | | align="center" | [[2000 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2000 Qual.]] | | | align="center" | [[Oslo]], [[Norway]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Norway}} Norway - Albania {{flagicon|Albania}}''''' | align="center" | '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;2''' |- |- | align="center" | [[October 11]], [[2000]] | | | align="center" | [[2002 FIFA World Cup qualification|World Cup 2002 Qual.]] | | | align="center" | [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Albania}} Albania - Greece {{flagicon|Greece}}''''' | align="center" | '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' |- |- | align="center" | [[April 25]], [[2001]] | | | align="center" | Friendly | | | align="center" | [[Gaziantep]], [[Turkey]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Turkey}} Turkey - Albania {{flagicon|Albania}}''''' | align="center" | '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;2''' |- |- | align="center" | [[March 29]], [[2003]] | | | align="center" | [[2004 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2004 Qual.]] | | | align="center" | [[Shkodër]], [[Albania]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Albania}} Albania - Russia {{flagicon|Russia}}''''' | align="center" | '''3&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' |- |- | align="center" | [[February 18]], [[2004]] | | | align="center" | Friendly | | | align="center" | [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Albania}} Albania - Sweden {{flagicon|Sweden}}''''' | align="center" | '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' |- |- | align="center" | [[September 4]], [[2004]] | | | align="center" | [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification|World Cup 2006 Qual.]] | | | align="center" | [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Albania}} Albania - Greece {{flagicon|Greece}}''''' | align="center" | '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' |- |- | align="center" | [[October 8]], [[2005]] | | | align="center" | [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification|World Cup 2006 Qual.]] | | | align="center" | [[Dnipropetrovsk]], [[Ukraine]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Ukraine}} Ukraine - Albania {{flagicon|Albania}}''''' | align="center" | '''2&nbsp;-&nbsp;2''' |- |- | align="center" | [[March 28]], [[2007]] | | | align="center" | [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2008 Qual.]] | | | align="center" | [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} Bulgaria - Albania {{flagicon|Albania}}''''' | align="center" | '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;0''' |- |- | align="center" | [[June 6]], [[2007]] | | | align="center" | [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2008 Qual.]] | | | align="center" | [[Luxembourg City]], [[Luxembourg]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Luxembourg}} Luxembourg - Albania {{flagicon|Albania}}''''' | align="center" | '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;3''' |- |- | align="center" | [[September 12]], [[2007]] | | | align="center" | [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2008 Qual.]] | | | align="center" | [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Albania}} Albania - Netherlands {{flagicon|Netherlands}}''''' | align="center" | '''0&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' |- |- | align="center" | [[October 17]], [[2007]] | | | align="center" | [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2008 Qual.]] | | | align="center" | [[Tirana]], [[Albania]] | | | align="left" | {{flagicon|Albania}} Albania - Bulgaria {{flagicon|Bulgaria}}''''' | align="center" | '''1&nbsp;-&nbsp;1''' |- |} <br clear=all> ==Squad== ===The Kosovo dilemma=== Due to the fact that some national team players were born in [[Kosovo]] (around 92% ethnic [[Albanian people|Albanian]] region)<ref>[http://www.ks-gov.net/ESK/esk/english/english.htm Statistical Office of Kosovo]</ref>, there is a clear possibility that those players could leave for the future [[Kosovo national football team]]. Kosovo [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|has declared its independence]] and this will start a new process as [[FIFA]] and [[UEFA]] look to accept the newly formed state and its [[Football Federation of Kosovo|football federation]], similar to the case of [[Montenegro national football team|Montenegro]] and its break-up from the union with [[Serbia national football team|Serbia]]. The current and most selected players in the national team who were born in Kosovo (or registered as Kosovo citizens) are: [[Arjan Beqaj]], [[Armend Dallku]], [[Blerim Rrustemi]], [[Debatik Curri]], [[Lorik Cana]] and [[Besart Berisha]]. Lorik Cana has faithfully declared that Albanians have one national team and he will remain with Albania<ref>[http://www.zeriyt.com/kombetarja-shqiptare/leter-e-hapur-nga-lorik-cana-na-bashkon-kombetarja-t40273.0.html Leter e hapur nga Lorik Cana: Na bashkon kombëtarja]</ref><ref>[http://www.tiranaobserver.com.al/al/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2291&Itemid=41 Letër e hapur drejtuar gjithë dashamirësve të Kombëtares kuqezi]</ref> while Debatik Curri said, ''"One strong national team is better than two weak ones"'', similar to [[Besnik Hasi]] (now retired).<ref>[http://www.tifozatkuqezi.com/sporti-lajme.php?id=3856 Debatik Curri: Më mirë një kombëtare e fortë se sa dy të dobëta]</ref>. Another un[[capped]] Kosovo-born player, [[Ilir Nallbani]], has reiterated his desire to play for Albania saying ''"I am Albanian, I want the red-and-black jersey. If I am given the chance, I will choose Albania."''<ref>[http://www.tifozatkuqezi.com/sporti-lajme.php?id=3971 Nallbani: Jam shqiptar, dua një fanellë kuqezi!]</ref> Others however have remained silent. In [[international football]], players are normally committed to play for a specific national team to the exclusion of all others once they play in all or part of any match recognised as a full international by FIFA. However, an exception is made in cases where one or more newly-independent states are created out of a former state. Based on current FIFA rules, a player will be eligible to play for Kosovo, even if he had previously represented Albania, if at least one of the following statements about him is true<ref>[http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/administration/status%5ftransfer%5fen%5f25.pdf Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players]</ref>: * He was born in Kosovo. * At least one of his parents and/or at least one of his grandparents was born in Kosovo. * He has lived in Kosovo continuously for any two-year period. Due to mixed ancestries, it is probable that a large percentage of the players eligible to play for Kosovo will also remain eligible to play for Albania, and vice versa. However, once they have played for either Albania or Kosovo, they are no longer eligible to play for the other one. ===Players=== ''Note'': * Players containing the {{flagicon|Kosovo}} flag possess dual nationality. See "The Kosovo dilemma" above. * Players containing the [[Image:Yes check.svg|15px]], are called-up for the coming match(es). * Players containing the [[Image:Cruz Roja.svg|15px]], were either recently withdrawn from the squad due to injury, or are currently injured. * Players containing the [[Image:Red card.svg|10px]], are suspended for the next official match. ====Goalkeepers==== {{nat fs g start}} {{nat fs g player |no=|pos=GK |name=[[Arjan Beqaj]] {{flagicon|Kosovo}} |caps=30 |goals=0 |age=[[August 20]] [[1975]] (age {{age|1975|20|8}}) |club=[[Anorthosis Famagusta]] |clubnat=CYP}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=GK |name=[[Isli Hidi]] |caps=3 |goals=0 |age=[[October 15]] [[1980]] (age {{age|1980|10|15}}) |club=[[FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih]] |clubnat=UKR}} {{nat fs g player |no=|pos=GK |name=[[Ilion Lika]] |caps=14 |goals=0 |age=[[May 17]] [[1980]] (age {{age|1980|5|17}}) |club=[[Terek Grozny]] |clubnat=RUS}} {{nat fs end}} ====Defenders==== {{nat fs g start}} {{nat fs g player |no=|pos=DF |name=[[Elvin Beqiri]] |caps=34 |goals=0 |age=[[July 27]] [[1980]] (age {{age|1980|7|27}}) |club=[[FC Arsenal Kyiv]] |clubnat=UKR}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=DF |name=[[Andi Lila]] |caps=1 |goals=0 |age=[[February 12]] [[1986]] (age {{age|1986|2|12}}) |club=[[KS Besa Kavajë]] |clubnat=ALB}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=DF |name=[[Armend Dallku]] {{flagicon|Kosovo}} |caps=21 |goals=0 |age=[[June 16]] [[1983]] (age {{age|1983|6|16}}) |club=[[Vorskla Poltava]] |clubnat=UKR}} {{nat fs g player |no=|pos=DF |name=[[Blerim Rrustemi]] {{flagicon|Kosovo}} |caps=4 |goals=0 |age=[[February 4]] [[1983]] (age {{age|1983|2|4}}) |club=[[FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt]] |clubnat=GER}} {{nat fs g player |no=|pos=DF |name=[[Erion Xhafa]] |caps=3 |goals=0 |age=[[May 31]] [[1982]] (age {{age|1982|5|31}}) |club=[[SK Tirana]] |clubnat=ALB}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=DF |name=[[Kristi Vangjeli]] |caps=9 |goals=0 |age=[[September 5]] [[1985]] (age {{age|1985|9|5}}) |club=[[Aris Thessaloniki F.C.]] |clubnat=GRE}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=DF |name=[[Debatik Curri]] {{flagicon|Kosovo}} |caps=11 |goals=1 |age=[[December 28]] [[1983]] (age {{age|1983|12|28}}) |club=[[Vorskla Poltava]] |clubnat=UKR}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=DF |name=[[Endri Vrapi]] |caps=2 |goals=0 |age=[[May 23]] [[1982]] (age {{age|1982|5|23}}) |club=[[SK Tirana]] |clubnat=ALB}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=DF |name=[[Ansi Agolli]] |caps=0 |goals=0 |age=[[October 11]] [[1982]] (age {{age|1982|10|11}}) |club=[[Vaasan Palloseura]] |clubnat=FIN}} {{nat fs g end}} ====Midfielders==== {{nat fs g start}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=MF |name=[[Lorik Cana]] {{flagicon|Kosovo}} |caps=25 |goals=1 |age=[[July 27]] [[1983]] (age {{age|1983|7|27}}) |club=[[Olympique Marseille]] |clubnat=FRA}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=MF |name=[[Klodian Duro]] |caps=45 |goals=2 |age=[[December 21]] [[1977]] (age {{age|1977|12|21}}) |club=[[AC Omonia]] |clubnat=CYP}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=MF |name=[[Ervin Skela]] |caps=49 |goals=9 |age=[[November 17]] [[1976]] (age {{age|1976|11|17}}) |club=[[Energie Cottbus]] |clubnat=GER}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=MF |name=[[Altin Lala]] [[Image:Captain sports.svg|12px|Captain (football)]] ([[Captain (football)|captain]]) |caps=63 |goals=3 |age=[[November 18]] [[1975]] (age {{age|1975|11|18}}) |club=[[Hannover 96]] |clubnat=GER}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=MF |name=[[Elis Bakaj]] |caps=1 |goals=0 |age=[[June 26]] [[1987]] (age {{age|1987|6|26}}) |club=[[KF Partizani]] |clubnat=ALB}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=MF |name=[[Ervin Bulku]] |caps=8 |goals=0 |age=[[March 3]] [[1981]] (age {{age|1981|3|3}}) |club=[[FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih]] |clubnat=UKR}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=MF |name=[[Jahmir Hyka]] |caps=4 |goals=0 |age=[[March 3]] [[1988]] (age {{age|1988|3|3}}) |club=[[Mainz 05]] |clubnat=GER}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=MF |name=[[Gilman Lika]] |caps=0 |goals=0 |age=[[January 31]] [[1987]] (age {{age|1987|1|31}}) |club=[[Vllaznia Shkodër]] |clubnat=ALB}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=MF |name=[[Pavlin Dhembi|Paulin Dhëmbi]] |caps=0 |goals=0 |age=[[August 9]] [[1979]] (age {{age|1979|8|9}}) |club=[[KF Partizani]] |clubnat=ALB}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=MF |name=[[Bledi Shkembi|Bledi Shkëmbi]] |caps=0 |goals=0 |age=[[August 13]] [[1979]] (age {{age|1979|8|13}}) |club=[[KF Partizani]] |clubnat=ALB}} {{nat fs g end}} ====Strikers==== {{nat fs g start}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=FW |name=[[Edmond Kapllani]] |caps=20 |goals=5 |age=[[July 31]] [[1982]] (age {{age|1982|7|31}}) |club=[[Karlsruher SC]] |clubnat=GER}} {{nat fs g player |no=|pos=FW |name=[[Besart Berisha]] {{flagicon|Kosovo}} |caps=7 |goals=2 |age=[[July 29]] [[1985]] (age {{age|1985|7|29}}) |club=[[Burnley FC]] |clubnat=ENG}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=FW |name=[[Dorian Bylykbashi]] |caps=0 |goals=0 |age=[[August 8]] [[1980]] (age {{age|1980|8|8}}) |club=[[FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih]] |clubnat=UKR}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=FW |name=[[Hamdi Salihi]] |caps=5 |goals=1 |age=[[January 19]] [[1984]] (age {{age|1984|1|19}}) |club=[[SV Ried]] |clubnat=AUT}} {{nat fs g player |no= |pos=FW |name=[[Erjon Bogdani]] |caps=44 |goals=8 |age=[[April 14]] [[1977]] (age {{age|1977|4|14}}) |club=[[AS Livorno Calcio|AS Livorno]] |clubnat=ITA}} {{nat fs g end}} === The most common line-up === <table style="float: center; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; width: 160px; border: #99B3FF solid 1px"> <tr><td><div style="position: relative;"> [[Image:Soccer.Field Transparant.png|175px]] {{Image label|x=0.23|y=0.05|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">[[Arjan Beqaj|'''Beqaj'''<br />]]</font>}} {{Image label|x=0.14|y=0.13|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Maroon">[[Nevil Dede|'''Dede'''<br />]]</font>}} {{Image label|x=0.31|y=0.13|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Maroon">[[Debatik Curri|'''Curri''' <br />]]</font>}} {{Image label|x=0.05|y=0.20|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Maroon">[[Armend Dallku|'''Dallku'''<br />]]</font>}} {{Image label|x=0.38|y=0.20|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Maroon">[[Kristi Vangjeli|'''Vangjeli'''<br />]]</font>}} {{Image label|x=0.23|y=0.28|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Navy">[[Lorik Cana|'''Cana'''<br />]]</font>}} {{Image label|x=0.17|y=0.37|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Black">[[Klodian Duro|'''Duro'''<br />]]</font>}} {{Image label|x=0.31|y=0.37|scale=349|text=<font size=1 color="Black">[[Altin Lala|'''Lala'''<br />]]</font>}} {{Image label|x=0.07|y=0.45|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Black">[[Besart Berisha|'''Berisha'''<br />]]</font>}} {{Image label|x=0.38|y=0.45|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Black">[[Altin Haxhi|'''Haxhi'''<br />]]</font>}} {{Image label|x=0.22|y=0.55|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Brown">[[Erjon Bogdani|'''Bogdani'''<br />]]</font>}} </div></td></tr> <tr><td><small>The 4-5-1 line-up used by [[Otto Barić]].</small></td></tr> </table> ===Coaching staff=== {| |- |'''Head Coach'''||{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Arie Haan]] |- |'''Assistant Coach'''|| (vacant) |- |'''Assistant Coach'''|| {{flagicon|Albania}} [[Shpetim Duro]] |- |'''Goalkeeping Coach'''|| {{flagicon|Albania}} [[Jani Kaçi]] |- |'''Team Doctor'''|| {{flagicon|Albania}} Asllan Kasa |- valign=top |rowspan=3|'''Masseurs'''|| {{flagicon|Germany}} Achim Bullinger |- | {{flagicon|Albania}} Ylli Mihali |} == FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualification == {{main|2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 1}} {{footballbox |date = [[September 6]] [[2008]] |team1 = {{fb-rt|ALB}} |score = vs. |report = |team2 = {{fb|SWE}} |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], [[Tirana]] |attendance = |referee = }} ---- {{footballbox |date = [[September 10]] [[2008]] |team1 = {{fb-rt|ALB}} |score = vs. |report = |team2 = {{fb|MLT}} |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], [[Tirana]] |attendance = |referee = }} ---- {{footballbox |date = [[October 11]] [[2008]] |team1 = {{fb-rt|HUN}} |score = vs. |report = |team2 = {{fb|ALB}} |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = |attendance = |referee = }} ---- {{footballbox |date = [[October 15]] [[2008]] |team1 = {{fb-rt|POR}} |score = vs. |report = |team2 = {{fb|ALB}} |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = |attendance = |referee = }} ---- {{footballbox |date = [[February 11]] [[2009]] |team1 = {{fb-rt|MLT}} |score = vs. |report = |team2 = {{fb|ALB}} |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = [[Ta' Qali Stadium]], [[Ta' Qali]] |attendance = |referee = }} ---- {{footballbox |date = [[March 28]] [[2009]] |team1 = {{fb-rt|ALB}} |score = vs. |report = |team2 = {{fb|HUN}} |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], [[Tirana]] |attendance = |referee = }} ---- {{footballbox |date = [[April 1]] [[2009]] |team1 = {{fb-rt|DEN}} |score = vs. |report = |team2 = {{fb|ALB}} |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = [[Parken Stadium]], [[Copenhagen]] |attendance = |referee = }} ---- {{footballbox |date = [[June 6]] [[2009]] |team1 = {{fb-rt|ALB}} |score = vs. |report = |team2 = {{fb|POR}} |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], [[Tirana]] |attendance = |referee = }} ---- {{footballbox |date = [[September 9]] [[2009]] |team1 = {{fb-rt|ALB}} |score = vs. |report = |team2 = {{fb|DEN}} |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], [[Tirana]] |attendance = |referee = }} ---- {{footballbox |date = [[October 14]] [[2009]] |team1 = {{fb-rt|SWE}} |score = vs. |report = |team2 = {{fb|ALB}} |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = [[Råsunda Stadium]], [[Solna Municipality|Solna]] |attendance = |referee = }} ===Group 1=== {{2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 1 | expanded = yes | tiebreakers = yes }} == Last match == '''Albania''' [http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/news/kind=1/newsid=701474.html#landmark+goal+suffices+poland 0-1] [[Poland national football team|Poland]] {{Flagicon|POL}}, [[May 27]] [[2008]] (20:30 local time) [[Friendly match|Friendly]] <small>(N)</small> * Venue: [[Stadion an der Kreuzeiche]], [[Reutlingen]], [[Germany]] * Attendance: 2,500 * Referee: [[Knut Kircher]] {{Flagicon|GER}} * Goal(s): 0-1 '3 [[Maciej Zurawski]] ==Next match== '''Albania''' [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/europe/teams/team=43932/fixturesresults.html vs.] [[Sweden national football team|Sweden]] {{Flagicon|SWE}}, [[September 6]] [[2008]], [[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 1|WC Qual.]] <small>(H)</small> * Venue: [[Qemal Stafa (stadium)|Qemal Stafa]], [[Tirana]] * Referee: (N/A) ==Albania versus other countries== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;" |- !Against !Wins !Draws !Losses !Total |- |{{fb|ALG}}||2||0||0||2 |- |{{fb|AND}}||1||0||1||2 |- |{{fb|ARM}}||0||1||1||2 |- |{{fb|AUT}}||0||0||6||6 |- |{{fb|AZE}}||3||0||0||3 |- |{{fb|BHR}}||0||0||1||1 |- |{{fb|BLR}}||0||1||1||2 |- |{{fb|BEL}}||1||0||1||2 |- |{{fb|BIH}}||1||1||0||2 |- |{{fb|BUL}}||2||4||5||11 |- |{{fb|CHN}}||0||1||1||2 |- |{{fb|CUB}}||0||1||0||1 |- |{{fb|CYP}}||0||1||2||3 |- |{{fb|CSK}}||2||0||3||5 |- |{{fb|DEN}}||1||0||5||6 |- |{{fb|ENG}}||0||0||4||4 |- |{{fb|CYP}}||0||1||2||3 |- |{{fb|EST}}||1||1||0||2 |- |{{fb|FIN}}||2||1||4||7 |- |{{fb|FRA}}||0||0||2||2 |- |{{fb|GEO}}||3||1||6||10 |- |{{fb|GER}}||0||1||13||14 |- |{{fb|GRE}}||4||4||6||14 |- |{{fb|HUN}}||0||1||2||3 |- |{{fb|ISL}}||2||0||1||3 |- |{{fb|IRL}}||0||1||3||4 |- |{{fb|KAZ}}||2||0||0||2 |- |{{fb|LUX}}||2||1||0||3 |- |{{fb|LAT}}||0||5||0||5 |- |{{fb|LTU}}||1||0||2||3 |- |{{fb|MAC}}||1||1||4||6 |- |{{fb|MEX}}||0||0||1||1 |- |{{fb|MDA}}||2||0||0||2 |- |{{fb|NED}}||0||0||4||4 |- |{{fb|NIR}}||1||2||5||8 |- |{{fb|NOR}}||0||1||1||2 |- |{{fb|POL}}||1||3||7||11 |- |{{fb|POR}}||0||0||3||3 |- |{{fb|ROM}}||2||1||10||13 |- |{{fb|RUS}}||1||0||1||2 |- |{{fb|SMR}}||1||0||0||1 |- |{{fb|SLO}}||0||2||2||4 |- |{{fb|ESP}}||0||0||5||5 |- |{{fb|SWE}}||1||0||2||3 |- |{{fb|SUI}}||0||1||3||4 |- |{{fb|TUR}}||3||1||5||9 |- |{{fb|UKR}}||0||1||3||4 |- |{{fb|VIE}}||1||0||0||1 |- |{{fb|WAL}}||0||1||1||2 |- |{{fb|YUG}}||0||1||4||5 |- !Total!!59!!45!!147!!251 |} ==Former famous players== *[[Loro Boriçi]] *[[Riza Lushta]] *[[Selman Stërmasi]] *[[Bledar Kola]] *[[Naim Kryeziu]] *[[Sulejman Demollari]] *[[Agustin Kola]] *[[Mirel Josa]] *[[Arben Minga]] (28 caps, 2 goals) *[[Sokol Kushta]] (31 caps, 10 goals) *[[Vasil Ruci]] (67 caps, 10 goals) *[[Panajot Pano]] (25 caps, ? goals) *[[Rudi Vata]] 1990-2001 (59 caps, 5 goals) *[[Blendi Nallbani]] 1989-2002 (18 caps, 0 goals) *[[Mehmet Dragusha]] 2003-2005 (6 caps, 0 goals) *[[Altin Rraklli]] 1997-2005 (63 caps, 11 goals) *[[Foto Strakosha]] 1996-2006 (73 caps) *[[Besnik Hasi]] ?-2006 (50 caps, 2 goals) *[[Adrian Aliaj]] ?-2006 (15 caps, 8 goals) *[[Igli Tare]] ?-2007 *[[Edvin Murati]] ?-2007 ==Notable Managers== *{{Flagicon|Germany}} [[Hans-Peter Briegel]] 2002-2006 ==Honours== ===Senior team=== * Winners of VIII [[Balkan Cup]] ([[Tirana]], October 1946) * Winners of Rothmans Football International Tournament ([[Valletta]], [[February 4]] - [[February 10]] [[2000]])<ref>[http://www.mfa.com.mt/Events/2000evts.htm Malta 2000 Events]</ref> ===Albania U-23=== * 3rd place in [[Balkan Cup]] [[1969]] in [[Romania]] * 3rd place in [[Balkan Cup]] [[1970]] in [[Bulgaria]] * 2nd place in [[Balkan Cup]] [[1974]] in [[Romania]] ===Albania U-21=== * 3rd place in [[Balkan Cup]] [[1976]] in [[Greece]] * Winners of [[Balkan Cup]] [[1978]] (home-away matches) * Winners of [[Balkan Cup]] [[1981]] in [[Greece]] ===Albania U-18=== * 2nd place in [[Balkan Cup]] [[1979]] in [[Bulgaria]] * 3rd place in [[Balkan Cup]] [[1985]] in [[Greece]] * 3rd place in [[Balkan Cup]] [[1987]] in [[Turkey]] * 2nd place in Adriatic Tournament [[1990]] in [[Italy]] * 2nd place in [[Balkan Cup]] [[1990]] in [[Greece]] * 3rd place in [[Balkan Cup]] [[1995]] in [[Turkey]] ===Albania U-17=== * 2nd place in Rijeka Tournament [[1996]] in [[Croatia]] ===Albania U-16=== * 2nd place in Nereo Rocco Tournament [[1996]] in [[Italy]] ===Albania U-15=== * Winners of Beato Annibale Maria di Francia Tournament [[1996]] in [[Italy]] * 3rd place in [[Balkan Cup]] [[2001]] in Albania ===Albania U-14=== * 2nd place in Primavera Tournament [[1995]] in [[Italy]] ==World Cup record== *[[Football World Cup 1930|1930]] to [[Football World Cup 1962|1962]] - ''Did not enter'' *[[Football World Cup 1966|1966]] - ''Did not qualify'' *[[Football World Cup 1970|1970]] - ''Entry not accepted by FIFA'' *[[Football World Cup 1974|1974]] - ''Did not qualify'' *[[Football World Cup 1978|1978]] - ''Did not enter'' *[[Football World Cup 1982|1982]] to [[Football World Cup 2006|2006]] - ''Did not qualify'' ==European Championship record== *[[1960 European Football Championship|1960]] - ''Did not enter'' *[[1964 European Football Championship|1964]] to [[1972 European Football Championship|1972]] - ''Did not qualify'' *[[1976 European Football Championship|1976]] - ''Did not enter'' *[[1980 European Football Championship|1980]] to [[2008 European Football Championship|2008]] - ''Did not qualify'' ==See also== *[[Kategoria superiore]] *[[Albania national under-21 football team]] *[[List of Albanian footballers]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.albaniasoccer.com/en/ AlbaniaSoccer.com] *[http://www.staff.city.ac.uk/r.j.gerrard/cgi-bin/rdifarch_21.pl?SECONDARY=any&PRIMARY=alb&FROMYEAR=1940&TOYEAR=2001&COMP=0&SUMMARY=on&TABULAR=0&DATAVER=10.0 AIFR archive of results: 1946-2000/01] *[http://www.freewebs.com/albsoccer/ Albanian Soccer News] *[http://www.tifozatkuqezi.com/ Tifozat Kuq e Zi / Red and Black Fan Club] *[http://foreignaffairs.tripod.com/armillotta/albanian_cups.html Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation - Albania] *[http://www.albania-sport.com/ Albania Sport] {{fb start}} {{International Football}} {{UEFA teams}} {{fb end}} [[Category:European national football teams]] [[Category:Football in Albania]] [[ar:منتخب ألبانيا لكرة القدم]] [[da:Albaniens fodboldlandshold]] [[de:Albanische Fußballnationalmannschaft]] [[el:Εθνική Αλβανίας (ποδόσφαιρο ανδρών)]] [[es:Selección de fútbol de Albania]] [[fr:Équipe d'Albanie de football]] [[gl:Selección de fútbol de Albania]] [[ko:알바니아 축구 국가대표팀]] [[it:Nazionale di calcio dell'Albania]] [[he:נבחרת אלבניה בכדורגל]] [[lv:Albānijas futbola izlase]] [[lt:Albanijos vyrų futbolo rinktinė]] [[hu:Albán labdarúgó-válogatott]] [[mt:Tim Nazzjonali tal-Futbol ta' l-Albanija]] [[mr:आल्बेनिया फुटबॉल संघ]] [[nl:Albanees voetbalelftal]] [[ja:サッカーアルバニア代表]] [[pl:Reprezentacja Albanii w piłce nożnej]] [[pt:Seleção Albanesa de Futebol]] [[ro:Echipa naţională de fotbal a Albaniei]] [[ru:Сборная Албании по футболу]] [[sq:Kombëtarja shqiptare e futbollit]] [[sv:Albaniens herrlandslag i fotboll]] [[vi:Đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Albania]] [[tr:Arnavutluk Millî Futbol Takımı]] [[uk:Збірна Албанії з футболу]]