History

Football arrived in Albania at the start of the 20th century when the inhabitants of the northern city of Shkoder were surprised to see a strange game being played by students at a Christian mission.

First match
This is the earliest recorded match in the country, which at the time was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. However, the game increased in popularity and by 1920 the first club, Vllaznia - meaning 'brotherhood' - had been founded, also in Shkoder.

Association formed
Other towns and cities followed suit, and on 6 June 1930 the Football Association of Albania (FSF) was established. The association became a member of world football's governing body FIFA in 1932, and joined the new European governing body UEFA in 1954 as one of the founding members.

Domestic and foreign development
Despite the game's spread over this period, the difficult economic situation in the country impeded efforts to create a sound infrastructure for the new clubs. Nonetheless, Albania managed to produce a number of talented players who moved abroad to further their careers. These included Riza Lushta, Loro Boriçi and Naim Kryeziu, who played in Italy for Juventus FC, S.S. Lazio and AS Roma respectively, between 1940 and 1944.

Championship begins
Back home, a domestic championship had got under way in 1930 and featured six teams - KS Skënderbeu Korçë, KS Bashkimi Shkodran, KS Teuta Durrës, KS Urani Elbasan, SK Vlora and SK Tirana, now KF Tirana. SK Tirana were the inaugural winners. They, together with such sides are KS Dinamo Tirana, KS Vllaznia and FK Partizani, have continued to dominate the Albanian scene until the present day.

State stimulated football
The years following the second world war 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 became popularised. Its infrastructure grew stronger as the game was organised and developed in state enterprises, schools, villages and towns.

International highlight
One of the country's great days came in December 1967 when Albania held West Germany to a goalless draw in a UEFA European Championship qualifier - a result that meant the West Germans did not reach the knockout phase of the competition. (A detailed account of that match can be found elsewhere in this section.)

Recent changes
From 1991, there were crucial political and economic changes that had a tremendous effect on the nation, as the centralised economy and political system came to an end. The result for the country's footballers was an opportunity to ply their trade on foreign fields. Sulejman Demollari moved to FC Dinamo Bucuresti in Romania, Rudi Vata to Enosis Neon Paralimni FC in Cyprus. Neighbouring Greece and the Balkan states were other popular destinations for players who were good enough to go abroad.

UEFA's help
Such changes in a country's life are always difficult, and UEFA's contribution to helping small associations such as the Albanian FA was crucial. Solidarity payments by European football's governing body gave the Albanian football authorities the chance to put the country's football structure on a sounder basis for the future.

Good results
The coming years will see Albania's clubs and national teams doing their utmost to produce good results at European and world level. Wins against Russia and Georgia, and draws against Switzerland and the Republic of Ireland as part of an unbeaten home record in the UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying competition are testimony to the hard work that is taking place.

Memorable matches:
24 November 1965, FIFA World Cup qualifying
Albania 1-1 Northern Ireland
17 December 1967, European Championship qualifying
Albania 0-0 West Germany
31 October 1984, World Cup qualifying
Poland 2-2 Albania
22 December 1984, World Cup qualifying 
Albania 2-0 Belgium

04 September 2004  World Cup qualifying

Albania-Greece 2-1