Albania and Serbia face each other in a World Cup qualifier that's about more than just football

Independent

13 hours ago

When Albania and Serbia face off in a 2026 World Cup qualifier on Saturday, the match in Tirana carries more weight than just the score.
This clash is one of the most politically charged and emotionally intense rivalries in European football, rooted in deep historical and ethnic tensions, especially relating to the Kosovo conflict and broader Balkan history.
With national identities deeply entwined, organisers are working to ensure the echoes of past confrontations are kept at bay.
The last time the two teams met on Albanian soil was in 2015, when Serbia won 2-0, despite Serbian fans being banned from the match.
Both nations are in the same European qualifying group alongside England, Latvia, and Andorra.
The 2014 Belgrade brawl fresh in memories
A 2014 game between the teams in Belgrade was abandoned when a drone carrying an Albanian flag sparked a full-scale brawl. Albania was awarded a 3-0 victory after a ruling said the match couldn't be continued due to the hostile environment at the stadium.
That clinched Albania's qualification to the 2016 European Championship — a first for the team.
That match had already been considered high risk. Kosovo, which has a majority Albanian population, declared independence from Serbia in 2008 — a move Serbia does not recognize.
Football, often a mirror of nationalism and politics, reflected this deep divide.
As Tirana braces for the latest showdown, memories of that night — and the nationalistic fervor it unleashed — hover just beneath the surface.
Serbia's tense ties with Kosovo
Serbia and Albania remain at odds over the status of now-independent Kosovo, and fan rivalry is still intense.
North Macedonia or southern Serbia.
For players, this is a contest overshadowed by history, politics, and national pride — a reminder that sometimes sport is anything but just a game.
Albania defender Elseid Hysaj, who was part of the 2014 match, said the chaos "should not be repeated."
'We should be calm and be conscious that we are football players," he said. 'We are here to please the fans and give our best for the victory.'
Organisers remind fans it's a game
Armand Duka, president of the Albanian Football Federation, called on Albanians to see the match as a sports event 'where the team gets support and positive energy from the fans to achieve the goal.'
'We want to give the message: let's live it as a sport festivity,' Duka told The Associated Press.
There will be a heavy police presence, road closures, and searches of fans entering the stadium. Serbian fans are barred, which "will contribute to a quieter environment,' Duka said.
The sides have taken steps to forge a better relationship. Albania and Serbia will co-host the men's Under-21 European Championship in 2027 in a project that aims to overcome political tensions.
'Players do not bear the burden of history or of the political tensions,' Duka said. 'They compete on the pitch to win, to give the best for the jersey they represent and, above all, to build the bridge of respect through the game.'
Nationalists and soccer fans at odds
Although political tensions have somewhat subsided in recent years, nationalists and soccer fans on both sides are deeply at odds. Both Albania and Serbia have faced sanctions from European soccer's governing body because of politically-charged incidents involving fans.
Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic, however, recently added fuel by telling Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic at a big rally of his supporters that Serbia must win.
'Go there and beat them,' he said, addressing Stojkovic who was in the crowd.
Stojkovic and some players have tried to ease tensions, saying it is just another match.
'Everyone says that the first game is very important," Stojkovic said of Serbia's opener in Group K. 'We are very focused on starting the way we want to and we will prepare to play the best we can in that sense, with all due respect to Albania.'