The Albania–Serbia football rivalry is a sports rivalry that exists between the national football teams of the two countries, as well as their respective sets of fans. The rivalry is considered to be one of the most bitter in the world owing to the events of the Kosovo War. Tense relations between the two nations are thus fueled by political and historical differences.

As of October 2025, the teams have played four matches against each other, with Albania winning two of them and Serbia one. The first match between the two countries took place on 14 October 2014, and ended in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) awarding a 3–0 victory to Albania after it had been abandoned following on-field incidents. The most recent match took place on 11 October 2025 which Albania won 1–0.

History 2016 Euro qualifiers

At the UEFA Euro 2016 qualification game, the first association football match between Albania and Serbia took place on 14 October 2014, at Partizan Stadium in Belgrade. At the beginning of the match, the Serbian crowd chanted Ubij, ubij Šiptara (Kill, kill the Albanian). Chants like "Kill the Serb", "Kill the Croat", and "Kill the Albanian” became part of the Balkan football folklore in stadiums across the region after nationalism rose after wars between the countries. Afterwards, a drone quadcopter carrying the map of Greater Albania appeared on the pitch. After Serbian player Stefan Mitrović tried to grab the flag, Albanian players attacked him. This led to a scuffle between the two sides. After the riot broke out, Branislav Ivanović said that the players shielded the Albanian players while they were going back to the tunnel. The match was abandoned at 0–0 after the fans invaded the pitch. FIFA's president condemned the behavior and UEFA punished both football associations.

First ever Line Up between: Albania VS Serbia

GK 1 Vladimir StojkovićRB 6 Branislav Ivanović (c) CB 13Stefan MitrovićCB 5 Matija NastasićLB 11Aleksandar KolarovCM 8 Nemanja GudeljCM 14Nemanja MatićRW 7 Zoran TošićAM 19Filip ĐuričićLW 10Dušan TadićCF 18Danko LazovićManager: Dick Advocaat GK 1 Etrit BerishaRB 4 Elseid HysajCB 5 Lorik Cana (c)CB 15Mërgim MavrajLB 7 Ansi Agolli DM 13Burim KukeliCM 14Taulant XhakaCM 22Amir AbrashiRM 2 Andi LilaLM 3 Ermir LenjaniCF 19Bekim BalajManager: Gianni De Biasi

On 10 July 2015, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), awarded a 3–0 victory to Albania, reversing an earlier UEFA ruling that had awarded Serbia a 3-0 victory. Serbia was also deducted three points. On 8 October the same year, the second match between the nations took place at the Elbasan Arena in Albania. The Serbian football team's bus was attacked by Albanian protesters with stones. A few hours before the kickoff, the Albanian police carried out riots, firing water cannon bursts as a helicopter buzzed over nearby buildings. The match ended with Serbia defeating Albania by 2–0 score. The second match was mostly free of tensions because heavy security and other measures were imposed to guard against incidents. The only sign of the intense rivalry was the loud booing by Albanian fans during the Serbian national anthem. Albania would qualify for the UEFA Euro 2016 in France finishing runner up to Portugal with 14 points, while Serbia would finish in 4th place with four points in the standings. The other teams of the group were Portugal, Denmark and Armenia.

Standings in Group I

2026 FIFA qualifiers

Albania and Serbia were drawn into Group K of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, with England, Latvia and Andorra. Many fans were shocked to see Albania and Serbia put in the same group due to past incidents in the 2016 Euro qualification games. Others questioned if another incident would occur during the qualification matches.

The first match between the two sides of the World Cup 2026 Qualifiers was hosted by Albania at Air Albania Stadium on 7 June. It ended in a 0-0 draw without significant incidents. Albanian forward Rey Manaj missed a penalty at the 45th minute as Serbian goaltender Đorđe Petrović made the save. The second match was held in Serbia at Dubočica Stadium, and ended in a 1-0 win for Albania after Rey Manaj scored the lone goal in the 45+1 minute. Manaj celebrated the goal with a double-headed eagle gesture which earned him a yellow card. The win gave Albania three vital points. Albania secured second place in the group in its subsequent match after beating Andorra 0-1 as visitors, thanks to a goal from Kristjan Asllani. The win secured a spot for Albania in the FIFA-play-offs with a total of 14 points. Meanwhile, Serbia finished in 3rd place with 13 Points.

Standings in Group K

Overall and matches Overall CompetitionRoundMatchesWinsDrawsGoalsAlbaniaSerbiaAlbaniaSerbiaFIFA World CupCompetition000000Qualification Process210110UEFA European ChampionshipCompetition000000Qualification Process211032Total421142

Matches

Notes

References