Serbia took on Balkan neighbours Albania in a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier on October 11 - the latest instalment of a uniquely charged rivalry.
Albania vs. Serbia rivalry, explained: How politics, conflict has shaped soccer games between nations originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Serbia take on Balkan neighbours Albania in a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier on October 11.
England have dominated UEFA Group K so far with five wins out of five, including a 5-0 demolition of Serbia in Belgrade.
That left Dragan Stojkovic's side third in the standings, a point behind Albania in the playoff spot but with a game in hand.
The match has been moved from Belgrade's Rajko Mitic Stadium, the traditional home for Serbia's international matches, to the 8,000-capacity Dubočica Stadium in the relatively remote Leskovac, 275km south of the capital.
This move was made on safety grounds and becomes easy to understand in the context of Serbia and Albania's sporting and wider national histories.
Are Albania and Serbia sporting rivals?
Serbia and Albania have only played one another sparingly in international sport.
Although handball, basketball and volleyball are popular in both countries, Serbia is notably stronger in all three internationally.
Over the past decade, international football has provided a more level playing field between the two countries. Even though they have only met sparingly, their fixtures are highly charged on account of the wider political context.
Political relations between Albania and Serbia, explained
Albania established international relations with Serbia in 1914. Between 1918 and 2006, these constituted relations between Albania and Yugoslavia in its various guises.
In 2006, Montenegro and Serbia became independent states. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia (which became North Macedonia in 2019) had declared independence from Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1992, at the beginning of the decade-long period of the Yugoslav Wars.
Albania was never part of Yugoslavia, even though this was the intention of former Yugoslav dictator Tito after the Second World War.
Albania shares borders with Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo. There is a significant ethnic Albanian population in the former Yugoslav countries, most notably Kosovo.
History, Balkan Wars of 1912-13
In the First Balkan War, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared independence from the Ottoman Empire. The Second Balkan War featured Bulgaria fighting the four combatants from the first war.
Between those conflicts, the Treaty of London settled the territorial disputes arising from the First Balkan War. This included the establishment of an independent Albania, something contested by Serbia as it deprived the country of its Adriatic port.
An independent Albania was upheld in the Treaty of Bucharest. Estimates of Albanian civilian fatalities during the conflicts range between 120,000 and 270,000. Up to 300,000 Albanians were deported from old Serbia.
Kosovo War, bombing of Yugoslavia
The Kosovo War spanned from February to June 1998 and was fought between the now Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Liberation Army, a Kosovo-Albanian separatist militia.
On March 20, Yugoslav forces began a concerted campaign of expulsion and repression against Kosovo Albanians. NATO responded with an aerial bombing campaign on March 24, which it justified on humanitarian grounds.
How many times have Albania and Serbia played each other in soccer?
Serbia and Albania had only played one another three times in international football heading into the World Cup qualifier in Leskovac on October 11.
Euro 2016 qualifying interrupted by drone
The first official match between Albania and Serbia came during qualifying for Euro 2016. At the beginning of the match at Partizan Stadium in Belgrade, home supporters chanted "Ubij, ubij Siptara", which translates as "Kill, kill the Albanian".
Early in the match, some Serbia fans burned a NATO flag on the terraces. The game was twice suspended as supporters threw flares onto the pitch, with some of the Serbia fans trying to invade the field and fighting with security.
While the match was suspended by referee Martin Atkinson in the 42nd minute, a drone flew down towards the pitch carrying a flag showing Greater Albania and featuring nationalist Albanian slogans, such as the date of the country's independence in 1912.
Serbia striker Stefan Mitrovic tried to grab the flag and was confronted by Albania players. After a scuffle between the players, the teams were escorted from the pitch and fans invaded the field.
The match was abandoned and later awarded as a 3-0 victory to Albania by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Serbian team bus attacked, riot police fire water cannons
For the return match in Elbasan, the Serbia team bus was attacked by Albanian fans, who threw objects. Albanian police mobilised water cannons.
The match itself went off in fairly uneventful fashion as Serbia won 2-0. However, the defeat did not stop Albania from qualifying for their first-ever major international tournament.
First World Cup 2026 qualifier
The initial Group K meeting between Albania and Serbia in 2026 World Cup qualification finished in a 0-0 draw and passed off without any comparable flashpoints to those that marred the Euro 2016 qualifiers.
Category: General Sports
