Albania vs Serbia

Albania host Serbia at the Arena Kombetare in Tirana on Saturday, aiming for consecutive wins in their World Cup 2026 Qualifying Group K campaign.

The hosts earned three points from their first two matches in March, while Serbia, yet to kick off their qualifying journey, remain above the bottom of the group standings.

After falling to Thomas Tuchel’s revamped England side, Albania bounced back with a comfortable victory over Andorra. Rey Manaj struck twice early on, and Myrto Uzuni’s late header secured a 3-0 win for the Red and Blacks, who are chasing back-to-back major tournament appearances following their brief Euro 2024 stint.

Led by former Barcelona and Arsenal defender Sylvinho, with Premier League winner Pablo Zabaleta as an assistant coach, Albania sit second in Group K—a position good enough for a playoff spot at this early stage. With Andorra and Latvia unlikely to compete for the top two spots, Albania and Serbia may be locked in a direct battle for second place behind group favorites England.

A shock result for England against Andorra could even see Albania briefly take the group lead, bolstered by their strong home form, with four victories in their last five World Cup Qualifying matches in Tirana.

Meanwhile, Serbia’s qualifying campaign was delayed due to their efforts to secure their Nations League top-tier status in March. Finishing third in their League A group, Dragan Stojkovic’s side faced Austria in a two-legged relegation/promotion playoff.

A 1-1 draw away in the first leg set them up well, and second-half goals from Nemanja Maksimovic and Dusan Vlahovic clinched a 3-1 aggregate triumph, keeping Serbia in the top tier and extending their unbeaten run to four matches.

Serbia now begin their push for a third consecutive World Cup appearance, though they’ve never advanced beyond the group stage as an independent nation. Their only competitive senior men’s clash with Albania ended in a 2-0 Serbian victory in Euro 2016 qualifying, sealed by two stoppage-time goals.

However, their first encounter in October 2014 was marred by controversy when a drone carrying an Albanian flag flew over the Belgrade stadium, sparking clashes between players and fans, ultimately resulting in a 3-0 win awarded to Albania.