Albania, Serbia clash in high-stakes, politically charged WC qualifier

The roar of the crowd or the thrill of the game are hallmarks of international soccer. But when Albania and Serbia meet Saturday in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, the energy will be different.

The match in Tirana isn't just about three points as echoes of past confrontations are impossible to ignore. It's a clash deeply rooted in national identities that organizers are fighting hard to put aside.

It 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.

Serbia and Albania are in the same European qualifying group alongside England, Latvia and Andorra.

The last time they met on Albanian soil was in 2015, when Serbia won 2-0 even though Serbian fans were banned from the match.

The 2014 Belgrade brawl fresh in memoriesA 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 KosovoSerbia and Albania remain at odds over the status of now-independent Kosovo, and fan rivalry is still intense.

Almost half of the Albanian squad is of Albanian origin from Kosovo, 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.

Organizers remind fans it's a gameArmand 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 oddsAlthough 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.