Albania national under-17 football team
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Nickname(s)Kuqezinjtë (The Red and Blacks)
Shqiponjat (The Eagles)
Shqiponjat (The Eagles)
AssociationFederata Shqiptare e Futbollit (FSHF)
ConfederationUEFA
Head coachArmand Dama
 | ||||
| Nickname(s) | Kuqezinjtë (The Red and Blacks) Shqiponjat (The Eagles) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit (FSHF) | |||
| Confederation | UEFA | |||
| Head coach | Armand Dama | |||
| Captain | Gabriel Kulla | |||
| Most caps | Adi Kurti (16)[1] | |||
| Top scorer | Gabriel Kulla (8)[2] | |||
| Home stadium | Elbasan Arena Loro Boriçi Stadium | |||
| FIFA code | ALB | |||
| ||||
| First international | ||||
 Croatia 4–0 Albania  (Vác, Hungary; 24 September 2001) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
 Liechtenstein 0–6 Albania (Tatabánya, Hungary; 23 October 2012) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
Albania 0–7 Belarus  (Riihimäki, Finland; 25 September 2008) | ||||
| UEFA European Under-17 Championship | ||||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2025) | |||
| Best result | Group Stage (2025) | |||
| FIFA U-17 World Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 0 | |||
| Best result | – | |||
The Albania national under-17 football team represents Albania in international football at this age level in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship, as well as any other under-17 international football tournaments. It is controlled by Albanian Football Association, the governing body for football in Albania.
Albania U17 has never qualified in an Under-17 major tournament, managing four times, their first Elite Round came in 2003 the "elite round" twice in 2012, 2014 under the coach Džemal Mustedanagić in both cases and nine years later in 2023. Despite not Qualifying in the past Albania U17 will host the 2025 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, which will be held in Tirana – capital city of the country.[3]
Before 2002, the event was classified as a U-16 tournament.
Champions Runners-up Third place Tournament played fully or partially on home soil
| UEFA European Under-17 Championship record | UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification record | Manager(s) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |||
 2002 |
did not qualify[4] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 11 | Ilir Spahiu | |||||||||
 2003 |
did not qualify[5] | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | Spahiu | |||||||||
 2004 |
did not qualify[6] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | Spahiu | |||||||||
 2005 |
did not qualify[7] | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | Spahiu | |||||||||
 2006 |
did not qualify[8] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | Ramadan Shehu | |||||||||
 2007 |
did not qualify[9] | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Shpëtim Duro | |||||||||
 2008 |
did not qualify[10] | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | Duro | |||||||||
 2009 |
did not qualify[11] | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | Ardian Mema | |||||||||
| 2010 |
did not qualify[12] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | Mema | |||||||||
 2011 |
did not qualify | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | Džemal Mustedanagić | |||||||||
 2012 |
did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 11 | Mustedanagić | |||||||||
 2013 |
did not qualify | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Mustedanagić | |||||||||
 2014 |
did not qualify | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | Mustedanagić | |||||||||
 2015 |
did not qualify | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | Mustedanagić | |||||||||
 2016 |
did not qualify | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | Mustedanagić | |||||||||
| 2017 |
did not qualify | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | Mustedanagić | |||||||||
 2018 |
did not qualify | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | Mustedanagić | |||||||||
 2019 |
did not qualify | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | Mustedanagić | |||||||||
 |
Tournament was cancelled | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | Elvin Beqiri | |||||||||
 |
Tournament was cancelled | Tournament was cancelled | Ervin Bulku | ||||||||||||||
 2022 |
did not qualify | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | Bulku | |||||||||
 2023 |
did not qualify | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | Bulku | |||||||||
| 2024 |
did not qualify | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | Ardian Behari | |||||||||
| 2025 |
Group | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | Andrea Tedesco | ||
| 2026 |
did not qualify | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Fatjon Tafaj | |||||||||
 2027 |
To be determined | To be determined | Armand Dama | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 86 | 14 | 16 | 56 | 77 | 193 | |||||
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Recent results
| 19 March 2025 2025 UEFA Q | Azerbaijan | 1–4 | Albania | Elbasan |
| 15:00 | Rzayev  47' |
Report | Gjoka 7', 53', 64' Kulla 76' |
Stadium: Elbasan Arena Referee: Jérémy Muller (Luxembourg) |
| 25 March 2025 2025 UEFA Q | Albania | 1–2 |  Wales | Tirana |
| 15:00 | Myrtaj 20' |
Report | Grainger 63', 76' |
Stadium: Shtëpia e Futbollit Referee: Igor Bosca (Moldova) |
| 19 May 2025 2025 UEFA | Albania | 0–4 | Portugal | Tirana |
| 18:00 | Report | Quintas 36' Mide 68' (pen.)Cabral 81'Soares 90+2' |
Stadium: Arena Kombëtare Referee: Patrik Kolarić (Croatia) |
| 22 May 2025 2025 UEFA | Albania | 0–4 | Germany | Elbasan |
| 18:00 | Report | Mensah 7' Staff 20'Mike 66'Oteng-Mensah 85' (pen.) |
Stadium: Elbasan Arena Referee: Kamal Umudlu (Azerbaijan) |
| 25 May 2025 2025 UEFA | France | 4–0 | Albania | Elbasan |
| 20:30 | Malonga 33' Coulibaly 51'N'Guessan 66', 79' |
Report | Stadium: Elbasan Arena Referee: Oleksiy Derevinskyi (Ukraine) |
| 12 August 2025 Friendly | Italy | 4–1 | Albania | Florence |
| Pirola 29' Giammattei 45'Perillo 89'Guaglianone 90+2' |
Report | Vata 20' |
Stadium: Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano |
| 14 August 2025 Friendly | Italy | 6–0 | Albania | Florence |
| Perillo 8', 50' Donato 28'Pisati 41'Fabbri 57'Petrone 84' |
Report | Stadium: Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano |
| 4 September 2025 2025 Syrenka Cup | Poland  | 1–1 | Albania | Grodzisk Mazowiecki |
| Smyrak 6' |
Report | Himallari 67' |
Stadium: GKS Pogon Stadium |
| 6 September 2025 2025 Syrenka Cup | Albania | 1–0 |  Norway | Sulejówek |
| Luka 72' |
Report | Stadium: Sulejówek Municipal Stadium |
| 9 September 2025 2025 Syrenka Cup | Albania | 0–3 |  Romania | Radom |
| Report | Marincean 23' Bota 48'Niculcea 83' |
Stadium: Municipal Stadium Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego |
| 9 October 2025 Friendly | Albania | 1–3 | Slovenia | Tirana |
| Allasufi 90+2' |
Report | Koren 54' Okanović 58'Kotar 72' |
Stadium: Shtëpia e Futbollit |
| 11 October 2025 Friendly | Albania | 0–3 | Slovenia | Tirana |
| Report | Koren 52' (pen.), 86' Matjašec 84' |
Stadium: Shtëpia e Futbollit |
| 11 November 2025 2026 UEFA Q | Albania | 1–1 |  Netherlands | Kotoriba |
| Vata 52' |
Report | Schaken 11' |
Stadium: Sportski Park Kotoriba Referee: Oguzhan Çakir (Türkiye) |
| 14 November 2025 2026 UEFA Q | Croatia | 3–0 | Albania | Nedelišće |
| Bartolović 10' Miličić 26'Frigan 35' |
Report | Stadium: SRP Trate Referee: Oscar Johnson (Sweden) |
| 17 November 2025 2026 UEFA Q | Kazakhstan  | 2–1 | Albania | Nedelišće |
| Chernomorets 21' Zhilkaidar 58' |
Report | Muslika 90+5' |
Stadium: SRP Trate Referee: Ross Hardie (Scotland) |
| 26 March 2026 Friendly | Albania | 2–3 | Latvia | Tirana |
| Matjani 34' Luka 90+6' |
Report | Jirgensons 11' Ščerbinskis 72'Bombāns 86' |
Stadium: Shtëpia e Futbollit |
| 28 March 2026 Friendly | Albania | 2–0 | Latvia | Tirana |
| Matjani 48' Kiço 84' |
Report | Stadium: Shtëpia e Futbollit |
| 3 June 2026 2026 UEFA Q | Latvia | v | Albania |
| 9 June 2026 2026 UEFA Q | Albania | v |  Ukraine |
| 11 November 2026 2027 UEFA Q | Finland  | v | Albania |
| 14 November 2026 2027 UEFA Q | Albania | v |  Scotland |
| 17 November 2026 2027 UEFA Q | Albania | v |  Sweden |
Players
Current squad
The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Latvia 26 and 28 March 2026.[13]
Caps and goals correct as of 28 March 2026, after the match against Latvia.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Simon Lleshi | 27 April 2009 | 6 | 0 | Inter U18 | |
| GK | Bjorni Betoja | 22 May 2009 | 0 | 0 | Vora U17 | |
| DF | Frensi Mali | 29 April 2009 | 12 | 0 | Partizani U19 | |
| DF | Konstantinos Varesi | 2 January 2009 | 11 | 0 | Fiorentina U17 | |
| DF | Petro Marku | 15 August 2009 | 10 | 0 | Bylisi | |
| DF | Dennis Ettore Pierro | 11 March 2009 | 9 | 0 | Torino U17 | |
| DF | Robin Balla | 20 May 2009 | 4 | 0 | Partizani U17 | |
| DF | Sebastian Amataj | 1 January 2009 | 2 | 0 | Brøndby U17 | |
| DF | Jonas Nushi | 23 February 2009 | 2 | 0 |  St. Gallen U17 | |
| DF | Glenne Lushakaj | 9 October 2009 | 1 | 0 | SC Vier- and Marschlande U17 | |
| MF | Dion Vata | 25 February 2009 | 11 | 2 | Partizani | |
| MF | Mattias Allasufi | 11 January 2009 | 7 | 1 | Pro Patria U19 | |
| MF | Armend Muslika | 8 March 2009 | 6 | 1 | Tottenham Hotspur U18 | |
| MF | Daniele Lulaj | 18 April 2009 | 6 | 0 | Lazio U17 | |
| MF | Matias Zogu | 12 January 2009 | 2 | 0 |  Asteras AKTOR U19 | |
| FW | Ermal Ymeri | 17 May 2009 | 11 | 0 | Brommapojkarna U17 | |
| FW | Majkol Luka | 23 March 2009 | 10 | 2 | Fiorentina U17 | |
| FW | Elson Himallari | 16 April 2009 | 9 | 1 | Partizani | |
| FW | Alvin Mahmutaj | 20 June 2009 | 3 | 0 | Apolonia | |
| FW | Francesco Matjani | 5 June 2009 | 2 | 2 | Union Berlin U17 | |
| FW | Françesko Kiço | 3 December 2009 | 2 | 1 | Gondomar U17 | |
| FW | Delis Gjeci | 27 February 2009 | 2 | 0 | Inter U17 | |
Recent call-ups
The following players have been recently called up and are still eligible to represent the under-17 side:
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Klejton Uruci | 21 November 2009 | 6 | 0 | Bologna U17 |
v. Kazakhstan, 17 November 2025 |
| GK | Raffaele Huli | 30 July 2008 | 10 | 0 | Juventus U20 |
v. France, 25 May 2025U19 |
| GK | Daniel Çuli | 24 October 2008 | 5 | 0 | Hellas Verona U18 |
v. France, 25 May 2025U19 |
| GK | Erno Mustafa | 23 October 2008 | 2 | 0 | Partizani U19 |
v. Wales, 25 March 2025 |
| DF | Xhoel Mezani | 5 July 2009 | 9 | 0 | Carrarese U17 |
v. Kazakhstan, 17 November 2025 |
| DF | Enea Bilishti | 8 February 2009 | 4 | 0 | Union Brescia U17 |
v. Kazakhstan, 17 November 2025 |
| DF | Simon Uldedaj | 6 February 2009 | 3 | 0 | Vllaznia U17 |
v. Kazakhstan, 17 November 2025 |
| DF | Kejdi Kaceli | 29 March 2009 | 0 | 0 | Burreli |
v. Kazakhstan, 17 November 2025 |
| DF | Emiljano Malko | 2 February 2009 | 5 | 0 | Leverkusen U17 |
v. Slovenia, 11 October 2025 |
| DF | Afrim Gashi | 11 January 2009 | 3 | 0 | Bayern U17 |
v. Romania, 9 September 2025 |
| DF | Ledion Spahiu | 23 April 2009 | 2 | 0 | Kalmar U19 |
v. Romania, 9 September 2025 |
| DF | Isti Shahini | 30 June 2009 | 2 | 0 | Dinamo City U19 |
v. Italy, 14 August 2025 |
| DF | Elton Dodaj | 22 February 2009 | 1 | 0 | Pro Patria U17 |
v. Italy, 14 August 2025 |
| DF | Issa Sulejmani | 30 July 2009 | 1 | 0 |  BW Linz U17 |
v. Italy, 14 August 2025 |
| DF | Teidi Binishi | 12 October 2009 | 1 | 0 | Skënderbeu U17 |
v. Italy, 14 August 2025 |
| DF | Kris Gecaj | 14 November 2008 | 22 | 3 | Genoa U20 |
v. France, 25 May 2025U19 |
| DF | Fabjano Nuhaj | 6 April 2008 | 19 | 0 | Olympiacos U19 |
v. France, 25 May 2025U19 |
| DF | Darli Kurti | 20 September 2008 | 17 | 0 | Athletic Albaro |
v. France, 25 May 2025 |
| DF | Fabian Hallidri | 3 July 2008 | 4 | 0 | Hellas Verona U18 |
v. France, 25 May 2025 |
| DF | Leon Sylejmani | 30 May 2008 | 3 | 0 | Servette U19 |
v. France, 25 May 2025U19 |
| DF | Spasian Nasto | 4 June 2008 | 5 | 0 | Skënderbeu U19 |
v. Wales, 25 March 2025U19 |
| DF | Henri Sinani | 24 September 2008 | 0 | 0 | Tirana U17 |
v. Wales, 25 March 2025 |
| MF | Kledi Qosja | 14 August 2009 | 8 | 0 | Catanzaro U17 |
v. Kazakhstan, 17 November 2025 |
| MF | Orges Halili | 27 December 2009 | 1 | 0 | Vllaznia U17 |
v. Slovenia, 11 October 2025 |
| MF | Eris Kurtulaj | 8 July 2009 | 4 | 0 | Vllaznia U19 |
v. Romania, 9 September 2025 |
| MF | Alvin Zekaj | 16 May 2009 | 1 | 0 | Roma U17 |
v. Romania, 9 September 2025 |
| MF | Alex Ramku | 20 May 2008 | 9 | 0 | Udinese U19 |
v. France, 25 May 2025 |
| MF | Evagjelos Gjoka | 26 July 2008 | 8 | 3 | PAOK U19 |
v. France, 25 May 2025 |
| MF | Dijar Ferati | 24 September 2008 | 7 | 0 | Rio Ave U23 |
v. France, 25 May 2025U19 |
| FW | Sokol Uldedaj | 6 February 2009 | 8 | 0 | Vllaznia U17 |
v. Kazakhstan, 17 November 2025 |
| FW | Alvin Mahmutaj | 20 June 2009 | 1 | 0 | Apolonia |
v. Slovenia, 11 October 2025 |
| FW | Dionis Peraj | 1 January 2009 | 0 | 0 | Partizani U17 |
v. Slovenia, 11 October 2025 |
| FW | Denis Matraku | 18 May 2009 | 2 | 0 | Tirana U17 |
v. Italy, 14 August 2025 |
| FW | Leon Myrtaj | 24 March 2008 | 7 | 1 | Tottenham U18 |
v. France, 25 May 2025 |
| FW | Arman Durmishi | 25 June 2008 | 6 | 0 | Juventus U20 |
v. France, 25 May 2025U19 |
| FW | Dajan Durmishi | 25 June 2008 | 2 | 0 | Koper U19 |
v. France, 25 May 2025U19 |
| FW | Mateo Deda | 7 December 2008 | 0 | 0 | Tirana U19 |
v. Wales, 25 March 2025 |
- Notes
- U19 = Was called up from national under-19 squad.
Coaching staff
Current coaching staff:[14]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Armand Dama |
| Assistant Coach | Fatjon Muhameti |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Florian Ristani |
| Team doctor | Theodhor Mile |
| Physiotherapists | Roxhens Tomorri |
| Athletic preparator | Lorin Xhaferaj |
| Videoanalystic | Luis Hysaj |
| Team manager | David Grudaj |