Kategoria Superiore
The Kategoria Superiore is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 10 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Kategoria e Parë. Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 36 matches each (playing each team in the league four times, twice at home and twice away).
 | |
| Founded | 6 June 1930 |
|---|---|
| Country | Albania |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 10 (from 2014–15) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Kategoria e Parë |
| Domestic cup(s) | Albanian Cup Albanian Supercup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa Conference League |
| Current champions | Tirana (25th title) (2019–20) |
| Most championships | Tirana (25 titles) |
| Top goalscorer | Vioresin Sinani (207 goals)[note 1] |
| TV partners | SuperSport |
| Website | Official website |
| Current: 2020–21 Kategoria Superiore | |
The competition was founded in 1930 as the Albanian National Championship during the reign of King Zog, shortly after the creation of the Albanian Football Association. Since 1930, 45 clubs have competed in recognized competitions, while only nine clubs have won the title: KF Tirana (25), Dinamo Tirana (18), FK Partizani (16), Vllaznia (9), Skënderbeu (8), KF Elbasani (2), Flamurtari (1), Teuta (1) and FK Kukësi (1). The current champions are KF Tirana, who won their 25th title in 2019–20.
History
Early history
Football was first introduced to Albania by an English-Maltese priest named Gut Ruter, who visited the Saverian college in Shkodër in 1908. The first football club in Albania was Indipendenca, founded in Shkodër in 1912 by Palokë Nika.[2] The first 90-minute game to be played with two 45 minute halves took place in October 1913 between Indipendenca Shkodër and the occupying Austro-Hungarian Imperial Navy. The game is considered to be the first international game to be played in Albania, and it ended in a 2–1 loss for Indipendenca, with the captain and founder of the club Palokë Nika scoring the only goal for the Albanians.[2][3]
1911 Fier Fair Football Tournament
In 2012 historians discovered that a football tournament had taken place in Albania in 1911, some 19 years before the establishment of the Albanian National Championship and the Albanian Football Association. The Fier Fair Football Tournament (Albanian: Turneu Futbollistik i Panairit të Fierit) took place in Rahije, Fier while Albania was still under the administration of the Ottoman Empire and it consisted of 8 teams which were Tirana, Elbasani, Kavaja, Berati, Peqini, Vlora, Fieri and Lushnja. Tirana won the tournament after defeating Peqini 6–1 in the final. The tournament is not officially recognised by the Albanian Football Association or UEFA. The Albanian Football Association did not organise the tournament as the organisation was not formed until 1930.[4]
World War II championships
Albania was invaded by Italy in April 1939 and World War II soon broke out, meaning the Albanian Football Association, much like the other organisations in the country, ceased operating. Despite the war, three championships were held between 1939 and 1942, with Tirana winning the championships in 1939 and 1942 and Shkodra winning in 1940. Despite calls to recognise these championships, the Albanian Football Association maintains the position that the championships were not organised by them and cannot be formally recognised.[5][6][7]
Competition format
Since the 2014–15 Kategoria Superiore, the league consists of 10 clubs, who face each other four times in a conventional round-robin tournament for a total of 36 matches. At the end of the season, the two lowest-placed teams are relegated to the Kategoria e Parë, while two highest-placed teams of the Kategoria e Parë are promoted in their place. The 8th ranked team qualifies to the play-off round, which they play against the Kategoria e Parë play-off winner. Teams are ranked by total points, then head-to-head record, then goal difference, and then goals scored.
Clubs (2020–2021)
Current members
The following teams are competing in the Kategoria Superiore during the 2020–21 season.[8]
| Club | Position in 2019–20 |
First season in top division |
Seasons in top division |
First season of current spell in top division |
Top division titles |
Last top division title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apolonia | 1st (Kategoria e Parë) | 1945 | 37 | 2020–21 | 0 | — |
| Bylis | 7th | 1996–97 | 15 | 2019–20 | 0 | — |
| Kastrioti | 2nd (Kategoria e Parë) | 1990−91 | 13 | 2020–21 | 0 | — |
| Kukësib | 2nd | 2012–13 | 9 | 2012–13 | 1 | 2016–17 |
| Laçi | 3rd | 1991–92 | 21 | 2009–10 | 0 | — |
| Partizani | 6th | 1947 | 68 | 2013–14 | 16 | 2018–19 |
| Skënderbeua | 4th | 1930 | 65 | 2009–10 | 8 | 2017–18 |
| Teutaa | 5th | 1930 | 80 | 1962–63 | 1 | 1993–94 |
| Tiranaa | 1st | 1930 | 81 | 2018–19 | 25 | 2019–20 |
| Vllazniaa | 8th | 1930 | 80 | 2019–20 | 9 | 2000–01 |
a Founding member of the league
b Never been relegated from the league
List of champions
Since 1930, the competition has not been played a total of 9 times: 1935, 1938–44, 1949, 1962. Furthermore, the champion award was not given during the 1968–69 season.
Performance by club
| Club | Champions | Runners up | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tirana | 1911** (unofficial), 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1939 (not yet officially recognized from AFA), 1942 (not yet officially recognized from AFA), 1964-65, 1965-66, 1968, 1969-70, 1981-82, 1984-85, 1987-88, 1988-89, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2019-20 | ||
| Dinamo | 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1966–67, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1989–90, 2001–02, 2007–08, 2009–10 | ||
| Partizani | 1947, 1948, 1949, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1970–71, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1986–87, 1992-93, 2018-19 | ||
| Vllaznia | 1940 (not yet officially recognized from AFA), 1945, 1946, 1971-72, 1973-74, 1977-78, 1982-83, 1991-92, 1997-98, 2000-01 | ||
| Skënderbeu | 1933, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18 | ||
| Elbasani | 1983–84, 2005–06 | ||
| Flamurtari | 1990–91 | ||
| Teuta | 1993–94 | ||
| Kukësi | 2016-17 | ||
| Besa | - | ||
| Luftëtari | - | ||
| Tomori | - | ||
All time clubs table
The all-time list of football clubs that have participated in the Kategoria Superiore, prior to the 2020–2021 season. The ranking is based on the total accumulated points by each club. Teams in bold are part of the 2020-21 season.[9]
| No. | Club | Apps. | Matches | Wins | Ties | Losses | Goals +/- | GDif. | Points | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tirana | 80 | 1984 | 1026 | 513 | 445 | 3257:1771 | +1486 | 2934 | 25 |
| 2 | Partizani | 67 | 1670 | 1035 | 318 | 286 | 2987:1457 | +1530 | 2642 | 15 |
| 3 | Vllaznia | 79 | 1955 | 892 | 461 | 604 | 3137:2031 | +1106 | 2572 | 9 |
| 4 | Dinamo | 61 | 1715 | 852 | 467 | 396 | 2769:1520 | +1249 | 2349 | 18 |
| 5 | Teuta | 79 | 1980 | 733 | 554 | 713 | 1978:2231 | -253 | 2246 | 1 |
| 6 | Flamurtari | 73 | 1906 | 663 | 516 | 727 | 2150:2320 | -170 | 2060 | 1 |
| 7 | Besa | 63 | 1575 | 542 | 444 | 589 | 1790:1908 | -118 | 1670 | — |
| 8 | Elbasani | 65 | 1593 | 513 | 423 | 654 | 1673:2029 | -356 | 1626 | 2 |
| 9 | Skënderbeu | 64 | 1493 | 511 | 387 | 585 | 1617:1806 | -189 | 1618 | 8 |
| 10 | Lushnja | 41 | 1139 | 299 | 326 | 511 | 1069:1559 | -490 | 1046 | — |
| 11 | Luftëtari | 43 | 1132 | 322 | 270 | 550 | 1047:1616 | -569 | 1014 | — |
| 12 | Tomori | 44 | 1052 | 297 | 321 | 471 | 1026:1487 | -461 | 938 | — |
| 13 | Apolonia | 36 | 953 | 273 | 223 | 442 | 962:1438 | -476 | 858 | — |
| 14 | Laçi | 20 | 639 | 235 | 140 | 264 | 692:813 | -121 | 787 | — |
| 15 | Shkumbini | 18 | 553 | 211 | 107 | 228 | 660:708 | -48 | 713 | - |
| 16 | Kukësi | 8 | 275 | 146 | 72 | 57 | 408:229 | +179 | 509 | 1 |
| 17 | Bylis | 14 | 412 | 135 | 102 | 175 | 458:545 | -87 | 504 | — |
| 18 | Besëlidhja | 22 | 575 | 148 | 167 | 260 | 556:721 | -165 | 497 | — |
| 19 | Kastrioti | 12 | 386 | 126 | 81 | 178 | 387:523 | -136 | 414 | — |
| 20 | Naftëtari | 16 | 384 | 90 | 109 | 185 | 322:635 | -313 | 289 | — |
| 21 | Shkëndija Tiranë | 10 | 258 | 68 | 87 | 103 | 217:283 | -66 | 223 | — |
| 22 | Albpetrol | 6 | 167 | 49 | 33 | 85 | 158:259 | -101 | 136 | — |
| 23 | Pogradeci | 9 | 210 | 38 | 39 | 133 | 167:466 | -299 | 118 | — |
| 24 | Sopoti | 4 | 112 | 36 | 25 | 51 | 107:150 | -43 | 110 | — |
| 25 | Kamza | 4 | 98 | 23 | 21 | 54 | 72:139 | -67 | 90 | — |
| 26 | Erzeni | 6 | 98 | 22 | 20 | 56 | 104:208 | -104 | 83 | — |
| 27 | 31 Korriku | 5 | 109 | 23 | 23 | 63 | 96:183 | -87 | 77 | — |
| 28 | Luftëtari Tiranë | 5 | 50 | 19 | 7 | 24 | 60:64 | -4 | 45 | — |
| 29 | Spartaku Shkodër | 2 | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 45:82 | -37 | 34 | — |
| 30 | Dinamo Shkodër | 1 | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 46:41 | +5 | 33 | — |
| 31 | Dinamo Durrës | 3 | 40 | 8 | 13 | 19 | 30:71 | -41 | 29 | — |
| 32 | Egnatia | 1 | 36 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 26:48 | -22 | 28 | — |
| 33 | Selenica | 1 | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 33:54 | -21 | 27 | — |
| 34 | Gramozi | 1 | 33 | 6 | 8 | 19 | 25:43 | -18 | 26 | — |
| 35 | Kombinati Tiranë | 2 | 30 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 28:39 | -11 | 25 | — |
| 36 | Korabi | 2 | 58 | 3 | 13 | 42 | 21:116 | -95 | 21 | — |
| 37 | Tërbuni | 1 | 36 | 4 | 6 | 26 | 22:81 | -59 | 18 | — |
| 38 | Dinamo Vlorë | 1 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 19:48 | -29 | 16 | — |
| 39 | Iliria | 1 | 30 | 7 | 2 | 21 | 22:64 | -42 | 16 | — |
| 40 | Spartaku Tiranë | 3 | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 26:52 | -26 | 13 | — |
| 41 | 24 Maj Përmet | 1 | 26 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 9:44 | -35 | 13 | — |
| 42 | Ylli Shkodër | 1 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 29:15 | +14 | 11 | — |
| 43 | Liria Korçë | 1 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16:15 | +1 | 8 | — |
| 44 | Studenti | 1 | 26 | 1 | 6 | 19 | 9:43 | -34 | 8 | — |
| 45 | Spartaku Korçë | 1 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 10:45 | -35 | 5 | — |
UEFA Rankings
Current rankings (2018–19)
UEFA Country Ranking for league participation in 2018–19 European football season (Previous year rank in italics).
- 32
(31) 
Liechtenstein Football Cup - 33
(36) 
Nemzeti Bajnokság I - 34 (37)
Macedonian First Football League - 35 (33)
Moldovan National Division - 36 (34)
Kategoria Superiore - 37 (39)
League of Ireland - 38
(38) 
Veikkausliiga - 39 (35)
Úrvalsdeild karla (football) - 40 (40)
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
References
Notes
- 208 goals acccoring to Albanian media [1]
Citations [10] </ref>
- Admir Uruçi (12 January 2012). "Vioresin Sinani thotë mjaft: E mbyll si futbollist në fund të këtij edicioni" [Vioresin Sinani says enough: I finish as a player at the end of the season] (in Albanian). Panorama Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- Gjergj Kola. "Palokë Nika – personazhi historik i sportit Shqiptar" (in Albanian). Shkodra Sport. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- "Një historik i shkurtër i futbollit në Shkodër" (in Albanian). Vllaznia.al. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- Sport Ekspres, 14 February 2012, page 7 Archived 26 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- RSSSF
- http://www.giovanniarmillotta.it/albania/calcio/trekampionate.html
- AFA's General Assembly: War championships are not legitimate Archived 20 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- "Kategoria Superiore: Summary". Soccerway. Perform. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- Shifrat e 79 Kampionateve
- Things That Makes Cristiano Ronaldo And Lionel Messi A Rivals. Retrieved 18 August 2020 – via Legitloaded.com.
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