Albania and Serbia will co-host the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2027. On February 4, UEFA confirmed that the tournament will be organized by the two Balkan countries.
When the Albanian Football Federation (FSHF) announced in May last year that it had partnered with Serbia’s federation to plan the organization of the 16-team tournament, which takes place every two years, it faced strong criticism, particularly in Kosovo.
Meanwhile, the official supporters’ group of Albania, known as "Tifozat Kuq e Zi," had threatened to withdraw its support for the national team due to this decision.
Both Albania and Serbia have faced sanctions from European football’s governing body due to incidents involving their fans. In 2014, an incident occurred in Belgrade during a match between the two teams when a drone carrying a "Greater Albania" flag entered the stadium, triggering a brawl between Albanian and Serbian players and involving spectators.
Despite these past tensions, the football federations of Albania and Serbia joined forces last year to propose the co-hosting of the European Championship. The tournament requires eight stadiums to host a total of 31 matches. UEFA announced that the opening match of the championship will take place in Serbia, while the final will be held in Albania.