Serbia and Albania have co-hosting rights for the men’s Under-21 European Championship set for 2027, a move aimed at fostering unity and overcoming political tensions. UEFA announced that only the joint bid from Serbia and Albania met the recent deadline to submit detailed tournament plans, with Belgium and Turkey having shown interest earlier in the bidding process. The collaboration between the Serbian and Albanian soccer federations was initiated in May to organize the 16-team tournament, which takes place every two years and requires eight stadiums to accommodate all 31 games.
Armand Duka, the leader of the Albanian soccer federation and a UEFA vice president, emphasized the project as being solely focused on football with a positive political message. This joint effort comes in the backdrop of historical tensions between the two nations, notably the drone incident during a Serbia-Albania game in 2014. At the recent men’s European Championship in Germany, these tensions resurfaced during separate games involving the senior national teams of both countries.
During the Euro 2024 tournament, a player from Albania was penalized by UEFA for participating in nationalist chants through a megaphone to incite fans, which included targeting Serbia, after a match against Croatia. Fans of Albania and Croatia engaged in anti-Serb chants, leading UEFA to impose fines for discriminatory behavior. Additionally, both the Albanian and Serbian federations were fined for incidents where fans displayed politically motivated banners related to neighboring Kosovo.
The history of conflict in the Balkans, particularly in the 1990s, has added complexity to the relationship between Serbia and Albania, especially concerning Kosovo. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move not recognized by Serbia, which views Kosovo as an integral part of its statehood. Despite some backlash from fans and interest groups, the collaboration between the Albanian and Serbian soccer federations for the Under-21 Euros has received support from UEFA.
UEFA’s president, Aleksander Ceferin, who hails from Slovenia, has overseen the broad backing for this joint hosting initiative. The upcoming UEFA congress in April 2023 is scheduled to take place in Belgrade, Serbia, and an executive committee meeting in September 2025 will be held in Tirana, Albania. The cooperation between Serbia and Albania in hosting the 2027 Under-21 European Championship represents a significant step towards bridging political divides through the platform of sports.