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| Full name | Akademia e Futbollit Elbasani | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Tigrat | ||
| Founded | 2 August 2021 | ||
| Stadium | Elbasan Arena | ||
| Capacity | 12,800 | ||
| Owner | Bashkia Elbasan | ||
| President | Kujtim Llupa | ||
| Manager | Ivan Gvozdenović | ||
| League | Kategoria Superiore | ||
| 2023–24 | Kategoria e Parë, 1st (promoted) | ||
AF Elbasani (Albanian : Akademia e Futbollit Elbasani), is an Albanian professional football club based in Elbasan. The club competes in Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. Their home ground is Elbasan Arena.
In 2021, the club was formed by the Elbasan Municipality after the disagreements with businessman Arben Laze who was the owner of the first football club KF Elbasani. Due to financial bankruptcy, Elbasani was seized by the Directorate of Taxes in Elbasan. So with the initiative of the fans they found the way and with the cooperation of Elbasan Municipality, AF Elbasani was created. [1] In the 2021–2022 season, they competed in the fourth tier of Albanian football, Kategoria e Tretë. In their first season, they achieved first place, gaining promotion to Kategoria e Dytë. [2] In the 2022–2023 season, AF Elbasani finished first in the Group B of the Kategoria e Dytë, which gained them promotion for the first time to the Kategoria e Parë. [3] In their first season, they finished in 1st place, and were crowned champions and were promoted to the Kategoria Superiore. [4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Name | Position |
|---|---|
 Ivan Gvozdenovic | Head Coach |
| Assistant Coach | |
 Elvis Kotorri | Goalkeeping Coach |
 Andrea Vezzu | Fitness coach |
| Mirko Panico | Video Analyst |
| Denis Asllani | Video Analyst |
| Orland Kastrati | Physio |
| Geris Lahi | Physio |
| Mark Doçi | Physio |
| Amarildo Hoxha | Doctor |
| Elton Guranjaku | Sports Director |
| Marenglen Çoku | Administrator |
| Armand Memetaj | Team Manager |
| Kristo Kristo | Marketing Director |
Gentian Stojku (2 Aug 2021–11 Apr 2023) Eriol Merxha (12 Apr 2023 – 6 Jun 2023) Nevil Dede (7 Jun 2023– 1 Jul 2024) Roberto Bordin (8 Jul 2024– 5 Dec 2024) Ivan Gvozdenović (5 Dec 2024– )
The Albanian Football Federation is the governing body of football in Albania. Headquartered in Tirana, it organizes the national football leagues of Kategoria Superiore, Kategoria e Parë, Kategoria e Dytë, Kategoria e Tretë, Albanian Cup, Supercup, Kategoria Superiore Femra and the Albanian Women's Cup. The federation also coordinates and oversees the activities of the Albania national football team, Albania women's national football team and the Albania national youth football teams such as Under-21, Under-20, Under-19, Under-18, Under-17, Under-16 and Under-15.
Klubi i Futbollit Elbasani was an Albanian professional football club based in the city of Elbasan, that last competed in the Kategoria e Dytë, the third tier of football in the country.
Kategoria Superiore, also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's premier 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.
Mirel Çota is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Albanian club AF Elbasani.
KF Vora is an Albanian football club based in Vorë in the Tirana District. The club was founded in 1989 and they currently participate in the Kategoria e Parë.
Ilir Daja is an Albanian professional football coach and former player. He is the current manager of Dinamo City. He has won the Albanian League as a coach with three clubs: Elbasani, Dinamo Tirana and Skënderbeu. He also won the Kosovo Superleague three times with FC Ballkani and lead them to qualification for the group stage of UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022–23 and 2023–24.
The 2017–18 Kategoria e Parë was the 70th official season of the Albanian football second division since its establishment. The season began on 16 September 2017 and ended on 16 May 2018. There were 20 teams competing this season, split in 2 groups, each with 10 teams. The top 5 teams from each group qualified to the promotion round, while the last teams qualified to the relegation round. The 2 winners of the qualification round gained promotion to the 2018–19 Kategoria Superiore, and played the division's final against each other. Kastrioti and Tirana were promoted to the 2018–19 Kategoria Superiore. Naftëtari, Shkumbini, Tërbuni, Vllaznia B were relegated to the 2018−19 Kategoria e Dytë. Tirana won their first Kategoria e Parë title on 16 May 2018 after beating Kastrioti in the final match.
The 2017–18 Kategoria e Dytë was the 47th official season of the Albanian football third division since its establishment. There were 28 teams competing this season, split into 2 groups, each with 14 teams. The winners of the groups played the league's final against each other and also gained promotion to the 2018-19 Albanian First Division. The runners-up qualified for the play-off round which they played against the 9th ranked teams in the 2017-18 Kategoria e Parë. Elbasani, Oriku, Veleçiku and Vora were promoted to the 2018-19 Kategoria e Parë. Domozdova was relegated to the 2019 Kategoria e Tretë. Vora won their first Kategoria e Dytë title after beating Elbasani in the final match.
The 2019 Kategoria e Tretë was the 16th official season of the Albanian football fourth division since its establishment. The season began on 22 February 2019. There were 6 teams competing this season. Selenica and Mirdita gained promotion to the 2019–20 Kategoria e Dytë. Selenica won their first Kategoria e Tretë title.
The 2020 Kategoria e Tretë was the 17th official season of the Albanian football fourth division since its establishment. The season began on 20 February 2020 and ended on 17 July 2020. There were 8 teams competing this season. The competition was suspended from 12 March to 4 June 2020, due to a pandemic of COVID-19 in Albania. Bulqiza and Labëria gained promotion to the 2020–21 Kategoria e Dytë. Labëria won their first Kategoria e Tretë title.
The 2020–21 Kategoria Superiore was the 82nd official season, or 85th season of top-tier football in Albania and the 21st season under the name Kategoria Superiore. The season ended on 26 May 2021. It was initially planned to begin on 12 September 2020 but it was delayed after all participating clubs decided to boycott the competition, until the government would meet their demands. After 2 months of negotiations, the clubs ended the boycott and agreed to begin the season on 4 November 2020. Teuta won the league title on 26 May 2021, on the final matchday.
The 2021–22 Kategoria Superiore was the 83rd official season, or 86th season of top-tier football in Albania and the 22nd season under the name Kategoria Superiore. The season began in 10 September 2021 and ended on 26 May 2022. Tirana won the league title on 7 May 2022, with 3 matches to spare.
The 2021–22 Kategoria e Tretë was the 19th official season of the Albanian football fourth division since its establishment. The season began on 7 December 2021 and ended in 6 May 2022. There were 8 teams competing this season. AF Elbasani, Delvina and Valbona gained promotion to the 2022–23 Kategoria e Dytë. AF Elbasani won their first Kategoria e Tretë title.
The 2022–23 Kategoria Superiore was the 84th official season, or 87th season of top-tier football in Albania and the 23rd season under the name Kategoria Superiore. The season began on 19 August 2022 and ended on 29 May 2023. Partizani won the league title on 29 May 2023, on the last matchday.
The 2022–23 Kategoria e Parë was the 75th official season of the Albanian football second-tier since its establishment. The season began on 3 September 2022 and ended on 18 May 2023. There were 14 teams competing this season. The winning and runner-up teams gained promotion to the 2023–24 Kategoria Superiore. The promotion play-offs winner will play a promotion play-off match against the 8th ranked team of the 2022–23 Kategoria Superiore. Dinamo Tirana and Skënderbeu were promoted to the 2023–24 Kategoria Superiore. Besëlidhja, Oriku, Tërbuni and Turbina were relegated to the 2023–24 Kategoria e Dytë.
The 2022-23 Kategoria e Dytë was the 51st official season of the Albanian football third division since its establishment. There were 23 teams competing this season, split in 2 groups. The winners of the groups played the league's final against each other and also gained promotion to the 2023–24 Kategoria e Parë. Teams ranked from the 2nd to the 5th position qualified to the play-off round where the winners played against the 9th and 10th ranked teams in the 2022–23 Kategoria e Parë. Elbasani and Vora were promoted to the 2023–24 Kategoria e Parë. Vora won their third Kategoria e Dytë title after beating Elbasani in the final match.
The 2022–23 Kategoria e Tretë was the 20th official season of the Albanian football fourth division since its establishment. The season began on 24 November 2022 and ended on 25 May 2023. There were 13 teams competing this season, split in 2 groups. Adriatiku, Albanët and Këlcyra gained promotion to the 2023–24 Kategoria e Dytë.
The 2023–24 Kategoria e Parë was the 76th official season of the Albanian football second-tier since its establishment. The season began on 2 September 2023 and ended on 9 May 2024. There were 12 teams competing this season. The winning and runner-up teams gained promotion to the 2024–25 Kategoria Superiore. The promotion play-offs winner will play a promotion play-off match against the 8th ranked team of the 2023–24 Kategoria Superiore. Bylis and Elbasani were promoted to the 2024–25 Kategoria Superiore. Luzi 2008 and Tomori were relegated to the 2024–25 Kategoria e Dytë.
The 2023–24 Kategoria e Dytë was the 52nd official season of the Albanian football third division since its establishment. There were 23 teams competing this season, split in 2 groups. The winners of the groups played the league's final against each other and also gained promotion to the 2024–25 Kategoria e Parë. Teams ranked from the 2nd to the 5th position will qualify to the play-off round where the winners will play against the 9th and 10th ranked teams in the 2023–24 Kategoria e Parë. Pogradeci and Valbona were promoted to the 2024–25 Kategoria e Parë. Pogradeci won their third Kategoria e Dytë title after beating Valbona in the final match.
The 2024–25 Kategoria Superiore is the 86th official season, or 89th season of top-tier football in Albania and the 25th season under the name Kategoria Superiore. The season began on 18 August 2024 and will end on 17 May 2025.
