The President of the Football Association, Armand Duka, on the eve of the New Year celebrations, sends his wishes to the entire Albanian football community through a video message, wishing everyone a successful year ahead.
In this video greeting, the head of Albanian football governance expresses his gratitude to all those who contribute every day to the development of Albanian football, while describing 2025 as a historic year for our beautiful game.
In his message, President Duka mentions the successful events organized by the Albanian Football Association, the finals of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee in Tirana, as well as the historic qualification of the Albanian national team for the play-off stage of the 2026 World Cup.
Below is the full message from President Armand Duka:
“On the eve of the New Year, I would like to address the entire Albanian football community to express my sincere gratitude for a year that will remain in our memory for a long time.
The year we are leaving behind has been a historic one for Albanian football. A year in which work, vision, and dedication were transformed into concrete results—on the pitch, in organization, and in the growth of our entire football system. Albania was confirmed as a reliable country and partner for European football, successfully hosting the finals of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship and, for the first time, welcoming the UEFA Executive Committee to Tirana. These events showed that our football has reached a new level of professionalism and organization.
The strongest emotions were given to us by the National Team, which for the first time in history secured qualification for the play-off stage of the 2026 World Cup. An achievement that made us proud and proves that big dreams are achievable when we work with seriousness and belief. I sincerely hope that this beautiful journey will be crowned with qualification, for the first time, to the World Cup finals.
Throughout this year, we have continued to invest in the foundations of the future: in children and youth, in women’s football, in infrastructure, and in supporting clubs. Albanian football is growing in numbers, in quality, and in social impact.
I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart everyone who contributes every day to this journey: players, coaches, referees, club officials, technical staff, the AFA administration, our partners, state institutions, and the Albanian government for their great help and support.
With this positive spirit, we enter 2026 with strong ambitions to do even more, to further advance Albanian football, and with a big dream: to be part of the 2026 World Cup.
I wish you all:
Happy Holidays, Happy New Year,
And a very successful year ahead!”
