However, the team did not play its first official international match until 7 October 1946, suffering a 2–3 defeat to Yugoslavia in the 1946 Balkan Cup.
[2] In global and continental competitions, the team has competed in qualification groups for both the FIFA World Cup, since 1966, and the UEFA European Championship, since 1964.
[2] The team has qualified for one international tournament during its history, UEFA Euro 2016,[5] where they were eliminated in the group stage.
[7][8] As of January 2023, Albania's most capped player is Lorik Cana, who made 93 appearances for the senior team during his career.
[12] Bogdani overtook the previous record holder, Alban Bushi,[13] in September 2011 after scoring in three consecutive international fixtures.