KF Tirana in European football

KF Tirana is the Albanian football club with the best performance in all European competitions. They are the club with the most participations and matches, most wins, most points and experience in Europe among all other Albanian clubs. However, they have never been beyond the second round in any European club competition.

Tirana holds the record for the most ties won (11) along their road. Tirana is the team which were able to overturn the first leg negative result to their advantage in at least four occasions; worth to remember their great second legs wins against Hamrun Spartans, FC Bobruisk, Dinamo Tbilisi, ND Gorica; additionally good overturns against Apollon Limassol and Ferencvarosi TC. Even though at 11 attempts they have not passed more than one round, KF Tirana are the Albanian team which has won more ties in Europe throughout their long history. Another significant international result comes at Balkan Cup of season 1981 where they went on the final, but lost both matches against Beroe Stara Zagora.

Along their European road, KF Tirana has met many famous squads in Europe, such as: FC Bayern Munich, Standard Liege, AFC Ajax, Malmö FF, IFK Göteborg, Ferencvárosi TC, PFC CSKA Sofia, etc., and in many of such matches has given unforgettable performances.

Additionally, white and blues hold the all-time record for the highest IFFHS ranking of an Albanian football club, being ranked as high as 31st in the world in 1987, as result of success preceded 1986-87.^[1] Therefore, each time KF Tirana participates in Europe, fan's expectations are great and positive. KF Tirana started competing for the first time in the European Cup 1965-66. Below are all matches played and up-to-date rankings.

European performance table

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away
1965/66	European Champion Clubs' Cup	1R		Kilmarnock F.C.	0-0	0-1
1966/67	European Champion Clubs' Cup	1R		Valerenga IF	n.p	n.p
1969/70	European Champion Clubs' Cup	1R		Standard Liege	1–1	0–3
1970/71	European Champion Clubs' Cup	1R		AFC Ajax	2–2	0–2
1982/83	European Champion Clubs' Cup	1R		Linfield	1–0	1–2
		2R		Dynamo Kyiv	n.p	n.p
1983/84	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1R		Hammarby IF	2–1	0–3
1986/87	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1R		FC Dinamo Bucureşti	1–0	2-1
		2R		Malmö FF	0–3	0–0
1988/89	European Champion Clubs' Cup	1R		Ħamrun Spartans	2–0	1-2
		2R		IFK Göteborg	0–3	0–1
1989/90	European Champion Clubs' Cup	1R		Sliema Wanderers	5–0	0-1
		2R		FC Bayern Munich	0–3	1–3
1994/95	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	QR		FC Bobruisk	3–0	1-4
		1R		Brøndby IF	0–1	0–3
1995/96	UEFA Cup	QR		Hapoel Be'er Sheva FC	0–1	0–2
1996/97	UEFA Cup	1QR		NK Croatia Zagreb	2–6	0–4
1998/99	UEFA Cup	1QR		FK Inter Bratislava	0–2	0–2
1999/00	UEFA Champions League	1QR		Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja	1–2	0–1
2000/01	UEFA Champions League	1QR		FC Zimbru Chisinau	2–3	2–3
2001/02	UEFA Cup	QR		Apollon Limassol	3–2	1–3
2002/03	UEFA Cup	QR		National Bucureşti	0–1	2–2
2003/04	UEFA Champions League	1Q		Dinamo Tbilisi	3–0 (4:2 p)	0-3
		2QR		Grazer AK	1–5	1–2
2004/05	UEFA Champions League	1QR		FC Gomel	0-1	2-0
		2QR		Ferencvárosi TC	2–3	1–0
2005/06	UEFA Champions League	1QR		ND Gorica	3–0	0-2
		2QR		PFC CSKA Sofia	0–2	0–2
2006/07	UEFA Cup	1QR		NK Varteks	2–0	1-1
		2QR		Kayserispor	0–2	1–3
2007/08	UEFA Champions League	1QR		NK Domžale	1–2	0–1
2009/10	UEFA Champions League	2QR		Stabæk	1–1	0–4
2010/11	UEFA Europa League	1QR		Zalaegerszegi TE	0–0	1-0 (aet)
		2QR		FC Utrecht	1–1	0–4
2011/12	UEFA Europa League	2QR		FC Spartak Trnava	0–0	1–3
2012/13	UEFA Europa League	1QR		CS Grevenmacher	2–0	0-0
		2QR		Aalesund FK	1–1	0–5

Balkans Cup performance

Season	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Qual/Elim
Balkans Cup 1964-66	1R		PFC Cherno More Varna	0–0	0–1
Balkans Cup 1964-66	1R		Beşiktaş J.K.	2–0	1–1
Balkans Cup 1964-66	1R		FC Rapid București	1–2	1–3
Balkans Cup 1975	1R		Panionios G.S.S.	6–0	1–2
Balkans Cup 1975	1R		FK Radnički Niš	0–0	0–3
Balkans Cup 1981	1R		Larissa F.C.	3–0	1–3
Balkans Cup 1981	2R		FK Sloboda Tuzla	3–0	3-0
Balkans Cup 1981	Final		PFC Beroe Stara Zagora	1–3	0–3
Balkans Cup 1990	1R		FK Budućnost Podgorica	0–0	0–1

• QR = Qualifying Round
• 1R = 1st round
• 2R = 2nd round
• n.p = non participation

By country

Country	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Q	E
Austria	2	0	0	2	2	7	-5	0	1
Belarus	4	2	0	2	6	5	+1	2	0
Belgium	2	0	1	1	1	4	-3	0	1
Bosnia	2	2	0	0	6	0	+6	1	0
Bulgaria	6	0	1	5	1	11	-10	0	3
Croatia	4	1	1	2	5	11	-6	1	1
Cyprus	2	1	0	1	4	5	-1	0	1
Denmark	2	0	0	2	0	4	-4	0	1
Germany	2	0	0	2	1	6	-5	0	1
Georgia	2	1	0	1	3	3	0	1	0
Greece	4	2	0	2	11	5	+6	2	0
Hungary	4	2	1	1	4	3	+1	1	1
Iceland	2	0	0	2	1	3	-2	0	1
Israel	2	0	0	2	0	3	-3	0	1
Luxembourg	2	1	1	0	2	0	+2	1	0
Malta	4	2	0	2	8	3	+5	2	0
Moldova	2	0	0	2	4	6	-2	0	1
Montenegro	2	0	1	1	0	1	-1	0	1
Netherlands	4	0	2	2	3	9	-6	0	2
Northern Ireland	2	1	0	1	2	2	0	1	0
Norway	4	0	2	2	2	11	-9	0	2
Romania	6	2	1	3	7	9	-2	1	2
Scotland	2	0	1	1	0	1	-1	0	1
Serbia	2	0	1	1	0	3	-3	0	1
Slovakia	4	0	1	3	1	7	-6	0	2
Slovenia	4	1	0	3	4	5	-1	1	1
Sweden	6	1	1	4	2	11	-3	0	3
Turkey	4	1	1	2	4	5	-1	1	1
Ukraine	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1

• Q = Qualified
• E = Eliminated

UEFA club competition record

Last Update: 26 July 2012^[2]

Europe and Balkan total

World and European rankings

UEFA club coefficient ranking

(As of 27 July 2015), Source: Bert Kassies website

Rank	Team	Points
374	TPS Turku	2.180
375	Suduva Marijampole	2.175
376	USV Eschen/Mauren	2.150
377	KF Laci	2.125
378	KF Tirana	2.125
379	Torpedo Kutaisi	2.125
380	FC Gagra	2.125
381	FK Renova	2.100
382	Derry City F.C.	2.090

References