Albania national under-23 football team explained

Albania Under-23
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Badge Size:	125px
Confederation:	UEFA
Most Caps:	Millan Vaso (15)
Top Scorer:	Ilir Përnaska (9)
Fifa Trigramme:	ALB
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Filetype:	svg
First Game:	1–0 (Bucharest, Romania; 25 June 1969)
Last Game:	4–0 (Foggia, Italy; 19 June 1997

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The Albania national under-23 football team represents Albania in international football at this age level and is controlled by Albanian Football Association, the governing body for football in Albania. The team competed in the UEFA European Under-23 Championship and Balkan Youth Championship, but after the rule change in 1975, the event had an age limit of 21.

History

Balkan Youth Championship

See main article: article and Balkan Youth Championship. Albania Under-23 participated in the Balkan Youth Championship tournaments from 1969 until 1976 when the age limit rule changed to the under-21 and then Albania participated with the Albania national under-21 football team. In two first tournament 1969 & 1970, Albania U23 was ranked 3rd out 5 national teams participations in both occasions. Then in the 1971 & 1972 tournament they were ranked in the 4th place in both cases. They withdrew from the 1973 tournament and in the 1974 edition, Albania U23 managed to reach the final after winning Group B against Turkey U23 & Greece U23. In the final they lost 1–0 against Romania U23.^[1]

UEFA European Under-23 Championship

Albania U23 participated in 2 out 3 UEFA European Under-23 Championship in 1972 & 1974 where they were eliminated in both cases in the qualifying stages.^[2] ^[3]

1991 Mediterranean Games

See main article: Football at the 1991 Mediterranean Games.

Group stage – Group B

width=165	Team	width=25		width=25		width=25		width=25	width=25	width=25	width=25	width=25
	2	2	0	0	8	0	+8	4
	2	1	0	1	2	6	−4	2
	2	0	0	2	1	5	−4	0

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1997 Mediterranean Games

See main article: Football at the 1997 Mediterranean Games.

Group stage – Group B

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	2	1	1	0	4	0	+4	4
	2	1	1	0	3	1	+2	4
	2	0	0	2	1	7	−6	0

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Players individual records

Top appearances

Rank	Position	Career	Caps	Goals
1	MF	1970–1974	15	0
2	FW	1970–1971	13	3
2	FW	1970–1972	13	9
4	MF	1969–1971	12	5
4	MF	1970–1974	12	0
6	MF	1969–1971	11	2
	MF	1970–1971	11	0
	MF	1970–1971	11	0
9	DF	1969–1971	10	0
	GK	1969–1971	10	0
	DF	1969–1971	10	0
	DF	1969–1970	10	0

Top goalscorers

Rank	Position	Career	Goals	Caps
1	FW	1970–1972	9	13
2	MF	1969–1971	5	12
3	FW	1970–1971	3	13
3	MF	1970–1971	3	13
5	MF	1969–1971	2	11
	FW	1969	2	3
	MF	1969–1971	2	7
	FW	1976	2	1
	MF	1976	2	3
	FW	1974–1976	2	6

Competitive record

UEFA European Under-23 Championship Record

UEFA European Under-23 Championship record
Year	Round	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1972	Qualifying Stage	6	0	3	3	2	7
1974	Qualifying Stage	4	1	1	2	3	9
1976	Did Not Enter
Total	0/2	10	1	4	5	5	16

Balkan Youth Championship Record

Balkan Youth Championship record
Year	Round	Position
1968	Did Not Enter
1969	Group Ch.	3rd	4	2	0	2	9	4
1970	Group Ch.	3rd	4	2	1	1	3	2
1971	Group Ch.	4th	4	0	2	2	8	11
1972	Semi-final	4th	3	1	0	2	3	5
1973	Group Ch.	Withdrew
1974	Runners-Up	2nd	3	1	1	1	3	3
1975	Did Not Enter
1976	Third Place	3rd	3	1	1	1	5	5
Total	Best:Runners-Up	6/8	21	7	4	9	31	30