KF Tirana
Klubi i Futbollit Tirana (KF Tirana) is an Albanian professional football club based in the country's capital city, Tirana. The men's football club is part of the multi-disciplinary sports club SK Tirana, and is the most successful in Albania, having won 54 recognized major domestic trophies. They are the only football club in Albania with two stars in their crest after winning the 20th championship in 2003, each star corresponds to ten championships. Making them the first and only Albanian club to have achieved such a feat. They play their home games at the Selman Stërmasi Stadium in Tirana and they play in the Kategoria Superiore.
Full name | Klubi i Futbollit Tirana | ||
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Founded | 15 August 1920 , as Sport Klub Tirana | ||
Ground | Selman Stërmasi Stadium | ||
Capacity | 9,500 | ||
Owners | Halili SH.P.K. (66%) Municipality of Tirana (34%) | ||
President | Refik Halili | ||
Head coach | Erbim Fagu | ||
League | Abissnet Superiore | ||
2022–23 | Kategoria Superiore, 2nd of 10 | ||
Website | Club website | ||
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Active branches of KF Tirana | ||||||||||||||||||
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The club was founded on 15 August 1920 as Sport Klub Tirana (in English: Sport Club Tirana), but then, they name changed to Shoqata e Futbollit Agimi (in English: Agimi Football Association) and they had since participated in all the top tier national championships ever held in Albania. However, the ninth-place finish in the 2016–17 season relegated the club to the Albanian First Division (second-tier) for the first time in their history.
They have competed under the name of SK Tirana between 1927 and 1947, when the communist regime forcibly renamed the club 17 Nëntori Tirana, Puna Tirana and KS 17 Nëntori. In 1991 KF Tirana retook its pre-1947 name and was divided into two branches, the multi disciplinary SK Tirana and the football branch of KF Tirana.
KF Tirana is the most successful Albanian team in European competitions, having progressed from the first rounds on 14 occasions (once directly by draw, without playing) since making their European debut in the 1965–66 European Cup. They reached Round of 16 in European Competitions four times, three such in the European Cup (now Champions League) alone in 1980s. The club also holds the record of being the highest ever ranking Albanian club according to IFFHS, having been ranked 31st in the world in 1987, following good results in their 1986–87 campaign. In addition, KF Tirana is an ECA member.