Albanian Football Federation President: We can beat England and enter the World Cup

6686 Sports November 15th After Albania qualified for the European play-offs of the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament, Albanian Football Association Chairman Duka said in an interview that they not only have the ability to defeat the England team, but also realize their dream of qualifying for the World Cup.

This is the first time in Albania’s history that it has qualified for the World Cup play-offs. What does this mean to you personally? How did you feel at that time?

This is a significant victory. Although we always believed we could win the game, the players were really under a lot of pressure. Whether it was advancing to the European Cup finals before or entering the World Cup play-offs this time, every breakthrough brings unique and beautiful emotions. We should all feel lucky to live in such a time of miracles.

When the draw results came out and Albania was in the same group as England and Serbia, did you expect that the journey would end in second place in the group?

In fact, our goal has been clear from the beginning - to strive for second place in the group.

There is also a game against England next. Do you believe the team can shock the world again? After all, England have yet to concede a point or even a goal.

To be honest, this Albanian team is fully capable of creating any miracle. Football is an unpredictable sport and any outcome can happen. So I want to believe - why can't we beat England? It is true that they have just reached the finals of the last European Cup and are among the top five teams in the world, but because of this, winning out is more meaningful.

If you reach the play-off semi-finals, which opponents do you expect to face? Are you looking forward to another confrontation with Italy, or even "revenge" in the play-off finals?

I won’t name any team in particular. All potential opponents are powerful. As for Italy? We have played against each other many times in the past, will we meet again in the future? No one can tell. But no matter who we face, we will go all out and seize our own opportunities.

Last question: Do you believe that this time Albania can really realize its dream and advance to the World Cup finals for the first time?

Now that we have reached the play-offs historically, I believe this team can do anything. Of course, for now, we must first enjoy this result and celebrate this hard-won achievement. As for the future – anything is possible.