2021–22 Kategoria Superiore

Kategoria Superiore
Season	2021–22
Dates	10 September 2021 – 26 May 2022
Champions	Tirana; 26th title
Relegated	Dinamo Tirana; Skënderbeu
Champions League	Tirana
Europa Conference League	Laçi; Partizani; Vllaznia
Matches played	180
Goals scored	408 (2.27 per match)
Top goalscorer	Saliou Guindo; Taulant Seferi; (19 goals each)
Biggest home win	Laçi 5–0 Dinamo; (3 December 2021); Partizani 5–0 Kukësi; (2 March 2022)
Biggest away win	Kastrioti 1–6 Kukësi; (4 December 2021)
Highest scoring	Vllaznia 6–3 Dinamo; (18 October 2021)
Longest winning run	7 matches; Kastrioti
Longest unbeaten run	11 matches; Laçi; Vllaznia
Longest winless run	17 matches; Skënderbeu
Longest losing run	7 matches; Dinamo
	← 2020–21 2022–23 → All statistics correct as of 26 May 2022.

The 2021–22 Kategoria Superiore was the 83rd official season, or 86th season of top-tier football in Albania (including three unofficial championships during World War II) and the 22nd season under the name Kategoria Superiore. The season began in 10 September 2021 and ended on 26 May 2022. Tirana won the league title on 7 May 2022, with 3 matches to spare.^[1]

The winners of this season's Kategoria Superiore earned a place in the first qualifying round of the 2022–23 Champions League, with the second and third placed clubs earning a place in the first qualifying round of the 2022–23 Europa Conference League.

Teams

Two clubs have earned promotion from the Kategoria e Parë, Dinamo Tirana (promoted after a nine-year absence)^[2] and Egnatia (promoted after a sixteen-year absence).^[3] Apolonia (relegated after only one year in the top flight) and Bylis (relegated after two-years in the top flight) were relegated to Kategoria e Parë at the conclusion of last season.

Locations

2021–22 Kategoria Superiore teams.

Team	Home city	Stadium	Capacity	2020–21 season
Dinamo Tirana	Tirana	Arena Kombëtare	22,500	Runner-up (Kategoria e Parë)
Egnatia	Rrogozhinë	Arena Egnatia	4,000	Champion (Kategoria e Parë)
Kastrioti	Krujë	Kamëz Stadium^[a]	5,500^[a]	8th
Kukësi	Kukës	Kukës Arena	6,322	6th
Laçi	Laç	Laçi Stadium	2,300	4th
Partizani	Tirana	Arena Kombëtare	22,500	3rd
Skënderbeu	Korçë	Skënderbeu Stadium	12,343	7th
Teuta	Durrës	Niko Dovana Stadium	12,040	Champion
Tirana	Tirana	Selman Stërmasi Stadium	9,500	5th
Vllaznia	Shkodër	Loro Boriçi Stadium	16,000	2nd

Stadiums

Dinamo Tirana	Egnatia	Kastrioti	Kukësi	Laçi
Arena Kombëtare UEFA stadium category	Arena Egnatia	Kamëz Stadium	Kukës Arena UEFA stadium category	Laçi Stadium
Capacity: 22,500	Capacity: 4,000	Capacity: 5,500	Capacity: 6,322	Capacity: 2,300

Partizani	Skënderbeu	Teuta	Tirana	Vllaznia
Arena Kombëtare UEFA stadium category	Skënderbeu Stadium	Niko Dovana Stadium	Selman Stërmasi Stadium	Loro Boriçi Stadium UEFA stadium category
Capacity: 22,500	Capacity: 12,343	Capacity: 12,040	Capacity: 9,500	Capacity: 16,000

Personnel and kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Team	President	Manager	Captain	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
Dinamo Tirana	Ardian Bardhi	Rodolfo Vanoli	Agim Ibraimi	Claw	Caffè Pascucci, Palma
Egnatia	Agim Demrozi	Zekirija Ramadani	Gëzim Krasniqi	Uhlsport	−
Kastrioti	Petro Kumi	Emiliano Çela	Sokol Neziri	Uhlsport	Qafshtama
Kukësi	Safet Gjici	Diego Longo	Gjelbrim Taipi	Joma	Kevin Construction
Laçi	Pashk Laska	Shpëtim Duro	Aleksandar Ignjatović	Uhlsport	Caffè Vergnano
Partizani	Gazmend Demi	Dritan Mehmeti	Alban Hoxha	Joma	Emi Trans
Skënderbeu	Ardian Takaj	Gentian Liçi	Vangjel Zguro	Joma	−
Teuta	Edmond Hasanbelliu	Renato Arapi	Emiljano Vila	Macron	Kastrati, Selita
Tirana	Refik Halili	Orges Shehi	Erion Hoxhallari	Uhlsport	−
Vllaznia	Alban Xhaferi	Mirel Josa	Erdenis Gurishta	Suzmar	Bavaria, Intersig

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Kukësi	Mirel Josa	Mutual consent	6 June 2021	Pre-season	Diego Longo	16 July 2021
Laçi	Shpëtim Duro	Mutual consent	16 August 2021	Pre-season	Dejan Vukićević	17 August 2021
Laçi	Dejan Vukićević	Mutual consent	16 October 2021	10th	Sero Noka	19 October 2021
Laçi	Sero Noka	End of caretaker spell	24 October 2021	7th	Mirel Josa	24 October 2021
Teuta	Edi Martini	Resigned	26 November 2021	3rd	Renato Arapi	26 November 2021
Egnatia	Gugash Magani	Sacked	29 November 2021	8th	Përparim Daiu	29 November 2021
Egnatia	Përparim Daiu	End of caretaker spell	6 December 2021	8th	Zekirija Ramadani	6 December 2021
Teuta	Renato Arapi	End of caretaker spell	14 December 2021	5th	Edi Martini	14 December 2021
Kastrioti	Ramadan Ndreu	Mutual consent	23 December 2021	10th	Emiliano Çela	23 December 2021
Partizani	Ilir Daja	Mutual consent	28 December 2021	6th	Dritan Mehmeti	28 December 2021
Teuta	Edi Martini	Mutual consent	24 January 2022	6th	Renato Arapi	24 January 2022
Dinamo Tirana	Bledi Shkëmbi	Mutual consent	7 February 2022	7th	Bledar Devolli	7 February 2022
Skënderbeu	Migen Memelli	Mutual consent	9 March 2022	10th	Skënder Gega	9 March 2022
Vllaznia	Thomas Brdarić	Sacked	14 March 2022	4th	Elvis Plori	14 March 2022
Dinamo Tirana	Bledar Devolli	Mutual consent	14 March 2022	9th	Rodolfo Vanoli	16 March 2022
Laçi	Mirel Josa	Sacked	5 April 2022	2nd	Shpëtim Duro	7 April 2022
Skënderbeu	Skënder Gega	Resigned	12 May 2022	10th	Gentian Liçi	12 May 2022
Vllaznia	Elvis Plori	Mutual consent	15 May 2022	5th	Mirel Josa	15 May 2022

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Tirana (C)	36	22	7	7	64	27	+37	73	Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round
2	Laçi	36	18	9	9	52	33	+19	63	Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round
3	Partizani	36	15	13	8	52	30	+22	58
4	Kukësi	36	15	10	11	50	44	+6	55^[a]
5	Vllaznia	36	13	16	7	47	38	+9	55^[a]	Qualification for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round^[b]
6	Teuta	36	13	11	12	39	44	−5	50
7	Kastrioti	36	13	4	19	30	54	−24	43
8	Egnatia (O)	36	8	11	17	30	49	−19	35	Qualification for the relegation play-off
9	Dinamo Tirana (R)	36	6	11	19	21	46	−25	29	Relegation to the 2022–23 Kategoria e Parë
10	Skënderbeu (R)	36	4	14	18	23	43	−20	26	Relegation to the 2022–23 Kategoria e Parë

Source: Albanian Football Association, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Draw.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:

^ ^a ^b Kukësi is ahead of Vllaznia on head-to-head goal difference: Kukësi 4, Vllaznia 3
^ Vllaznia qualified for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round as the 2021–22 Albanian Cup winners.

Results

Clubs will play each other four times for a total of 36 matches each.

First half of season

Home \ Away	DIN	EGN	KAS	KUK	LAÇ	PAR	SKË	TEU	TIR	VLL
Dinamo	—	1–1	1–0	0–1	1–1	1–1	0–0	0–1	0–1	0–0
Egnatia	1–1	—	2–1	1–3	0–2	0–3	1–1	0–1	0–2	1–1
Kastrioti	0–2	1–0	—	1–6	0–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	0–1
Kukësi	0–1	2–0	3–1	—	1–2	2–1	1–0	2–3	2–1	2–0
Laçi	5–0	0–1	2–0	2–2	—	1–0	2–0	2–0	1–0	3–5
Partizani	1–0	1–1	0–0	1–1	1–1	—	2–1	2–1	1–2	1–1
Skënderbeu	0–1	2–0	2–1	2–1	0–0	1–1	—	0–1	0–0	0–0
Teuta	0–0	1–2	1–1	0–0	2–4	1–0	2–2	—	2–3	1–1
Tirana	4–0	1–1	3–0	4–0	2–0	1–0	4–2	2–1	—	0–0
Vllaznia	6–3	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–0	1–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	—

Source: Albanian Football Association
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Second half of season

Home \ Away	DIN	EGN	KAS	KUK	LAÇ	PAR	SKË	TEU	TIR	VLL
Dinamo	—	0–2	0–1	0–2	0–1	0–0	1–1	0–1	2–1	0–0
Egnatia	1–1	—	2–1	0–2	0–2	0–1	2–0	0–1	0–3	3–0
Kastrioti	2–0	2–1	—	1–0	1–1	1–0	1–0	0–1	2–1	1–3
Kukësi	2–1	1–1	4–0	—	0–0	1–2	1–0	1–1	0–0	0–0
Laçi	2–1	0–0	4–1	3–0	—	3–4	0–0	0–1	1–0	1–0
Partizani	3–1	2–2	4–0	5–0	2–1	—	0–0	3–1	1–2	1–1
Skënderbeu	0–1	0–1	2–0	1–1	1–2	1–2	—	0–0	0–4	2–2
Teuta	1–0	3–1	0–1	4–1	2–1	0–4	0–0	—	0–2	1–1
Tirana	1–0	2–0	0–1	2–3	4–1	0–0	3–2	1–1	—	3–1
Vllaznia	2–1	3–1	1–2	2–1	0–0	0–0	1–0	4–2	1–2	—

Source: Albanian Football Association
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Positions by round

The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches.

Team ╲ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36
Team ╲ Round
Dinamo	4	4	4	5	6	5	5	7	7	5	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	8	8	9	8	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9
Egnatia	9	9	9	6	5	6	6	6	6	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	7	7	7	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8
Kastrioti	10	10	10	10	8	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	9	9	8	9	7	7	7	6	6	6	6	6	6	7	7	7
Kukësi	3	1	1	3	4	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	5	4	4	4
Laçi	7	7	7	9	10	7	7	4	5	6	4	4	4	4	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Partizani	6	6	6	7	7	8	8	8	8	7	5	6	6	6	6	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	4	4	4	3	3	4	3	3	3
Skënderbeu	8	8	8	8	9	10	10	9	9	9	9	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Teuta	5	5	5	2	3	2	3	3	3	4	6	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	7	6	6	6
Tirana	2	3	3	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Vllaznia	1	2	2	4	2	4	4	5	4	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	5	3	5	5	5

	Leader and UEFA Champions League first qualifying round
	UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round
	Relegation play-off
	2022–23 Kategoria e Parë

Source: [1]

Relegation play-off

31 May 2022

17:00

Egnatia	2−0	Korabi
Delarge 16' Jackson 81' (pen.)

Arena Egnatia, Rrogozhinë

Referee: Eldorjan Hamiti

Both clubs remained in their respective leagues.

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

Rank	Player	Club	Goals^[4]
1	Saliou Guindo	Laçi	19
1	Taulant Seferi	Tirana	19
3	Redon Xhixha	Tirana	14
4	Liridon Latifi	Vllaznia	12
4	Stênio Júnior	Partizani	12
6	Ante Aralica	Vllaznia	10
	Edi Baša	Kukësi
	Pedro	Egnatia
	Rubin Hebaj	Teuta
	Tedi Cara	Partizani
	Xhuliano Skuka	Dinamo/Partizani

Discipline

Player

Most yellow cards: 14
- Erdenis Gurishta (Vllaznia)
- Goran Siljanovski (Dinamo Tirana)

Most red cards: 2
- Albion Marku (Partizani)
- Asion Daja (Teuta)
- Bekim Dida (Kastrioti)
- Mevlan Adili (Vllaznia)
- Vangjel Zguro (Skënderbeu)

Awards

Annual awards

Award	Winner	Club
Manager of the Season	Orges Shehi	Tirana
Player of the Season	Redon Xhixha	Tirana
Young Player of the Season	Simon Simoni	Dinamo Tirana

Team of the Year
Goalkeeper	Visar Bekaj (Tirana)
Defenders	Erdenis Gurishta (Vllaznia)	Eneo Bitri (Partizani)		Filip Najdovski (Tirana)		Esin Hakaj (Vllaznia)
Midfielders	Arinaldo Rrapaj (Partizani)		Chandrel Massanga (Partizani)		Mentor Mazrekaj (Laçi)
Forwards	Taulant Seferi (Tirana)		Xhuliano Skuka (Dinamo/Partizani)		Redon Xhixha (Tirana)

Source:^[5]

Notes and references

Notes

^
Kastrioti plays their 2021–22 home games at the Kamëz Stadium in Kamëz, since their venue, Kastrioti Stadium, is not suitable for Kategoria Superiore matches.

References

^ Komiteti Ekzekutiv përcakton datat e nisjes së kampionateve për sezonit 2021–22 – FSHF
^ "VIDEO/ "Nëndetësja" kthehet në bazë! Dinamo ngjitet zyrtarisht në Kategorinë Superiore pas 9 vitesh" [VIDEO / "Submarine" returns to base! Dinamo officially climbs to the Superior Category after 9 years] (in Albanian). Panorama Sport. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
^ "Kategoria e Parë/ Egnatia matematikisht në Superiore, Tomori nxjerr nga gara Pogradecin (VIDEO)" [First Category / Egnatia mathematically in Superiore, Tomori removes Pogradec from the race (VIDEO)] (in Albanian). Panorama Sport. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
^ "2021–22 top scorers". Soccerway. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
^ "Më të mirët e sezonit! FSHF dhe RTSH shpallin kampionët e futbollit". 28 January 2023.

External links

Official website (in Albanian)
Kategoria Superiore at uefa.com

[table_hth_KUK0.77046758018921-4] Kukësi is ahead of Vllaznia on head-to-head goal difference: Kukësi 4, Vllaznia 3

[table_note_res_ECL2Q0.77046758018921-5] Vllaznia qualified for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round as the 2021–22 Albanian Cup winners.

[cnote_a] 
Kastrioti plays their 2021–22 home games at the Kamëz Stadium in Kamëz, since their venue, Kastrioti Stadium, is not suitable for Kategoria Superiore matches.

[1] Komiteti Ekzekutiv përcakton datat e nisjes së kampionateve për sezonit 2021–22 – FSHF

[2] "VIDEO/ "Nëndetësja" kthehet në bazë! Dinamo ngjitet zyrtarisht në Kategorinë Superiore pas 9 vitesh" [VIDEO / "Submarine" returns to base! Dinamo officially climbs to the Superior Category after 9 years] (in Albanian). Panorama Sport. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.

[3] "Kategoria e Parë/ Egnatia matematikisht në Superiore, Tomori nxjerr nga gara Pogradecin (VIDEO)" [First Category / Egnatia mathematically in Superiore, Tomori removes Pogradec from the race (VIDEO)] (in Albanian). Panorama Sport. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.

[topscorer-6] "2021–22 top scorers". Soccerway. Retrieved 27 September 2021.

[7] "Më të mirët e sezonit! FSHF dhe RTSH shpallin kampionët e futbollit". 28 January 2023.

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2021–22 in European men's football (UEFA)
Domestic leagues	Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus '21 '22 Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark England Estonia '21 '22 Faroe Islands '21 '22 Finland '21 '22 France Georgia '21 '22 Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland '21 '22 Israel Italy Kazakhstan '21 '22 Kosovo Latvia '21 '22 Lithuania '21 '22 Luxembourg Malta Moldova Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Northern Ireland Norway '21 '22 Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland '21 '22 Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden '21 '22 Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales
Domestic cups	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark England Estonia Faroe Islands '21 '22 Finland '21 '22 France Georgia '21 '22 Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland '21 '22 Israel Italy Kazakhstan '21 '22 Kosovo Latvia '21 '22 Liechtenstein Lithuania '21 '22 Luxembourg Malta Moldova Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland '21 '22 Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales
League cups	England Finland Iceland Israel Northern Ireland Portugal Scotland Wales
Supercups	Albania Andorra Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus England Estonia '21 '22 Faroe Islands France Georgia Germany Iceland Israel Italy Kazakhstan Kosovo Lithuania Malta Moldova Netherlands Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland '21 '22 Romania Russia San Marino Spain Turkey Ukraine
UEFA competitions	Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round group stage knockout phase Final Europa League qualifying phase and play-off round group stage knockout phase Final Europa Conference League qualifying phase and play-off round Champions Path Main Path group stage knockout phase Final Super Cup Youth League UEFA Champions League Path Domestic Champions Path knockout phase
International competitions	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 2020–21 UEFA Nations League League C relegation play-outs Finals Final 2022–23 UEFA Nations League League A League B League C League D Finalissima 2023 Euro Under-21 qualification 2022 Euro Under-19 qualification 2022 Euro Under-17 qualification