Albanian fans start countdown to national team Euro 24 opening game

The Albanian National Football Team will play its first Euro 2024 game on June 15 against Italy. This is the second time that Albania participates in the European Championship and there is huge enthusiasm and anticipation among fans.

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Feverish preparations are being made for the game all over Albania, with huge screens placed in city squares and thousands of bars and cafes, alongside red and black decorations and flags. All life is expected to stop for the game.

Albania plays in Group B, known as the Group of Death, alongside Spain, Italy, and Croatia. While normally Albania would be the underdog among such big football names, the team’s amazing performance during the qualifying rounds – Albania were group winners – has made people and players dream of reaching the round of 16 despite the difficulty of the group.

In preparation for the tournament, the coach of the National Team, Brazilian Sylvio Mendes Campos Junior, known as Sylvinho, surprised the fans with some of his choices of players called up for the team. Two key players, Sokol Cikalleshi and Myrto Uzuni, were left out and three new names, Arbër Hoxha, Medon Berisha, and Amir Abrashi, were added to the list. However, this is not the first time that Sylvinho has managed to scout previously unknown players for the national team. He enjoys huge respect among players and supporters not just for qualifying Albania, but also for managing to transform the game of the National Team, giving it a more Brazilian flair.