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The Albanian Football Federation is ready to take the most important institutional step of the last decade regarding the structure of the elite competition. Journalist Endi Tufa has exclusively obtained the official document and the behind-the-scenes details of the decision that is expected to be made official tomorrow by the Executive Committee of the Albanian Football Federation. This new sports draft law will bring a reform divided into two phases over the next two seasons, completely changing the trajectory of the Superior Category.
According to exclusive details, the new two-year formula will completely change the points system before moving on to the championship's major expansion.
New Season 2026/2027: Dissolution of the “Final 4” and the drastic points rule
The first and most immediate change will affect the new 2026/2027 edition. The championship will continue to be played with 10 teams, but the current “Final 4” scheme will be definitively dissolved to make way for an unprecedented formula in the final phase:
• Regular Competition (3 Phases): Teams will initially play 3 full normal phases head-to-head.
• Halving of points: Before the fourth and final phase of the championship begins, the points accumulated up to that point will be halved for all 10 participating teams. This rule will melt the gaps created during the year, making the competition extremely dramatic.
• The Great Divide of Phase Four:
o Group for Title and Europe (Top 6): The top 6 places in the rankings will play each other for the championship title and tickets to the European cups, in a total of 10 matches.
o Survival Group (Last 4): The last 4 teams in the table will face each other for a place in the elite. This group will play a total of 9 matches with a specific system: home-away-away.
2027/2028 Edition: Major official expansion to 12 teams
This strong transition in the first year will pave the way for the application of the full reform for the following edition, 2027/2028. In this season, the number of teams in the Superior Category will officially increase from 10 to 12 teams. The promotion and relegation mechanism will operate according to these rules:
• Direct relegation: The team that will be ranked 10th in the Superior Category will be directly relegated from the elite.
• Direct promotion of two teams: To fill the new number of 12 participants, 2 teams will be promoted directly from the First Category to the Super League.
• Combined Play-out Formula: The race for the remaining ticket will be quite intense. The teams ranked 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th in the First Category will first play each other in a mini-tournament. The winner of this group will go to the grand play-out final to face the ninth place team from the Superior Category.
History: How the Albanian championship scheme has changed over the years
To understand the weight of this decision that the Executive Committee is expected to make official tomorrow, it is important to look at the chronology of changes to the Superior Category format in recent years, which has been filled with continuous experiments:
• Until the 2013–2014 season (12-team Championship): This edition marked the last time the Kategoria Superiore was played with the expanded 12-team format. The competition was played over three full stages, totaling 33 matches.
• From the 2014–2015 season to 2022–2023 (10-team system): The FSHF decided to radically switch to a 10-team championship, following the European models of Austria and Switzerland. The main argument was that a smaller number of teams would increase the quality of the game and bring more income to the clubs. For almost a decade, the format operated with 4 phases and 36 full matches.
• Major change to the 2023–2024 Season (Introduction of the “Final 4”): Through a decision taken on July 18, 2023, the Executive Committee of the Albanian Football Association changed the format again. Without affecting the number of 10 teams, it was decided that at the end of the 36th week, the top four places would face each other in a play-off phase called the “Final 4” to determine the champion and the European tickets. This decision was even restructured within the same season with real semi-finals and finals (with extra time and penalties), with the aim of promoting the championship and bringing spectators closer.
• Current Situation (Season 2024–2025): The 86th official edition ended on 12 May 2025, with Egnatia winning the title against Vllaznia in the final, while Bylis and Elbasani were promoted to the elite. Although the proposal to return to the 12-team championship was repeatedly put on the table before each new season, it remained a purely theoretical discussion without any concrete changes.
With the major move expected to be made official tomorrow, the Albanian Football Association (AFSH) is finally ending the era of the 10-team championship and the "Final 4" scheme, returning after many years to the expanded 12-team format that will officially launch in 2027./ TCH
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