First Division / Kicks off on August 23 and ends on May 2, 2026!

For several days now, the Albanian Football Federation (FSHF) has officially announced the start date for the First Category (Kategoria e Parë) and all other Albanian football competitions. The First Category, where Skënderbeu will also compete, will start on August 23rd — the same day the Albanian Superliga will begin.

At least for the new season, Skënderbeu will play in this category alongside 11 other teams, and of course, Skënderbeu is the favorite team to be promoted to the Superliga. There are still 2 months left until the start date, and it is expected that next week the white-and-red team will begin their summer preparations, having enough time until the new season kicks off.

Below, we present the 12 teams participating in the new edition of the First Category. Besides Skënderbeu, we recall that Pogradeci, another team from the southeastern region, also aims for promotion to the Superliga.

LIST OF 12 TEAMS PARTICIPATING IN THE FIRST CATEGORY

Pogradeci

Besa

Burreli

Apolonia

Lushnja

Korabi

Kukësi

Kastrioti

Skënderbeu

Laçi

Luftëtari

Iliria

“KORÇA BOOM”