Top News

The Albania national team will host Israel in an international friendly at the Air Albania Stadium tonight.

The kick-off for the Albania vs Israel encounter is scheduled at 01:00 WIB on Thursday (4 June 2026) early morning.

As both nations failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026, they are aiming to build momentum ahead of the UEFA Nations League campaign, which begins in September.

Albania have struggled to recover from their disappointment in the previous World Cup qualifiers, suffering a 1-0 defeat in a friendly against Ukraine on 31 March.

That result marked Rolando Maran’s side’s third consecutive loss, including a painful 2-1 defeat to Poland in the FIFA World Cup 2026 play-off semi-final on 26 March.

Albania will continue their preparations with another friendly against Luxembourg on 6 June, serving as their final warm-up match before opening their 2026 Nations League campaign against Belarus on 26 September.

Like Albania, Israel will also miss out on the FIFA World Cup 2026 following a disappointing qualification campaign, finishing third in Group I — six points behind runners-up Italy, who secured a play-off spot.

Ran Ben Simon’s men began their 2026 schedule on 31 March, coming from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw against Georgia in a friendly at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium.

While Albania compete in League C of the Nations League, Israel will play in League B after being relegated from League A in 2024, when they finished bottom of Group 2 with four points from six matches.

Head-to-Head and Statistics for Albania vs Israel

This will be the seventh meeting between Albania and Israel. Simon’s team have won four of the previous six encounters — two more than Albania’s two victories.

Their last meeting took place in September 2022, when Israel cruised to a 3-0 win in UEFA Nations League Group B2, marking their third successive victory over Maran’s side.

Albania have won four of their last five friendly matches, with the 1-0 loss to Ukraine in March being the only exception.

Israel, meanwhile, have failed to win five of their last six matches across all competitions, losing three and drawing two since September 2025.

Albania vs Israel Prediction

Although Albania will look to rediscover their rhythm and claim their first win of the year, they face a tough challenge against a side that has beaten them in their last three meetings.

Israel appear stronger and more experienced on paper, and while a close contest is expected at the Air Albania Stadium, Israel are tipped to emerge victorious.

Predicted Score: Albania 1-2 Israel