Nations League: golden opportunity for Albania as Belarus left without home or fans after UEFA sanction

Belarus will be the opponent against which Albania opens its Nations League campaign, on September 26, in Albania.

This match will be played normally in the stadium, with red-and-black fans in attendance. But the situation will change in the return leg, on November 15.

Although Belarus figures as the home team, it will not be able to host Albania on its territory. UEFA’s decision, taken in March 2022 after the start of the war in Ukraine and the involvement of Belarusian territory in support of Russian operations, remains in force. Belarusian teams must play their home matches on neutral ground and without fans.

Thus, the November clash will be played in Hungary, but behind closed doors — a situation that can be considered a significant advantage for Albania, as Belarus loses precisely the two elements that usually give strength to a home team: its own field and the support of the public.

So, Albania will begin the two-legged tie at home, with red-and-black fans in the stands, while in the return leg Belarus will have neither its own stadium nor fans to support it. On paper, this gives Albania a special advantage in the second match, even though the encounter will be played on a neutral field and sporting conditions remain the same for both teams.

UEFA’s decision, therefore, is not a forgotten measure from 2022. It continues to apply in the 2026/27 Nations League and, for Albania, creates an unusual circumstance: an opponent that in the return leg is a “host” only on paper.