Belarus, who Albania will face in the opening match of the Nations League, may be a team without big names in European football, but they come into this match with a six-match unbeaten run. So who will Albania face in their first match in the Nations League? After losing 2-1 to Scotland in October last year, the Belarusians have not lost in six consecutive matches. Under the leadership of Viktor Goncharenko, the team has won three of these matches, unlike the Rossoneri who are coming off five consecutive losses.
It is no coincidence, in fact, because after finishing last in their World Cup qualifying campaign, the situation has changed since January 2026, when Viktor Goncharenko was appointed coach. The 49-year-old has won 3 and drawn 1 in 4 matches at the helm of this national team, restoring the optimism that was missing for a long time. This means that in 2026 Belarus has not known defeat, although the positive progress began earlier, after the 2-1 defeat to Scotland on October 12 of last year. Then came the 2-2 draw with Denmark and 0-0 with Greece in the World Cup qualifiers, before Belarus won three matches in a row: 1-0 against Cyprus, 2-1 against Armenia and 4-1 against Syria. The series was temporarily ended with a 2-2 draw against Burkina Faso in June.
Goncharenko has selected a group with several players who play abroad, with goalkeeper Fedor Lapoukhov, part of CSKA Sofia, standing out, while in midfield, an important role is expected to have Max Ebong, also at the Bulgarian club. Evgeni Yablonski of Asteras Tripolis and striker Vitali Lisakovich of Tobol are two others with international experience. In the offensive department, German Barkovski of Polonia Warsaw also deserves attention, but the real scare is Trofim Melnichenko of Porto. Belarus therefore comes with high morale and with a series that shows that it is not an opponent to be underestimated. Albania will face a team that has not known defeat in six matches.
