Shkendija

Establishment

KF Shkëndija was founded on 27 August 1979 in Tetovo by ethnic Albanians, emerging from a local multi-sport society and adopting red-and-black as club colours. Starting in the municipal league, the club drew large local support and quickly climbed the Yugoslav pyramid; contemporary club records note the first official match finished 4–0 for Shkëndija against FK Kosmos. As its popularity grew among Albanians in SR Macedonia, authorities in socialist Yugoslavia came to view the club through a nationalist lens; Shkëndija was dissolved in the early 1980s and remained inactive for the rest of the decade. The club was re-established in 1992 following Macedonian independence and began its climb back through the domestic league system.

Re-establishment and rise (1992–2010)

Following Macedonian independence in 1991, Shkëndija was re-established in 1992 and restarted in the lower regional leagues. By 1994–95 the club was competing in the Second League (West), finishing runners-up behind Makedonija Skopje. The following season Shkëndija won the West group and earned promotion, appearing in the 1996–97 First League before being relegated at the end of that campaign. After several seasons yo-yoing between the top two tiers, Shkëndija again won the Second League (West) in 1999–2000 to return to the top flight. The club also made its first national cup final in 2005–06, losing 3–2 to Makedonija G.P. in Skopje. Shkëndija captured the Second League title again in 2009–10 to earn promotion ahead of their breakthrough 2010–11 championship season. During this period the ultras group Ballistët was formally established (1992) and became a defining feature of the club's support.

First championship and European debut (2010–2013)

In the 2010–11 season, newly promoted Shkëndija won their first national title, finishing top with 72 points (21–9–3). The triumph brought a first appearance in UEFA competitions, where Shkëndija faced FK Partizan in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, losing 0–5 on aggregate (0–4 in Belgrade, 0–1 in Skopje). Domestically, Shkëndija won the inaugural Macedonian Football Supercup by defeating Metalurg 2–1 on 24 July 2011 at the national arena in Skopje. The club finished third in the 2011–12 league with 66 points. The following year brought turbulence: in September 2012 UEFA temporarily withheld Shkëndija's European prize money under new financial-fair-play measures, and on 1 August 2013 the Tetovo-based company Ecolog International formally took charge of the club after a supporter-led campaign amid financial strain.

Ecolog era and domestic success (2013–present)

During the 2012–13 season, Shkëndija was embroiled in financial difficulties and as a result, many of its players left the club earlier in the summer. The Shkëndija supporters, the Ballistët, began a social media campaign requesting Ecolog to take over Shkëndija. Albanian international, Lorik Cana and Swiss international, Xherdan Shaqiri also joined the campaign with the supporters. On 31 July 2013, Lazim Destani, father of Ecolog founder and chairman, Nazif Destani, announced Ecolog International will take charge of Shkëndija.

With increased investment, Shkëndija rebuilt its squad and cycled through several managers in the following years. Shpëtim Duro took over in December 2015 and led the club until December 2016. After a brief return by Jeton Bekjiri and a short stint by Bruno Akrapović, Thomas Brdarić was appointed in January 2017. He was succeeded by Qatip Osmani, with Osmani eventually leading the team to its most dominant period. Under Osmani, Shkëndija won back-to-back league titles in 2017–18 and 2018–19, and completed the domestic double in 2018.

The club also had its most notable European campaigns in this period. Shkëndija reached the UEFA Europa League play-offs twice (2016–17, 2017–18) and participated in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League qualifiers, reaching the third round before being eliminated by Red Bull Salzburg.

In October 2019, Albanian coach Ernest Gjoka took over and guided Shkëndija to their fourth league title in the 2020–21 season. Gjoka departed in August 2021 and was succeeded by Bruno Akrapović, who led the club until April 2022. Artim Šakiri briefly managed the club before Qatip Osmani returned in September 2022 and remained until May 2023.

In June 2023, former Macedonian international Ardian Nuhiu was appointed as manager. He led the team through the first half of the 2023–24 season before departing in December 2023. On 13 May 2025, Shkëndija secured the Macedonian First League title for the fifth time in the club's history following a 2–1 home victory over FK Rabotnicki. The Tetovo-based club was declared champion with two rounds remaining in the season.