Serbia and Albania will co-host the European Men's Under-21 Championship in 2027 in a football project aimed at overcoming political tensions.
UEFA said on Thursday that only the Serbia-Albania bid met a deadline this week to submit detailed tournament plans. Belgium and Turkey had earlier expressed interest in the bidding process scheduled to be decided at a December 16 meeting of UEFA's executive committee.
The Serbian and Albanian football federations joined forces in May to plan the staging of the biennial 16-team tournament, which needs eight stadiums to host 31 matches.
The leader of the Albanian Football Federation, Armand Duka, who is UEFA's vice-president, told the Associated Press in May that "it is a 100% football project" with "a very good political message that we can convey".
The Duke's plan to co-organize the tournament has caused great dissatisfaction both in Albania and more so in Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians and especially those who are part of the sport of football have seen this as an anti-patriotic gesture.