Shkendija Tetovo

KF Shkëndija was founded on 27 August 1979 in Tetovo by ethnic Albanians and initially competed in the local municipal league. The club quickly earned back-to-back promotions and by 1981 had reached the second division of the Yugoslav league system. However, due to the growing popularity of the club among the Albanian population, the authorities at the time perceived Shkëndija as a nationalist movement. Consequently, the club was disbanded in the early 1980s and remained inactive for the rest of the decade. Starting at the lowest division, the Municipal League, Shkëndija played their first match against FK Kosmos, winning 4–0.

Following Macedonian independence in 1991, Shkëndija was re-established in 1992 and began competing in the fourth tier. The club progressed rapidly through the divisions, earning promotion to the Macedonian First League by 1995. Over the next fifteen years, the club oscillated between the top two divisions. During this period, the Ballistët ultras group was founded and became a defining element of the club’s identity.

In the 2010–11 season, KF Shkëndija won the Macedonian First League in their debut season after promotion. Led by captain Ferhan Hasani, the team finished unbeaten in 16 consecutive games and claimed the club’s first national title. This success qualified Shkëndija for their first appearance in UEFA competitions, where they participated in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. Despite continued strong domestic performances, financial difficulties in the 2012–13 season led to instability within the club and the departure of several players.

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.