Qazim Laçi

Qazim Laçi
Laçi with Ajaccio in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth (1996-01-19) 19 January 1996
Place of birth Peshkopi, Albania
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Çaykur Rizespor
Number 20
Youth career
2012–2016 Olympiacos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Olympiacos 0 (0)
2016 → APOEL (loan) 0 (0)
2017 → Levadiakos (loan) 10 (0)
2017 → Ajaccio B (loan) 1 (0)
2017–2018 → Ajaccio (loan) 21 (3)
2018–2019 Ajaccio B 3 (1)
2018–2022 Ajaccio 116 (7)
2022–2025 Sparta Prague 75 (4)
2025– Çaykur Rizespor 29 (6)
International career‡
2012 Albania U17 1 (0)
2014 Albania U19 3 (0)
2015–2018 Albania U21 20 (1)
2020– Albania 46 (4)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 April 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026

Qazim Laçi (born 19 January 1996) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Süper Lig club Çaykur Rizespor and the Albania national team.[2]

Raised in Greece from a young age, Laçi began his career with Olympiacos, and had loan spells with APOEL, Levadiakos and Ajaccio before joining Ajaccio permanently in 2018, helping the team achieve promotion to Ligue 1 in the 2021–22 season.[2] He later played for Sparta Prague, winning two Czech First League titles and the Czech Cup, before signing for Turkish club Çaykur Rizespor in 2025.[3]

He represented Albania at youth and senior level, including at UEFA Euro 2024.[4][5]

Club career

Early career

Laçi was born in Peshkopi, Albania, and is of origin from Laç, reflected in his surname, before moving with his family to Greece at a young age.[6] His family was placed in Galatsi and he began his youth career in with Olympiacos, where he progressed through the academy system.[7]

Laçi was part of the Olympiacos U19 squad that competed in the inaugural 2013–14 UEFA Youth League, making five appearances as the team was eliminated in the group stage.[8] In the 2014–15 UEFA Youth League, he became a regular starter, scoring four goals in the group stage, including against Malmö and Juventus, and converted a penalty in the shoot-out against Shakhtar Donetsk as Olympiacos were eliminated after a 1–1 draw.[8] He also featured in the 2015–16 UEFA Youth League as one of three overaged players, making five appearances as Olympiacos finished level on points with Arsenal and Bayern Munich but placed third on head-to-head record.[8]

Olympiacos

For the first time Laçi was included in the Olympiacos first team squad for the 2014–15 Greek Cup semi-final against Apollon Smyrnis on 8 April 2015 by coach Vítor Pereira, but did not feature in the match.[9] He was again included in the squad for the second leg three weeks later, but remained unused as Olympiacos progressed with a 4–1 aggregate victory after a 1–1 draw.[10] In the 2015–16 season, Laçi was included in the matchday squad for a 2015–16 UEFA Champions League group stage fixture against Dinamo Zagreb on 20 October 2015, marking his first involvement in a senior UEFA Champions League match.[11] He made his professional debut on 3 February 2016 under coach Marco Silva in a 2015–16 Greek Cup quarter-final against Asteras Tripolis, coming on as a late substitute.[7][12]

Loan to APOEL

On 16 June 2016, Laçi joined Cypriot champions APOEL on a one-year loan from Olympiacos.[13][14] However, he did not make any official appearances and his loan was terminated on 4 January 2017, after which he returned to Olympiacos.[15]

Loan to Levadiakos

In January 2017, Laçi was loaned to Levadiakos.[16] He made his debut on 14 January 2017 against Veria F.C., coming on as a late substitute.[17]

Ajaccio

Laçi after a game with Ajaccio in 2018

In July 2017, Laçi joined Ligue 2 club Ajaccio on loan for the 2017–18 season.[18][19] He made his debut on 6 August 2017 in the 2017–18 Ligue 2 matchday 2 against Brest, coming on in the 70th minute.[20] He scored his first goal for the club on 18 August 2017 against Paris, coming on as a substitute in the 66th minute for fellow goalscorer Johan Cavalli, sealing a 2–0 victory with a counter-attack goal.[21] On 23 October 2017, he scored his second goal in a 2–0 derby win over Gazélec Ajaccio, coming on in the 83rd minute and scoring just two minutes later.[22] On 20 May 2018, Laçi scored in the penalty shoot-out as Ajaccio defeated Le Havre 5–3 after a 2–2 draw in the Ligue 2 promotion play-off semi-final, helping the club reach the final.[23]

On 8 March 2020, Laçi provided an assist in Ajaccio's important Ligue 2 title match against Lorient, delivering the cross for the opening goal in the 52nd minute in an eventual victory.[24]

On 11 August 2020, Laçi signed a new three-year contract with Ajaccio, keeping him at the club until 2023.[25]

On 18 April 2021, Laçi scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in a 3–0 win over Chamois Niortais, sealing the result with a long-range left-footed strike from outside the box.[26]

On 25 July 2021, Laçi scored twice in a 2–2 draw away against Toulouse, helping his team secure a point despite playing with 10 men for around 50 minutes.[27] On 19 March 2022, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Nîmes, a long-range strike that kept Ajaccio in the promotion race, and it was his third goal of the season.[28] Ajaccio ultimately finished as runners-up and secured promotion to Ligue 1.[29] On 19 April 2022, Laçi provided an assist in a 2–1 win over Dunkerque, setting up the opening goal in the third minute of the match.[30]

He made his Ligue 1 debut on 6 August 2022, coming on as a substitute in the 89th minute in a 2–1 loss to Lyon on the opening matchday of the 2022–23 Ligue 1 season.[31]

On 29 December 2022, Laçi left Ajaccio after five years at the club, with limited playing time during the 2022–23 season, and joined Czech club Sparta Prague.[32]

Sparta Prague

Laçi signed a contract with Sparta Prague in the Czech First League.[33] He scored his first goal for the club from a direct free-kick in a 3–3 draw against FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, though Sparta were eliminated after losing on penalties.[34] During the second half of the 2022–23 season, Laçi made 17 league appearances as Sparta Prague won the 2022–23 Czech First League title.[3]

In his first full season with the club, Laçi made 27 league appearances and scored once as Sparta Prague completed the domestic double by winning the 2023–24 Czech First League and the 2023–24 Czech Cup.[3]

Çaykur Rizespor

On 20 July 2025, Laçi signed a three-year contract with Turkish Süper Lig club Çaykur Rizespor.[35]

On 9 April 2026, Laçi scored once and provided two assists in a 4–1 victory over Samsunspor, delivering one of his best performances for the club.[36]

International career

Youth

Laçi first represented the Albania U17 in the 2013 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualifying round in October 2012, making his debut as a substitute against Hungary on 20 October and remaining unused in the other two matches.[8][37] He joined the Albania U19 and played every minute in the 2015 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification matches against Denmark, Portugal and Wales in November 2014 as Albania lost all three matches and finished bottom of the group.[38][39][8][40]

Laçi continued with the Albania U21, featuring regularly in the 2017 and 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification campaigns, scoring his first and only youth international goal in November 2015, and collecting 15 competitive caps and 21 appearances overall, becoming one of the most capped players for Albania U21.[4][41][42][43][44][45][46][47]

Senior

On 7 September 2020, Laçi debuted for the Albanian senior team in a 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C match against Lithuania.[48] He made further appearances in October 2020, featuring in two goalless draws against Kazakhstan and Lithuania, before playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–2 victory over Belarus on 18 November 2020, as Albania finished first in the group and secured promotion to UEFA Nations League B.[49][50] He scored his first senior international goal in a 5–0 win against San Marino in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 8 September 2021.[51] During the campaign, he made 7 appearances in 10 matches, mostly as a starter, as Albania won all matches except two defeats against England, conceding no goals in the remaining fixtures.[52] Albania finished third in the group, two points behind Poland, missing out on the play-off round.[53] He scored his second international goal in a 2–0 friendly win against Bulgaria on 17 October 2023.[54]

In June 2024, he was included in the 26-man squad by coach Sylvinho to represent Albania at UEFA Euro 2024.[55] He scored in a 3–1 warm-up friendly win against Azerbaijan on 7 June 2024, netting the third goal in the 86th minute.[56] He made his debut in a major tournament in the opening match of Group B against Italy on 15 June 2024, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute in a 2–1 defeat.[57] In the following two group stage matches, he established himself as a regular starter, playing around 75 minutes in each game.[58] He scored the opening goal against Croatia in a 2–2 draw on the second matchday.[59] In the final group match against Spain on 24 June 2024, Albania were eliminated after a 1–0 defeat.[60]

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) campaign, Laçi was a regular starter for Albania in Group K, usually being substituted in the second half, helping the team achieve four wins without conceding, two draws, and two defeats against England.[61] Albania eventually secured qualification to the play-offs for the first time in its history, one match before the end.[62] In the play-off on 26 March 2026 against Poland, Laçi started and was substituted in the 82nd minute as Albania lost 2–1 after initially taking the lead.[63]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 April 2026[2][3][4]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Olympiacos 2014–15 Super League Greece — 0 0 — 0 0
2015–16 Super League Greece — 1 0 — 1 0
Total — 1 0 — 1 0
APOEL 2016–17 Cypriot First Division 0 0 — — 0 0
Levadiakos 2016–17 Super League Greece 10 0 1 0 — 11 0
Ajaccio (loan) 2017–18 Ligue 2 21 3 1 0 4[a] 0 26 3
Ajaccio B (loan) 2017–18 Championnat National 3 1 0 — — 1 0
Ajaccio 2018–19 Ligue 2 19 0 1 0 2[b] 0 22 0
2019–20 Ligue 2 27 3 1 0 2[b] 1 30 4
2020–21 Ligue 2 36 1 1 0 — 37 1
2021–22 Ligue 2 34 3 0 0 — 34 3
2022–23 Ligue 1 9 0 — — 9 0
Total 125 7 3 0 4 1 132 8
Ajaccio B 2018–19 Championnat National 3 3 1 — — 3 1
Sparta 2022–23 Czech First League 17 0 3 0 — 20 0
2023–24 Czech First League 27 1 2 0 14 1 43 2
2024–25 Czech First League 31 3 5 0 14 1 50 4
Total 75 4 10 0 28 2 113 6
Çaykur Rizespor 2025–26 Süper Lig 29 6 5 0 — 34 6
Career total 274 21 21 0 36 3 331 24
  1. ^ Three appearances in Ligue 1 relegation/promotion play-offs, one appearance in the Coupe de la Ligue
  2. ^ a b Appearances in the Coupe de la Ligue

International

As of match played 31 March 2026[5]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Albania 2020 5 0
2021 9 1
2022 6 0
2023 3 1
2024 13 2
2025 8 0
2026 2 0
Total 46 4
Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Laçi goal.[2]
List of international goals scored by Qazim Laçi
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 8 September 2021 Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania 12  San Marino 2–0 5–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 17 October 2023 Arena Kombëtare, Tirana, Albania 22  Bulgaria 1–0 2–0 Friendly
3 7 June 2024 Haladás Sportkomplexum, Szombathely, Hungary 27  Azerbaijan 3–0 3–1 Friendly
4 19 June 2024 Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany 29  Croatia 1–0 2–2 UEFA Euro 2024

Honours

Olympiacos

Sparta Prague

References

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  3. ^ a b c d e Qazim Laçi at National-Football-Teams.com
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