Estonia national football team
Encyclopedia
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia
in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association
(EJL). Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena
in Tallinn
, Estonia.
Estonia's first match was with Finland
in 1920, being a 6–0 defeat. The team participated in the 1924 Olympic Games
tournament, their only participation. Estonia have never qualified for the World Cup
or European Championship. The team have however qualified for the second round of Euro 2012 qualification, by finishing second in their qualifying group, before being drawn up against Ireland for a play-off tie, making 2011 the Annus mirabilis
of Estonian football.
In 1940, Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union
and did not regain independence (and the possibility of a national football team) until 1991. Estonia's first FIFA
recognised match as an independent nation after the break-up of the Soviet Union, was against Slovenia
on 3 June 1992, a 1–1 draw in the Estonian capital city of Tallinn.
The record of the most international caps by an Estonian international (157), is held by Martin Reim
, who held the European record in 2009 until November of that year. The record of most goals (36) is held by Andres Oper
. The national team head coach has been Tarmo Rüütli
since January 2008.
Estonia's only participation in a major tournament took place in 1924, when at the Olympic Games in Paris they lost 1–0 to the United States, the only match they played in the tournament.
The Estonian league season usually lasted from the end of May to September. In 1928, a Baltic football contest was held involving all three nations, it was held nine times during this period. Four of them were held in in Latvia, two in Estonia and three in Lithuania. Estonia was particularly notable for winning the edition of the tournament in 1938. In the crucial meeting between them and Latvia at the Kadrioru Stadium, 2,000 out of the 12,000 spectators were Lativans.
Estonia's first points in the FIFA World Cup qualifying rounds were gained in 1938
, playing the qualification matches in 1937, the third edition of the tournament. At the time teams would play each other once in each group. Estonia were in group one, drawn with Germany, Sweden and Finland. In their first match against Sweden, the team went 2–0 up even before the game reached five minutes of play, only to lose 7–2. This was then followed up with a 1–0 success against Finland in which Richard Kuremaa
scored the only goal of the game in the 56th minute. Qualification was completed with a 4–1 defeat against Germany, despite a goal from Georg Siimenson
taking the teams in at half time with a 1–0 lead for the Estonians. As a result, Estonia failed to qualify for the World Cup. The team entered the 1934 qualification round
which was their first entry, but only played one match being a 6–2 loss to Sweden, their scheduled match against Lithuania was not played as neither team could qualify.
The teams biggest win came on the 26 July, 1928 which was a 6–0 success against Lithuania in Tallinn, meanwhile their biggest defeat came on 11 August, 1922 which was a 10–2 loss to Finland. Out of the teams head coaches before the Second World War, seven of them were Hungarian with Antal Mally taking this position twice. There were four foreign coaches (three Hungarians and one Austrian), while the first Estonian national team was coached by Albert Vollrat in 1932. Coaches also played for several seasons, who also determined the composition of the football association.
Players were mostly in Tallinn clubs, such as TJK
, Sport, Kalev
and Tallinn Estonia. The republic's most capped players were goalkeeper Evald Tipner (67) and the outfield players Eugen Einmann (65), Eduard Ellman-Eelma (58) and Karl-Rudolf Silberg-Sillak (52). Goal scorers were Ellman-Eelma (21 goals in 65 matches), Richard Kuremaa (18/42), Arnold Pihlak (17/44), Georg Siimenson (14/42) and Friedrich Karm (9/13), who are still Estonia's all-time top ten. Players received small pay for their contributions – 5 Estonian crowns in 1938. The Baltic tournament victory was 50 in euros.
On the 18 July, 1940 the team played their last official game as an independent nation for more than half a century. The game was played at the Kadrioru Stadium and was a 2–1 victory against Latvia.
in August 1940, the national team demised alongside with the country. During German occupation (1941–1944), the team was revived and they played two unofficial friendlies (in Riga 0–4 and in Tallinn 1–8), but only few players remained from the pre-war era. When Soviet troops invaded Estonia again, some of the best footballers (Richard Kuremaa
, Elmar Tepp, Valter Neeris, etc.) were mobilised; some fled to west. Many ex-nationals (Arnold Pihlak
, Arnold Laasner, etc.) were in Estonia's team in Geislingen
's refugee camp.
The clubs were renamed in the second half of 1940s and the traditions started to fade. According to Uno Piir, the first national team manager after Estonia's re-independence, the reason for football's downfall in society was the inability to create a competitive Union-level club, hence the decrease in audience and the favouring of other sports by the governing bodies of sports. Estonian SSR had its representative team, but because of the occupation it did not take part of international competitions. Between 1948 and 1976, Baltic Cup was held 19 times, which Belaussian SSR won a few times and Estonian SSR five times. From 1969 to 1982, Estonia was the only soviet state not participating in Soviet Union's football league. In 1970s, the game lost popularity in Estonians and the sport was mainly played by Russians.
Estonian football-life was relaunched in mid-70s by the attempts of Roman Ubakivi, who formed Estonian-language training groups. The most notable team was Lõvid (Lions) in 1980–1989, who were coached by Ubakivi and Olev Reim. Several players, Mart Poom
and Martin Reim
among them, became part of the national team later. Not a single Estonian reached the soviet national team, but two Ubakivi's pupils, Ott Mõtsnik and Toomas Krõm
, broke into the youth team.
Singing Revolution
, pursuit to restore Estonian independence and to cooling the tensions found its way to football as well. On 18 July 1990, an exhibition match was held between Estonian and Latvian footballers at Kadriorg stadium, to remember the last official match between the two teams as independent nations 50 years ago. The principle of assembling the squad was controversial. 63 players made a public addressing (Päevaleht, 24 April 1990) calling out the football governing bodies to only select the descendants of Estonians, leaving out immigrants who came to Estonia after World War II
.
's organized Baltic tournament taking place in November. However, FIFA
affiliation was not gained until 3 June 1992, with the first recognised match taking place in Tallinn
as a friendly against Slovenia
(1–1). This historic meeting under the guidance of coach Uno Piir was overseen by a team consisting of Mart Poom
, Urmas Hepner
, Igor Prins
, Urmas Kaljend
, Meelis Lindmaa
, Toomas Kallaste
, Tarmo Linnumäe
, Indro Olumets
, Martin Reim
, Sergei Ratnikov
, Risto Kallaste
, Viktor Alonen
, Urmas Kirs
, Marko Kristal
and Aleksandr Puštov
. Puštov was the scorer of the Estonian goal.
At that time the composition of the squad was influenced by the country's citizenship policy. There were disputes whether the national team should include players who lived in Estonia but had not acquired Estonian citizenship. Most of those players in question were of Russian origin. Approximately four months before the first official match against Slovenia FC Flora presented to the Estonian Football Association
(EFA) an ultimatum signed by 25 players which stated that "only those who have acquired Estonian citizenship on the basis of legal continuity should be included in the national team". In July of the same year FIFA gave the right to represent Estonia to 97 non-citizens who were according to EFA born in Estonia and were in the process of acquiring Estonian citizenship. In October the board of EFA made a decision that after the 1 April 1993 non-citizens could no more debut in the national team.
The citizenship dispute heated up again in February 1993. Estonia took part in a three team friendly tournament held in Finland. For the first time, non-citizen players Andrei Borissov
and Sergei Bragin
were allowed to represent Estonia in the national team. In a statement made on the 23 February the government of Estonia urged the Estonian Central Sports Union to "consider manning Estonian sports teams only with Estonian citizens". On the 11 March the local press published an open letter in which the signatories accused EFA and the head coach Uno Piir of using four "alien citizens" (Andrei Borissov, Sergei Bragin, Aleksandr Puštov, Sergei Hohlov-Simson) in games and using Russian as the working language of the national team. The signatories also noted that "most of the positions belonging to Estonians (in youth teams) were filled with non-citizens". According to Estonian press the EFA had also misled FIFA because most of those 97 players who had gotten the right to represent Estonia had not actually applied for citizenship.
On the 5 December 1992 the EFA decided to take part in 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament
despite financial difficulties, the poor state of the Kadrioru Stadium and the inexperience of the national team. Estonia ended the qualification tournament in the last place of the group and with record of one goal scored and 27 conceded. The team lost nine games and drew once against Malta
.
In the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying tournament the team was coached by Roman Ubakivi. The qualification tournament ended without a single point and a goals record of three scored and 31 against. The biggest defeats came from abroad against Croatia
(7–1) and Lithuania
(5–0).
During this period (14 October 1993 – 5 October 1996) Estonia played without a victory for almost three years and by February of 1996 the team had sunk to 135 in the FIFA World Rankings
. Public interest was at a low. In the autumn of 1994 when Estonia hosted Italy
at the Kadrioru Stadium only 3000 people came to watch.
with a goal from Hohlov-Simson. After the victory over the Belarusians, the Estonian team gained infamy on 9, October 1996, when a match against Scotland had to be rescheduled after the Estonian team failed to turn up for the game. For unclear reasons, the match was rescheduled to be played on neutral ground in Monaco after it was agreed at a FIFA meeting in Scotland on 7 November, leading to the rescheduled match to take place on the 11 February 1997 ending in a 0–0 draw. Reasons for the original postponement of the game was that the Scottish team trained at the Kadriorg the night before, finding the foodlighting inadequate. This matter was raised with the officials who agreed with their concerns. In protest, the Estonians failed to show up, which kicked off only to be stopped seconds later.
At the end of qualifying, the Estonians finished fifth in a field of six teams on a total of four points ahead of Belarus. This was the first time the Belorussians finished last in a qualifying campaign, and had a weaker goal difference. Estonia scored four goals and conceded sixteen.
Estonia also entered the qualifying tournament for Euro 2000. This time round the Estonians recorded three wins and two draws in their group, with fifteen goals scored and seventeen conceded. The team also found themselves in the same group as Scotland, this time losing 3–2 away but drawing 0–0 at home. The Estonian magazine Sporditäht, placed the 1998 events between the pair in their top ten sporting events. On 31 March, 1999 the Estonians defeated Lithuania 2–1 in Vilnius. Estonia remained a theotetical possibility to qualify for their first major tournament. Despite failing to qualify, they still set themselves a then team record of 11 points. Their meeting with Scotland on the 8 September, 1999 was a 5,000 sell-out at the Kadriorg.
Head coach Teitur Thordarson resigned at the end of 1999, leading the Estonian football association to look for a new coach. They were taken over this time by Tarmo Rüütli
(who was replaced by caretaker Aivar Lillevere
for two games), who was appointed until autumn 2000, and seen the team through their qualifying group for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. After the departure of Rüütli and Lillevere's two game stint as caretaker manager, the Estonian Football Association made an agreement with Dutchman Arno Pijpers
.
Plans were later set by the football association to build a modern football home in Tallinn, which took place in 2000 and construction began outside of the Lilleküla railway line, giving it its original name of the Lilleküla stadium. The arena opened on the 2 June 2001, ahead of their 2002 World Cup qualifying game against the Netherlands (4–2 defeat). The 9,300 tickets on sale for the match sold out within six hours.
Their campaign for 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
, saw two victories over Andorra and two draws with Cyprus, which gave the team a total of eight points in the final table and fourth place with ten goals scored and 26 against, finishing ahead of those two teams. This was later matched in UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying, where they gained two more wins over Andorra and draws with Croatia and Bulgaria. The teams goals record was much more stronger defensively, only conceding six goals in their eight matches while scoring four.
Estonia then most successful tournament came in the qualifying rounds for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, under the supervision of Dutchman and assistant coach of Pijpers Jelle Goes
, after Pijpers left the post in 2004. Five wins, two draws and five losses gave them 17 points in their qualification group and fourth place. The team were placed ahead of Latvia, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying was not as successful, which seen the team finish sixth in a field of seven teams, only ahead of Andorra who were also the only team they recorded wins against and gained a total of seven points. The Estonian FA shortly parted company with Goes in June 2007.
matches. The team shown voilatile form in friendly matches during 2008. In September the Estonians lost 3–2 to Belgium in an away qualifying match, but fell to a low ebb after being beaten 7–0 by Bosnia also on their travels, and fell to an all-time low of 137th place in the FIFA World Rankings. The first home game of the campaign was a 3–0 loss to Spain, the regining European champions. The team still managed to pick up points during the qualification, which included holding Euro 2008 semi-finalists Turkey to a 0–0 draw. Further results were a 1–0 win over Armenia, and a 2–2 draw away from home before the campaign was completed with a 2–0 win against the Belgians. The team collected 8 points finishing fifth in a group of six.
2009 was declared the 100th anniversary of Estonian football. The final matches for record cap holders Martin Reim (6 June versus Equatorial Guinea
) and long-standing goalkeeper Mart Poom were held (against Portugal
on 10 June). Sajandi mäng (English
: Match of the Century) was the first ever match versus Brazil
, who had arrived in Tallinn as the FIFA World Rankings leaders, and also the five times world champion winning 1–0. Much attention was attracted the day after the international friendly, with the Estonian FA announcing that coach Rüütli's contract is to be extended to 2011.
Estonia later achieved one of its most famous victories in football history, winning 3–1 against 15th placed FIFA rankings team Serbia
3–1 on 8 October 2010, away from home in the 2012 European Championship qualifiers. The match took place four months after the Serbian team competed in the World Cup.
Media attention rose from a 2–2 drawn friendly international with Bulgaria
. Two days before the friendly match on 11 February 2011, bets were placed by officials regarding the outcome of the match. Suspicion of match manipulation was raised when a Hungarian referee gave four disputable penalties, being equally distributed between the two sides. The same team of officials also took charge of the day before, being an international friendly involving Latvia
and Bolivia
which ended 2–1 in favour of the Latvians and also seen three penalties awarded in the game, which were also all of the goals scored.
The Estonian team later got an important victory in their next match, which was on 25 March at the A. Le Coq Arena
over Uruguay in a friendly match. Uruguay recently reached the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup, have been double World champions, double Olympic champions and were sitting at 7th place in the FIFA rankings at the time of the 2–0 victory. The captain Raio Piiroja
earned his 100th international cap. On 29 March, the good performances later continued with a 1–1 home draw against Serbia.
This was followed by a period of poor form, which began with an unofficial friendly game loss to the Basque Country
, qualifying defeats to Italy and the Faroe Islands then later followed, before a tour of South America seen the team lose to Chile and Uruguay. A 3–0 loss to Turkey in Istanbul then completed their friendly matches cycle before qualifying resumed. However, the Sinisärgid won away from home to Slovenia and at home to Northern Ireland
, which lifted the team to 58th in the FIFA rankings giving them their best position to date. This win completed their group matches in the Euro 2012 qualifying campign.
The regular qualification phase for the Euro 2012 tournament was completed with a win in the final game away to Northern Ireland, and once again maintained their possibility of reaching the play-offs and indeed a top two spot in a qualifying campaign for the very first time. The Estonian team knew that this would become reality if Serbia did not win their final group match against Slovenia. Thanks to a first half goal by Dare Vršič
, and a penalty miss by Serbia's Nemanja Vidić
, Estonia shocked the football world by clinching a play-off berth despite losing 2–0 to the Ukraine
in a home friendly at the same time. During this phase of the qualifying, Estonia won five matches while losing four and drawing one. They also scored 15 goals while conceding 14 giving them their first ever positive goal difference. They also picked up 16 points; their most ever in a single qualifying round with a possible 30 on offer. A few days later, the team learnt that their play-off opposition would be Ireland with the first leg in Tallinn.
Estonia's only participation in a tournament was the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, where the team lost 1–0 to the United States
. The team were coached by Hungarian Ferenc Konya, also being their first ever manager. The Americans scored the only goal of the game in the 15th minute, being a penalty by Andy Straden
. The Estonians were also given a penalty, only for Elmar Kaljot's effort to hit the crossbar in the 68th minute. After the defeat to the Americans, the Estonian Olympic team stayed on in Paris for three weeks, playing a friendly match with Ireland
(3–1 defeat), and went to competing in Germany (including a 2–2 draw with 1. FC Kaiserslautern
) and the Netherlands
.
members, who have not seen its national team take part in the final stages of the FIFA World Cup
and UEFA European Football Championship
(Other nations not to have qualified for either tournament are that of Albania
, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan
, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Cyprus
, Faroe Islands
, Finland
, Georgia
, Iceland
, Kazakhstan
, Lithuania, Liechtenstein
, Luxembourg
, Macedonia, Malta
, Moldova
, Montenegro
and San Marino
).
In total, Estonia has participated in seven World Cup qualifying rounds (1934, 1938, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010) and five European Championships qualifying rounds (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012). Between 1940–1991, Estonia had no opportunity to independently participate in international competitions, due to their merger with the Soviet Union
.
Estonia's key games during their independence are as follows [time, place, opponent (result)]:
All home games since 2001, have been played in Tallinn
at the A. Le Coq Arena, capacity is 9,692 with extra seats being installed it can hold 11,000. The stadium borrows its name from its sponsor being a major Estonian beer. The stadium was opened on the 2 June 2001, for the sold out World Cup qualifier versus the Netherlands. This is also Estonia's largest football stadium. A. Le Coq Arena is also the home of FC Flora Tallinn
.
Their previous home ground was the Kadrioru Stadium, which opened in June 1926 with a 3–1 victory over Latvia. The Kadriorg holds 5,000 seats and in contrast to the A. Le Coq Arena, stages athletics events on a regular basis.
Estonia have also staged friendly matches away from Tallinn, being in Kohtla-Järve
, Kuressaare
, Narva
, Pärnu
, Tartu
, Valga and Viljandi
.
changes every two years to a new one. Since 2000 the teams supplier has been Nike, while between 1992–2000 it was supplied by Lotto
. Below is a timeline of how the home kit colours have changed through time:
A busy away journey took place in October 2007, when at Wembley Stadium for the European championship qualifier with England a crowd of two thousand Estonian fans were in attendance.
A large number of away fans have visited Tallinn. In 1938 which was the decisive meeting of the Baltic Cup tournament hosts and Latvia, a total of 12,000 spectators gathered at the Kadriorg Stadium of which 2,000 Latvians. In 2009 1,700 supporters of Bosnia and Herzegovina were at the A. Le Coq Arena.
Source: Estonian Football Association
matches against Republic of Ireland
on 11 November 2011 and 15 November 2011. Caps and goals as of 16 November 2011.
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
ct – caretaker manager
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association
Estonian Football Association
The Estonian Football Association is the governing body of football, beach soccer and futsal in Estonia. It organizes the football league, including the championship which is called Meistriliiga, Estonian Cup and the Estonian national football team. It is based in Tallinn...
(EJL). Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena
A. Le Coq Arena
A. Le Coq Arena is a football stadium in Tallinn, Estonia. As well as football matches, it also hosts various concerts and events. According to the plan, the stadium is unfinished....
in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia.
Estonia's first match was with Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
in 1920, being a 6–0 defeat. The team participated in the 1924 Olympic Games
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
tournament, their only participation. Estonia have never qualified for the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
or European Championship. The team have however qualified for the second round of Euro 2012 qualification, by finishing second in their qualifying group, before being drawn up against Ireland for a play-off tie, making 2011 the Annus mirabilis
Annus mirabilis
Annus mirabilis is a Latin phrase meaning "wonderful year" or "year of wonders" . It was used originally to refer to the year 1666, but is today also used to refer to different years with events of major importance...
of Estonian football.
In 1940, Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and did not regain independence (and the possibility of a national football team) until 1991. Estonia's first FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
recognised match as an independent nation after the break-up of the Soviet Union, was against Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
on 3 June 1992, a 1–1 draw in the Estonian capital city of Tallinn.
The record of the most international caps by an Estonian international (157), is held by Martin Reim
Martin Reim
Martin Reim is a former football midfielder, member of the Estonian national team and the current manager of FC Flora....
, who held the European record in 2009 until November of that year. The record of most goals (36) is held by Andres Oper
Andres Oper
Andres Oper is an Estonian footballer who plays as a striker. He played in AEK Larnaca. He has set the goalscoring record for the Estonian national team, by scoring 36 goals in 117 matches.-Early career:...
. The national team head coach has been Tarmo Rüütli
Tarmo Rüütli
Tarmo Rüütli is an Estonian football coach and former midfielder, who is currently the manager of Estonian national football team.-References:**...
since January 2008.
The Republic of Estonia (1918–1940)
Estonians were introduced to the game of football by English sailors in the first years of the 20th century, when the land was still under the Russian Empire. A national team began to form after the war (1918–1920), before playing its first match on 17 October, 1920 in Helsinki, Finland which finished in a 6–0 defeat. The game took place on a grass surface, which was a first for the Estonians. The Estonian Football Association was founded on 14 December, 1921 and affiliated with FIFA in 1923 joining Yugoslavia, Latvia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Turkey and Uruguay.Estonia's only participation in a major tournament took place in 1924, when at the Olympic Games in Paris they lost 1–0 to the United States, the only match they played in the tournament.
The Estonian league season usually lasted from the end of May to September. In 1928, a Baltic football contest was held involving all three nations, it was held nine times during this period. Four of them were held in in Latvia, two in Estonia and three in Lithuania. Estonia was particularly notable for winning the edition of the tournament in 1938. In the crucial meeting between them and Latvia at the Kadrioru Stadium, 2,000 out of the 12,000 spectators were Lativans.
Estonia's first points in the FIFA World Cup qualifying rounds were gained in 1938
1938 FIFA World Cup qualification
-Group 2:----Norway qualified.-Group 3:----Poland finished above Yugoslavia on goal average, and thus qualified.-Group 5:Switzerland qualified.-First round:----Greece qualified for the final round....
, playing the qualification matches in 1937, the third edition of the tournament. At the time teams would play each other once in each group. Estonia were in group one, drawn with Germany, Sweden and Finland. In their first match against Sweden, the team went 2–0 up even before the game reached five minutes of play, only to lose 7–2. This was then followed up with a 1–0 success against Finland in which Richard Kuremaa
Richard Kuremaa
Richard Kuremaa was an Estonian footballer - one of the most famous before World War II. He played 42 times for Estonia national football team scoring 19 goals. He debuted on 11 June 1933 in game versus Sweden...
scored the only goal of the game in the 56th minute. Qualification was completed with a 4–1 defeat against Germany, despite a goal from Georg Siimenson
Georg Siimenson
Georg Siimenson was an Estonian international footballer who scored 14 goals in 42 games for the Estonian national side.-References:General Specific...
taking the teams in at half time with a 1–0 lead for the Estonians. As a result, Estonia failed to qualify for the World Cup. The team entered the 1934 qualification round
1934 FIFA World Cup qualification
Estonia v Lithuania was not played, since neither team could qualify with a win.Sweden qualified.-Group 2:----Spain qualified.-Group 3:Italy qualified, as Greece withdrew after the first match.-Group 4:--------...
which was their first entry, but only played one match being a 6–2 loss to Sweden, their scheduled match against Lithuania was not played as neither team could qualify.
The teams biggest win came on the 26 July, 1928 which was a 6–0 success against Lithuania in Tallinn, meanwhile their biggest defeat came on 11 August, 1922 which was a 10–2 loss to Finland. Out of the teams head coaches before the Second World War, seven of them were Hungarian with Antal Mally taking this position twice. There were four foreign coaches (three Hungarians and one Austrian), while the first Estonian national team was coached by Albert Vollrat in 1932. Coaches also played for several seasons, who also determined the composition of the football association.
Players were mostly in Tallinn clubs, such as TJK
Tallinna Jalgpalliklubi
Tallinna JK or simply TJK is a defunct Estonian football club, based in Tallinn. The club was founded in 1921 and later re-established in 2002. Wismari Staadion is their home stadium...
, Sport, Kalev
JK Tallinna Kalev
JK Tallinna Kalev is an Estonian football club based in Tallinn. The club was originally established in 1911 and then re-established in 2002. Tallinna Kalev currently play in the Esiliiga, the second highest level of Estonian football...
and Tallinn Estonia. The republic's most capped players were goalkeeper Evald Tipner (67) and the outfield players Eugen Einmann (65), Eduard Ellman-Eelma (58) and Karl-Rudolf Silberg-Sillak (52). Goal scorers were Ellman-Eelma (21 goals in 65 matches), Richard Kuremaa (18/42), Arnold Pihlak (17/44), Georg Siimenson (14/42) and Friedrich Karm (9/13), who are still Estonia's all-time top ten. Players received small pay for their contributions – 5 Estonian crowns in 1938. The Baltic tournament victory was 50 in euros.
On the 18 July, 1940 the team played their last official game as an independent nation for more than half a century. The game was played at the Kadrioru Stadium and was a 2–1 victory against Latvia.
The occupied years (1940–1991)
After Soviet occupationEstonia in World War II
The ground for the fate of Estonia in World War II was laid by the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, particularly its Secret Additional Protocol of August 1939....
in August 1940, the national team demised alongside with the country. During German occupation (1941–1944), the team was revived and they played two unofficial friendlies (in Riga 0–4 and in Tallinn 1–8), but only few players remained from the pre-war era. When Soviet troops invaded Estonia again, some of the best footballers (Richard Kuremaa
Richard Kuremaa
Richard Kuremaa was an Estonian footballer - one of the most famous before World War II. He played 42 times for Estonia national football team scoring 19 goals. He debuted on 11 June 1933 in game versus Sweden...
, Elmar Tepp, Valter Neeris, etc.) were mobilised; some fled to west. Many ex-nationals (Arnold Pihlak
Arnold Pihlak
Arnold Pihlak was an Estonian footballer.-Career:Pihlak earned 44 caps for the Estonian national team between 1920 and 1931, scoring 17 goals. He also participated at the 1924 Summer Olympics....
, Arnold Laasner, etc.) were in Estonia's team in Geislingen
Geislingen, Zollernalbkreis
Geislingen is a town in the Zollernalbkreis district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 4 km northwest of Balingen. Current population is at around 6,000 people. Geislingen consists of three smaller towns, Geislingen , Erlaheim and Binsdorf Geislingen is a town in the...
's refugee camp.
The clubs were renamed in the second half of 1940s and the traditions started to fade. According to Uno Piir, the first national team manager after Estonia's re-independence, the reason for football's downfall in society was the inability to create a competitive Union-level club, hence the decrease in audience and the favouring of other sports by the governing bodies of sports. Estonian SSR had its representative team, but because of the occupation it did not take part of international competitions. Between 1948 and 1976, Baltic Cup was held 19 times, which Belaussian SSR won a few times and Estonian SSR five times. From 1969 to 1982, Estonia was the only soviet state not participating in Soviet Union's football league. In 1970s, the game lost popularity in Estonians and the sport was mainly played by Russians.
Estonian football-life was relaunched in mid-70s by the attempts of Roman Ubakivi, who formed Estonian-language training groups. The most notable team was Lõvid (Lions) in 1980–1989, who were coached by Ubakivi and Olev Reim. Several players, Mart Poom
Mart Poom
Mart Poom is an Estonian former football goalkeeper. He retired after Estonia's 0–0 draw against Portugal on 10 June 2009 to focus on his job as goalkeeping coach at Arsenal and the Estonian national team, as well as other more "personal" projects....
and Martin Reim
Martin Reim
Martin Reim is a former football midfielder, member of the Estonian national team and the current manager of FC Flora....
among them, became part of the national team later. Not a single Estonian reached the soviet national team, but two Ubakivi's pupils, Ott Mõtsnik and Toomas Krõm
Toomas Krõm
Toomas Krõm is a former professional footballer from Estonia, playing as a forward. Born in Tallinn, he twice became topscorer of the Premier Estonian League, named Meistriliiga: in 1999 and 2000. Krõm obtained a total number of 11 caps for the Estonia national football team during his...
, broke into the youth team.
Singing Revolution
Singing Revolution
The Singing Revolution is a commonly used name for events between 1987 and 1991 that led to the restoration of the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania...
, pursuit to restore Estonian independence and to cooling the tensions found its way to football as well. On 18 July 1990, an exhibition match was held between Estonian and Latvian footballers at Kadriorg stadium, to remember the last official match between the two teams as independent nations 50 years ago. The principle of assembling the squad was controversial. 63 players made a public addressing (Päevaleht, 24 April 1990) calling out the football governing bodies to only select the descendants of Estonians, leaving out immigrants who came to Estonia after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Return to international football, citizenship dispute and apprentice years (1991–1996)
Estonia regained its independence on the 20th August 1991, and then came back to international football when the team debuted in LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
's organized Baltic tournament taking place in November. However, FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
affiliation was not gained until 3 June 1992, with the first recognised match taking place in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
as a friendly against Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
(1–1). This historic meeting under the guidance of coach Uno Piir was overseen by a team consisting of Mart Poom
Mart Poom
Mart Poom is an Estonian former football goalkeeper. He retired after Estonia's 0–0 draw against Portugal on 10 June 2009 to focus on his job as goalkeeping coach at Arsenal and the Estonian national team, as well as other more "personal" projects....
, Urmas Hepner
Urmas Hepner
Urmas Hepner is a former Estonian footballer, who is currently coaching Levadia Tallinn's reserves, as well as working in the club's youth system. In 1992 Hepner was named Estonian Footballer of the Year....
, Igor Prins
Igor Prins
Igor Prins is an Estonian football coach and former Estonian national team midfielder. Currently he is the head coach of JK Nõmme Kalju...
, Urmas Kaljend
Urmas Kaljend
Urmas Kaljend is a retired Estonian professional footballer, who played as a defender. He was affiliated with FC Norma Tallinn, SK Tallinna Sport and TVMK Tallinn...
, Meelis Lindmaa
Meelis Lindmaa
Meelis Lindmaa is a retired football defender from Estonia, who also played as a midfielder. He retired in 2004. He played in the former Soviet Union, Estonia, Sweden and Finland.-International career:...
, Toomas Kallaste
Toomas Kallaste
Toomas Kallaste is a former Estonian professional footballer. He was playing the position of defender and is 1.88 m tall and weighs 77 kg. He won a total of 42 international caps for the Estonia national football team. Kallaste earned his first official cap on 1992-06-03, when Estonia played...
, Tarmo Linnumäe
Tarmo Linnumäe
Tarmo Linnumäe is a retired Estonian footballer, who played as a midfielder.-International career:He obtained a total number of 29 caps for the Estonia national football team, scoring no goals. He earned his first official cap on 3 June 1992, when Estonia played Slovenia in a friendly match...
, Indro Olumets
Indro Olumets
Indro Olumets is an Estonian footballer, who plays for Nõmme Kalju in the Estonian Meistriliiga. He is an offensive-minded midfielder....
, Martin Reim
Martin Reim
Martin Reim is a former football midfielder, member of the Estonian national team and the current manager of FC Flora....
, Sergei Ratnikov
Sergei Ratnikov
Sergei Ratnikov is a retired football midfielder from Estonia, and current manager of Estonian Esiliiga team JK Tallinna Kalev.-Personal:...
, Risto Kallaste
Risto Kallaste
Risto Kallaste is a former Estonian professional footballer. He was playing the position of defender and midfielder. He won a total of 36 international caps for the Estonia national football team. Kallaste earned his first official cap on 3 June 1992, when Estonia played Slovenia in a friendly...
, Viktor Alonen
Viktor Alonen
Viktor Alonen is an Estonian professional footballer, who currently plays for Türi Ganvix JK. He spent the prime years of his career playing for Flora Tallinn.-International career:...
, Urmas Kirs
Urmas Kirs
Urmas Kirs is an Estonian football manager and former player, currently managing FC Flora Rakvere. He was playing the position of defender. Kirs spent the prime years of his career playing for FC Flora Tallinn....
, Marko Kristal
Marko Kristal
Marko Kristal is a former football midfielder with an outstanding career for the Estonian national team.-Club career:...
and Aleksandr Puštov
Aleksandr Puštov
Aleksandr Puštov is a retired footballer from Estonia, who holds the Russian passport. He retired in 2005. His last club was FC Ajax Lasnamäe...
. Puštov was the scorer of the Estonian goal.
At that time the composition of the squad was influenced by the country's citizenship policy. There were disputes whether the national team should include players who lived in Estonia but had not acquired Estonian citizenship. Most of those players in question were of Russian origin. Approximately four months before the first official match against Slovenia FC Flora presented to the Estonian Football Association
Estonian Football Association
The Estonian Football Association is the governing body of football, beach soccer and futsal in Estonia. It organizes the football league, including the championship which is called Meistriliiga, Estonian Cup and the Estonian national football team. It is based in Tallinn...
(EFA) an ultimatum signed by 25 players which stated that "only those who have acquired Estonian citizenship on the basis of legal continuity should be included in the national team". In July of the same year FIFA gave the right to represent Estonia to 97 non-citizens who were according to EFA born in Estonia and were in the process of acquiring Estonian citizenship. In October the board of EFA made a decision that after the 1 April 1993 non-citizens could no more debut in the national team.
The citizenship dispute heated up again in February 1993. Estonia took part in a three team friendly tournament held in Finland. For the first time, non-citizen players Andrei Borissov
Andrei Borissov
Andrei Borissov is an Estonian professional footballer. He plays the position of midfielder and is 1.77 m tall and weighs 76 kg. Borissov is the former member of the Estonia national football team, with 14 caps to his name.-External links:* *...
and Sergei Bragin
Sergei Bragin
Sergei Bragin is a former Estonian professional footballer. He was playing the position of central midfielder.-External links:*...
were allowed to represent Estonia in the national team. In a statement made on the 23 February the government of Estonia urged the Estonian Central Sports Union to "consider manning Estonian sports teams only with Estonian citizens". On the 11 March the local press published an open letter in which the signatories accused EFA and the head coach Uno Piir of using four "alien citizens" (Andrei Borissov, Sergei Bragin, Aleksandr Puštov, Sergei Hohlov-Simson) in games and using Russian as the working language of the national team. The signatories also noted that "most of the positions belonging to Estonians (in youth teams) were filled with non-citizens". According to Estonian press the EFA had also misled FIFA because most of those 97 players who had gotten the right to represent Estonia had not actually applied for citizenship.
On the 5 December 1992 the EFA decided to take part in 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament
1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification....
despite financial difficulties, the poor state of the Kadrioru Stadium and the inexperience of the national team. Estonia ended the qualification tournament in the last place of the group and with record of one goal scored and 27 conceded. The team lost nine games and drew once against Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
.
In the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying tournament the team was coached by Roman Ubakivi. The qualification tournament ended without a single point and a goals record of three scored and 31 against. The biggest defeats came from abroad against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
(7–1) and Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
(5–0).
During this period (14 October 1993 – 5 October 1996) Estonia played without a victory for almost three years and by February of 1996 the team had sunk to 135 in the FIFA World Rankings
FIFA World Rankings
The FIFA World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, currently led by Spain. The teams of the member nations of FIFA , football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
. Public interest was at a low. In the autumn of 1994 when Estonia hosted Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
at the Kadrioru Stadium only 3000 people came to watch.
The first foreign coach and the results improved (1996–2000)
Results improved with the arrival of the newly independent team's first foreign coach, Icelandic Teitur Thordarson. His first victory was achived at the fifth attempt in October 1996, when they defeated Belarus at the Kadriorg stadium in a 1998 World Cup qualifier1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone .A total of 50 UEFA teams entered the competition. The European zone was allocated 15 places in the final tournament...
with a goal from Hohlov-Simson. After the victory over the Belarusians, the Estonian team gained infamy on 9, October 1996, when a match against Scotland had to be rescheduled after the Estonian team failed to turn up for the game. For unclear reasons, the match was rescheduled to be played on neutral ground in Monaco after it was agreed at a FIFA meeting in Scotland on 7 November, leading to the rescheduled match to take place on the 11 February 1997 ending in a 0–0 draw. Reasons for the original postponement of the game was that the Scottish team trained at the Kadriorg the night before, finding the foodlighting inadequate. This matter was raised with the officials who agreed with their concerns. In protest, the Estonians failed to show up, which kicked off only to be stopped seconds later.
At the end of qualifying, the Estonians finished fifth in a field of six teams on a total of four points ahead of Belarus. This was the first time the Belorussians finished last in a qualifying campaign, and had a weaker goal difference. Estonia scored four goals and conceded sixteen.
Estonia also entered the qualifying tournament for Euro 2000. This time round the Estonians recorded three wins and two draws in their group, with fifteen goals scored and seventeen conceded. The team also found themselves in the same group as Scotland, this time losing 3–2 away but drawing 0–0 at home. The Estonian magazine Sporditäht, placed the 1998 events between the pair in their top ten sporting events. On 31 March, 1999 the Estonians defeated Lithuania 2–1 in Vilnius. Estonia remained a theotetical possibility to qualify for their first major tournament. Despite failing to qualify, they still set themselves a then team record of 11 points. Their meeting with Scotland on the 8 September, 1999 was a 5,000 sell-out at the Kadriorg.
A new stadium and the Dutch period (2000–2007)
Tarmo Rüütli
Tarmo Rüütli is an Estonian football coach and former midfielder, who is currently the manager of Estonian national football team.-References:**...
(who was replaced by caretaker Aivar Lillevere
Aivar Lillevere
Aivar Lillevere is an Estonian football coach.Lillevere coached the Estonia national football team during their campaign in 2000. Both games he coached ended in losses, and he was succeeded by Arno Pijpers. In 2002, Lillevere was appointed as coach of JK Viljandi Tulevik and was promoted to...
for two games), who was appointed until autumn 2000, and seen the team through their qualifying group for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. After the departure of Rüütli and Lillevere's two game stint as caretaker manager, the Estonian Football Association made an agreement with Dutchman Arno Pijpers
Arno Pijpers
Arnoldus Dick Pijpers is a Dutch football coach. He worked for the Royal Dutch Football Association as a youth coach, before taking up a dual role in being the coach of Estonian club FC Flora Tallinn and the Estonia national football team. After the end of his contract, he joined Eredivisie club...
.
Plans were later set by the football association to build a modern football home in Tallinn, which took place in 2000 and construction began outside of the Lilleküla railway line, giving it its original name of the Lilleküla stadium. The arena opened on the 2 June 2001, ahead of their 2002 World Cup qualifying game against the Netherlands (4–2 defeat). The 9,300 tickets on sale for the match sold out within six hours.
Their campaign for 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification....
, saw two victories over Andorra and two draws with Cyprus, which gave the team a total of eight points in the final table and fourth place with ten goals scored and 26 against, finishing ahead of those two teams. This was later matched in UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying, where they gained two more wins over Andorra and draws with Croatia and Bulgaria. The teams goals record was much more stronger defensively, only conceding six goals in their eight matches while scoring four.
Estonia then most successful tournament came in the qualifying rounds for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup...
, under the supervision of Dutchman and assistant coach of Pijpers Jelle Goes
Jelle Goes
Jelle Quirinus Goes is a Dutch football manager.- Trivia :Goes was manager of the Estonia national football team from 2 October 2004 to 29 June 2007, before that he was assistant coach under Arno Pijpers of the same team. He worked from 1996 to 2001 for the Royal Dutch Football Association and...
, after Pijpers left the post in 2004. Five wins, two draws and five losses gave them 17 points in their qualification group and fourth place. The team were placed ahead of Latvia, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying was not as successful, which seen the team finish sixth in a field of seven teams, only ahead of Andorra who were also the only team they recorded wins against and gained a total of seven points. The Estonian FA shortly parted company with Goes in June 2007.
Rüütli's head coach again and the anniversary year (2008–)
November 2007, saw the approval of a two-year contract for new head coach Tarmo Rüütli, who had overseen the national team in the 1999–2000 season, with this being the last time the team last took on an Estonian coach, as Pijpers was the first of three foreign coaches between 2000 and 2007. Rüütli's main task was in his second term to lead the team through the 2010 World Cup qualifying2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...
matches. The team shown voilatile form in friendly matches during 2008. In September the Estonians lost 3–2 to Belgium in an away qualifying match, but fell to a low ebb after being beaten 7–0 by Bosnia also on their travels, and fell to an all-time low of 137th place in the FIFA World Rankings. The first home game of the campaign was a 3–0 loss to Spain, the regining European champions. The team still managed to pick up points during the qualification, which included holding Euro 2008 semi-finalists Turkey to a 0–0 draw. Further results were a 1–0 win over Armenia, and a 2–2 draw away from home before the campaign was completed with a 2–0 win against the Belgians. The team collected 8 points finishing fifth in a group of six.
2009 was declared the 100th anniversary of Estonian football. The final matches for record cap holders Martin Reim (6 June versus Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea national football team
The Equatorial Guinea national football team, nicknamed Nzalang Nacional, is the national team of Equatorial Guinea and is controlled by the Federación Ecuatoguineana de Fútbol. It is a member of CAF...
) and long-standing goalkeeper Mart Poom were held (against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
on 10 June). Sajandi mäng (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Match of the Century) was the first ever match versus Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, who had arrived in Tallinn as the FIFA World Rankings leaders, and also the five times world champion winning 1–0. Much attention was attracted the day after the international friendly, with the Estonian FA announcing that coach Rüütli's contract is to be extended to 2011.
Estonia later achieved one of its most famous victories in football history, winning 3–1 against 15th placed FIFA rankings team Serbia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
3–1 on 8 October 2010, away from home in the 2012 European Championship qualifiers. The match took place four months after the Serbian team competed in the World Cup.
Media attention rose from a 2–2 drawn friendly international with Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
. Two days before the friendly match on 11 February 2011, bets were placed by officials regarding the outcome of the match. Suspicion of match manipulation was raised when a Hungarian referee gave four disputable penalties, being equally distributed between the two sides. The same team of officials also took charge of the day before, being an international friendly involving Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
and Bolivia
Bolivia national football team
The Bolivia national football team is the national team of Bolivia and is controlled by the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol. After playing in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, they qualified just once—in 1994...
which ended 2–1 in favour of the Latvians and also seen three penalties awarded in the game, which were also all of the goals scored.
The Estonian team later got an important victory in their next match, which was on 25 March at the A. Le Coq Arena
A. Le Coq Arena
A. Le Coq Arena is a football stadium in Tallinn, Estonia. As well as football matches, it also hosts various concerts and events. According to the plan, the stadium is unfinished....
over Uruguay in a friendly match. Uruguay recently reached the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup, have been double World champions, double Olympic champions and were sitting at 7th place in the FIFA rankings at the time of the 2–0 victory. The captain Raio Piiroja
Raio Piiroja
Raio Piiroja is an Estonian professional footballer, who plays in the Eredivisie for Vitesse. He plays the position of centre back and is also the captain of the Estonian national football team.-Club career:...
earned his 100th international cap. On 29 March, the good performances later continued with a 1–1 home draw against Serbia.
This was followed by a period of poor form, which began with an unofficial friendly game loss to the Basque Country
Basque Country national football team
The Basque Country football team is considered the national team of the Basque Country greater region as selected players from the Basque Country Autonomous Community, the nearby Navarre and the Northern Basque Country in France play for it...
, qualifying defeats to Italy and the Faroe Islands then later followed, before a tour of South America seen the team lose to Chile and Uruguay. A 3–0 loss to Turkey in Istanbul then completed their friendly matches cycle before qualifying resumed. However, the Sinisärgid won away from home to Slovenia and at home to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
, which lifted the team to 58th in the FIFA rankings giving them their best position to date. This win completed their group matches in the Euro 2012 qualifying campign.
The regular qualification phase for the Euro 2012 tournament was completed with a win in the final game away to Northern Ireland, and once again maintained their possibility of reaching the play-offs and indeed a top two spot in a qualifying campaign for the very first time. The Estonian team knew that this would become reality if Serbia did not win their final group match against Slovenia. Thanks to a first half goal by Dare Vršič
Dare Vršic
Dare Vršič is a Slovenian football midfielder, who currently plays for Olimpija Ljubljana.He has made 6 appearances for Slovenia. He made his debut for the national team on 2 June 2007 against Romania....
, and a penalty miss by Serbia's Nemanja Vidić
Nemanja Vidic
Nemanja Vidić is a Serbian footballer who captains English Premier League club Manchester United. He was part of the Serbia national football team from 2002 to 2011....
, Estonia shocked the football world by clinching a play-off berth despite losing 2–0 to the Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
in a home friendly at the same time. During this phase of the qualifying, Estonia won five matches while losing four and drawing one. They also scored 15 goals while conceding 14 giving them their first ever positive goal difference. They also picked up 16 points; their most ever in a single qualifying round with a possible 30 on offer. A few days later, the team learnt that their play-off opposition would be Ireland with the first leg in Tallinn.
Olympic Games
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
. The team were coached by Hungarian Ferenc Konya, also being their first ever manager. The Americans scored the only goal of the game in the 15th minute, being a penalty by Andy Straden
Andy Straden
Andy Straden was a U.S. soccer forward who was a member of the 1924 U.S. Olympic Team and played professionally in the first American Soccer League.-American Soccer League:...
. The Estonians were also given a penalty, only for Elmar Kaljot's effort to hit the crossbar in the 68th minute. After the defeat to the Americans, the Estonian Olympic team stayed on in Paris for three weeks, playing a friendly match with Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
(3–1 defeat), and went to competing in Germany (including a 2–2 draw with 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
) and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
World Cup and European Championship tournaments
The Estonian Football Association is one of the present 21 UEFAUEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
members, who have not seen its national team take part in the final stages of the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
(Other nations not to have qualified for either tournament are that of Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan national football team
The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...
, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
, Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
, Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
, Georgia
Georgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
, Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
, Lithuania, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
, Macedonia, Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
, Moldova
Moldova national football team
The Moldova national football team represents Moldova in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Moldova, the governing body for football in Moldova. Moldova's home ground is Zimbru Stadium in Chişinău and their head coach is Gavril Balint...
, Montenegro
Montenegro national football team
The Montenegro national football team represents Montenegro in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Montenegro, the governing body for football in Montenegro...
and San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
).
In total, Estonia has participated in seven World Cup qualifying rounds (1934, 1938, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010) and five European Championships qualifying rounds (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012). Between 1940–1991, Estonia had no opportunity to independently participate in international competitions, due to their merger with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Estonia's key games during their independence are as follows [time, place, opponent (result)]:
- First World Cup qualification game: 11 June 1933, StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, SwedenSweden national football teamThe Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
(6–2 loss); - First World Cup victory and also first away win: 19 August 1937, TurkuTurkuTurku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Finland (1–0); - First European Championship qualifying game: 4 September 1994, TallinnTallinnTallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Croatia (2–0 loss); - First World Cup victory since return to independence: 5 October 1996, Tallinn, Belarus (1–0);
- First European Championship victory: 4 June 1998, Tallinn, Faroe Islands (5–0);
- First away win in the European Championship: 31 March 1999, VilniusVilniusVilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Lithuania (2–1).
| Competition | Place | Points | Goals | Coach(es) | Group members (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WC 1934 | 3. | 0 | 2–6 | — | Sweden Sweden national football team The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first... (4), Lithuania Lithuania national football team The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on... (0), Estonia (0) |
| WC 1938 | 3. | 2 | 4–11 | Rein | Germany Germany national football team The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900.... (6), Sweden (4), Estonia (2), Finland Finland national football team The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland.... (0), |
| WC 1994 | 6. | 1 | 1–27 | Piir | Italy Italy national football team The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than... (16), Switzerland Switzerland national football team The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland... (15), Portugal Portugal national football team The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento... (14), Scotland Scotland national football team The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872... (11), Malta Malta national football team The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in... (3), Estonia (1) |
| EC 1996 | 6. | 0 | 3–31 | Ubakivi | Croatia Croatia national football team The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić... (23), Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... (23), Lithuania (16), Ukraine Ukraine national football team The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992... (13), Slovenia Slovenia national football team The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991.... (11), Estonia (0) |
| WC 1998 | 5. | 4 | 4–16 | Thordarson | Austria Austria national football team The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association .... (25), Scotland Scotland national football team The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872... (23), Sweden (21), Latvia Latvia national football team The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World... (10), Estonia (4), Belarus Belarus national football team The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk... (4) |
| EC 2000 | 5. | 11 | 15–17 | Thordarson, Rüütli Tarmo Rüütli Tarmo Rüütli is an Estonian football coach and former midfielder, who is currently the manager of Estonian national football team.-References:**... |
Czech Republic Czech Republic national football team The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek... (30), Scotland (18), Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina... (11), Lithuania (11), Estonia (11), Faroe Islands Faroe Islands national football team The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third... (3) |
| WC 2002 | 4. | 8 | 10–26 | Pijpers Arno Pijpers Arnoldus Dick Pijpers is a Dutch football coach. He worked for the Royal Dutch Football Association as a youth coach, before taking up a dual role in being the coach of Estonian club FC Flora Tallinn and the Estonia national football team. After the end of his contract, he joined Eredivisie club... |
Portugal (24), Ireland Republic of Ireland national football team The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010.... (24), Netherlands Netherlands national football team The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands... (20), Estonia (8), Cyprus Cyprus national football team The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias... (8), Andorra Andorra national football team The Andorra national football team represents Andorra in association football and is controlled by the Andorran Football Federation, the governing body for football in Andorra. The team has enjoyed very little success due to the Principality's tiny population, the fourth smallest of any UEFA... (0) |
| EC 2004 | 4. | 8 | 4–6 | Pijpers | Bulgaria Bulgaria national football team The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus... (17), Croatia (16), Belgium (16), Estonia (8), Andorra (0) |
| WC 2006 | 4. | 17 | 16–17 | Pijpers, Goes Jelle Goes Jelle Quirinus Goes is a Dutch football manager.- Trivia :Goes was manager of the Estonia national football team from 2 October 2004 to 29 June 2007, before that he was assistant coach under Arno Pijpers of the same team. He worked from 1996 to 2001 for the Royal Dutch Football Association and... |
Portugal (30), Slovakia Slovakia national football team The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss... (23), Russia Russia national football team The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is... (23), Estonia (17), Latvia (15), Liechtenstein Liechtenstein national football team The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a... (8), Luxembourg Luxembourg national football team The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :... (0) |
| EC 2008 | 6. | 7 | 5–21 | Goes, Jensen | Croatia (29), Russia (24), England England national football team The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first... (23), Israel Israel national football team The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate... (23), Macedonia (14), Estonia (7), Andorra (0) |
| WC 2010 | 5. | 8 | 9–24 | Rüütli | Spain Spain national football team The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque... (30), Bosnia and Herzegovina (19), Turkey Turkey national football team The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA... (15), Belgium (10), Estonia (8), Armenia Armenia national football team The Armenia national football team represents Armenia in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Armenia, the governing body for football in Armenia... (4) |
| EC 2012 | 2. | 16 | 15–14 | Rüütli | Italy (26), Estonia (16), Serbia Serbia national football team The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović... (15), Slovenia (14), Northern Ireland Northern Ireland national football team The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association... (9), Faroe Islands (4) |
| WC 2014 | Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary Hungary national football team The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation.... , Romania Romania national football team The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that... , Estonia, Andorra |
Most caps for Estonia
Correct as of 16 November 2011.Top Estonia goalscorers
Correct as of 16 November 2011.Stadium
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
at the A. Le Coq Arena, capacity is 9,692 with extra seats being installed it can hold 11,000. The stadium borrows its name from its sponsor being a major Estonian beer. The stadium was opened on the 2 June 2001, for the sold out World Cup qualifier versus the Netherlands. This is also Estonia's largest football stadium. A. Le Coq Arena is also the home of FC Flora Tallinn
FC Flora Tallinn
MTÜ JK FC Flora is an Estonian football club that was founded in 1990. FC Flora are a multiple winner of the Meistriliiga title and the Estonian Cup. They have for years been raising the most number of players for the national team, and have also grown players from their successful youth system...
.
Their previous home ground was the Kadrioru Stadium, which opened in June 1926 with a 3–1 victory over Latvia. The Kadriorg holds 5,000 seats and in contrast to the A. Le Coq Arena, stages athletics events on a regular basis.
Estonia have also staged friendly matches away from Tallinn, being in Kohtla-Järve
Kohtla-Järve
Kohtla-Järve is a city and municipality in north-eastern Estonia, founded in 1924 and incorporated as a town in 1946. The city is highly industrial, and is both a processor of oil shales and is a large producer of various petroleum products. The city is also very diverse ethnically: it contains...
, Kuressaare
Kuressaare
Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706 Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706...
, Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
, Pärnu
Pärnu
Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga...
, Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
, Valga and Viljandi
Viljandi
Viljandi is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 19,150 . It is the capital of Viljandi County. The town was first mentioned in 1283, upon being granted its town charter by Wilhelm von Endorpe....
.
Kit
The kit of the Estonian national team (home games) traditionally consists of a blue shirt, black shorts and white socks, while a change strip (away games), is that of a white shirt, black shorts and blue socks. Before 1996, other colour combinations have been used. The goalkeeper usually wears a yellow jersey, black shorts and yellow socks. The kit designDesign
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
changes every two years to a new one. Since 2000 the teams supplier has been Nike, while between 1992–2000 it was supplied by Lotto
Lotto Sport Italia
Lotto Sport Italia is an Italian sports apparel manufacturer. Its products are now distributed in more than 60 countries.-History:Lotto was established in 1973 by the Caberlotto family in Montebelluna, northern Italy, the world centre of footwear manufacturing. In June 1973, Lotto made its debut...
. Below is a timeline of how the home kit colours have changed through time:
Supporters
Estonia's main supporters group of that of the Jalgpallihaigla (English: Football Hospital), with over 600 members. The group is committed to "Deal with all of your supporters issues from ticket distribution in a special fans section, and also with the fans as watchdogs for relations with the Estonian Football Association and their clubs". Home games see the group as the most vocal, situtated in the Southern section of the A. Le Coq Arena.A busy away journey took place in October 2007, when at Wembley Stadium for the European championship qualifier with England a crowd of two thousand Estonian fans were in attendance.
A large number of away fans have visited Tallinn. In 1938 which was the decisive meeting of the Baltic Cup tournament hosts and Latvia, a total of 12,000 spectators gathered at the Kadriorg Stadium of which 2,000 Latvians. In 2009 1,700 supporters of Bosnia and Herzegovina were at the A. Le Coq Arena.
Recent results and upcoming fixtures
| Date | Competition | Venue | Home Team | Result | Away Team | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-06-07 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group C This page shows the standings and results for Group C of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.- Standings :- Results and fixtures :Group C fixtures were negotiated between the participants in a meeting held in Belgrade on 8 March 2010.----... |
Svangaskarð, Toftir Toftir Toftir is a village in Nes Municipality on the island of Eysturoy, in the Faroe Islands .Toftir is part of a chain of villages stretching over a distance of 10 kilometres on the east side of Skálafjørður on Eysturoy.... |
2–0 | |||
| 2011-06-18 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
Estadio Monumental Estadio Monumental David Arellano Estadio Monumental is a football stadium in Santiago, Chile. Completed in 1989, the stadium has a current spectator capacity of 45,000. Originally, the stadium could hold up to 65,000 spectators but that was dramatically reduced for security reasons... , Santiago Santiago, Chile Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level... |
4–0 | |||
| 2011-06-23 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera Estádio Atilio Paiva Olivera is a multi-use stadium in Rivera, Uruguay. It is currently used mostly for football matches.The stadium holds 28,000 people. It was used for the 1995 Copa América and the 1999 South American Under-17 Football Championship... , Rivera Rivera Rivera is the capital of Rivera Department of Uruguay. It is located at the north end of Route 5, on the border with Brazil. The Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento is right across the border, only a street away of it... |
3–0 | |||
| 2011-08-10 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium Sükrü Saracoglu Stadium Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is a football stadium in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey, and is the home venue of Fenerbahçe S.K.. It was inaugurated in 1908 and renovated between 1999 and 2006... , Istanbul Istanbul Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and... |
3–0 | |||
| 2011-09-02 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group C This page shows the standings and results for Group C of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.- Standings :- Results and fixtures :Group C fixtures were negotiated between the participants in a meeting held in Belgrade on 8 March 2010.----... |
Stožice Stadium Stožice Stadium Stožice Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was designed by Slovenian Sadar Vuga d.o.o. architects and is the biggest football stadium in the country. It is one of two main stadiums in the city and lies in the Bežigrad district, north of the city centre... , Ljubljana Ljubljana Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants... |
1–2 | Vassiljev Konstantin Vassiljev Konstantin Vassiljev is an Estonian professional footballer, who plays in Russian Premier League, for Amkar Perm. He plays the position of midfielder and is 1.75 m tall and weighs 72 kg. He is also a member of the Estonia national football team.-Early career:Vassiljev made his first-team... , Purje Ats Purje Ats Purje is an Estonian professional footballer, who played in Cypriot First Division, for Ethnikos Achna. He plays the position of right winger or second striker and is 1.78m tall and weighs 76 kg... |
||
| 2011-09-06 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group C This page shows the standings and results for Group C of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.- Standings :- Results and fixtures :Group C fixtures were negotiated between the participants in a meeting held in Belgrade on 8 March 2010.----... |
A. Le Coq Arena A. Le Coq Arena A. Le Coq Arena is a football stadium in Tallinn, Estonia. As well as football matches, it also hosts various concerts and events. According to the plan, the stadium is unfinished.... , Tallinn Tallinn Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list... |
4–1 | Vunk Martin Vunk Martin Vunk is an Estonian professional footballer, who plays in Cyprus for Nea Salamis Famagusta FC. Vunk plays the position of midfielder and is 1.82 m tall.-Club career:... , Kink Tarmo Kink Tarmo Kink is an Estonian professional footballer, who plays in English Football League Championship, for Middlesbrough. He is an attacking left-footed winger or striker and is also a member of the Estonia national football team.... , Zenjov Sergei Zenjov Sergei Zenjov is an Estonian professional footballer, who plays in Ukrainian Premier League, for FC Karpaty Lviv. He plays the position of striker and is 1.83 m tall and weighs 70 kg. He is also a member of the Estonia national football team.-Early career:Zenjov made his first-team debut for... , Saag Kaimar Saag Kaimar Saag is an Estonian professional footballer, who plays for Silkeborg IF. He plays the position of striker and is also a member of the Estonia national football team.-FC Levadia Tallinn and loan to Tallinna Kalev:... |
||
| 2011-10-07 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group C This page shows the standings and results for Group C of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.- Standings :- Results and fixtures :Group C fixtures were negotiated between the participants in a meeting held in Belgrade on 8 March 2010.----... |
Windsor Park Windsor Park Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:... , Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... |
1–2 | Vassiljev Konstantin Vassiljev Konstantin Vassiljev is an Estonian professional footballer, who plays in Russian Premier League, for Amkar Perm. He plays the position of midfielder and is 1.75 m tall and weighs 72 kg. He is also a member of the Estonia national football team.-Early career:Vassiljev made his first-team... , |
||
| 2011-10-11 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
A. Le Coq Arena A. Le Coq Arena A. Le Coq Arena is a football stadium in Tallinn, Estonia. As well as football matches, it also hosts various concerts and events. According to the plan, the stadium is unfinished.... , Tallinn Tallinn Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list... |
0–2 | |||
| 2011-11-11 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs The UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-off ties were played over two legs, with the first legs on 11 November and the second legs on 15 November 2011... |
A. Le Coq Arena A. Le Coq Arena A. Le Coq Arena is a football stadium in Tallinn, Estonia. As well as football matches, it also hosts various concerts and events. According to the plan, the stadium is unfinished.... , Tallinn Tallinn Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list... |
0–4 | |||
| 2011-11-15 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs The UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-off ties were played over two legs, with the first legs on 11 November and the second legs on 15 November 2011... |
Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium The Aviva Stadium is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 50,000 spectators. The stadium is built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road venue, which was demolished in 2007, and replaces that stadium as home to its chief tenants: the Irish rugby union team and the... , Dublin |
1–1 | Vassiljev Konstantin Vassiljev Konstantin Vassiljev is an Estonian professional footballer, who plays in Russian Premier League, for Amkar Perm. He plays the position of midfielder and is 1.75 m tall and weighs 72 kg. He is also a member of the Estonia national football team.-Early career:Vassiljev made his first-team... |
||
| 2012-06-05 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
||||
| 2012-08-15 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
A. Le Coq Arena A. Le Coq Arena A. Le Coq Arena is a football stadium in Tallinn, Estonia. As well as football matches, it also hosts various concerts and events. According to the plan, the stadium is unfinished.... , Tallinn Tallinn Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list... |
Source: Estonian Football Association
World Cup 2014 qualifying
Current squad
The following players are called up for the Euro 2012 Play-offUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs
The UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-off ties were played over two legs, with the first legs on 11 November and the second legs on 15 November 2011...
matches against Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
on 11 November 2011 and 15 November 2011. Caps and goals as of 16 November 2011.
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
Recent call-ups
The list of players that have been called up by the national team coach in the last 12 months. Retired players are not included. Caps and goals as of 12 October 2011.|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
1920–1940
| Years | Name | M | W | D | L | W % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920–1923 | No manager | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 20.0 |
| 1924 |  Ferenc Kónya |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1924 | No manager | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1925 | Ferenc Nagy |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 |
| 1925–1926 | No manager | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 28.6 |
| 1927 | Antal Mally |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75.0 |
| 1927–1929 | No manager | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 25.0 |
| 1930 |  Fritz Kerr |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 16.7 |
| 1931 | No manager | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 57.1 |
| 1932 |  Albert Vollrat |
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 14.3 |
| 1933–34 | No manager | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 33.3 |
| 1934 | Bernhard Rein |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935 | Antal Mally |
8 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 1936–1938 | Bernhard Rein |
21 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 33.3 |
| 1939–1940 | Elmar Saar |
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20.0 |
1992–present
| Years | Name | M | W | D | L | W % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–1993 | Uno Piir |
19 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 10.5 |
| 1994–1995 | Roman Ubakivi |
22 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 0 |
| 1995 | Aavo Sarap Aavo Sarap Aavo Sarap is an Estonian football coach, he works now as Head coach of IF Gnistan in Finland.-Coaching career:... ct |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1996–1999 |  Teitur Thordarson |
57 | 13 | 17 | 27 | 22.8 |
| 1999–2000 | Tarmo Rüütli Tarmo Rüütli Tarmo Rüütli is an Estonian football coach and former midfielder, who is currently the manager of Estonian national football team.-References:**... |
10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 60.0 |
| 2000 | Aivar Lillevere Aivar Lillevere Aivar Lillevere is an Estonian football coach.Lillevere coached the Estonia national football team during their campaign in 2000. Both games he coached ended in losses, and he was succeeded by Arno Pijpers. In 2002, Lillevere was appointed as coach of JK Viljandi Tulevik and was promoted to... ct |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000–2004 |  Arno PijpersArno Pijpers Arnoldus Dick Pijpers is a Dutch football coach. He worked for the Royal Dutch Football Association as a youth coach, before taking up a dual role in being the coach of Estonian club FC Flora Tallinn and the Estonia national football team. After the end of his contract, he joined Eredivisie club... |
55 | 16 | 14 | 25 | 29.1 |
| 2004–2007 | Jelle Goes Jelle Goes Jelle Quirinus Goes is a Dutch football manager.- Trivia :Goes was manager of the Estonia national football team from 2 October 2004 to 29 June 2007, before that he was assistant coach under Arno Pijpers of the same team. He worked from 1996 to 2001 for the Royal Dutch Football Association and... |
29 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 17.2 |
| 2007 |  Viggo Jensen |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 25.0 |
| 2008– | Tarmo Rüütli Tarmo Rüütli Tarmo Rüütli is an Estonian football coach and former midfielder, who is currently the manager of Estonian national football team.-References:**... |
47 | 12 | 13 | 22 | 25.5 |
ct – caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
External links
- Estonian Football Association Official site
- Estonian Football Association at FIFA official site
- Estonian Football Association at UEFA official site
- RSSSF archive of results 1920–
- RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
- Estonia national team matches
- Estonia national team matches 1920–1940