Moldova national football team

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Moldova
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Tricolorii (The Tricolours)
AssociationMoldovan Football Federation (FMF)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachSerghei Cleșcenco
CaptainVadim Rață
Most capsAlexandru Epureanu (100)
Top scorerIon Nicolaescu (15)
Home stadiumZimbru Stadium
FIFA codeMDA
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 155 Steady (15 February 2024)[1]
Highest37 (April 2008)
Lowest181 (October 2021)
First international
Unofficial
 Moldova 2–4 Georgia 
(Chișinău, SSR Moldova, Soviet Union; 2 July 1991)
Official
 United States 1–1 Moldova 
(Jacksonville, United States; 16 April 1994)
Biggest win
 Pakistan 0–5 Moldova 
(Amman, Jordan; 18 August 1992)
Biggest defeat
 Denmark 8–0 Moldova 
(Herning, Denmark; 28 March 2021)
Websitefmf.md

The Moldova national football team (Romanian: Echipa națională de fotbal a Moldovei) represents Moldova in men's international football and is controlled by the Moldovan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Moldova. Moldova's home ground is Zimbru Stadium in Chișinău and their head coach is Serghei Cleșcenco. Shortly before the break-up of the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Georgia on 2 July 1991.

Two of their three best results in the 2020s came during the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2024, with a win over Poland (3-2) in Chişinău, coming back from a 0-2 deficit, and a draw against Czech Republic (0-0) in Chișinău. In 2007, Moldova upset Hungary 3–0 in Chișinău in Euro 2008 qualifying. Another notable result was a 5–2 win over Montenegro during 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying. The team has never qualified for the final stages of the UEFA European Championship nor the FIFA World Cup since first entering qualifying in 1994.

Following Moldova's 4–0 defeat to England in September 1997, British writer and comedian Tony Hawks travelled to Moldova to challenge and beat all 11 Moldovan international footballers at tennis. The feature film version of the book of the same name, Playing the Moldovans at Tennis, was filmed in and around Chișinău in May and June 2010 and was released in the spring of 2012.

History[edit]

The Moldovan Football Federation was founded in 1990. However, the national football team of Moldova did not play an official international match until 1991, when Moldova lost to Georgia. Alexandru Spiridon was the player who scored the first goal in the history.

Moldova's first attempt to qualify for the FIFA World Cup was in 1998, but they failed to qualify for the tournament. Moldova has finished either last or second last in all tournament qualifying campaigns entered to date, except UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, in which they finished fifth in the seven-team Group C with 12 points.

The UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying was a watershed moment for Moldova, the Moldovans came agonisingly close to a historic competitive debut for the first time, acquiring ten points in a group of five; the Moldovans also gained an impressive feat by being undefeated at home throughout the qualification, including a historic shock 3–2 comeback win over Poland[3][4] and were one win away from qualifying for UEFA Euro 2024.[5] However, a denting away loss to the Czech Republic in the final matchday killed off Moldova's debuting hope once again, as they finished fourth and were eliminated due to inferior record.[6][7]

Current sponsorship[edit]

Kit suppliers[edit]

Kit supplier Period
Germany Reusch 1994–1998
Germany Puma 1998–2000
Germany Jako 2000–present

Home stadium[edit]

Zimbru Stadium

Moldova national football team plays its official games at Zimbru Stadium in Chișinău. The stadium is a privately held structure, but is under administration of FMF until 2026.[8] The senior team, along with youth teams use Stadionul CPSM for training purposes. It is located in Vadul lui Vodă, a village along the Dniester River, approximately 25 kilometres from Chișinău.

Results and fixtures[edit]

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023[edit]

17 June 2023 (2023-06-17) UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Albania  2–0  Moldova Tirana, Albania
20:45 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Arena Kombëtare
Attendance: 20,944
Referee: Dennis Higler (Netherlands)
20 June 2023 (2023-06-20) UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Moldova  3–2  Poland Chișinău, Moldova
21:45 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Stadionul Zimbru
Attendance: 9,442
Referee: Filip Glova (Slovakia)
7 September 2023 (2023-09-07) Friendly Austria  1–1  Moldova Linz, Austria
20:30 UTC+2 Gregoritsch 50' Report Damașcan 3' Stadium: Raiffeisen Arena
Attendance: 13,200
Referee: Robert Jones (England)
10 September 2023 (2023-09-10) UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Faroe Islands  0–1  Moldova Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
17:00 UTC+1 Report Rață 53' Stadium: Tórsvøllur
Attendance: 2,710
Referee: Vassilios Fotias (Greece)
12 October 2023 (2023-10-12) Friendly Sweden  3–1  Moldova Solna, Sweden
19:00 UTC+2
Report Nicolaescu 39' Stadium: Friends Arena
Attendance: 10,097
Referee: Antti Munukka (Finland)
15 October 2023 (2023-10-15) UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Poland  1–1  Moldova Warsaw, Poland
20:45 UTC+2 Świderski 53' Report Nicolaescu 26' Stadium: Stadion Narodowy
Attendance: 51,672
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)
17 November 2023 (2023-11-17) UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Moldova  1–1  Albania Chișinău, Moldova
19:00 UTC+2 Baboglo 87' Report Çikalleshi 25' (pen.) Stadium: Stadionul Zimbru
Attendance: 9,537
Referee: Willie Collum (Scotland)
20 November 2023 (2023-11-20) UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Czech Republic  3–0  Moldova Olomouc, Czech Republic
20:45 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Andrův Stadion
Attendance: 11,653
Referee: Sandro Schärer (Switzerland)

2024[edit]

22 March 2024 (2024-03-22) Friendly North Macedonia  1–1  Moldova Antalya, Turkey
17:30 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex
Attendance: 100
Referee: Damian Kos (Poland)
26 March 2024 (2024-03-26) Friendly Cayman Islands  0–4  Moldova Antalya, Turkey
17:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex
Referee: Kadir Sağlam (Turkey)
8 June 2024 (2024-06-08) Friendly Moldova  v  Cyprus Chișinău, Moldova
19:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Stadionul Zimbru
11 June 2024 (2024-06-11) Friendly Moldova  v  Ukraine Chișinău, Moldova
--:-- UTC+3 Report Stadium: Stadionul Zimbru
7 September 2024 (2024-09-07) 2024–25 UEFA Nations League D2 Moldova  v  Malta Chișinău, Moldova
19:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Stadionul Zimbru
10 September 2024 (2024-09-10) Friendly Moldova  v  San Marino Chișinău, Moldova
19:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Stadionul Zimbru
10 October 2024 (2024-10-10) 2024–25 UEFA Nations League D2 Moldova  v  Andorra Chișinău, Moldova
21:45 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Stadionul Zimbru
13 October 2024 (2024-10-13) 2024–25 UEFA Nations League D2 Malta  v  Moldova Ta' Qali, Malta
18:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: National Stadium
16 November 2024 (2024-11-16) 2024–25 UEFA Nations League D2 Andorra  v  Moldova Andorra la Vella, Andorra
17:00 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Estadi Nacional

Coaching staff[edit]

Current coaching staff[edit]

Position Staff
Head coach Moldova Serghei Cleșcenco
Assistant coaches Moldova Vitalie Culibaba
Moldova Sergiu Secu
Goalkeeping coach Moldova Denis Romanenco
Fitness coach Moldova Alexei Scorpan

Last updated: 26 March 2024
Source: FMF

Manager history[edit]

Former forward and second all-time top goalscorer for Moldova, Serghei Cleșcenco is the current head coach of the national team since December 2021.[9]

As of 26 March 2024[10]
Coach Nat. Period Played Win Drawn Loss % Won
Ion Caras Moldova 1991–1992 2 0 1 1 000.00
Eugen Piunovschi Moldova 1992 5 3 0 2 060.00
Ion Caras Moldova 1992–1997 27 5 3 19 018.52
Alexandru Mațiura (interim) Moldova 1998 1 0 0 1 000.00
Ivan Daniliants Moldova 1998–1999 14 2 7 5 014.29
Alexandru Mațiura Moldova 1999–2001 16 4 4 8 025.00
Alexandru Spiridon Moldova 2001 4 1 0 3 025.00
Viktor Pasulko Ukraine 2002–2005 35 7 8 20 020.00
Anatol Teslev Moldova 2006 6 1 2 3 016.67
Igor Dobrovolski Russia 2007–2009 30 7 9 14 023.33
Gavril Balint Romania 2010–2011 18 5 2 11 027.78
Ion Caras Moldova 2012–2014 27 6 7 14 022.22
Alexandru Curtianu Moldova 2014–2015 10 0 4 6 000.00
Ștefan Stoica (interim) Romania 2015 3 0 0 3 000.00
Igor Dobrovolski Russia 2016–2017 18 2 5 11 011.11
Alexandru Spiridon Moldova 2018–2019 16 3 5 8 018.75
Semen Altman Ukraine 2019 4 0 0 4 000.00
Engin Fırat Turkey 2019–2020 11 0 2 9 000.00
Roberto Bordin Italy 2021 12 1 1 10 008.33
Serghei Cleșcenco Moldova 2021– 24 7 7 10 029.17

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

The following players were selected for the friendly matches against  North Macedonia and  Cayman Islands on 22 and 26 March 2024, respectively.[11]

Caps and goals are correct as of 26 March 2024, after the match against Cayman Islands.[12]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Nicolae Cebotari (1997-05-24) 24 May 1997 (age 26) 1 0 Moldova Zimbru Chișinău
12 1GK Cristian Avram (1994-07-27) 27 July 1994 (age 29) 9 0 Azerbaijan Araz-Naxçıvan
23 1GK Dorian Railean (1993-10-13) 13 October 1993 (age 30) 17 0 Romania Dinamo București
25 1GK Alexei Koșelev (1993-11-19) 19 November 1993 (age 30) 26 0 Greece Lamia

2 2DF Oleg Reabciuk (1998-01-16) 16 January 1998 (age 26) 47 0 Russia Spartak Moscow
4 2DF Vladislav Baboglo (1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 25) 9 2 Ukraine Karpaty Lviv
5 2DF Veaceslav Posmac (1990-11-07) 7 November 1990 (age 33) 70 2 Turkey Boluspor
6 2DF Vadim Dijinari (1999-04-01) 1 April 1999 (age 24) 0 0 Moldova Milsami Orhei
14 2DF Artur Crăciun (1998-06-29) 29 June 1998 (age 25) 24 0 Poland Puszcza Niepołomice
20 2DF Sergiu Plătică (1991-06-09) 9 June 1991 (age 32) 42 0 Moldova Petrocub Hîncești
21 2DF Ioan-Călin Revenco (2000-06-26) 26 June 2000 (age 23) 23 1 Poland Puszcza Niepołomice
26 2DF Victor Mudrac (1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 30) 13 0 Brunei DPMM

7 3MF Artur Ioniță (1990-08-17) 17 August 1990 (age 33) 69 4 Italy Lecco
8 3MF Nichita Moțpan (2001-07-17) 17 July 2001 (age 22) 17 2 Russia Fakel Voronezh
10 3MF Mihai Plătică (1990-03-15) 15 March 1990 (age 34) 16 1 Moldova Petrocub Hîncești
11 3MF Mihail Caimacov (1998-07-22) 22 July 1998 (age 25) 24 1 Croatia Slaven Belupo
16 3MF Victor Stînă (1998-03-20) 20 March 1998 (age 26) 14 2 Greece AEL
18 3MF Serafim Cojocari (2001-01-07) 7 January 2001 (age 23) 11 0 Romania Unirea Slobozia
19 3MF Victor Bogaciuc (1999-10-17) 17 October 1999 (age 24) 8 1 Romania Chindia Târgoviște
22 3MF Vadim Rață (captain) (1993-05-05) 5 May 1993 (age 30) 45 2 Romania Voluntari

9 4FW Ion Nicolaescu (1998-09-07) 7 September 1998 (age 25) 42 15 Netherlands Heerenveen
13 4FW Maxim Cojocaru (1998-01-13) 13 January 1998 (age 26) 20 0 Romania Chindia Târgoviște
15 4FW Nicky Cleșcenco (2001-07-23) 23 July 2001 (age 22) 5 0 Moldova Petrocub Hîncești
17 4FW Virgiliu Postolachi (2000-03-17) 17 March 2000 (age 24) 19 0 France Grenoble
24 4FW Vitalie Damașcan (1999-01-24) 24 January 1999 (age 25) 36 5 Switzerland Stade Lausanne Ouchy

Recent call-ups[edit]

The following players have also been called up to the Moldova squad within the last 12 months.[13]

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Victor Străistari (1999-06-21) 21 June 1999 (age 24) 0 0 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol v.  Faroe Islands, 10 September 2023
GK Dumitru Celeadnic (1992-04-23) 23 April 1992 (age 31) 6 0 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol v.  Poland, 20 June 2023

DF Denis Marandici (1996-09-18) 18 September 1996 (age 27) 10 0 Azerbaijan Turan Tovuz v.  Czech Republic, 20 November 2023
DF Ion Jardan (1990-01-10) 10 January 1990 (age 34) 50 0 Moldova Petrocub Hîncești v.  Czech Republic, 20 November 2023
DF Vadim Bolohan (1986-08-15) 15 August 1986 (age 37) 40 1 Moldova Milsami Orhei v.  Czech Republic, 20 November 2023
DF Dinis Ieșeanu (2000-02-20) 20 February 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Free agent v.  Czech Republic, 20 November 2023
DF Denis Furtună (1999-10-13) 13 October 1999 (age 24) 0 0 Moldova Zimbru Chișinău v.  Poland, 15 October 2023
DF Mihail Ștefan (2001-08-07) 7 August 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Moldova Zimbru Chișinău v.  Faroe Islands, 10 September 2023
DF Alexandr Belousov (1998-05-14) 14 May 1998 (age 25) 5 0 Free agent v.  Poland, 20 June 2023
DF Daniel Dumbravanu (2001-07-22) 22 July 2001 (age 22) 5 0 Italy Messina v.  Czech Republic, 27 March 2023

MF Cristian Dros (1998-04-15) 15 April 1998 (age 25) 15 0 Belarus Slavia Mozyr v.  Poland, 20 June 2023

FW Andrei Cobeț (1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 27) 2 0 Belarus Torpedo-BelAZ v.  Czech Republic, 20 November 2023
FW Daniel Danu (2002-08-26) 26 August 2002 (age 21) 0 0 Moldova Bălți v.  Faroe Islands, 10 September 2023
FW Marius Iosipoi (2000-04-28) 28 April 2000 (age 23) 6 0 Moldova Petrocub Hîncești v.  Poland, 20 June 2023

INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad / standby
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Player records[edit]

As of 26 March 2024[14][15]
Players in bold are still active with Moldova.

Most appearances[edit]

Alexandru Epureanu is Moldova's most capped player with 100 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Position Career
1 Alexandru Epureanu 100 7 DF 2006–2021
2 Igor Armaș 83 6 DF 2008–2023
3 Victor Golovatenco 79 3 DF 2004–2017
4 Radu Rebeja 74 2 MF 1991–2008
5 Veaceslav Posmac 70 2 DF 2013–present
6 Artur Ioniță 69 4 MF 2009–present
Serghei Cleșcenco 69 11 FW 1991–2006
8 Eugeniu Cebotaru 68 1 MF 2007–2020
9 Alexandru Gațcan 63 5 MF 2005–2018
10 Alexandru Suvorov 59 5 MF 2006–2020
Ion Nicolaescu is Moldova's all-time top scorer with 15 goals.

Top goalscorers[edit]

Rank Player Goals Caps Average Career
1 Ion Nicolaescu 15 42 0.36 2018–present
2 Serghei Cleșcenco 11 69 0.16 1991–2006
3 Serghei Rogaciov 9 52 0.17 1996–2007
4 Sergiu Dadu 8 30 0.27 2002–2013
Iurie Miterev 8 36 0.22 1992–2006
Igor Bugaiov 8 54 0.15 2007–2017
7 Eugen Sidorenco 7 35 0.2 2010–2019
Viorel Frunză 7 37 0.19 2002–2015
Radu Gînsari 7 47 0.15 2012–present
Alexandru Epureanu 7 100 0.07 2006–2021

Competitive record[edit]

FIFA World Cup[edit]

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA Pos
1930 to 1938 Part of  Romania Part of  Romania
1950 to 1990 Part of  Soviet Union Part of  Soviet Union
1994 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member[a]
France 1998 Did not qualify 8 0 0 8 2 21 5/5
South Korea Japan 2002 10 1 3 6 6 20 5/6
Germany 2006 10 1 2 7 5 16 6/6
South Africa 2010 10 0 3 7 6 18 6/6
Brazil 2014 10 3 2 5 12 17 5/6
Russia 2018 10 0 2 8 4 23 6/6
Qatar 2022 10 0 1 9 5 30 6/6
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030[b]
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 68 5 13 50 40 145 0/7

UEFA European Championship[edit]

UEFA European Championship record Qualifying record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA Pos
1960 to 1988 Part of  Soviet Union Part of  Soviet Union
1992 Part of  CIS
England 1996 Did not qualify 10 3 0 7 11 27 4/6
Belgium Netherlands 2000 8 0 4 4 7 17 5/5
Portugal 2004 8 2 0 6 5 19 4/5
Austria Switzerland 2008 12 3 3 6 12 19 5/7
Poland Ukraine 2012 10 3 0 7 12 16 5/6
France 2016 10 0 2 8 4 16 6/6
Europe 2020 10 1 0 9 4 26 6/6
Germany 2024 8 2 4 2 7 10 4/5
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total 76 14 13 49 62 150 0/8

UEFA Nations League[edit]

UEFA Nations League record Promotion/relegation play-offs
Year Division Position Pld W D L GF GA RK Pld W D L GF GA P/R
2018–19 D 3/4 6 2 3 1 4 5 48th Rise
2020–21 C 4/4 6 0 1 5 1 11 48th 2 1 0 1 2 2 Fall
2022–23 D 2/4 6 4 1 1 10 6 51st Same position
2024–25 D / 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 18 6 5 7 15 22 2 1 0 1 2 2

By competition[edit]

Competition P W D L GF GA GD Win % Loss %
FIFA World Cup qualification 68 5 13 50 40 145 –105 7.35 73.53
UEFA European qualification 76 14 13 49 62 150 –88 18.42 64.47
UEFA Nations League 20 7 5 8 17 24 –7 35.00 40.00
Total 164 26 31 107 119 319 –200 15.85 65.24

Head-to-head record[edit]

Last match updated was against  Cayman Islands on 26 March 2024.[17]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ FIFA member since 16 June 1994.
  2. ^ Additional matches are scheduled to be played in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the first world cup, however they are not considered to be official hosts of the tournament.[16]
  3. ^ Moldova have played four more matches (0–1–3) against Romania, but they are not considered official.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Moldova, ranked 171st, stun Poland in comeback win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Moldova 3 - 2 Poland | Football". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  5. ^ Chan, Marcus (20 November 2023). "Nation ranked 157th in the world could qualify for Euro 2024 despite only winning two games". SPORTbible. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  6. ^ Media/AFP/Reuters, P. A. (20 November 2023). "Northern Ireland stun Denmark, Czech coach quits after sealing Euro 2024 spot". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 January 2024. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ "Czech Republic qualifies for Euro 2024 with Moldova win but coach resigns". Sportstar. Reuters. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Stadionul Zimbru". fmf.md (in Romanian).
  9. ^ Daghi, Victor (3 December 2021). "Serghei Cleșcenco, noul selecționer al Moldovei" [Serghei Cleșcenco, the new manager of Moldova]. fmf.md (in Romanian). Moldovan Football Federation. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Moldova national team managers". eu-football.info. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Lotul lărgit al Naționalei Moldovei pentru meciurile cu Albania și Polonia". FMF (in Romanian). 29 May 2023. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Moldova – Feroe 1-1". FMF (in Romanian). 24 March 2023. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  13. ^ Grecu, Sandu (9 March 2021). "Lotul lărgit al Naționalei pentru startul campaniei de calificare la World Cup 2022" (in Romanian). FMF. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Most Moldova caps". EU Football. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Top Moldova Goal Scorers". EU Football. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  16. ^ FIFA. "FIFA Council takes key decisions on FIFA World Cup™ editions in 2030 and 2034". FIFA. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  17. ^ a b Courtney, Barrie. "Moldova - International results". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.

External links[edit]