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| Association | Catalan Football Federation (Federació Catalana de Futbol) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confederation | None | |||
| Head coach | Gerard López | |||
| Captain | Oriol Romeu | |||
| Mostcaps | Sergio García (16)[1] | |||
| Top scorer | Sergio García (9) | |||
| Home stadium | Camp Nou Stage Front Stadium Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys Estadi Montilivi Johan Cruyff Stadium Nova Creu Alta | |||
| FIFA code | CAT | |||
| ||||
| First international | ||||
Not FIFA results Paris 3–1Catalonia  (San Sebastián, Spain; 24 July 1910) FIFA results  France 7–0Catalonia (Paris,France; 21 February 1912) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
Not FIFA results Catalonia 9–0Brussels (Barcelona,Spain; 16 June 1927) FIFA results Catalonia 6–0Jamaica  (Girona, Spain; 25 May 2022) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
| France 7–0Catalonia (Paris,France; 21 February 1912)  Spain 7–0Catalonia (Barcelona,Spain; 13 March 1924) | ||||
TheCatalonia national football team (Catalan:Selecció de futbol de Catalunya) is the official football team representingCatalonia. It is organised by theCatalan Football Federation, which was founded in 1900. The team has been known by various names, includingSelecció Catalana,[2][3] and theCatalan XI.[4][5]
Because the Catalan Federation is affiliated with theRoyal Spanish Football Federation as one of Spains' regional football federations, Catalonia is not eligible for membership inFIFA orUEFA as a national association. As a result, the team is not permitted to participate in official international competitions such as theFIFA World Cup or theUEFA European Championship. With limited exceptions involving players of other nationalities, Catalan players are Spanish citizens who are eligible to representSpain at international level and frequently do so.[6]
Since 1904, the team has played nearly 200 matches against a range of national, regional and club teams.[7] International friendly matches have been played more regularly since 1997. Opponents have included national teams such asNigeria,Brazil, andArgentina.
The Catalonia team made their debut in 1905. In its early years, it primarily played matches against club sides, includingClub Espanyol,Madrid CF,FC Barcelona andIrún Sporting Club. On 24 July 1910, the team played its first international match against a Paris XI, losing 1-3. Catalonia's goal in that match was scored byCarles Comamala. The lineup for the match was Costa,Bru, Halden,Massana,Aguirreche,Sampere,Barenys, Angoso,Berdié, Comamala, and Roteta.[citation needed]
On 20 February 1912, Catalonia played its first official international friendly againstFrance, losing 7–0 inParis. The Catalonia team consisted ofReñé,Irízar,Amechazurra, German,Peris,Kinké,Forns,Pepe Rodríguez,Comamala,Morales, and Ramirez.[8] The two sides met again on 1 December 1912, inBarcelona, where Catalonia secured a 1–0 victory, with the winning goal scored byGenaro de la Riva ofRCD Espanyol.
On 8 December 1912, Catalonia faced a selection of foreign players at theCamp de la Indústria in a benefit match for theSindicat de Periodistes. The Catalan side won 5–2, with goals scored byMassana (two),Comamala,Forns, and an own goal byWallace. The foreign team’s goals were scored by Wallace and Stewart. Catalonia's lineup for the match was Renyé, Amechazurra, Irízar, A. Massana, Sagnier,Quirante, Armet-Kinké,A. Comamala, C. Comamala, Janer, and Forns, while the foreign selection comprised Manchan, Braussendorf,Wallace,Rositzky,Greenwell,Morris,Allack, Kaiser,Steel, Stewart, and McLean.[9]
In 1914, the Catalan XI played theBasque Country XI for the first time, although no record of the result survived. The first recorded match between the two sides took place on 3 January 1915 atSan Mamés Stadium and ended in a 6–1 defeat for Catalonia.[10]
Between 1915 and 1926, the Catalan XI competed in theCopa Príncep d'Astúries, an inter-regional competition. They finished as runners-up in 1915 and won for the first time in 1916, beating aCastile/Madrid XI 8–5 over two games, including a shocking 6–3 win in the first leg at theCampo de O'Donnell inMadrid. They then relinquished the trophy in 1917 after losing 2–0 to a weak Castile XI side. During the 1920s, a team featuringJosep Samitier,Paulino Alcántara,Sagibarba andRicardo Zamora helped the Catalan XI win the competition in1924 and1926.[11][12] In the quarter-finals of the former, Catalonia defeated aGipuzkoa XI featuringRené Petit by a score of 2–1, and then beatBiscay XI 1–0 in the semi-finals with the solitary goal being scored byCristóbal Martí. Thefinal was played on 24 February 1924 inSan Mamés against aCastile/Madrid XI, and the game was a tremendously competitive clash, with back-and-forth drama on the scoreboard, but at the end of regulation time the match was tied at 3–3 with Samitier (twice) andPiera scoring the Catalan goals. In extra-timeJuan Monjardín appeared to have won the game for the Castile/Madrid XI when he scored past Zamora, but with two minutes remainingEmili Sagi-Barba leveled the scores at 4–4 when no one was expecting it anymore, and the draw forced a replay two days later and this time Catalonia ended up winning 3–2 with goals fromCarulla, Samitier and Piera, thus becoming champion.[12] The Catalan team that lined-up that day was: Zamora,Massaguè,Montané,Caicedo,Sancho,Carulla,Piera,Martí,Peidró, Samitier and Sagibarba. Thelast edition of the competition was a two-legged final between the winners of the previous two,Asturias XI and Catalonia, who faced each other only for the right to keep the trophy, and Catalonia won both games (2–0 and 4–3), thus earning the right to keep the trophy. The Catalan goalscorers wereDomingo Broto(2),Josep Forgas(2),Juan Pellicer andPaulino Alcántara.[12][13]
As well as playing other regional teams from throughoutSpain andEurope, the 1920s also saw the Catalan XI play several international friendly matches. On 13 March 1924, at theCamp de Les Corts, the Catalan XI playedSpain for the first time. The Spain XI included Josep Samitier and Zamora, two of the best Catalan players of the era, while the Catalan XI featured Alcántara and Sagibarba. Samiter scored twice to help Spain to a 7–0 win.[14] On 13 December 1925, Samitier, Zamora, Alcántara and Sagibarba were on the same side as the Catalan XI beatCzechoslovakia at theEstadi de Sarrià. After conceding a penalty and going down 1–0, Sagibarba then equalized with another penalty before Samitier clinched a 2–1 win. On 7 July 1926, the Catalan XI played Czechoslovakia inPrague. Despite Samitier putting the Catalans 1–0 ahead, they eventually lost 2–1.
During the 1930s, Catalonia continued playing friendly games against an array of teams; 1934 was a particularly good year. On 2 February, they played Spain and lost 2–0 at Les Corts. Four months later, they played Brazil twice. On 17 June, the Catalan XI beat Brazil 2–1 at Les Corts and then on 24 June, they held them to a 2–2 draw at the Vista Alegre inGirona. The Brazil team had been in Europe to play in the official1934 FIFA World Cup and included the legendaryLeônidas in their team. The Catalan XI completed a good month when on June 29 they beat the reigning officialLa Liga champions,Athletic Bilbao, 5–1.
After theSpanish Civil War,caudilloFrancisco Franco imposed several restrictions onCatalonia, abolishing theGeneralitat de Catalunya and banning the official use of theCatalan language and theCatalan flag. Despite these restrictions, the Catalan XI continued to play regularly during this period and even played Spain twice. On 19 October 1947, at the Sarrià and with a team featuringJuan Velasco,Marià Gonzalvo,Joan Segarra andCésar, they beat Spain 3–1. On 9 August 1953, Spain avenged this defeat with a 6–0 win.
During this era, several notable Barcelona players, including the Spanish playersLászló Kubala,Luis Suárez,Evaristo and laterChus Pereda, played for the Catalan XI. On 26 January 1955, in a friendly game againstBologna at Les Corts, Kubala was also joined by another guest player,Alfredo Di Stéfano. The Catalan XI won 6–2 with two goals from Kubala and one from Di Stéfano. On 1 September 1956, Di Stéfano returned to Les Corts with Real Madrid, recent winners of the first officialEuropean Cup, and played aSelecció de Barcelona. Real won the game 7–3.
The Catalan XI marked the end of the Franco era with a friendly game against theSoviet Union at theCamp Nou on 6 June 1976. The team includedCarles Rexach, guestNetherlands playersJohan Cruyff andJohan Neeskens andChilean internationalCarlos Caszely who played forEspanyol. The game finished 1–1 with Neeskens scoring for the Catalan XI. Cruyff's son,Jordi, would subsequently play regularly for the Catalan XI.
Since the restoration of democracy in the 1970s, the Catalonia representative team has regularly played international friendly matches. They put together a string of successful results against countries likeBulgaria,Nigeria,Yugoslavia,Lithuania andChile. On 5 May 2002, Catalonia hosted Brazil in a warm up friendly game before the official2002 World Cup. Brazil, who went on to win the official competition, beat Catalonia 3–1. In 2004, Brazil returned for a second friendly game and this time won 5–2 at theCamp Nou, where some months later Argentina defeated Catalonia 3–0. The last friendly matches have been againstParaguay,Costa Rica, Basque Country, Argentina andColombia.
On 2 November 2009, it was announced that Dutch legend and former Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff would be the new coach of Catalonia.[15] On 22 December 2009, they played a friendly against Argentina, which ended in a Catalonia win, 4–2 at Camp Nou. On 28 December 2010, Catalonia played another friendly againstHonduras winning 4–0 atEstadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.[16] On 30 December 2011, Catalonia playedTunisia in a goalless draw at the Lluís Companys.[17] In their last game under Cruyff, on 2 January 2013, Catalonia drew with Nigeria at theCornellà-El Prat, 1–1.[18]
Former playerGerard was appointed new coach for the Catalan team for two years. His first match with the team took place on 30 December 2013 againstCape Verde at the Olímpic Lluís Companys.[19]
v Jamaica| 25 May[a]Friendly | Catalonia | 6–0 | Jamaica | Girona, Catalonia |
| 18:45 | Deulofeu 3',28',44'Bartra 35'Jutglà 74'Puado 88' | Report | Stadium:Estadi Montilivi Attendance: 6,124 Referee: Victor Garcia Serundra (Spain) |
v
Mali| 8 JuneFriendly | Catalonia | Cancelled | Mali | Lleida, Catalonia |
| 19:00 | Report | Stadium:Camp d'Esports |
v
Panama| 29 MayFriendly | Catalonia | 2–2 | Panama | Sabadell, Catalonia |
| 19:00 | Jutglà 9' Aleñá 92' | Report | E. Davis 17' Gondola 27' | Stadium:Estadi de la Nova Creu Alta Attendance: 5.859 Referee: Victor Garcia Verdura (Spain) |
v
Costa Rica| 28 MayFriendly | Catalonia | 2–0 | Costa Rica | Sant Joan Despí, Catalonia |
| 19:00 | Report | Stadium:Johan Cruyff Stadium Attendance: 5.352 Referee: Víctor García Verdura (Spain) |
v
Palestine| 18 NovemberFriendly | Catalonia | 2–1 | Palestine | Barcelona, Catalonia |
| 18:30 | Report | Zeidan 30' | Stadium:Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium Attendance: 30,018 Referee: Víctor Garcia Verdura (Spain) |
Due to the unofficial status of the Catalonia team and others, many of the usual conventions of international football do not apply. Players who have already appeared for a FIFA national team can play for the Catalans in addition, but if they are simultaneously called up for both, the FIFA squad (usuallySpain) takes precedence.[6][20] Clubs are also not obligated to release their players, and the request is sometimes refused by clubs outside the Spanish leagues, or when the fixture takes place during the domestic season and the club has important upcoming fixtures.[21] Eligible players can also choose not to be involved. This means the Catalan squads are frequently below what would be considered their 'full strength', but also means those who do take part are fully committed to the concept, and in many cases would have no other opportunities to experience international football so consider the match to be an important matter. This contrasts with their opponents, as the fixture does not contribute to theirAssociation ranking points or individualcap totals and is thus one of the least significant matches out of several they would play each year. In combination with home advantage for the Catalan team in most of their fixtures, this has led to the results falling in their favour more often than might be expected compared to other nations perceived to have a similar standard of players.[6][20]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Arnau Tenas | (2001-05-30)30 May 2001 (age 24) | 2 | 0 |  Villarreal |
| 13 | 1GK | Ángel Fortuño | (2001-10-05)5 October 2001 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | Espanyol |
| 2 | 2DF | Adrià Altimira | (2001-03-28)28 March 2001 (age 24) | 2 | 0 | Villarreal |
| 3 | 2DF | Àlex Cano | (1988-03-07)7 March 1988 (age 37) | 1 | 0 | CE Europa |
| 5 | 2DF | Marc Bombardó | (2005-11-23)23 November 2005 (age 20) | 1 | 0 |  Andorra |
| 7 | 2DF | Arnau Campeny | (1997-01-02)2 January 1997 (age 29) | 1 | 0 | CE Europa |
| 12 | 2DF | David Astals | (2001-12-13)13 December 2001 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | Sabadell |
| 15 | 2DF | Martí Vilà | (1999-05-26)26 May 1999 (age 26) | 1 | 0 | Andorra |
| 4 | 3MF | Ilie Sánchez | (1990-11-29)29 November 1990 (age 35) | 1 | 1 |  Austin FC |
| 6 | 3MF | Marc Bernal | (2007-05-26)26 May 2007 (age 18) | 1 | 0 | Barcelona |
| 8 | 3MF | Marc Domènech | (2002-11-01)1 November 2002 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | Andorra |
| 10 | 3MF | Sergio Gómez | (2000-09-04)4 September 2000 (age 25) | 3 | 0 |  Real Sociedad |
| 14 | 3MF | Ramon Terrats | (2000-10-18)18 October 2000 (age 25) | 3 | 0 | Espanyol |
| 16 | 3MF | Marc Montalvo | (2002-04-09)9 April 2002 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | Nàstic |
| 17 | 3MF | Jofre Carreras | (2001-06-17)17 June 2001 (age 24) | 2 | 0 | Espanyol |
| 18 | 3MF | Albert Orriols | (1997-12-02)2 December 1997 (age 28) | 1 | 0 | Sabadell |
| 20 | 3MF | Antoniu Roca | (2002-09-05)5 September 2002 (age 23) | 2 | 1 | Espanyol |
| 21 | 3MF | Albertito | (1998-09-11)11 September 1998 (age 27) | 1 | 0 | Sant Andreu |
| 9 | 4FW | Pau Víctor | (2001-11-26)26 November 2001 (age 24) | 2 | 0 |  Braga |
| 11 | 4FW | Joel Roca | (2005-06-07)7 June 2005 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | Girona |
| 19 | 4FW | Jordi Cano | (1995-04-01)1 April 1995 (age 30) | 1 | 0 | CE Europa |
| 22 | 4FW | Jaume Jardí | (2002-04-07)7 April 2002 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | Nàstic |
The following players have been called up for the team within the last played matches and are still available for selection.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Daniel Cárdenas | (1997-03-28)28 March 1997 (age 28) | 3 | 0 | Rayo Vallecano | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| GK | Joan García | (2001-05-04)4 May 2001 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | Barcelona | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| DF | Arnau Martínez | (2003-04-25)25 April 2003 (age 22) | 2 | 0 | Girona | v. Palestine, 18 November 2025WD |
| DF | Àlex Moreno | (1993-06-08)8 June 1993 (age 32) | 2 | 0 | Girona | v. Palestine, 18 November 2025WD |
| DF | Sergi Cardona | (1999-07-08)8 July 1999 (age 26) | 2 | 0 | Villarreal | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| DF | Eric García | (2001-01-09)9 January 2001 (age 25) | 2 | 0 | Barcelona | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| DF | David López | (1989-10-09)9 October 1989 (age 36) | 2 | 0 | Girona | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| DF | Mika Mármol | (2001-07-01)1 July 2001 (age 24) | 2 | 0 | Las Palmas | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| DF | Gerard Martín | (2002-02-26)26 February 2002 (age 23) | 0 | 0 | Barcelona | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025WD |
| DF | Óscar Mingueza | (1999-05-13)13 May 1999 (age 26) | 2 | 0 |  Celta | v. Panama, 29 May 2024 |
| DF | Héctor Bellerín | (1995-03-19)19 March 1995 (age 30) | 1 | 0 | Betis | v. Panama, 29 May 2024 |
| DF | Marc Pubill | (2003-06-20)20 June 2003 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | Almeria | v. Panama, 29 May 2024 |
| DF | Sergi Gómez | (1992-03-28)28 March 1992 (age 33) | 3 | 0 | Espanyol | v. Panama, 29 May 2024WD |
| MF | Carles Aleñá | (1998-01-05)5 January 1998 (age 28) | 3 | 2 | Alavés | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| MF | Edu Expósito | (1996-08-01)1 August 1996 (age 29) | 1 | 0 | Espanyol | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| MF | Aleix García | (1997-06-28)28 June 1997 (age 28) | 2 | 0 |  Bayer Leverkusen | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| MF | Pol Lozano | (1999-10-06)6 October 1999 (age 26) | 1 | 0 | Espanyol | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| MF | Raúl Moro | (2002-12-05)5 December 2002 (age 23) | 0 | 0 |  Ajax | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| MF | Oriol Romeu | (1991-09-24)24 September 1991 (age 34) | 4 | 0 |  Southampton | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| MF | Gerard Gumbau | (1994-12-18)18 December 1994 (age 31) | 2 | 0 | Rayo Vallecano | v. Panama, 29 May 2024 |
| MF | Marc Roca | (1996-11-26)26 November 1996 (age 29) | 2 | 0 | Betis | v. Panama, 29 May 2024 |
| MF | Sergi Altimira | (2001-08-25)25 August 2001 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | Betis | v. Panama, 29 May 2024 |
| MF | Jastin García | (2004-01-15)15 January 2004 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | Girona B | v. Panama, 29 May 2024 |
| MF | Joan Jordán | (1994-07-06)6 July 1994 (age 31) | 3 | 0 | Alavés | v. Panama, 29 May 2024 |
| FW | Keita Baldé | (1995-03-08)8 March 1995 (age 30) | 2 | 0 |  Monza | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| FW | Ferran Jutglà | (1999-02-01)1 February 1999 (age 27) | 3 | 2 | Celta Vigo | v. Costa Rica, 28 May 2025 |
| FW | Marc Cardona | (1995-07-08)8 July 1995 (age 30) | 2 | 0 | Las Palmas | v. Panama, 29 May 2024 |
| FW | Aitor Ruibal | (1996-03-22)22 March 1996 (age 29) | 0 | 0 | Betis | v. Panama, 29 May 2024WD |
| ||||||
Because Catalonia is not a member of either UEFA or FIFA due to it being a region of Spain and plays only in unofficial friendly matches, normal eligibility rules based on birthplace do not apply, and a number of players who were not born in Catalonia and played for other international teams have guested for the Catalan XI, although this is much less frequent in the 21st century. With the notable exception ofAlfredo Di Stéfano, most were playing forBarcelona orEspanyol at the time. Some of these players, such asAndrés Iniesta,César Rodríguez,Francisco Bru,Guillermo Amor andPepe Reina had lived a large part of their lives in Catalonia due to their football careers.
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina[b] | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 033.33 |
 Brazil | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 025.00 |
 Bulgaria | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 000.00 |
 Cape Verde | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 100.00 |
 Chile | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100.00 |
 China | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100.00 |
 Colombia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100.00 |
| Costa Rica | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100.00 |
 Czechoslovakia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | +0 | 050.00 |
 Ecuador | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 100.00 |
 FR Yugoslavia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100.00 |
 France | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 050.00 |
 Honduras | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 100.00 |
| Jamaica | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 100.00 |
 Lithuania | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 100.00 |
 Nigeria | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 050.00 |
| Panama | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 000.00 |
 Paraguay | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 000.00 |
 Soviet Union | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 000.00 |
| Spain | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 025.00 |
 Tunisia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +0 | 000.00 |
 Venezuela | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100.00 |
| Palestine | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +3 | 100.00 |
| Total (23 opponents) | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 70 | 58 | +12 | 052.78 |
