Following Moldova's 4–0 defeat toEngland in September 1997, British writer and comedianTony 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.
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 4–2 toGeorgia.Alexandru Spiridon was the first player to score a goal in the team's history.
Moldova entered the1992 Jordan International Tournament, a tournament consisting of friendly matches. Moldova obtained its biggest win to date, a 5–0 victory againstPakistan, in whichSerghei Alexandrov scored four goals, this being Moldova's first hat-trick. Moldova's second hat-trick was scored byIurie Miterev in a 3–1 win againstCongo in the same tournament.[3][4]
Moldova became aUEFA member in 1993 and aFIFA member in 1994.[5] Moldova's first match recognised by FIFA was a 1–1 draw against theUnited States. Moldova's first attempt to qualify for an international tournament was inUEFA Euro 1996 qualifying, its first competitive match being a 1–0 win over Georgia. The Moldovans beat Georgia twice andWales once, placing 4th out of 6 and failing to qualify.[6] Moldova's following qualifying campaign, their first attempt to qualify for theFIFA World Cup, was the1998 qualifiers, but they lost all matches, placing last in the group.[7] Moldova also placed last inUEFA Euro 2000 qualifying. The Moldovans obtained 4 draws, two withNorthern Ireland, one each withTurkey andFinland.[8]
In the inaugural season of theUEFA Nations League, the Moldovans played inLeague D, the competition's lowest division. They placed third in their group, above San Marino. Moldova's victory over them was its first competitive win since 2014. InUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying Moldova suffered another disappointing result, a 0–1 loss toAndorra, finishing last in the group.
Moldova was the best third-placed team of2018–19 UEFA Nations League D and obtained promotion to2020–21 UEFA Nations League C due to a revamp of the competition's format. Moldova obtained only one point, a draw with theKosovo, placing last in its group. Thus, Moldova had to play the relegation play-outs. Between the matches for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, Moldova suffered a 6–0 defeat toItaly in a friendly match, which equaled Moldova's worst defeat at the time.[20]
In2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Moldova obtained only one point, a draw with theFaroe Islands. Moldova also suffered what was at the time its worst defeat ever during these qualifiers, an 8–0 loss againstDenmark. During these qualifiers Moldova placed 181st in October 2021FIFA Ranking, the lowest position it ever reached.[21] After losing toKazakhstan on penalties in 2020–21 UEFA Nations League relegation play-outs, the Moldovans were relegated to2022–23 UEFA Nations League D. Moldova was tied on points withLatvia, but because of a lower goal difference placed second, failing to achieve promotion.
TheUEFA Euro 2024 qualifying was a watershed moment for Moldova. The Moldovans came agonisingly close to a historic Euro debut, acquiring ten points in agroup 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 overPoland[22][23] and were one win away from qualifying forUEFA Euro 2024.[24] However, a denting away loss to theCzech Republic in the final matchday killed off Moldova's qualification hopes, as they finished fourth and were eliminated due to an inferior record.[25][26]Ion Nicolaescu scored his 11th and 12th international goals in the 3–2 win against Poland, becoming Moldova's top goal scorer. With 4 goals in the competition, he became the first Moldovan to be the top goal scorer of a qualifying group.[27]
The Moldova national football team plays its official games atZimbru Stadium in Chișinău. The stadium is a privately held structure, but is under administration of FMF until 2026.[29] The senior team, along with youth teams useStadionul CPSM for training purposes. It is located inVadul lui Vodă, a village along theDniester River, approximately 25 kilometres fromChișinău.
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.
^Additional matches are scheduled to be played inArgentina,Paraguay, andUruguay in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of thefirst world cup, however they are not considered to be official hosts of the tournament.[37]
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