Andorra national football team

Andorra
Nickname(s) Tricolors (The Tricolours)
Association Andorran Football Federation
(Federació Andorrana de Futbol)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Koldo Álvarez
Captain Ildefons Lima
Most caps Ildefons Lima (115)
Top scorer Ildefons Lima (11)
Home stadium Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella
FIFA code AND
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 128 Increase 2 (20 September 2018)
Highest 125 (September 2005)
Lowest 206 (December 2011)
Elo ranking
Current 183 Increase 5 (10 September 2018)
Highest 171 (February 2005, September 2005)
Lowest 193 (September 2015)
First international
 Andorra 1–6 Estonia 
(Andorra la Vella, Andorra; 13 November 1996)
Biggest win
 Andorra 2–0 Belarus 
(Aixovall, Andorra; 26 April 2000)
 Andorra 2–0 Albania 
(Andorra la Vella, Andorra; 17 April 2002)
 San Marino 0–2 Andorra 
(Serravalle, San Marino; 22 February 2017)
Biggest defeat
 Czech Republic 8–1 Andorra 
(Liberec, Czech Republic; 4 June 2005)
 Croatia 7–0 Andorra 
(Zagreb, Croatia; 7 October 2006)

The Andorra national football team (Catalan: Selecció de futbol d'Andorra) 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 fifth smallest of any UEFA country (only Liechtenstein, San Marino, Gibraltar and the Faroe Islands are smaller).

Andorra's first official game was a 6–1 defeat in a friendly match to Estonia in 1996. Since the qualifying rounds for the UEFA Euro 2000 tournament, Andorra have competed in qualifying for every European Championship and World Cup but have had very little success. They have only ever won six matches, four of them at home. They have two wins in competitive matches, 1–0 wins against Macedonia in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying competition and against Hungary in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying competition.

History

Though the Andorran Football Federation formed in 1994,[1] and the domestic league started in 1995, the national team could not participate in major championships until it gained affiliation with governing bodies FIFA and UEFA in 1996.[1][2] The national team played its first match against Estonia in Andorra La Vella and lost 6–1.[3]

Andorra's first match in a FIFA-sanctioned competition was a 3–1 loss to Armenia on 5 September 1998 in a qualifier for UEFA Euro 2000. Andorra lost all ten qualifiers for the tournament.[4] The team particularly struggled in away matches; each loss was by at least three goals.[4] Andorra scored only three goals, two of which were penalties,[4] and two of which were in the away matches.[4] Andorra conceded 28 goals,[4] and their biggest defeat of the qualifiers was a 6–1 away loss to Russia.[4]

For their first World Cup qualifying campaign, Andorra were drawn in a group with Cyprus, Estonia, Ireland, the Netherlands and Portugal.[5] They lost their opening match 1–0 to Estonia. In the next game, they lost 3–2 to Cyprus but scored their first World Cup qualifying goals.[5] They were again defeated by Estonia, this time 2–1.[5] They lost all their matches and their only away goal was in a 3–1 loss against Ireland.[5] Their worst defeat was 7–1 to Portugal on a neutral ground in Lleida, Spain.[5] Andorra finished the campaign with no points and conceded 36 goals in ten matches.[5]

In the team's qualification campaign for Euro 2004 they again lost every game. They scored their only goal in a 2–1 away loss to Bulgaria.[6] In this competition the scores were closer than before as they lost 3–0 to Bulgaria, Croatia and Belgium, 2–0 twice to Estonia, 2–0 to Croatia and 1–0 to Belgium.[6]

Match against Ukraine in 2009.

By Andorran standards, qualification for the 2006 World Cup was successful. They won their first competitive game 1–0 at home against Macedonia. Andorra midfielder Marc Bernaus, who played in the Spanish second division, received a long throw in off his chest and volleyed in a goal early in the second half.[7] After the game, Macedonia coach Dragan Kanatlarovski resigned and called the game "a shameful outcome, a humiliation."[8] Andorra also drew two matches, 0–0 in Macedonia and 0–0 at home against Finland.[9]

In Euro 2008 qualifying, Andorra again lost every game.[10] The closest game was against Russia, a 1–0 defeat on 21 November 2007. Their biggest defeat was a 7–0 loss to Croatia in Andorra La Vella, which is their worst defeat in UEFA competitions[11] and matched their loss to the Czech Republic as their largest losing deficit. Andorra scored only two goals and conceded 42 in a total of 12 games.[10] In 2010 World Cup qualifying, Andorra lost all ten matches.[12] For the tournament, they scored three goals, in defeats to Belarus and Kazakhstan, and conceded 39 goals, including six in a defeat to England, the largest margin in the group.[12]

Qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012 ended in familiar fashion; they lost all ten matches, scoring only one goal and conceding 25; their best results were two one-goal losses to Slovakia and a 3–1 loss in Ireland.[13] The 2014 World Cup qualifying tournament was even more disastrous. Andorra lost all their matches while conceding 30 goals and not scoring.

Against Israel in 2015.

During 2016 UEFA Euro qualifying, Andorra again lost all of its ten games but scored four goals, setting a national team record for goals scored in a European Championship qualifying group. On 22 February 2017, Andorra beat San Marino away 2–0 in a friendly match, ending with 12 years and 132 days without winning any match.[14] On 9 June 2017, Andorra beat Hungary 1–0 in a World Cup home qualifier with a goal by Marc Rebés, their first victory in a competitive match since 2004.[15] Thanks to these two wins and a draw against the Faroe Islands on 6 July 2017, Andorra progressed 57 positions in the FIFA rankings to 129th, its second best position ever.[16] On 21 March 2018, Rebés scored the only goal of a friendly win over Liechtenstein in Spain, giving Andorra their third victory of the last 13 months and sixth of all time.[17]

Stadium

Andorra's former home stadium, Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella.

From 1996 until 2014 Andorra played their home matches at the Comunal d'Andorra la Vella, in the capital city of Andorra la Vella. This stadium has a capacity of 1,800 and also hosts the matches of club sides FC Andorra and the Andorran Premier League.[18] On 9 September 2014, the national team began playing at the new Estadi Nacional with a capacity of 3,306.

Andorra have occasionally played home matches outside their borders. For example, Andorra hosted France and England in the 2000 European Championship, 2008 European Championship and 2010 World Cup qualifiers in the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, which was the home of RCD Espanyol between 1997 and 2009.[19][20]

Kit suppliers

Kit provider Period
Germany Reusch 1996–2000
United States Reebok 2000–2004
Italy Diadora 2004–2006
Spain Joma 2006–2008
Germany Adidas 2008–2018
Italy Macron 2018–2026

Reputation

Andorra's dismal record gives them a lowly reputation in world football. The nation has only won two competitive fixtures, World Cup qualifying games against Macedonia in 2004 and Hungary in 2017, both by 1–0; and three friendly games against Belarus and Albania at home and San Marino away, all of them by 2–0.

With the fourth smallest population of any UEFA country,[21] until the admission of Gibraltar, the talent pool is small. Players are predominantly amateurs because the Andorra domestic league is only part-time. Since Andorra began playing in 1996, their average FIFA ranking is 163.[22]

Manager history

Koldo.

Manuel Miluir was the first coach of the team and managed their first three matches of European Championship qualifying. He departed in 1999 to make way for David Rodrigo, whose first competitive match was a 2–0 European Championship qualifying defeat at home to Iceland on 27 March of that year. Rodrigo had been in charge of the team until February 2010, when it was announced that Koldo took over this role.[23]

Competition records

FIFA World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1998Did not enter
South KoreaJapan 2002Did not qualify100010536
Germany 200612129434
South Africa 2010100010339
Brazil 2014100010030
Russia 201810118223
Total0/2100000052234714162

UEFA European Championship record

UEFA European Championship record UEFA European Championship qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1960 to 1996Did not enter
BelgiumNetherlands 2000Did not qualify100010328
Portugal 20048008118
AustriaSwitzerland 2008120012242
PolandUkraine 2012100010125
France 2016100010436
Europe 2020To be determined------
Total0/1500000050005011149

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Year Division Pos Pld W D L GF GA
2018–19D202011
Total202011

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

{{2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group B table|show_matches=yes|showteam=AND}}

2018–19 UEFA Nations League

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion Georgia (country) Kazakhstan Latvia Andorra
1  Georgia 3 3 0 0 6 0 +6 9 Promotion to League C — 19 Nov 1–0 3–0
2  Kazakhstan 3 0 2 1 2 4 −2 2[lower-alpha 1] 0–2 — 15 Nov 16 Oct
3  Latvia 3 0 2 1 1 2 −1 2[lower-alpha 1] 16 Oct 1–1 — 0–0
4  Andorra 3 0 2 1 1 4 −3 2[lower-alpha 1] 16 Nov 1–1 19 Nov —
Updated to match(es) played on 13 October 2018. Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. 1 2 3 Head-to-head goals for: Kazakhstan 2, Latvia 1, Andorra 1.

Recent results and fixtures

2018

Andorra all-time record against all nations

As of 10 September 2018

° FIFA-unofficial match on 19 February 1998 between Andorra – Czech Republic (0–1) is not included.

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League matches against Georgia on 13 October and Kazakhstan on 16 October 2018.[24]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Josep Gómes (1985-12-03) 3 December 1985 50 0 Andorra UE Santa Coloma
13 1GK Ferran Pol (1983-02-28) 28 February 1983 26 0 Andorra Sant Julià
12 1GK Francisco Pires (1998-01-25) 25 January 1998 0 0 Andorra Andorra
6 2DF Ildefons Lima (Captain) (1979-12-10) 10 December 1979 116 11 Andorra Inter d'Escaldes
5 2DF Emili García (1989-01-11) 11 January 1989 43 1 Andorra Andorra
23 2DF Jordi Rubio (1987-11-01) 1 November 1987 42 0 Andorra UE Santa Coloma
21 2DF Marc García (1988-03-21) 21 March 1988 40 0 Spain Granollers
15 2DF Moisés San Nicolás (1993-09-17) 17 September 1993 35 0 Andorra FC Santa Coloma
20 2DF Max Llovera (1997-01-08) 8 January 1997 23 0 Spain Horta
4 2DF Marc Rebés (1994-07-03) 3 July 1994 19 2 Andorra FC Santa Coloma
18 2DF Txus Rubio (1994-09-09) 9 September 1994 16 0 Andorra UE Santa Coloma
17 2DF Joan Cervós (1998-02-24) 24 February 1998 4 0 Spain Santboià
8 3MF Márcio Vieira (1984-10-10) 10 October 1984 84 0 Spain Atlético Monzón
7 3MF Marc Pujol (1982-08-21) 21 August 1982 81 2 Andorra Andorra
11 3MF Sergi Moreno (1987-11-25) 25 November 1987 61 0 Andorra Inter d'Escaldes
3 3MF Marc Vales (1990-04-04) 4 April 1990 53 0 Norway Sandefjord
2 3MF Cristian Martínez (1989-08-23) 23 August 1989 50 2 Andorra Andorra
22 3MF Víctor Rodríguez (1987-09-07) 7 September 1987 20 0 Andorra FC Santa Coloma
3MF Jordi Aláez (1998-01-23) 23 January 1998 15 1 Andorra Andorra
16 3MF Marc Ferré (1994-01-11) 11 January 1994 1 0 Andorra Andorra
10 4FW Juli Sánchez (1978-06-20) 20 June 1978 70 2 Andorra FC Santa Coloma
14 4FW Ludovic Clemente (1986-05-09) 9 May 1986 8 0 Andorra Andorra

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the Andorra squad in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Francisco Pomares (1998-09-21) 21 September 1998 1 0 Spain Elche Ilicitano v.  Liechtenstein, 21 March 2018
MF Xavier Vieira (1992-01-14) 14 January 1992 2 0 Andorra Lusitanos v.  Cape Verde, 3 June 2018
FW Sebas Gómez (1983-11-01) 1 November 1983 31 0 Andorra Engordany v.  Kazakhstan, 10 September 2018
FW Luigi San Nicolás (1992-06-28) 28 June 1992 1 0 Andorra Engordany v.  Kazakhstan, 10 September 2018
FW Àlex Martínez (1998-10-10) 10 October 1998 14 1 Andorra Andorra v.  United Arab Emirates, 18 August 2018
FW Ricard Fernández (1999-03-19) 19 March 1999 3 0 Andorra Andorra v.  United Arab Emirates, 18 August 2018
FW Gabi Riera (1985-06-05) 5 June 1985 40 1 Andorra FC Santa Coloma v.  Cape Verde, 3 June 2018

RET: player retired from international football
INJ: player withdrewed due to injury

Player history

Ildefons Lima is Andorra's most capped player and the all-time top goalscorer.
Óscar Sonejee is the second most capped player and the second all-time top goalscorer.

Ildefons Lima and Óscar Sonejee are the only Andorran players to have scored more than three career goals for the team; Lima has 11 goals and Sonejee 4. Lima is also the most capped player with 111 appearances. Óscar Sonejee's 106 appearances are the second most for the Andorra national team.

In January 2006, the Andorran Football Association named Koldo, their goalkeeper from 1998 to 2009, as their greatest ever player.[25]

Records

Most capped players

As of 10 September 2018
Rank Player Caps Goals Years
1 Ildefons Lima 115 11 1997–
2 Óscar Sonejee 106 4 1997–2015
3 Josep Ayala 84 0 2002–2017
4 Márcio Vieira 83 0 2005–
5 Marc Pujol 80 2 2000–
6 Manolo Jiménez 79 1 1998–2012
7 Koldo Álvarez de Eulate 78 0 1998–2009
8 Txema Garcia 71 0 1997–2009
9 Juli Sánchez 70 2 1996–
10 Justo Ruiz 67 2 1998–2008

Top goalscorers

As of 10 September 2018
Rank Player Caps Goals Years
1 Ildefons Lima 115 11 1997–
2 Óscar Sonejee 106 4 1997–2015
3 Emiliano González 37 3 1998–2003
Jesús Lucendo 29 3 1996–2003
5 Marc Pujol 80 2 2000–
Juli Sánchez 70 2 1996–
Justo Ruiz 67 2 1998–2008
Fernando Silva 51 2 2002–2013
Cristian Martínez 49 2 2009–
Marc Rebés 18 2 2015–

International goals

Andorra has scored very few goals in competitive internationals; the list below is comprehensive.

a ECQ = UEFA European Football Championship qualification match, WCQ = FIFA World Cup qualification match, UNL = UEFA Nations League.
b The Andorra score is always listed first.
c The Andorra-Cyprus match in 2000 is the only game Andorra has scored two goals in any competitive match.
d The Andorra-Macedonia match in 2004 and the Andorra-Hungary match in 2017 are the only competitive matches Andorra has won.

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 "Association information – Andorra". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  2. ↑ "The Association – Andorra". UEFA. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Andorra – List of International Matches 1996–2002". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "European Championship 2000". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "World Cup 2002 qualifications". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  6. 1 2 "European Championship 2004". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 25 June 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "Soccer: Andorra scores its first World Cup victory". The New York Times. 14 October 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  8. ↑ "Macedonia's coach offers resignation". Associated Press. Sports Illustrated. 14 October 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  9. ↑ "World Cup 2006 qualifications". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  10. 1 2 "European Championship 2008". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  11. ↑ "General info – Andorra". UEFA. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  12. 1 2 "World Cup 2010 qualifications". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  13. ↑ "Euro 2012 qualifying tables". BBC. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  14. ↑ "La selecció d'Andorra dona per acabada una ratxa de 12 anys i 132 dies sense guanyar" (in Catalan). Bon Dia. 22 February 2017.
  15. ↑ "Andorra players shed tears of joy after first competitive win since 2004". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  16. ↑ "Lima: 2017 almost too good to be true for Andorra". FIFA. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  17. ↑ "Tercera victòria d'Andorra en un any" [Andorra's third victory in a year] (in Catalan). Cadena SER. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  18. ↑ "Estadi Comunal d Aixovall". Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  19. ↑ "European Championship 2008 detailed information". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  20. ↑ "World Cup 2010 qualifications detailed information". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  21. ↑ James Appell (8 September 2010). "It's raining... apples?". The Football Ramble. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  22. ↑ "FIFA Rankings – Andorra". FIFA. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  23. ↑ "Álvarez assumes Andorra mantle". UEFA.com. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  24. ↑ Andorran Football Federation [@Fedandfut] (10 October 2018). "Convocatòria UNL" [UNL call-up] (Tweet) (in Catalan). Retrieved 10 October 2018 – via Twitter.
  25. ↑ "The UEFA Jubilee 52 Golden Players". rsssf. 21 December 2006. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
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