Lithuania national football team

Lithuania
Nickname(s)Rinktine (National team)
AssociationLithuanian Football Federation
(Lietuvos futbolo federacija – LFF)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachReinhold Breu caretaker (2022)[1]
CaptainErnestas Šetkus
Most capsSaulius Mikoliūnas (100)
Top scorerTomas Danilevičius (19)
Home stadiumDarius and Girėnas Stadium
FIFA codeLTU
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 144 2 (6 October 2022)[2]
Highest37 (October 2008)
Lowest148 (November 2017)
First international
 Lithuania 0–5 Estonia 
(Kaunas, Lithuania; 24 June 1923)
Biggest win
 Lithuania 7–0 Estonia 
(Riga, Latvia; 20 May 1995)
Biggest defeat
 Egypt 10–0 Lithuania 
(Paris, France; 27 May 1924)

The Lithuania national football team (Lithuanian: Lietuvos nacionalinė futbolo rinktinė) represents Lithuania in international football and is controlled by the Lithuanian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Lithuania. They played their 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 thereafter against Georgia on 27 May of that year.

Although Lithuania has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, nor the UEFA European Championship, they have successfully participated in the regional Baltic Cup tournament, which takes place every two years between Lithuania and their Baltic rivals, Latvia and Estonia. Lithuania has won the Baltic Cup championship 11 times, only Latvia has won it more. Despite this Lithuania holds the record for winning the most consecutive Baltic Cup championships, four titles in a row from 1996 to 2000.

Since 2012 the national team has played their home matches at the LFF Stadium in Vilnius.

History

On 24 June 1923, Lithuania played their first ever game, at the Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimosi Sąjunga Stadionas, resulting in a 5–0 loss against Estonia. In 1924, Lithuania entered the 1924 Olympics in France, losing 9–0 against Switzerland on 25 May 1924. Two days later, Lithuania suffered a 10–0 loss to Egypt, a record defeat to date. During the early years of the Lithuanian national team, Lithuania regularly played Baltic neighbours Estonia and Latvia, with Lithuania's first win coming in a 2–1 away win against Estonia on 24 August 1924 in Tallinn. In 1930, Lithuania won the third edition of the Baltic Cup in Kaunas.[3] On 13 October 1940, Lithuania played their final game for just shy of 50 years, a 4–3 win against Latvia, following the first Soviet annexation of the country.[4]

Lithuania's first game following the declaration of independence in 1990 was a 2–2 draw against Georgia in Tbilisi on 27 May 1990.[5] In the 1990s, Lithuania established a respectable presence in the World Cup and European Championship qualifiers: third place in their group in both Euro 1996 and the 1998 World Cup qualifiers. In the Euro 2004 qualifiers, they were once again contenders for qualification and managed an away draw with Germany and a home win over Scotland; however, a 1–0 defeat to Scotland in the final game ended their hopes. Although finishing fifth in their 2006 World Cup qualifying group, Lithuania were nevertheless competitive.

Lithuania drew with world champions Italy 1–1 in Naples in a Euro 2008 qualifying game on 2 September 2006, in the first competitive game that Italy played since the World Cup final.

On 6 September 2008, Lithuania defeated Romania 3–0 in a 2010 World Cup qualifier. The victory was regarded by many as "a historic win."[6] It was followed by another successful 2–0 performance against Austria in Marijampolė on 10 September 2008.

Recent results and upcoming fixtures

2021
12 November 2022 World Cup qualification Northern Ireland  1–0 Lithuania Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 UTC±0
  • Šatkus 18' (o.g.)
 Report Stadium: Windsor Park
Attendance: 14,336
Referee: István Vad (Hungary)
15 November Friendly Lithuania 1–1  Kuwait Vilnius, Lithuania
19:00 UTC+2
  • Lasickas 54'
 Report
  • Al Otaibi 43'
 Stadium: LFF Stadium
Referee: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (Latvia)
16 November Friendly Belarus  Cancelled Lithuania

    2022
    25 March Friendly San Marino  1–2 Lithuania Serravalle, San Marino
    • Fabbri 62'
    		 Report
    • Klimavičius 13'
    • Mėgelaitis 27'
    		 Stadium: Stadio Olimpico de Serravalle
    Referee: Deniz Aytekin (Germany)
    29 March Friendly Republic of Ireland  1–0 Lithuania Dublin, Ireland
    19:45
    • Parrott 90+7'
    		 Report Stadium: Aviva Stadium
    Attendance: 30,686
    Referee: Bram Van Driessche (Belgium)
    4 June Nations League Lithuania 0–2  Luxembourg Vilnius, Lithuania
    19:00 Report
    • Sinani 44', 78'
    		 Stadium: LFF Stadium
    Attendance: 3,009
    Referee: David Fuxman (Israel)
    7 June Nations League Lithuania 0–6  Turkey Vilnius, Lithuania
    21:45 Report
    • Sinik 2', 14'
    • Dursun 56' (pen.), 81'
    • Akgün 89'
    • Dervişoğlu 90+1'
    		 Stadium: LFF Stadium
    Attendance: 2,843
    Referee: Novak Simović (Serbia)
    11 June Nations League Faroe Islands  2–1 Lithuania Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
    17:00
    • Davidsen 20' (pen.)
    • Andreasen 45'
    		 Report
    • Černych 6'
    		 Stadium: Tórsvøllur
    Attendance: 2,278
    Referee: Igor Pajac (Croatia)
    14 June Nations League Turkey  2–0 Lithuania İzmir, Turkey
    21:45
    • Ayhan 37'
    • Çalhanoğlu 54' (pen.)
    		 Report Stadium: Gürsel Aksel Stadium
    Attendance: 14,694
    Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (France)
    22 September Nations League Lithuania 1–1  Faroe Islands Vilnius, Lithuania
    20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)
    • Slivka 41'
    		 Report
    • Andreasen 22'
    		 Stadium: LFF Stadium
    Attendance: 2,376
    Referee: Vilhjálmur Alvar Þórarinsson (Iceland)
    25 September Nations League Luxembourg  1–0 Lithuania Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
    20:45
    • Rodrigues 89'
    		 Report Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
    Attendance: 5,340
    Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili (Georgia)
    16 November 2022 Baltic Cup Lithuania  v  Iceland Vilnius, Lithuania
    Stadium: LFF Stadium
    19 November 2022 Baltic Cup Lithuania  v  Latvia or  Estonia TBD
    Stadium: TBD

    2023
    24 March UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Serbia  v  Lithuania Belgrade, Serbia
    20:45 Report Stadium: Rajko Mitić Stadium
    17 June UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Lithuania  v  Bulgaria Vilnius, Lithuania
    16:00 Report Stadium: LFF Stadium
    20 June UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Hungary  v  Lithuania Budapest, Hungary
    20:45 Report Stadium: Puskás Aréna
    7 September UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Lithuania  v  Montenegro Vilnius, Lithuania
    21:45 Report Stadium: LFF Stadium
    10 September UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Lithuania  v  Serbia Vilnius, Lithuania
    21:45 Report Stadium: LFF Stadium
    14 October UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Bulgaria  v  Lithuania Razgrad, Bulgaria
    19:00 Report Stadium: Huvepharma Arena
    17 October UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Lithuania  v  Hungary Vilnius, Lithuania
    21:45 Report Stadium: LFF Stadium
    16 November UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Bulgaria  v  Lithuania Podgorica, Montenegro
    20:45 Report Stadium: Podgorica City Stadium

    Coaching staff
    Position[7] Name
    Interim Manager Reinhold Breu
    Assistant coach Andrius Velička
    Assistant coach Mario Tanzer
    Fitness coach Georgas Freidgeimas
    Goalkeeping coach Audrius Ramonas
    Analyst Rokas Pranaitis

    Managers history
    Name Nat From To Games Won Drawn Lost GF GA Win%
    Benjaminas Zelkevičius 19901991 3 1 2 0 7 4 033.33
    Algimantas Liubinskas 19921994 29 7 8 14 29 48 024.14
    Benjaminas Zelkevičius 19951997 29 12 6 11 45 41 041.38
    Kęstutis Latoža 19981999 18 5 4 9 15 24 027.78
    Robertas Tautkus (caretaker) 19991999 1 0 0 1 0 3 000.00
    Stasys Stankus 20002000 8 2 0 6 8 18 025.00
    Julius Kvedaras (caretaker) 20002000 1 0 0 1 1 6 000.00
    Benjaminas Zelkevičius 20012003 19 4 3 12 20 41 021.05
    Algimantas Liubinskas 20032008 50 18 6 26 54 65 036.00
    José Couceiro 20082009 15 6 3 6 17 15 040.00
    Raimondas Žutautas 20102011 16 4 3 9 11 22 025.00
    Csaba László 20122013 16 2 4 10 12 28 012.50
    Igoris Pankratjevas 20132015 21 5 5 11 14 31 023.81
    Edgaras Jankauskas 20162018 26 3 5 18 14 50 011.54
    Valdas Urbonas 20192021 24 5 4 15 17 49 020.83
    Valdas Ivanauskas 20212022 13 2 1 10 6 29 015.38
    Reinhold Breu (interim) 2022present 2 0 1 1 1 2 000.00

    Players

    Current squad
    • The following players were called up for the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League.[8]
    • Match dates: 22 and 25 September 2022
    • Opposition:  Faroe Islands and  Luxembourg
    • Caps and goals correct as of: 25 September 2022, after the match against  Luxembourg
    No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
    1 1GK Džiugas Bartkus (1989-11-07) 7 November 1989 11 0 Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona FC
    12 1GK Edvinas Gertmonas (1997-05-13) 13 May 1997 3 0 FK Žalgiris
    16 1GK Ignas Plūkas (1993-12-08) 8 December 1993 1 0 FC Hegelmann
    13 2DF Saulius Mikoliūnas (1984-05-02) 2 May 1984 100 5 FK Žalgiris
    4 2DF Edvinas Girdvainis (1993-01-19) 19 January 1993 38 0 FK Kauno Žalgiris
    2 2DF Linas Klimavičius (1989-04-10) 10 April 1989 35 0 FK Panevėžys
    23 2DF Rolandas Baravykas (1995-08-23) 23 August 1995 31 2 unattached
    6 2DF Benas Šatkus (2001-04-01) 1 April 2001 14 0 VfL Osnabrück
    21 2DF Dominykas Barauskas (1997-04-18) 18 April 1997 11 0 FKS Stal Mielec
    3 2DF Artemijus Tutyškinas (2003-08-08) 8 August 2003 3 0 ŁKS Łódź
    8 2DF Natanas Žebrauskas (2002-02-18) February 18, 2002 1 0 SpVgg Greuther Fürth B
    11 3MF Arvydas Novikovas (1990-12-18) 18 December 1990 83 12 Samsunspor
    14 3MF Vykintas Slivka (1995-04-29) 29 April 1995 54 3 PAS Lamia 1964
    17 3MF Justas Lasickas (1997-10-06) 6 October 1997 36 2 Olimpija
    20 3MF Domantas Šimkus (1996-02-10) 10 February 1996 26 0 NŠ Mura
    22 3MF Modestas Vorobjovas (1995-12-30) 30 December 1995 25 1 AFC Chindia Târgoviște
    18 3MF Paulius Golubickas (1999-08-19) 19 August 1999 18 1 HNK Gorica
    15 3MF Linas Mėgelaitis (1998-09-09) 9 September 1998 15 1 Viterbese
    5 3MF Titas Milašius (2000-12-12) December 12, 2000 5 0 TS Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała
    19 3MF Tomas Kalinauskas (2000-04-27) April 27, 2000 1 0 Havant & Waterlooville F.C.
    9 3MF Deividas Dovydaitis (2003-01-26) January 26, 2003 0 0 FA Šiauliai
    10 3MF Fedor Černych (1991-05-21) 21 May 1991 78 12 Jagiellonia Białystok
    7 3MF Artūr Dolžnikov (2000-06-06) June 6, 2000 4 0 FK Riteriai

    Recent call-ups

    The following players have been called up for the team in the last twelve months.

    Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
    GK Ernestas Šetkus (Captain) (1985-05-25) 25 May 1985 38 0 unattached  Turkey, 14 June 2022
    GK Titas Krapikas (1999-01-03) 3 January 1999 1 0 Ternana  Kuwait, 15 November 2021
    DF Edgaras UtkusINJ (2000-06-22) 22 June 2000 10 0 Cercle Brugge KSV  Turkey, 14 June 2022
    DF Pijus Širvys (1998-04-01) April 1, 1998 4 0 Panevėžys  Turkey, 14 June 2022
    DF Egidijus Vaitkūnas (1988-08-08) 8 August 1988 62 0 Kauno Žalgiris  Luxembourg, 4 June 2022PRE
    DF Vytas Gašpuitis (1994-03-04) 4 March 1994 11 0 FA Šiauliai  Kuwait, 15 November 2021
    DF Justinas Januševskij (1999-03-26) 26 March 1999 3 0 Panevėžys   Switzerland,12 October 2021
    MF Donatas Kazlauskas (1994-03-31) 31 March 1994 33 2 Žalgiris  Turkey, 14 June 2022
    MF Vilius Armanavičius (1995-05-08) 8 May 1995 6 0 Hegelmann  Turkey, 14 June 2022
    MF Giedrius Matulevičius (1997-03-05) 5 March 1997 3 0 Sūduva  Turkey, 14 June 2022
    MF Ovidijus VerbickasINJ (1993-07-04) 4 July 1993 30 1 Žalgiris  Luxembourg, 4 June 2022PRE
    MF Gratas Sirgėdas (1994-12-17) 17 December 1994 18 3 Kauno Žalgiris  Luxembourg, 4 June 2022PRE
    MF Karolis Uzėla (2000-03-11) 11 March 2000 3 0 RFS  Luxembourg, 4 June 2022PRE
    MF Eligijus Jankauskas (1998-06-22) 22 June 1998 2 0 Panevėžys  Luxembourg, 4 June 2022PRE
    MF Gustas Jarusevičius (2003-05-23) May 23, 2003 0 0 Žalgiris  Luxembourg, 4 June 2022PRE
    MF Martynas Dapkus (1993-02-16) 16 February 1993 16 0 Kauno Žalgiris  San Marino, 25 March 2022
    MF Ernestas Veliulis (1992-09-22) 22 September 1992 5 0 Panevėžys  Kuwait, 15 November 2021
    FW Karolis Laukžemis (1992-03-11) 11 March 1992 29 2 FK Sūduva  Turkey, 14 June 2022
    FW Augustinas Klimavičius (2001-04-27) April 27, 2001 6 1 Hegelmann  Turkey, 14 June 2022
    FW Nauris Petkevičius (2000-02-19) February 19, 2000 2 0 Beerschot  Turkey, 14 June 2022
    FW Ignas Kružikas (1998-12-14) December 14, 1998 3 0 Hegelmann  Turkey, 14 June 2022
    FW Armandas Kučys (2003-02-27) 27 February 2003 2 0 Oskarshamns AIK  Luxembourg, 4 June 2022PRE
    FW Edgaras Dubickas (1998-07-09) 9 July 1998 4 0 Pordenone Calcio  Kuwait, 15 November 2021
    Notes
    • PRE = Preliminary squad.
    • WD = The player withdrew from the current squad due to non-injury issue.
    • INJ = It is not part of the current squad due to injury.
    • RET = Retired from the national team.

    Player records
    As of 25 September 2022[9]
    Players in bold are still active with Lithuania.

    Competitive record

    FIFA World Cup
    FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
    Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
    1930 Did not enter Was not invited
    1934 Did not qualify 1 0 0 1 0 2
    1938 2 0 0 2 3 9
    1950 Part of the  Soviet Union Part of the  Soviet Union
    1954
    1958
    1962
    1966
    1970
    1974
    1978
    1982
    1986
    1990
    1994 Did not qualify 12 2 3 7 8 21
    1998 10 5 2 3 11 8
    2002 8 0 2 6 3 20
    2006 10 2 4 4 8 9
    2010 10 4 0 6 10 11
    2014 10 3 2 5 9 11
    2018 10 1 3 6 7 20
    2022 8 1 0 7 4 19
    2026 To be determined To be determined
    Total 0/11 81 18 16 47 63 130

    UEFA European Championship
    UEFA European Championship record Qualifying record
    Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
    1960 Part of the  Soviet Union Part of the  Soviet Union
    1964
    1968
    1972
    1976
    1980
    1984
    1988
    1992
    1996 Did not qualify 10 5 1 4 13 12
    2000 10 3 2 5 8 16
    2004 8 3 1 4 7 11
    2008 12 5 1 6 11 13
    2012 8 1 2 5 4 13
    2016 10 3 1 6 7 18
    2020 8 0 1 7 5 25
    2024 To be determined To be determined
    Total 0/7 66 20 9 37 55 108

    UEFA Nations League
    UEFA Nations League record
    Season** Division Group Pld W D* L GF GA P/R RK
    2018–19 C 4 600631639th
    2020–21 C 4 62225741st
    2022–23 C 1 6015214TBA47th
    Total 18 2 3 13 10 37 47th
    *Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
    **Group stage played home and away. Flag shown represents host nation for the finals stage.

    Honours

    Baltic Cup

    • Winners (10): 1930, 1935, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2010

    Head-to-head record

    As of 31 March 2021.

    See also
    • Lithuania national under-21 football team
    • Lithuania national under-19 football team
    • Lithuania national under-18 football team
    • Lithuania national under-17 football team

    References
    1. "Rinktinės vairą iki metų pabaigos perima R. Breu".
    2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
    3. "MATCHES → international football results of Lithuania". eufootball.info. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
    4. "International football MATCH: 13.10.1940 Lithuania v Latvia*". eufootball.info. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
    5. "International football MATCH: 27.05.1990 Georgia v Lithuania". eufootball.info. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
    6. FIFA World Cup uefa.com
    7. "Įvyko LFF Vykdomojo komiteto posėdis". Respublika (in Lithuanian). 17 August 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
    8. "Patvirtinta Nacionalinės Vyrų Rinktinės Sudėtis UEFA Tautų Lygos Finišui" (in Lithuanian). Lietuvos Futbolo Federacija. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
    9. Mamrud, Roberto. "Lithuania - Record International Players". RSSSF.
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