Malta national football team

Malta
Nickname(s)Knights of Malta, Ħomor (Reds), Falcons
AssociationMalta Football Association
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachDavide Mazzotta (Caretaker Manager)
CaptainSteve Borg
Most capsMichael Mifsud (143)
Top scorerMichael Mifsud (42)
Home stadiumTa' Qali Stadium
FIFA codeMLT
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 168 1 (6 October 2022)[1]
Highest66 (September 1994, September 1995)
Lowest191 (July 2017, September 2017)
First international
 Malta 2–3 Austria 
(Gżira, Malta; 24 February 1957)
Biggest win
 Malta 7–1 Liechtenstein 
(Ta' Qali, Malta; 26 March 2008)
Biggest defeat
 Spain 12–1 Malta 
(Seville, Spain; 21 December 1983)

The Malta national football team (Maltese: Tim nazzjonali tal-futbol ta' Malta) represents Malta in international football and is controlled by the Malta Football Association, the governing body for football in Malta.

The first official game played by Malta was a 3–2 defeat in a friendly against Austria in 1957.[2] Their competitive debut arrived five years later, playing against Denmark in the preliminary round of the 1964 European Nations' Cup.[3] Since becoming a UEFA member in 1960 and a FIFA member in 1959,[4] Malta have competed in every qualifier for the European Championship and World Cup, but have never made it to the finals of any major international competition.

History

Malta played its first international game on 24 February 1957 at the Empire Stadium, losing 2–3 to Austria. That match was played in front of a capacity crowd at the old Empire Stadium. The Malta Football Association joined FIFA in 1959 and UEFA a year later. However, in late 1959, Malta played in the 1960 Summer Olympics African Qualifiers against Morocco and Tunisia, in which they finished last in the group with two draws and two losses. Since then, Malta has largely maintained the status as one of Europe's weakest teams, though its fortunes have increased since late 2010s.

The Maltese international side first competed in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA European Nations Cup in 1962, and in FIFA World Cup qualification in 1971.[5] Malta's first competitive draw ended 1–1 against Greece in 1970. Malta's first two competitive wins were victories of 2–0 and 2–1 at home to Greece and Iceland in European Championship qualifiers in 1975 and 1982 respectively. In 1979, Malta drew 0–0 with West Germany in a European championship qualifier and they met again on 16 December 1984 for a memorable World Cup Qualifier in front of a record attendance at the Ta'Qali stadium, where the 1982 & eventual 1986 World Cup runners-up only managed a 2–3 win. Another prestigious result was achieved in March 1987 when Malta drew 2–2 in Portugal, in a qualifier for Euro'88 and the side also twice drew against Hungary during the qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and recorded four friendly wins during 1991 and 1992.[3]

Malta's third competitive win came with a 1–0 victory away to Estonia in a 1993 World Cup qualifier in which Kris Laferla scored.[6] In October 1994 Malta held Czech Republic 0–0 in a qualifier for the UEFA Euro 1996, in which the latter ended runners-up. Six years later, in October 2000, in a group qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup, once again Malta managed another 0–0 draw vs Czech Republic which eventually cost the latter a place at the following major tournament. In June 2000, Malta played England, then managed by Kevin Keegan. Trailing 2–1 going into the final minutes, Malta were awarded a penalty, however David Carabott's effort was saved by Richard Wright.[7] Through November 2001 and May 2002, Malta played and remained undefeated in 6 international matches and in between they won the locally hosted (Rothmans) International Tournament. During 2005, Malta drew 1–1 against Croatia and Bulgaria. Another positive result was the 1–1 home draw in a friendly match against Northern Ireland, though George Mallia missed an injury time penalty which would have given them a win.[8] On 11 October 2006, Malta managed another competitive victory, a 2–1 triumph over Hungary in the European Championship qualifying with André Schembri scoring twice.[6]

On 7 February 2007, Malta drew 1–1 with one of the hosts of Euro 2008, Austria. The game was played to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first international match played by the Maltese national team.[9] On 8 September 2007, Malta managed another draw against Turkey in a Euro 2008 qualifying match, the game finishing 2–2.[10] On 26 March 2008, Malta achieved its largest ever victory, a 7–1 defeat of Liechtenstein in a friendly at the Ta' Qali Stadium, with Michael Mifsud scoring five goals.[11] A 2–0 friendly win over Georgia followed in 2009.[12]

In May 2010, sponsorship of the Maltese national side was taken on by sportswear firm Givova, who also designed a range of new kits for the team.[13] One month later, however, the side had fallen to their lowest ever FIFA world ranking position, of 169th in the world.[12] In 2009, Malta had a 0–0 draw with Albania at home. This was their only point for the 2010 World Cup qualifying. On 11 August 2010, Malta drew 1–1 at home against FYR Macedonia in a friendly game, with Michael Mifsud scoring a brilliant diving header for Malta.[14]

In February 2011, the national football team of Malta achieved a 0–0 draw against Switzerland, in which goalkeeper Justin Haber saved two penalties.[12] On 6 September 2011, Malta won their first Euro 2012 qualifying point, with a 1–1 draw against Georgia. During the years of 2010 and 2011, Malta did not get many positive results, and coach John Buttigieg and assistant coach Carmel Busittil were both sacked in October 2011.[15] For the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, Malta won their first World Cup qualifying match in 20 years, nabbing a 1–0 win over Armenia in June 2013.[16] In June 2017, Malta defeated Ukraine 1–0 in a friendly match, thanks to a lone goal by defender Zach Muscat.[17] Malta recorded their 7th all-time competitive win (and their first in the UEFA Nations League) on October 13, 2020, defeating Latvia 1–0 in Riga, scoring the winning goal in the 97th minute.

Kits
Kit provider Period
Adidas		 1978–1988
Umbro		 1988–1990
Lotto		 1990–1999
Kronos		 1999–2001
left|30x30px Erreà 2001–2005
Diadora		 2005–2009
Givova		 2009–2022
Erreà		 2022–

Results and fixtures

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

2021
11 November 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Malta  1–7  Croatia Ta' Qali, Malta
  • Brozović 31' (o.g.)
 Report
  • Perišić 6'
  • Ćaleta-Car 22'
  • Pašalić 39'
  • Modrić 45+1'
  • Majer 47', 64'
  • Kramarić 53'
 Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (Germany)
14 November 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Malta  0–6  Slovakia Ta' Qali, Malta
Report
  • Rusnák 6', 16'
  • Duda 8', 69', 81'
  • De Marco 72'
 Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: Fran Jović (Croatia)

2022
25 March Friendly Malta  1–0  Azerbaijan Ta' Qali, Malta
19:00 UTC+01:00
  • Degabriele 55'
 Report Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: César Soto Grado (Spain)
29 March Friendly Malta  2–0  Kuwait Ta' Qali, Malta
19:00 UTC+02:00
  • Satariano 29'
  • Teuma 33'
 Report Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: Thomas Owen (Wales)
1 June Friendly Malta  0–1  Venezuela Ta' Qali, Malta
19:00 UTC+02:00 Report Rondón 34' Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: Kristo Tohver (Estonia)
5 June 2022–23 UEFA Nations League San Marino  0–2  Malta Serravalle, San Marino
15:00 Report
  • Jan Busuttil 59'
  • Guillaumier 75'
 Stadium: Stadio Olimpico de Serravalle
Attendance: 558
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (Azerbaijan)
9 June 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Malta  1–2  Estonia Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45
  • Hein 56' (o.g.)
 Report
  • Vassiljev 21'
  • Anier 90+4'
 Stadium: National Stadium
Attendance: 3,422
Referee: Bobby Madden (Scotland)
12 June 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Malta  1–0  San Marino Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45
  • Z. Muscat 50'
 Report Stadium: National Stadium
Attendance: 2,646
Referee: Dennis Higler (Netherlands)
23 September 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Estonia  2–1  Malta Tallinn, Estonia
19:00 (UTC+3)
  • Sappinen 45+6' (pen.)
  • Anier 86'
 Report
  • Teuma 51' (pen.)
 Stadium: Lilleküla Stadium
Attendance: 5,539
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)
27 September Friendly Malta  2–1  Israel Ta' Qali, Malta
21:00 UTC+2 (22:00 UTC+3)
  • Satariano 84'
  • Apap 86'
 Report
  • Natcho 34' (pen.)
 Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: Eldorjan Hamiti (Albania)
17 November Friendly Malta  v  Greece Ta' Qali, Malta
18:00 UTC+2 (22:00 UTC+3) Stadium: National Stadium
20 November Friendly Malta  v  Republic of Ireland Ta' Qali, Malta
20:00 UTC+2 (22:00 UTC+3) Stadium: National Stadium

2023
23 March UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying North Macedonia  v  Malta
20:45 UTC+01:00
26 March UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Malta  v  Italy Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45 UTC+01:00 Stadium: National Stadium
16 June UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Malta  v  England Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45 UTC+01:00 Stadium: National Stadium
23 March UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Ukraine  v  Malta
20:45 UTC+01:00
12 September UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Malta  v  North Macedonia Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45 UTC+01:00 Stadium: National Stadium
14 October UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Italy  v  Malta
20:45 UTC+01:00
17 October UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Malta  v  Ukraine Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45 UTC+01:00 Stadium: National Stadium
17 November UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying England  v  Malta
20:45 UTC+01:00

Coaching staff
As of 11 October 2022[18]
Manager Devis Mangia (Suspended)[19]
Caretaker Manager Davide Mazzotta
Assistant Manager
Goalkeeping Coach Mario Capece
Fitness Coaches Luca Pagani
Francesco Zanasi
Match Analyst Facundo Styk
Team Manager Keith Fenech

Coaching history
As of 12 June 2022
Manager Malta career Played Won Drawn Lost Win %
Joe A. Griffiths 1957–1961 6 2 2 2 033.3
Carm Borg 1961–1964 9 0 2 7 000.0
Janos Bedl 1966 2 2 0 0 100.0
Tony Formosa[lower-alpha 1] 1966 10 1 1 8 010.0
Joseph Attard 1969 1 0 0 1 000.0
Saviour Cuschieri 1970 1 0 1 0 000.0
Victor Scerri 1973 2 1 0 1 050.0
Terrenzio Polverini 1974–1976 9 1 2 6 011.1
John Calleja 1976–1978 11 2 1 8 018.2
Victor Scerri 1978–1983 26 3 3 20 011.5
Guentcho Dobrev 1984–1987 21 1 4 16 004.8
Horst Heese 1988–1991 36 3 8 25 008.3
Pippo Psaila 1991–1993 17 5 4 8 029.4
Pietro Ghedin 1993–1995 24 4 5 15 016.7
Robert Gatt 1996 3 0 1 2 000.0
Milorad Kosanović 1996–1997 15 0 2 13 000.0
Josif Ilić 1997–2001 41 5 4 32 012.2
Sigfried Held 2001–2003 21 4 5 12 019.0
Horst Heese[lower-alpha 2] 2003–2006 15 1 2 12 006.7
Dušan Fitzel[lower-alpha 2] 2006–2009 34 3 4 27 008.8
John Buttigieg[lower-alpha 2] 2009–2011 21 2 3 16 009.5
Robert Gatt[lower-alpha 3] 2012 1 1 0 0 100.0
Pietro Ghedin 2012–2017 48 7 6 35 014.6
Tom Saintfiet 2017–2018 3 0 0 3 000.0
Ray Farrugia 2018–2019 18 1 4 13 005.6
Devis Mangia 2019– 26 9 5 12 034.6
  1. One match was managed with Janos Bedl
  2. Assisted by Carmel Busuttil
  3. Managed the team on a one-off basis as caretaker manager

Players

Current squad

The following 24 players were called up for the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D match against Estonia and friendly match against Israel on 23rd and 27th September 2022.[20]

Caps and goals are correct as of 5 June 2022, after the match against San Marino.[21][22]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Henry Bonello (1988-10-13) 13 October 1988 38 0 Ħamrun Spartans
12 1GK Cain Formosa (2000-11-26) 26 November 2000 0 0 Valletta
16 1GK Jake Galea (1996-04-15) 15 April 1996 3 0 Etzella Ettelbruck
4 2DF Jean Borg (1998-01-08) 8 January 1998 9 0 Valletta
5 2DF Steve Borg (captain) (1988-01-08) 8 January 1988 65 3 Ħamrun Spartans
13 2DF Enrico Pepe (1989-11-12) 12 November 1989 10 0 Birkirkara
18 2DF James Brown (1998-01-12) 12 January 1998 1 0 St Johnstone
23 2DF Ferdinando Apap (1992-07-29) 29 July 1992 9 0 Hibernians
2DF Tristan Caruana (1991-09-15) 15 September 1991 11 1 Valletta
2 3MF Cain Attard (1994-09-10) 10 September 1994 14 2 Birkirkara
3 3MF Ryan Camenzuli (1994-09-08) 8 September 1994 24 0 Floriana
6 3MF Matthew Guillaumier (1998-04-09) 9 April 1998 16 2 Ħamrun Spartans
7 3MF Joseph Mbong (1997-07-15) 15 July 1997 38 2 Ironi Kiryat Shmona
8 4FW Paul Mbong (2001-09-02) 2 September 2001 12 0 Birkirkara
9 4FW Luke Montebello (1995-08-13) 13 August 1995 20 0 Birkirkara
11 3MF Brandon Paiber (1995-06-05) 5 June 1995 4 0 Floriana
15 3MF Matías Nicolás García (1996-07-22) 22 July 1996 0 0 Floriana
17 3MF Teddy Teuma (1993-09-30) 30 September 1993 20 1 Union SG
19 3MF Bjorn Kristensen (1993-04-05) 5 April 1993 32 0 Hibernians
10 4FW Jurgen Degabriele (1996-10-10) 10 October 1996 17 4 Hibernians
14 4FW Alexander Satariano (2001-10-25) 25 October 2001 17 2 Balzan
20 4FW Jodi Felice Jones (1997-10-22) 22 October 1997 0 0 Oxford United
21 4FW Shaun Dimech (2001-08-08) 8 August 2001 13 2 Valletta
4FW Jan Busuttil (1999-03-06) 6 March 1999 2 1 Floriana

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Matthew Calleja Cremona (1994-09-14) 14 September 1994 0 0 Hibernians
DF Zach Muscat (1993-08-22) 22 August 1993 53 2 Farense v.  Estonia, 23 November 2022
DF Karl Micallef (1996-09-08) 8 September 1996 6 0 Gudja United
DF Andrei Agius RET (1986-08-12) 12 August 1986 103 6 Hibernians
DF Kurt Shaw (1999-04-01) 1 April 1999 18 0 Hibernians v.  Slovakia, 14 November 2021
DF Dexter Xuereb (1997-09-21) 21 September 1997 1 0 Gżira United v.  Cyprus, 11 October 2021
MF Adam Magri Overend (2000-05-03) 3 May 2000 3 0 Floriana
MF Juan Carlos Corbalan (1997-03-03) 3 March 1997 17 1 Ħamrun Spartans
MF Steve Pisani (1992-08-07) 7 August 1992 36 0 Gżira United Training camp, May 2022
MF Yannick Yankam (1997-12-12) 12 December 1997 0 0 Birkirkara Training camp, May 2022
MF Nikolai Muscat (1996-07-13) 13 July 1996 4 0 Gżira United
MF Dunstan Vella (1996-04-27) 27 April 1996 11 0 Hibernians
MF Nevin Portelli (1999-09-16) 16 September 1999 0 0 Audace
MF Rowen Muscat (1991-06-05) 5 June 1991 52 1 Valletta
MF Neil Tabone (1997-10-01) 1 October 1997 1 0 Gudja United
FW Luke Gambin (1993-03-16) 16 March 1993 32 1 Sutton United
FW Jake Grech (1997-11-18) 18 November 1997 20 0 Hibernians v.  Venezuela, 1 June 2022
FW Mattia Veselji (2002-03-14) 14 March 2002 1 0 Floriana v.  Venezuela, 1 June 2022
FW Omar Elouni (1999-03-16) 16 March 1999 0 0 Sliema Wanderers
FW Jean Paul Farrugia (1992-03-21) 21 March 1992 18 2 Birkirkara
FW Aidan Friggieri (1998-04-28) 28 April 1998 0 0 Gudja United

INJ Player is injured
COV Withdrew due to covid
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
As of 7 September 2021[23]
Players in bold are still active with Malta.

Most capped players
Michael Mifsud is Malta's most capped player and all-time top scorer.
Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Michael Mifsud 143 42 2000–2020
2 David Carabott 122 12 1987–2005
3 Gilbert Agius 120 8 1993–2008
4 Carmel Busuttil 113 23 1982–2001
5 Andrei Agius 103 6 2006–2022
Joe Brincat 103 6 1988–2004
7 Roderick Briffa 100 1 2003–2018
8 John Buttigieg 97 1 1984–2000
9 André Schembri 94 3 2006–2018
10 Brian Said 91 5 1996–2009

Top goalscorers
Rank Name Goals Caps Average Career
1 Michael Mifsud 42 143 0.29 2000–2020
2 Carmel Busuttil 23 113 0.21 1982–2001
3 David Carabott 12 122 0.09 1987–2005
4 Hubert Suda 8 70 0.11 1988–2003
Gilbert Agius 8 120 0.07 1993–2008
6 Raymond Xuereb 6 45 0.13 1971–1985
Kristian Laferla 6 65 0.09 1986–1998
Andrei Agius 6 103 0.06 2006–2022
Joe Brincat 6 103 0.06 1988–2004
10 George Mallia 5 63 0.08 1999–2008
Brian Said 5 91 0.05 1996–2009

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974 Did not qualify 6 0 0 6 1 20
1978 6 0 0 6 0 27
1982 4 0 0 4 2 15
1986 8 0 1 7 6 25
1990 8 0 2 6 3 18
1994 10 1 1 8 3 23
1998 10 0 0 10 2 37
2002 10 0 1 9 4 24
2006 10 0 3 7 4 32
2010 10 0 1 9 0 26
2014 10 1 0 9 5 28
2018 10 0 1 9 3 25
2022 10 1 2 7 9 30
2026 To be determined
Total 0/22 112 3 12 97 42 330

UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1960 Not a UEFA member Not a UEFA member
1964 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 2 9
1968 Did not enter Did not enter
1972 Did not qualify 6 0 1 5 2 16
1976 6 1 0 5 2 20
1980 6 0 1 5 2 21
1984 8 1 0 7 5 37
1988 8 0 2 6 4 21
1992 8 0 2 6 2 23
1996 10 0 2 8 2 22
2000 8 0 0 8 6 27
2004 8 0 1 7 5 24
2008 12 1 2 9 10 31
2012 10 0 1 9 4 21
2016 10 0 2 8 3 16
2020 10 1 0 9 3 27
2024 To be determined 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0/16 106 4 14 94 52 315

UEFA Nations League
UEFA Nations League record
Year Division Group Round Position Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 D 3 Group stage 4th 603351454th
2020–21 D 1 Group stage 2nd 62318652nd
2022–23 D 2 Group stage 2nd 42025452nd
2024–25 D To be determined
Total Group stage 3/3 16 4 6 6 18 24 52nd

Mediterranean Games
Mediterranean Games record
Year Round GP W D L GS GA
1951-000000
1955-000000
1959-000000
1963-4004418
1967-000000
1971-000000
1975-000000
1979-000000
1983-000000
1987-000000
1991 – present See Malta national under-20 team
Total1/104004418

Other records
Year Position
7th November Cup 19933rd
Total 0 title

Head-to-head record
As of 13 June 2022[24][25]

  Positive record   Neutral record   Negative record

  1. Includes matches against Czechoslovakia.
  2. Includes matches against West Germany.
  3. Includes matches against FR Yugoslavia.

FIFA rankings
As of 10 February 2022[26]

References
  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  2. Baldacchino, Carmel (6 February 2007). "Malta's late rally thrills home crowd on debut". Times of Malta. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  3. "National Team All Time Results". Malta Football Association. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  4. "Member associations – Malta". UEFA. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  5. "History of the Malta Football Association". Malta Football Association. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  6. Brincat, Henry (15 October 2006). "Malta 2–1 Hungary". The Malta Independent. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  7. "Malta v England: Clockwatch". BBC. 3 June 2000. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  8. "Malta 1–1 Northern Ireland". BBC. 17 August 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  9. "Malta to play Euro 2008 co-hosts Austria on 30 May". The Malta Independent. 22 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  10. Huggins, Trevor (9 September 2007). "England notch easy win against Israel". Reuters UK.
  11. "Five-goal Mifsud inspires Malta to massive win". The Times of Malta. 27 March 2008.
  12. "Malta make ground from Swiss denial". fifa.com. 7 April 2011. Archived from the original on 10 April 2011.
  13. "High-profile friendly a useful test – Buttigieg". The Times of Malta. 11 May 2010.
  14. "Malta-Macedonia draw 1–1". The Times of Malta. 11 August 2010.
  15. "Malta fires national coach John Buttigieg". ESPN. 26 October 2011.
  16. Azzopardi, Kevin (7 June 2013). "Resilient Malta stun Armenia". Times of Malta.
  17. "Friendly match: Malta obtains encouraging win against Ukraine". The Malta Independent. 6 June 2017.
  18. "Capece and Zanasi join national team's coaching staff". Malta Football Association. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  19. "Devis Mangia temporarily relieved of his duties". Malta Football. 11 October 2022.
  20. "NT Head Coach Devis Mangia announces 29-man squad ahead of March friendlies". Malta Football Association. 14 March 2022.
  21. "San Marino-Malta | UEFA Nations League 2023 | UEFA.com". UEFA.
  22. "Most Malta Caps - EU-Football.info". eu-football.info.
  23. Mamrud, Roberto. "Malta – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  24. "World Football Elo Ratings: Malta". Elo Ratings. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  25. "Malta's Head to Head stats against all teams". eu-football.info. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  26. "Malta". Fifa.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
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