Faroe Islands national football team facts for kids
 |
||||
| Nickname(s) | Landsliðið (The National Team) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Fótbóltssamband Føroya | |||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | |||
| Head coach | Eyðun Klakstein (interim) | |||
| Captain | Viljormur Davidsen | |||
| Most caps | Fróði Benjaminsen (96) | |||
| Top scorer | Rógvi Jacobsen Klæmint Olsen (10) |
|||
| Home stadium | Tórsvøllur | |||
| FIFA code | FRO | |||
|
||||
| FIFA ranking | ||||
| Current | 97  1 (7 February 2019) |
|||
| Highest | 74 (July 2015, October 2016) | |||
| Lowest | 198 (September 2008) | |||
| Elo ranking | ||||
| Current | 147  10 (3 March 2019) |
|||
| Highest | 136 (March 2018) | |||
| Lowest | 173 (4 June 2008, 10 September 2008) | |||
| First international | ||||
 Faroe Islands 1–0 Canada  (Tórshavn, Faroe Islands; 2 July 1988) |
||||
| Biggest win | ||||
Faroe Islands 5–1 Liechtenstein  (Tórshavn, Faroe Islands; 7 June 2021) Faroe Islands 4–0 Liechtenstein (Marbella, Spain; 22 March 2024) |
||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
Unofficial Iceland 9–0 Faroe Islands (Keflavík, Iceland; 10 July 1985) Official  Yugoslavia 7–0 Faroe Islands (Belgrade, Yugoslavia; 16 May 1991)  Romania 7–0 Faroe Islands (Bucharest, Romania; 6 May 1992) Faroe Islands 0–7 Norway  (Toftir, Faroe Islands; 11 August 1993) Faroe Islands 1–8 Yugoslavia  (Toftir, Faroe Islands; 6 October 1996) |
||||
| Baltic Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2024) | |||
| Best result | Fourth place (2024) | |||
| Island Games | ||||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 1989) | |||
| Best result | Champions (1989, 1991) | |||
| Greenland Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 3 (first in 1980) | |||
| Best result | Champions (1983, 1984) | |||
.jpg)
The Faroe Islands national football team (Faroese: Føroyska fótbóltsmanslandsliðið) represents the Faroe Islands in international football games. It is managed by the Faroe Islands Football Association (FSF). The FSF joined FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990. The Faroe Islands is the fourth-smallest UEFA country by population.
The team has never reached the finals of the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA European Championship. However, they won the Island Games in 1989 and 1991. They also played in the Nordic Football Championship for the first time in 2000–01. In 2024, they joined the Baltic Cup as a guest team and finished fourth. In the Faroe Islands, the team is known as the landsliðið, which means "the national team". Their home games are played at Tórsvøllur stadium.
Contents
Team History
Early Days (1930–1988)
Before joining FIFA in 1988, the Faroe Islands team mostly played friendly matches. They played against teams like Iceland, Shetland, and Greenland. These games were not officially recognized by FIFA.
The Faroe Islands team was very successful in the friendly Greenland Cup tournament. They won it twice in a row, in 1983 and 1984. This made them one of the most successful teams in that tournament.
Joining International Football (1988–1993)
The FSF became a member of FIFA on July 2, 1988. Their first official win was a 1–0 friendly match against Canada in 1989. A year later, on April 18, 1990, the FSF also joined UEFA.
The Faroe Islands played in the Island Games twice. They won both tournaments in 1989 and 1991. After these wins, they stopped entering the tournament. This was because the other teams were not strong enough to challenge them.
A famous moment happened on September 12, 1990. The Faroe Islands beat Austria 1–0 in their first-ever competitive international game. This was a qualifier for Euro 92. The game was played in Landskrona, Sweden. This was because the Faroe Islands did not have grass football pitches at the time. Torkil Nielsen, who was a chess player and salesman, scored the winning goal.
The national coach, Páll Guðlaugsson, became a hero. He was known for believing his team could win against bigger nations. Goalkeeper Jens Martin Knudsen later shared that Guðlaugsson gave an inspiring speech. He told the players to fight for their nation and flag. This win is still one of the most famous stories in Faroese sports. An American sports magazine even called it one of the top 10 greatest football upsets ever.
One month later, the Faroe Islands lost 4–1 to Denmark. But on May 1, 1991, they got another good result. They drew 1–1 against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park.
The Allan Simonsen Era (1994–2001)
After the Landskrona win, Faroese football kept getting better. They often had good results against stronger teams. In 1994, Allan Simonsen became the new coach. He was a famous player from Borussia Mönchengladbach and F.C. Barcelona. Many people were surprised that such a big name would coach a small nation. Allan Simonsen coached the team for seven years. He helped the Faroese amateur players become more professional.
He asked the FSF to make the football season longer. He also asked clubs to find talented players. These changes helped the national team succeed at a higher level.
Under Allan Simonsen, the Faroe Islands won two Euro 1996 qualifiers against San Marino. The scores were 3–0 and 3–1. In the 1998 World Cup Qualifiers, they beat Malta twice, both 2–1. For the Euro 2000 qualifiers, they had three draws. These were against Lithuania (0–0), Scotland (1–1), and Bosnia (2–2). In 2002, they drew 2–2 against Slovenia. This was their best result in the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers until 2018.
The Henrik Larsen Years (2002–2005)
The Football Association wanted a well-known coach. They chose Henrik Larsen, a former Danish international player. He had won the UEFA Euro 1992 tournament. He took over from Allan Simonsen.
On September 7, 2002, Larsen's first match was a Euro 2004 qualifier against Scotland. The Faroe Islands led 2–0 at halftime but the game ended in a 2–2 draw.
On October 16, 2002, the Faroe Islands almost caused a big upset against Germany. They nearly got a draw, but the game ended 2–1 for Germany. The Faroe Islands did manage another draw against Cyprus on October 9, 2004, in the 2006 World Cup Qualifying match.
The Jógvan Martin Olsen Years (2006–2008)
In 2006, Jógvan Martin Olsen became the first Faroese coach. He had been an assistant coach for nine years. Many experienced players retired that year. So, Olsen had to build a new team with younger players. This made their results difficult at first. They got zero points in the Euro 2008 qualifier.
However, on June 2, 2007, they played against Italy. The Faroes scored a goal and only lost 2–1 to the world champions. Overall, the Euro 2008 qualifiers were tough. They lost all twelve matches and let in 43 goals. But they did score four goals, all by Rógvi Jacobsen.
In 2008, they played two friendly games. They lost 4–3 to Estonia and 5–0 to Portugal. Olsen stayed for the first four matches of the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers. He then stepped down. Before leaving, he helped the team get a 1–1 draw against Austria on October 11, 2008. This was their first qualifying point in four years.
The Brian Kerr Years (2009–2011)
On March 22, 2009, the Faroe Islands beat Iceland 2–1 in a friendly match. This was their first win ever against Iceland. This showed a new generation of more skilled players.
On April 5, 2009, Brian Kerr became the head coach. He was a former manager for the Republic of Ireland. He quickly became popular with Faroese fans.
On September 9, 2009, the Faroe Islands won a competitive match. They beat Lithuania 2–1. This was their first competitive win since 2002.
On August 11, 2010, they almost won against Estonia in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers. Jóan Símun Edmundsson scored first. But Estonia scored two goals in extra time to win.
On October 12, 2010, the Faroe Islands drew 1–1 against Northern Ireland. This game was played at Svangaskarð Stadion. Midfielder Christian Holst scored for the Faroes.
On June 7, 2011, the Faroe Islands beat Estonia 2–0 at Svangaskarð. Captain Fróði Benjaminsen scored a penalty. Arnbjørn Hansen scored another goal to secure the win. This was the Faroe Islands' first UEFA Euro qualification win since 1995.
The players liked Brian Kerr. They said he was very motivating. His speeches gave them confidence to play against top European teams. However, on October 26, 2011, the FSF announced that they could not agree on a new contract with Brian Kerr. He then left his coaching role.
The Lars Olsen Years (2011–2019)
On November 8, 2011, Lars Olsen became the new coach. He was a former Denmark captain and a European Champion from 1992. He was the third Dane to coach the team.
On March 1, 2014, the team scored four goals in a match for the first time. They beat Gibraltar 4–1. Faroe midfielder Christian Holst scored twice. On October 11, 2013, Olsen got his first point as coach. They drew 1–1 against Kazakhstan.
On November 14, 2014, the Faroe Islands caused a huge surprise. They beat Greece 1–0 during the Euro 2016 qualifiers. Greece was ranked 18th in FIFA, while the Faroe Islands were 187th. This was a 169-place difference. The Guardian newspaper called it the biggest upset in football history based on rankings.
On June 13, 2015, the Faroe Islands surprised the world again. They beat Greece for a second time in the Euro 2016 qualifiers, with a score of 2–1. These two wins helped the team move from 187th to 74th in the FIFA rankings. They finished fifth in their group with six points.
On March 29, 2016, the Faroe Islands beat Liechtenstein 3–2 in a friendly match. This was their fourth win against Liechtenstein since 2000.
On September 6, 2016, the Faroe Islands drew 0–0 against Hungary in a 2018 World Cup Qualifying match. On October 10, 2016, they defeated Latvia 2–0 in another World Cup qualifier.
On September 3, 2017, the Faroe Islands beat Andorra 1–0 at home. This set a new record for them. They reached nine points in a Euro or World Cup qualification campaign.
On November 18, 2019, Lars Olsen coached his last international match. His team lost 3–0 to Sweden. He is seen as the most successful manager in the nation's history. In the same match, captain Atli Gregersen also retired from international duties.
The Håkan Ericson Years (2019–2024)
On December 16, 2019, the FSF announced that Håkan Ericson from Sweden would be the new coach.
On September 3, 2020, Ericson's team won his first match. They beat Malta 3–2 in a 2020-21 UEFA Nations League game. Three days later, they won again, beating Andorra 1–0. This was their first time winning two competitive matches in a row since 1997.
On November 17, 2020, Ericson's team won their first-ever competitive tournament. A 1–1 draw against Malta secured them the top spot in the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League D. They set a new record of 12 points in a competition.
On June 7, 2021, the national team had their biggest win ever. They beat Liechtenstein 5–1 in a friendly match in Tórshavn.
On September 26, 2022, the team surprised everyone by beating Turkey 2–1 in a 2022–23 UEFA Nations League game. This win extended their unbeaten record to four games, their longest streak ever.
As of September 2022, the Faroese national team has thirteen full-time professional players. They play in leagues in Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Iceland. In contrast, the 1990 team that beat Austria was made up entirely of amateur players.
The Faroe Islands played in the 2024 Baltic Cup. On June 8, 2024, they lost their semi-final match 4–1 against Estonia. They then lost 1–0 to Latvia in the third-place playoff on June 11. Håkan Ericson was fired on October 16, 2024. Eyðun Klakstein is now the interim manager. During Ericson's time, the Faroe Islands earned points in almost half of their matches. This makes him the most successful manager in the nation's history.
Stadiums
Between 1999 and 2011, the Faroe Islands used two stadiums for home matches: Tórsvøllur and Svangaskarð. Their last match at Svangaskarð was a 2–0 win against Estonia on June 7, 2011.
Tórsvøllur has been greatly improved. It is now a modern place for concerts and sports, mainly football. In 2011, floodlights were added. Also, 6,000 new covered seats were installed. The stadium now has artificial grass and meets all UEFA and FIFA standards. Work on Tórsvøllur was finished in 2021.
Supporters
The main group of supporters for the Faroe Islands team is called "Skansin". This means fort in English. Skansin was formed in 2014, after the team's 1–0 away win against Greece. It was also around the time their renovated stadium opened.
As of September 2021, Skansin has 600 members in the Faroe Islands. Tickets for their stand are sold out for every home match. After Northern Ireland beat the Faroe Islands 3–1 in 2015, Northern Ireland player Kyle Lafferty was very impressed. He said the Faroese supporters cheered for their team throughout the whole match, even when they were losing.
Drums, trumpets, and traditional folk songs are a big part of their support.
Recent Matches (2024)
Here are some of the recent match results for the Faroe Islands national football team.
- March 22, 2024: Faroe Islands beat Liechtenstein 4–0 in a friendly game in Spain.
- March 26, 2024: Faroe Islands lost 2–0 to Denmark in a friendly game.
- June 8, 2024: Faroe Islands lost 4–1 to Estonia in the Baltic Cup Semi-final.
- June 11, 2024: Faroe Islands lost 1–0 to Latvia in the Baltic Cup 3rd place match.
- September 7, 2024: Faroe Islands drew 1–1 with North Macedonia in a Nations League game.
- September 10, 2024: Faroe Islands lost 1–0 to Latvia in a Nations League game.
- October 10, 2024: Faroe Islands drew 2–2 with Armenia in a Nations League game.
- October 13, 2024: Faroe Islands drew 1–1 with Latvia in a Nations League game.
- November 14, 2024: Faroe Islands beat Armenia 1–0 in a Nations League game.
- November 17, 2024: Faroe Islands lost 1–0 to North Macedonia in a Nations League game.
Coaching Staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Eyðun Klakstein (interim) |
| Assistant coach | Eli Hentze |
| Goalkeeping coach | Hjørtur Askham |
| Team Doctor
Team Doctor Coordinator |
Elmar Ósá |
| Team Doctor | Ólavur Johannesen |
| Fitness Coach
Physio Physio Coordinator |
Álvur Hansen |
| Physio | Øssur Steinhólm |
| Kit Manager | Bárður Lava Olsen |
Coaching History
Many coaches have led the Faroe Islands national team over the years. Some notable coaches include:
- Páll Guðlaugsson (1988–1993): Led the team to their famous 1–0 win over Austria.
- Allan Simonsen (1994–2001): Helped the team become more professional.
- Henrik Larsen (2002–2005): Continued the team's development.
- Jógvan Martin Olsen (2006–2008): The first Faroese head coach.
- Brian Kerr (2009–2011): A popular coach who brought new energy.
- Lars Olsen (2011–2019): The most successful manager in terms of points in major qualifiers, including two famous wins against Greece.
- Håkan Ericson (2019–2024): Continued the team's success, winning their first competitive tournament (UEFA Nations League D).
Players
Current Squad
These players were called up for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C matches in November 2024.
- Goalkeepers: Teitur Gestsson, Mattias Lamhauge, Bárður á Reynatrøð
- Defenders: Jóannes Danielsen, Viljormur Davidsen, Hanus Sørensen, Jann Benjaminsen, Andrias Edmundsson, Ási Dam, Gunnar Vatnhamar, Noah Mneney
- Midfielders: Odmar Færø, Hallur Hansson, Brandur Hendriksson, Sølvi Vatnhamar, René Joensen, Arnbjørn Svensson
- Forwards: Petur Knudsen, Meinhard Olsen, Poul Kallsberg, Páll Klettskarð, Adrian Justinussen, Jóannes Bjartalíð, Hannes Agnarsson
Player Records
- Most Appearances:
- Fróði Benjaminsen holds the record with 96 games played for the national team.
- Jóan Símun Edmundsson is close behind with 94 appearances.
- Viljormur Davidsen has played 85 games.
- Top Goalscorers:
- Rógvi Jacobsen and Klæmint Olsen are the joint top scorers, both with 10 goals.
- Todi Jónsson is third with 9 goals.
- Uni Arge and Jóan Símun Edmundsson have both scored 8 goals.
Team Achievements
Island Games
The Faroe Islands team has been very successful in the Island Games.
- Champions (2): 1989, 1991
Friendly Tournaments
They have also won the Greenland Cup, which is a friendly tournament.
- Champions (2): 1983, 1984
- Runners-up (1): 1980
Images for kids
-
Faroe Islands national football team in March 2013
-
Faroe Islands playing against Italy on 2 September 2011. The match ended in a 1–0 defeat.
-
Faroe Islands defeated Greece 2–1 on 13 June 2015.
-
Skansin, Faroese football supporters at the Faroe Islands vs Greece match at Tórsvøllur 2015.
-
Fróði Benjaminsen is Faroe Islands' most capped player with 96 appearances.
-
Klæmint Olsen is Faroe Islands' joint top scorer with 10 goals.
See also
In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de las Islas Feroe para niños
- Faroe Islands national under-21 football team
- Faroe Islands women's national football team
