Liechtenstein national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Liechtenstein

Nickname(s)	The Blue-Reds
Association	Liechtenstein Football Association (Liechtensteiner Fussballverband)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Konrad Fünfstück
Captain	Nicolas Hasler
Most caps	Peter Jehle (132)
Top scorer	Mario Frick (16)
Home stadium	Rheinpark Stadion
FIFA code	LIE
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	181 (7 February 2019)
Highest	118 (January 2008, July 2011, September 2011)
Lowest	204 (June 2023)
Elo ranking
Current	171 3 (3 March 2019)
Highest	145 (June 1984)
Lowest	183 (June 2005)
First international
Liechtenstein 1–1 Malta  (Daejeon, South Korea; 14 June 1981)
Biggest win
Luxembourg 0–4 Liechtenstein  (Luxembourg, Luxembourg; 13 October 2004)
Biggest defeat
Liechtenstein 1–11 Macedonia  (Eschen, Liechtenstein; 9 November 1996)
Website	lfv.li

The Liechtenstein national football team is the official football team for the small country of Liechtenstein. They are also known as "The Blue-Reds." The team is managed by the Liechtenstein Football Association, which is called Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German.

Their very first game was an unofficial match against Malta in 1981, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Two years later, they played their first official game, losing 0–1 to Switzerland. Liechtenstein's biggest win ever was a 4–0 victory against Luxembourg in 2004. This was their first win away from home and their first win in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

On the other hand, Liechtenstein has had some tough losses. They are the only country to have lost official matches against San Marino, which is often seen as one of the weakest teams. Their biggest loss happened in 1996 when they were defeated 1–11 by Macedonia (now North Macedonia). The team's current head coach is Konrad Fünfstück.

Team History and Key Moments

Liechtenstein joined FIFA, the world football body, fairly recently. They started playing in major qualifying tournaments for the first time in the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifiers. A big surprise came on 3 June 1995, when they managed a 0–0 draw against the Republic of Ireland.

Their first win in a qualifying campaign happened on 14 October 1998. They beat Azerbaijan 2–1 in a UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying match. Over time, the team started to get better. This was partly because some Liechtenstein players, like Mario Frick, became professional players.

In the Euro 2004 qualifiers, Liechtenstein showed improvement by only losing 2–0 to strong teams like England. However, they also lost 1–0 to San Marino during this time. The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers brought even better results. They won two games against Luxembourg and drew against both Slovakia and Portugal. This helped them finish with 8 points in their group.

During the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers, Liechtenstein famously beat Latvia 1–0, which led to the Latvian manager resigning. They also had a great 3–0 win against Iceland on 17 October 2007. However, on 26 March 2008, they suffered a big 7–1 loss to Malta.

The Liechtenstein Football Association chose Rainer Hasler as their "Golden Player." This award recognized him as their best player over the past 50 years.

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Liechtenstein earned two draws: a 0–0 against Azerbaijan and a 1–1 against Finland. They finished last in their group with two points.

For the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers, Liechtenstein almost drew with Scotland but lost 2–1 in the very last moments of the game. They then had a surprising 2–0 home win against Lithuania, with goals from Philippe Erne and Michele Polverino. They also managed a 0–0 draw away to Lithuania.

The Blue-Reds faced tough times in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. They lost their first home game 1–8 to Bosnia-Herzegovina. They only managed two draws in this campaign, against Latvia and Slovakia, finishing last in their group.

In the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, Liechtenstein earned five points. They had a 0–0 draw at home against Montenegro. They also won 1–0 away against Moldova, thanks to a goal by Franz Burgmeier. The return match against Moldova ended in a 1–1 draw.

During the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Liechtenstein lost all 10 of their matches. They scored only one goal, away against Israel, and let in 39 goals.

In 2018, Liechtenstein joined the first-ever UEFA Nations League. Their first match in this competition was a 2–1 away loss to Armenia. However, they achieved their first Nations League win by beating Gibraltar 2–0 at home. They finished last in their group with one win and one draw.

For the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers, Liechtenstein earned two points from two draws: 1–1 away to Greece and 1–1 at home to Armenia. They finished last in their group.

In the 2020–21 Nations League, Liechtenstein did not get promoted to a higher league. They had one win (2–0 away to San Marino), two draws (0–0 at home to San Marino and 1–1 away to Gibraltar), and one loss (0–1 at home to Gibraltar).

The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers saw Liechtenstein finish last again. They earned only one point from a 1–1 draw away to Armenia, losing 9 other matches.

The 2022–23 Nations League was also difficult. Liechtenstein lost all 6 of their games and scored only one goal. This was their toughest performance in this competition so far.

In 2024, Liechtenstein played four friendly matches, drawing two and losing two. One notable draw was 0–0 away against Romania, a team that had qualified for UEFA Euro 2024 without losing a game.

Liechtenstein started their 2024–25 Nations League campaign with a 0–1 loss away to San Marino. They then drew twice with Gibraltar (2–2 away and 0–0 at home). Between these draws, Liechtenstein ended a long 41-game streak without a win by beating Hong Kong 1–0. They finished last in their Nations League group.

Recent Matches (2024)

Here are the results of Liechtenstein's matches in 2024:

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

• 22 March 2024: Liechtenstein 0–4 Faroe Islands (Friendly) - Loss
• 26 March 2024: Latvia 1–1 Liechtenstein (Friendly) - Draw
• 3 June 2024: Albania 3–0 Liechtenstein (Friendly) - Loss
• 8 June 2024: Romania 0–0 Liechtenstein (Friendly) - Draw
• 5 September 2024: San Marino 1–0 Liechtenstein (UEFA Nations League) - Loss
• 8 September 2024: Gibraltar 2–2 Liechtenstein (UEFA Nations League) - Draw
• 10 October 2024: Liechtenstein 1–0 Hong Kong (Friendly) - Win
• 13 October 2024: Liechtenstein 0–0 Gibraltar (UEFA Nations League) - Draw
• 14 November 2024: Malta 2–0 Liechtenstein (Friendly) - Loss
• 18 November 2024: Liechtenstein 1–3 San Marino (UEFA Nations League) - Loss

Team Managers Over Time

Martin Stocklasa was the team manager from 2020 to 2023.

Here is a list of the coaches who have managed the Liechtenstein national football team:

Meet the Players

Current Squad Members

These players were chosen for the friendly match against Malta and the UEFA Nations League match against San Marino in November 2024.

The number of games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of 18 November 2024, after the match against San Marino.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Benjamin Büchel (vice-captain)	(1989-07-04) 4 July 1989 (age 35)	70	0	Vaduz
	1GK	Gabriel Foser	(2002-09-02) 2 September 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Eschen/Mauren
	1GK	Lorenzo Lo Russo	(1993-07-08) 8 July 1993 (age 31)	0	0	Balzers
	2DF	Maximilian Göppel	(1997-08-31) 31 August 1997 (age 27)	69	2	YF Juventus
	2DF	Sandro Wieser	(1993-02-03) 3 February 1993 (age 32)	66	2	Vaduz
	2DF	Niklas Beck	(2001-03-25) 25 March 2001 (age 24)	24	0	Balzers
	2DF	Lars Traber	(2000-06-12) 12 June 2000 (age 25)	18	0	Vaduz
	2DF	Martin Marxer	(1999-10-04) 4 October 1999 (age 25)	16	0	Düdingen
	2DF	Lukas Graber	(2001-05-03) 3 May 2001 (age 24)	7	0	Eschen/Mauren
	2DF	Felix Oberwaditzer	(2006-03-14) 14 March 2006 (age 19)	3	0	SCR Altach
	3MF	Nicolas Hasler (captain)	(1991-05-04) 4 May 1991 (age 34)	99	7	Vaduz
	3MF	Sandro Wolfinger	(1991-08-24) 24 August 1991 (age 33)	70	3	Balzers
	3MF	Aron Sele	(1996-09-02) 2 September 1996 (age 28)	63	1	YF Juventus
	3MF	Livio Meier	(1998-01-10) 10 January 1998 (age 27)	49	1	Eschen/Mauren
	3MF	Fabio Wolfinger	(1996-11-05) 5 November 1996 (age 28)	32	1	Balzers
	3MF	Marcel Büchel	(1991-03-18) 18 March 1991 (age 34)	29	1	SPAL
	3MF	Simon Lüchinger	(2002-11-28) 28 November 2002 (age 22)	26	0	Vaduz
	3MF	Kenny Kindle	(2003-11-29) 29 November 2003 (age 21)	9	0	Vaduz
	3MF	Liam Kranz	(2003-07-17) 17 July 2003 (age 21)	8	0	Schaan
	3MF	Severin Schlegel	(2004-07-24) 24 July 2004 (age 20)	6	0	Vaduz
	3MF	Emanuel Zünd	(2004-12-29) 29 December 2004 (age 20)	3	0	Veyrier
	3MF	Alessio Hasler	(2005-07-07) 7 July 2005 (age 19)	2	0	Vaduz
	4FW	Dennis Salanović	(1996-02-26) 26 February 1996 (age 29)	62	4	York United
	4FW	Philipp Ospelt	(1992-10-07) 7 October 1992 (age 32)	23	0	Ruggell
	4FW	Andrin Netzer	(2002-01-11) 11 January 2002 (age 23)	18	0	Balzers
	4FW	Ferhat Saglam	(2001-10-10) 10 October 2001 (age 23)	14	1	Brühl
	4FW	Fabio Luque Notaro	(2005-08-31) 31 August 2005 (age 19)	11	0	Vaduz
	4FW	Jonas Beck	(2003-05-19) 19 May 2003 (age 22)	4	0	Schaan

Players Recently Called Up

These players were called up in the last 12 months and can still play for Liechtenstein.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Justin Ospelt	(1999-09-07) 7 September 1999 (age 25)	5	0	FSV Frankfurt	v.  Romania, 8 June 2024
GK	Thomas Hobi	(1993-06-20) 20 June 1993 (age 32)	5	0	Balzers	v.  Latvia, 26 March 2024
DF	Andreas Malin	(1994-01-31) 31 January 1994 (age 31)	49	0	Rot-Weiß Rankweil	v.  Malta, 14 November 2024PRE
DF	Noah Graber	(2001-05-03) 3 May 2001 (age 24)	1	0	Altstätten	v.  Albania, 3 June 2024PRE
MF	Marco Marxer	(1999-06-02) 2 June 1999 (age 26)	4	0	Balzers	v.  Gibraltar, 13 October 2024
MF	David Jäger	(2004-07-04) 4 July 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Vaduz	v.  Romania, 8 June 2024
MF	Jonas Weissenhofer	(2006-07-25) 25 July 2006 (age 18)	0	0	Vaduz	v.  Romania, 8 June 2024

Notes:

• PRE = Preliminary squad
• INJ = Injured
• SUS = Suspended for a match

Player Records and Achievements

Here are some interesting records for Liechtenstein's football players. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for the national team.

Most Games Played (Caps)

Peter Jehle has played the most games for Liechtenstein, with 132 appearances.

Top Goalscorers for the Team

Mario Frick is Liechtenstein's all-time top goalscorer with 16 goals.

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup Performance

Liechtenstein has not yet qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Here's their record in the qualifying rounds:

FIFA World Cup record									Qualification record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1974	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1978 to 1994	Did not enter								Did not enter
1998	Did not qualify								6/6	10	0	0	10	3	52
2002									5/5	8	0	0	8	0	23
2006									6/7	12	2	2	8	13	23
2010									6/6	10	0	2	8	2	23
2014									6/6	10	0	2	8	4	25
2018									6/6	10	0	0	10	1	39
2022									6/6	10	0	1	9	2	34
2026	To be determined								To be determined
2030
2034
Total	0/12	–	–	–	–	–	–		—	70	2	7	61	25	219

*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shoot-out.

UEFA European Championship Performance

Liechtenstein has not yet qualified for the UEFA European Championship. Here's their record in the qualifying rounds:

UEFA European Championship record									Qualifying record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1960 to 1972	Not a UEFA member								Not a UEFA member
1976 to 1992	Did not enter								Did not enter
1996	Did not qualify								6/6	10	0	1	9	1	40
2000									6/6	10	1	1	8	2	39
2004									5/5	8	0	1	7	2	22
2008									7/7	12	2	1	9	9	32
2012									5/5	8	1	1	6	3	17
2016									5/6	10	1	2	7	2	26
2020									6/6	10	0	2	8	2	31
2024									6/6	10	0	0	10	1	28
2028	To be determined								To be determined
2032
Total	0/13	–	–	–	–	–	–		—	78	5	9	64	22	235

*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shoot-out.

UEFA Nations League Performance

The UEFA Nations League is a newer competition. Here's how Liechtenstein has done:

UEFA Nations League record
Season	Division	Group	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK
2018–19	D	4	6	1	1	4	7	12		52nd
2020–21	D	2	4	1	2	1	3	2		51st
2022–23	D	1	6	0	0	6	1	11		55th
2024–25	D	1	To be determined
Total			16	2	3	11	11	25	51st

In Literature

A British writer named Charlie Connelly wrote a book called Stamping Grounds: Liechtenstein's Quest for the World Cup. He followed the team during their qualifying campaign for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In the book, he describes how Liechtenstein lost all eight of their games without scoring any goals.

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Liechtenstein para niños