Serbia national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Serbia

Nickname(s)	Орлови / Eagles
Association	Fudbalski savez Srbije (FSS)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Dragan Stojković
Captain	Aleksandar Mitrović
Most caps	Dušan Tadić (111)
Top scorer	Aleksandar Mitrović (59)
Home stadium	Various
FIFA code	SRB
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	31 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest	6 (December 1998)
Lowest	101 (December 1994)
Elo ranking
Current	19 4 (3 March 2019)
Highest	4 (June 1998)
Lowest	47 (October 2012)
First international
as Yugoslavia  Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS  (Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920) as FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro  Brazil 2–0 Yugoslavia  (Porto Alegre, Brazil; 23 December 1994)  Serbia and Montenegro 2–2 Azerbaijan  (Podgorica, Serbia and Montenegro; 12 February 2003) as Serbia Unofficial FS Serbia 2–1 FS Montenegro (Belgrade, Yugoslavia; 3 September 1945) Official  Czech Republic 1–3 Serbia  (Uherské Hradiště, Czech Republic; 16 August 2006)
Biggest win
as Yugoslavia  Yugoslavia 10–0 Venezuela  (Curitiba, Brazil; 14 June 1972) as FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro  Faroe Islands 1–8 Yugoslavia  (Toftir, Faroe Islands; 6 October 1996)  Serbia and Montenegro 5–0 San Marino  (Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro; 13 October 2004) as Serbia  Azerbaijan 1–6 Serbia  (Baku, Azerbaijan; 17 October 2007)  Serbia 6–1 Bulgaria  (Belgrade, Serbia; 19 November 2008)  Serbia 5–0 Romania  (Belgrade, Serbia; 10 October 2009)  Serbia 6–1 Wales  (Novi Sad, Serbia; 11 September 2012)  Serbia 5–0 Russia  (Belgrade, Serbia; 18 November 2020)
Biggest defeat
as Yugoslavia  Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS  (Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920)  Uruguay 7–0 Kingdom of SCS  (Paris, France; 26 May 1924)  Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS  (Prague, Czechoslovakia; 28 October 1925) as FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro  Netherlands 6–1 Yugoslavia  (Rotterdam, Netherlands; 25 June 2000)  Czech Republic 5–0 Yugoslavia  (Prague, Czech Republic; 6 September 2002)  Argentina 6–0 Serbia and Montenegro  (Gelsenkirchen, Germany; 16 June 2006) as Serbia  Ukraine 5–0 Serbia  (Lviv, Ukraine; 7 June 2019)
World Cup
Appearances	13 (first in 1930)
Best result	As Yugoslavia: Fourth place (1930, 1962) As FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro: Round of 16 (1998) As Serbia: Group stage (2010, 2018, 2022)
European Championship
Appearances	6 (first in 1960)
Best result	As Yugoslavia: Runners-up (1960, 1968) as FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro: Quarter-finals (2000) As Serbia: Group stage (2024)
Medal record UEFA European Championship Silver 1960 France Team Silver 1968 Italy Team Olympic Games Gold 1960 Rome Team Silver 1948 London Team Silver 1952 Helsinki Team Silver 1956 Melbourne Team Bronze 1984 Los Angeles Team Balkan Cup Gold 1934–35 Greece Team Gold 1935 Bulgaria Team Mediterranean Games Gold 1971 Izmir Team Gold 1979 Split Team

The Serbia men's national football team (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалска репрезентација Србије, romanized: Fudbalska reprezentacija Srbije) represents Serbia in men's international football competition. It is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia.

After the breakup of SFR Yugoslavia and its football team in 1992 Serbia was represented (alongside Montenegro) within the new FR Yugoslavia national football team. Despite qualifying for Euro 1992 the team was banned from participating in the tournament due to international sanctions, with the ruling also enforced for 1994 World Cup and Euro 1996 qualifiers. The national team played its first friendly in December 1994, and with the easing of sanctions the generation of the 1990s eventually participated at the 1998 World Cup, reaching the round of 16, and the quarter-finals at Euro 2000. The team played in the 2006, 2010, 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, but failed to progress past the group stage on each occasion.

Between February 2003 and June 2006, Serbia participated as Serbia and Montenegro due to the countries' name change. Following a 2006 referendum Montenegro declared its independence, leading to separate football federations which resulted in the team's final renaming and establishment as the Serbia national football team. Serbia is considered by FIFA and UEFA to be the official successor team of FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro national football teams, as well as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia/SFR Yugoslavia team.

History

Serbia within Yugoslavia (1920–1992)

The Football Federation of what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia) was founded in Zagreb in 1919 under the name Jugoslavenski nogometni savez (Yugoslavian Football Association). Jovan Ružić was the first Serb to represent the national team in its international debut match, a 7–0 drubbing by Czechoslovakia at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

In 1921, the Belgrade Football Subassociation organized a friendly match between the France national football team and a Belgrade XI, dubbed the "Serbian representatives". The team featured footballers from SK Jugoslavija and BSK, two of the Serbian clubs of the interwar period. The French delegation was on a four-game tour of Yugoslavia with the last exhibition game being played in Belgrade's SK Jugoslavija Stadium on 3 July. Prince Regent Aleksandar I and FIFA President Jules Rimet were in attendance as the visitors triumphed 3–0.

In the lead-up to the 1930 World Cup, a dispute regarding the relocation of the FAs headquarters from Zagreb to the capital Belgrade erupted, culminating in a boycott by the Zagreb Subassociation which disallowed its members to participate in the upcoming tournament. The de facto Serbian team led by coach Boško Simonović, composed largely of players from Belgrade's BSK, SK Jugoslavija and BASK, reached the semi-final, losing to hosts and eventual winners Uruguay 6–1. The royal interbellum era featured footballers such as Blagoje Marjanović, Aleksandar Tirnanić, Milorad Arsenijević, Đorđe Vujadinović, Branislav Sekulić and Milutin Ivković. Due to the dismemberment of Yugoslavia during World War II the football federation and national team ceased activities but reformed following the end of hostilities.

In 1945 Svetislav Glišović led the first unofficial national team representing the Federal State of Serbia in a tournament held to mark the end of World War II. The Serbian team encompassing the newly established Red Star squad won its first game by beating FS Montenegro 2–1, FS Croatia 3–1 in the semi-final, then proceeding to win the tournament against the Yugoslav People's Army team 1–0 in Belgrade.

The reconstituted Yugoslavia reached the UEFA European Championship finals in 1960 and 1968, and finished fourth place at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. During its existence Serbian footballers would continually play a role in the Yugoslavia national team throughout the socialist era, with the likes of Rajko Mitić, Branko Stanković, Vladimir Beara, Vujadin Boškov, Todor Veselinović, Miloš Milutinović, Borivoje Kostić, Milan Galić, Vladimir Durković, Velibor Vasović, Dragan Džajić, Jovan Aćimović, Dušan Bajević, Vladimir Petrović and others until the states disintegrated in the 1990s. The national team of SFR Yugoslavia played its last game on 25 March 1992, losing 2–0 to the Netherlands.

FR Yugoslavia/Serbia & Montenegro era (1992–2006)

While the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro, was formed on 27 April 1992, its teams were banned from all international sporting events, including the national football team as a result of U.N. sanctions stemming from the conflict in Yugoslavia. Consequently, the national team did not play its first game as a new country before 23 December 1994, a friendly match played in Porto Alegre and in which Brazil won 2–0. This was the first ever team composed of Serbian and Montenegrin players exclusively, while Slobodan Santrač, a former Yugoslavia national team player, was named the team's first ever manager. The next game was played three days later, this time in Buenos Aires, resulting in a 1–0 loss to Argentina.

Due to international sanctions, the team could not participate in 1994 World Cup qualifying nor the Euro 1996 qualifying process.

1998 World Cup

As FR Yugoslavia joined FIFA and UEFA in 1994, the team was available to participate in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers. Slobodan Santrač was appointed manager for the team. In the qualifiers, Yugoslavia was drawn in Group 6 with Euro 1996 runners-up Czech Republic, Slovakia, Spain, Faroe Islands and Malta. With 23 points, Yugoslavia ended up in second place behind Spain. Yugoslavia qualified for the play-off in which they were drawn to play against Hungary. Winning 12–1 on aggregate, Yugoslavia qualified for the World Cup.

The draw put the team in Group F alongside Germany, the United States, and Iran. Yugoslavia won its first game 1–0 against Iran thanks to a goal from defender Siniša Mihajlović. The next game was a draw for Yugoslavia; after leading Germany 2–0, a free kick from Michael Tarnat deflected off Mihajlović and into the goal, then Oliver Bierhoff equalised it at 2–2 at the 80th minute. Yugoslavia responded in the next game against the United States and won 1–0 due to a goal in the fourth minute by Slobodan Komljenović. Yugoslavia finished second in the group behind Germany on goal difference.

Due to their second position, Yugoslavia saw itself face the Netherlands in the Round of 16. Yugoslavia entered in the match with a sole attacker, but its defensive tactics proved unsuccessful as Dennis Bergkamp put the Netherlands in front in the 38th minute. Following the start of the second half, Yugoslavia pressured the Dutch, who conceded a header from Komljenović. The turning point of this match was a penalty awarded to Yugoslavia after Vladimir Jugović was fouled. Predrag Mijatović missed, and the scoreline remained the same at 1–1. Such an event demoralized the Yugoslavs, as the Dutch took the initiative. In the late seconds of the game Edgar Davids' shot towards the Yugoslav net from a distance of 20 meters and beat goalkeeper Ivica Kralj.

Euro 2000

The draw for the Euro 2000 qualifiers saw first-seeded Yugoslavia drawn in a group with Croatia, thus marking the first games between the two teams after the breakup of Yugoslavia. The other teams in the group were the Republic of Ireland, Macedonia, and Malta. Milan Živadinović was dismissed and was replaced by Vujadin Boškov.

The team started with a 1–0 win over the Republic of Ireland in Belgrade, before beating Malta 3–0 in Ta' Qali. The home fixture against the Maltese followed, but was moved to Thessaloniki, Greece due to the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. The team won 4–1. The first match against Croatia took place in Belgrade after the bombing ended, and was interrupted due to a power outage at the beginning of the second half, resuming after 43 minutes and eventually finishing 0–0. A 2–1 defeat against Ireland in Dublin was followed by victories home and away against Macedonia (3–1 and 4–2 respectively), meaning that Yugoslavia needed to win its final qualifier against Croatia in Zagreb, or to draw with the Republic of Ireland failing to beat Macedonia in Skopje, in order to qualify automatically for Euro 2000. In the event, the Republic of Ireland conceded an injury-time equaliser, meaning that Yugoslavia's 2–2 draw with the Croatians put them through.

The draw for the finals placed Yugoslavia in Group C along with Spain, Norway and another former Yugoslav republic, Slovenia. The Slovenians took a 3–0 lead in the first game at the Stade du Pays de Charleroi, but three goals in six second-half minutes enabled Yugoslavia to secure a 3–3 draw. Thanks to an early Savo Milošević backheel strike, the Serbs beat Norway 1–0 in Liège. The final group game, against Spain in Bruges, saw the Yugoslavs take the lead three times, before a Gaizka Mendieta penalty and an Alfonso strike in injury-time secured a 4–3 win for the Spaniards and top spot in the group. Yugoslavia nonetheless finished second, level on points with Norway but ranked ahead due to its victory in Liège. In each of the three games, the team had one player sent off (Siniša Mihajlović, Mateja Kežman, and Slaviša Jokanović, respectively). In the quarter-finals, Yugoslavia was paired with the Netherlands. The co-hosts won 6–1 in Rotterdam with Patrick Kluivert scoring a hat-trick. Despite Yugoslavia's elimination, Savo Milošević was crowned the joint top scorer of the tournament alongside Patrick Kluivert. Both players scored five goals, although Milošević played one game fewer.

2002 World Cup campaign

Ilija Petković replaced Boškov as head coach in July 2000. For the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, Yugoslavia was drawn in Group 1 with Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, the Faroe Islands and Luxembourg. After winning against Luxembourg, Petković was sacked and replaced with a three-pieced team which consisted of Boškov, Dejan Savićević and Ivan Ćurković. Despite winning both games against Luxembourg and Faroe Islands as well and away game against Switzerland, Yugoslavia managed to suffer a home loss and away draw against Russia, a home draw against Switzerland and both draw games against Slovenia. Yugoslavia ended the qualifying campaign in the third place of the group just one point behind second-placed Slovenia.

Euro 2004 campaign

Savićević was appointed as coach in July 2002. For the Euro 2004 qualifiers Yugoslavia was drawn in Group 9 with Italy, Wales, Finland and Azerbaijan. During qualifying, the country went under a political transformation, and the newly named Serbia and Montenegro appeared for the first time in a game against Azerbaijan in February 2003. In June, after a 2–1 loss to Azerbaijan, Savićević resigned and was replaced by Ilija Petković. Despite drawing both games against eventual group winners Italy and winning both games against runners-up Wales, Serbia and Montenegro failed to qualify, mostly due to a 2–2 home draw, the 2–1 loss to Azerbaijan, as well as a 3–0 away loss to Finland.

2006 World Cup

Petković remained as manager for the team. Qualifying for the 2006 World Cup resulted in six wins and four draws, with Serbia and Montenegro ending up first in the group with an undefeated record in their qualification group ahead of Spain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania and San Marino. The Serbia and Montenegro team also allowed only one goal in the ten matches, the best defensive record of all 51 teams participating in qualification.

On 3 June 2006, following a referendum, Montenegro declared its independence from Serbia. As the World Cup was about to start, it was decided that the Serbia and Montenegro team that had qualified for the tournament would compete, with the split into separate teams representing the new countries of Montenegro and Serbia to take place once the team was no longer in the tournament.

In the group stage, Serbia and Montenegro lost their opening game to the Netherlands. The final score was 1–0 after Arjen Robben scored the only goal of the game. They also lost their second game to Argentina 6–0, Serbia and Montenegro's worst ever international result. With the team's two losses and with Netherlands and Argentina winning both their games, Serbia and Montenegro could no longer qualify for the knockout matches and was playing for pride alone in their final group game against Ivory Coast. After a 2–0 lead for much of the first half, the Elephants managed to come back and win 3–2, leaving Serbia and Montenegro with no points.

Independent Serbia (2006–present)

Euro 2008 campaign

Javier Clemente, Serbia's first-ever foreign coach, was appointed to lead the team for the 2008 Euro campaign. After Montenegro declared independence, Serbia marked their split from Montenegro with a 3–1 win over the Czech Republic. For the Euro 2008 qualifiers, Serbia was drawn in Group A along with Poland, Portugal, Belgium, Finland, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Azerbaijan. A strong start in qualification was overshadowed by the final hurdle of matches where inconsistency took over, the side dropping points against the likes of Finland, Belgium, Armenia and Kazakhstan. They eventually finished third, three points behind runners-up Portugal and Group A winners Poland. Clemente was sacked after the team's failure to qualify.

Serbia replaced Clemente with Miroslav Đukić, who then left the position on 19 August of the following year without having played any official games, due to disagreements with the Football Association of Serbia.

2010 World Cup

Stojković Ivanović Vidić Subotić Kolarov Krasić Kuzmanović Stanković Ninković Jovanović Žigić

Serbia's starting XI under coach Radomir Antić in their 1–0 win over Germany at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Subsequent to Ðukić's departure, Radomir Antić was appointed coach. Serbia's World Cup qualification campaign began in 2008. Their qualification group featured 1998 World Cup winners and 2006 World Cup runners-up France, Romania, as well as Austria, Lithuania and the Faroe Islands. Serbia played consistently during the qualifiers and this led to the team automatically qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. They confirmed qualification with a 5–0 home victory against Romania.

The 2010 World Cup team featured captain Dejan Stanković, who became the only player to feature in a World Cup having played under three different national names (although he never changed nationality; this was a result of geopolitical events involving the identity of Yugoslavia). They faced Ghana, Germany, Australia.

Their opening group game was against Ghana and chances came to both sides but a red card to Aleksandar Luković and a handball by substitute Zdravko Kuzmanović in the second half gave Ghana a penalty to take all three points at the death. Asamoah Gyan converted eight minutes from full-time and Serbia were defeated 1–0. In Serbia's second group match, they defeated Germany by a score of 1–0 with a goal by Milan Jovanović in the first half. FIFA's official YouTube channel called the win "the most famous day in Serbia's footballing history".

Serbia only needed a single point to reach the knockout stages, but was defeated by Australia 2–1. Australia scored two goals in the second half through Tim Cahill and Brett Holman. A late Marko Pantelić goal served only as a consolation. They finished last in the group.

Euro 2012 campaign

Radomir Antić was sacked two games into the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying process, a 1–1 home draw against Slovenia ending his two-year stint. The dismissal meant the bringing in of Vladimir Petrović to the job.

For the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying, Serbia was drawn in Group C featuring Italy, Slovenia, Estonia, Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands. The qualifying stage began with Antić as coach and finished with Vladimir Petrović. Serbia started the first two games with a 3–0 win away to Faroe Islands and a 1–1 draw at home to Slovenia but this result ended Antić's stint as the country's coach. New coach Petrović faced setbacks with a 3–1 home loss against Estonia and an abandoned match resulting in a 3–0 loss to Italy due to crowd trouble from the Serbian away supporters in Genoa.

Serbia returned to form with a 2–1 home victory over Northern Ireland but could only manage a 1–1 away draw against Estonia. Afterwards, Serbia won back to back games with a 1–0 win away to Northern Ireland and a crucial 3–1 home victory against Faroe Islands. These results put Serbia in pole position to confirm a play-off spot behind Italy.

Serbia needed a home victory against Italy to confirm a play-off spot but their efforts only resulted in a 1–1 draw. However, the team still had one more chance to confirm a play-off place when they faced Slovenia away. Serbia also must win the match despite having superior goal difference over Estonia; a draw was not good enough for progression. Neither side played better in the first half, but a long-range goal put Slovenia up 1–0 at half time. In the second half, Nemanja Vidić missed penalty. Serbia left empty-handed after a 1–0 loss and exited the tournament for the third time in a row during the qualifying group stages, missing out by one point behind Estonia. Serbia once again failed to qualify for the European Championships. Vladimir Petrović was sacked after the team's failure to qualify.

2014 World Cup campaign

Ahead of the qualifying campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Dejan Stanković and Nemanja Vidić announced that they were retiring from international football. Branislav Ivanović became the new captain. Siniša Mihajlović, a former member of the national team, was appointed as the coach on 24 April 2012. Serbia was drawn in Group A in qualification for the 2014 World Cup, together with Croatia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, and Wales. The team began the qualification campaign with a goalless draw with Scotland and a 6–1 win over Wales. In the next two games, Serbia suffered two defeats from Macedonia and Belgium.

On 22 March 2013, Serbia played in Zagreb against Croatia. The game was highly anticipated in both countries due to their rivalry both on and off the pitch. Croatia won 2–0. Serbia defeated Scotland 2–0 at home in a crucial qualifier, but their World Cup hopes were taken away after a 2–1 defeat to Belgium. Serbia drew with Croatia 1–1 in the corresponding fixture at home, where 18-year-old Aleksandar Mitrović scored an equalizer in the second-half after Mario Mandžukić opened the scoring. They defeated Wales 3–0 in Cardiff. Dejan Stanković's farewell game was completed in a friendly against Japan, which Serbia won 2–0. He finished his career with 103 appearances for the national team, a record previously held by Savo Milošević, with 102 appearances. Serbia finished qualifying with a 5–1 home win against Macedonia, putting them in third in the group, three points from a playoff spot behind Croatia and group winners Belgium.

Euro 2016 campaign

After failing to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, Dick Advocaat was appointed as the coach in 2014. Serbia was drawn in Group I in qualification for UEFA Euro 2016, together with Portugal, Denmark, Albania and Armenia. Advocaat started with a 1–1 friendly draw against France and began qualification with the same result against Armenia. The following game was a game against Albania in Belgrade, abandoned as a result of crowd trouble after a drone carrying an Albanian flag and a map of Greater Albania was flown over the pitch. Serbia was originally awarded with a 3–0 victory by UEFA, and deducted three points, but on 10 July 2015, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reversed the earlier decision and awarded Albania a 3–0 victory. On 14 November 2014, Serbia played against Denmark in Belgrade and lost, 1–3. After this game, Advocaat left, whereupon Radovan Ćurčić was announced as a new coach on 25 November.

Serbia's first match in 2015 was a qualifying match against Portugal in Lisbon, during which Serbia lost 2–1, cutting their chances for qualification to Euro 2016. On 13 June 2015, Serbia played a qualifying match against Denmark in Copenhagen, losing 2–0. With the 10 July ruling by CAS on the abandoned game against Albania, Serbia would become mathematically eliminated from Euro 2016 qualification. On 4 September 2015, Serbia had their first victory, winning 2–0, against Armenia. On 8 October 2015, Serbia defeated Albania with a goal each from Aleksandar Kolarov and Adem Ljajić. In the table of Group I, Serbia finished second to last place with four points in a five-team group.

2018 World Cup

After failing to qualify for Euro 2016, Slavoljub Muslin was appointed as a coach. Serbia was drawn in Group D in qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup with Euro 2016 semi-finalists Wales, Austria, Ireland, Georgia and Moldova. They started off their campaign with a 2–2 draw against Ireland at the Red Star Stadium and eventually won against Austria, Georgia and Moldova.

Serbia beat Moldova in Belgrade with goals from Aleksandar Kolarov, Aleksandar Mitrović and Mijat Gaćinović. This consolidated their first position going into their top-of-the group clash with Ireland. They won this match with a 55th-minute goal from Kolarov. Serbia finished the qualifying campaign with a 1–0 home win against Georgia, and ended at the top of Group D and therefore qualified for the 2018 tournament. Despite Serbia's qualification, Muslin was sacked by the Football Association of Serbia as a result on differences regarding team selection. Muslin was criticized for not inviting Sergej Milinković-Savić to play in the campaign which sparked controversy in Serbia. Mladen Krstajić took the place as a temporary coach after Muslin's dismissal and led the team in the World Cup.

In the World Cup, Serbia opened their match against Costa Rica. Kolarov's free kick at the second half meant Serbia won their first World Cup game in eight years. Serbia lost their later encounters, losing 1–2 to Switzerland with a 90th-minute goal scored by Xherdan Shaqiri and 0–2 to Brazil, thus being eliminated in the group stage.

2018–19 UEFA Nations League

Due to the performance of Serbia in previous years, the country found itself started the campaign of the inaugural Nations League, where they were drawn into Group 4 with Montenegro, Lithuania and Romania. With both wins against Lithuania and Montenegro and both draw games against Romania, Serbia finished on top of the group, securing the Euro 2020 play-off spot and being promoted into League B for 2020–21 season. With six goals, Aleksandar Mitrović finished the tournament as the top scorer.

Euro 2020 campaign

In December 2017, Mladen Krstajić became the permanent coach for Serbia. Serbia started the campaign of 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, which served as a part of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.

For Euro 2020 qualifiers, Serbia was drawn into Group B with Euro 2016 champions Portugal, Ukraine, Lithuania and Luxembourg. Serbia kicked off the qualifiers with 1–1 away draw against Portugal. However, in the next away game against Ukraine, Serbia lost 5–0. Krstajić was sacked after the loss and replaced with Ljubiša Tumbaković. Tumbaković started with a 2–4 home loss against Portugal. The next two games were away wins against Luxembourg and Lithuania, before beating Luxembourg at home. Serbia then drew 2–2 to Ukraine at home, meaning they could not finish in the top two and a play-off would ensue.

After the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs were resumed, Serbia placed itself against Norway in Oslo. Two goals, one in extra time helped Serbia to overcome Norway 2–1, thus marching to the final playoff game against Scotland at home. The game was won by Scotland in a penalty shootout (5–4) after the game was tied 1–1 after full time. Serbia once again failed to qualify for the Euros, making 20 years since the country last took part in the tournament. Tumbaković was sacked after the team's failure to qualify for the tournament.

2022–23 UEFA Nations League

Serbia was drawn in 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B Group 4 alongside Norway, Sweden and Slovenia, finishing first and being promoted after wins against Sweden at home and Norway in Oslo.

2022 World Cup

Serbia was drawn in Group A in qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.

After a penalty shootout loss against Scotland in the Euro 2020 qualifying playoffs, Ljubiša Tumbaković was sacked and replaced with Dragan Stojković.

Serbia started qualification with a 3–2 win against the Republic of Ireland in Belgrade in March 2021. After a 2–2 draw against Portugal, Serbia won against Azerbaijan in Baku 2–1. Mixed results meant Serbia needed a victory against Portugal to qualify directly from the group. On 14 November 2021, Serbia faced Portugal at the Estádio da Luz, and trailed by a goal. However, an equaliser by Dušan Tadić and a decisive goal from Aleksandar Mitrović in the final minutes of the second half meant Serbia automatically booked a ticket for Qatar.

Serbia was drawn in Group G with 2018 opponents Brazil and Switzerland, as well as African representatives Cameroon. Serbia was defeated in the first match against Brazil 2–0, drew against Cameroon 3–3, and lost against Switzerland 3–2 after a fight between multiple Serbs and Granit Xhaka, ending up with only one point.

Euro 2024

Following the elimination in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup, Stojković stayed as a coach with a goal to bring Serbia to UEFA Euro 2024.

Serbia was drawn in Group G in qualification for Euro 2024 with Hungary, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Lithuania. Serbia started the qualifying campaign with 2–0 wins against Lithuania in Belgrade and Montenegro in Podgorica in March 2023. After a friendly match against Jordan in which Serbia won 3–2, Serbia ended up in a 1–1 draw against Bulgaria in Razgrad. For the next game against Hungary in Belgrade, Serbia was forced to play behind closed doors due to UEFA sanctioning the Serbian association chants against Montenegrins; Serbia eventually lost the game 1–2. The next game was another win against Lithuania in Kaunas, 3–1, with Aleksandar Mitrović scoring a hat-trick. On 14 October 2023, Serbia once again lost against Hungary in Budapest 1–2, but won against Montenegro in Belgrade 3–1 three days later. After the crucial final game against Bulgaria at home which ended in a 2–2 draw, Serbia ended the campaign in second place in group G with 14 points, qualifying for their first European Championship as an independent nation and in 24 years.

In the tournament, Serbia was drawn into group C with England, Slovenia and Denmark. They lost 1-0 to England in the first game. They followed that up with a 1-1 draw with Slovenia, after Luka Jović scored a last minute equalizer in extra time. They needed to beat Denmark in their last group stage match in order to advance, but came up with a 0-0 draw, resulting in their elimination.

Rivalries

• Serbia v. Croatia: The rivalry stems from political roots, and is listed as one of the ten greatest international rivalries by Goal.com. and as the most politically charged football rivalry by the Bleacher Report. The two sides started the football rivalry in the 1990 when they were part of Yugoslavia, which dissolved after a series of wars. The two nations have played four times, with Croatia winning one and drawing the other three games.
• Serbia v. Albania: The rivalry stems from historical tensions and the Kosovo question.
• Serbia v. Switzerland: The rivalry is connected to the Albanian diaspora players in the Swiss football team and is linked to the tensions between the Albanians and the Serbs. The teams have faced each other 4 times, with Switzerland winning twice and Serbia once.

Team image

The badge of the Football Association of Serbia is modelled on the Serbian cross inescutcheon featured on the Serbian coat of arms. It consists of a modified version of the four firesteels and cross, with the addition of a football. The team is nicknamed "the Eagles" (Serbian Cyrillic: Орлови) in reference to the white double-headed eagle, a national symbol of Serbia. In 2022 the Football Association of Serbia launched a new, national team specific emblem for brand and marketing purposes. The previous FA crest was replaced by a stylised logo inspired by the lesser coat of arms of the Republic of Serbia.

For years following the breakup of SFR Yugoslavia the national team experienced an identity crisis, which despite its name, was seen as de facto representative of Serbia. From 1994 to 2006 the obsolete and unpopular Communist era national anthem "Hej, Sloveni" was often jeered, booed and whistled by home supporters as players refrained from singing the lyrics. During this period the team continued to officially carry the old nickname "Plavi" (the Blues), badge and kit design indicative of the Yugoslav tricolour.

Following the secession of Montenegro in 2006 the national team adopted red shirts, blue shorts and white socks in honor of the Serbian tricolour. Between 2010 and 2016 a cross motif inspired by the country's coat of arms was incorporated in the jersey. In years Serbia has utilised all-red uniforms due to FIFA's kit clash regulations. Away kits are traditionally white with blue or white shorts.

Serbia does not have an official national stadium and the team has played at grounds throughout the country. The Rajko Mitić Stadium is the most popular venue following by Partizan Stadium, both ground are located in the capital city Belgrade.

Kit sponsorship

In July 2014, a partnership was announced between the Football Association of Serbia and English manufacturer Umbro, which is Serbia's official supplier, before Puma took over with their home and away kits, debuting 7 September 2014 in the friendly match against France. That same day, Serbia unveiled their latest kits also worn at the Euro 2016 qualifiers campaign.

Kit Supplier	Period
Adidas	1974–2002
Lotto	2002–2006
Nike	2006–2014
Umbro	2014–2018
Puma	2018–present

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.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024

International friendly 21 March 2024	Russia	4–0	Serbia	Moscow, Russia
20:00 UTC+3	An. Miranchuk  21' (pen.) Osipenko  32' Al. Miranchuk  55' Sergeev  90+1'	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2024/03/21/world/friendlies/russia/serbia/4287445/		Stadium: VTB Arena Attendance: 23,679 Referee: Arda Kardeşler (Turkey)

International friendly 25 March 2024	Cyprus	0–1	Serbia	Larnaca, Cyprus
18:00		https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/friendlies/match/2039982--cyprus-vs-serbia/	Milinković-Savić  7'	Stadium: AEK Arena Referee: Marco Di Bello (Italy)

International friendly 4 June 2024	Austria	2–1	Serbia	Vienna, Austria
20:45	Wimmer  10' Baumgartner  13'	https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/friendlies/match/2040260--austria-vs-serbia/matchinfo/	Pavlović  35'	Stadium: Ernst Happel Stadion Referee: António Nobre (Portugal)

International friendly 8 June 2024	Sweden	0–3	Serbia	Solna, Sweden
18:00		https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/friendlies/match/2040262--sweden-vs-serbia/	S. Milinković-Savić  18' Mitrović  60' Tadić  70'	Stadium: Friends Arena Referee: Jasper Vergoote (Belgium)

UEFA Euro 2024 Group C 16 June 2024 (2024-06-16)	Serbia	0–1	England	Gelsenkirchen, Germany
21:00		https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/match/2036166/	Bellingham  13'	Stadium: Arena AufSchalke Attendance: 48,953 Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy)

UEFA Euro 2024 Group C 20 June 2024 (2024-06-20)	Slovenia	1–1	Serbia	Munich, Germany
15:00	Karničnik  69'	https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/match/2036177/	Jović  90+5'	Stadium: Allianz Arena Attendance: 63,028 Referee: István Kovács (Romania)

UEFA Euro 2024 Group C 25 June 2024 (2024-06-25)	Denmark	0–0	Serbia	Munich, Germany
21:00		https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/match/2036190/		Stadium: Allianz Arena Attendance: 64,288 Referee: François Letexier (France)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League A 5 September 2024	Serbia	0–0	Spain	Belgrade, Serbia
20:45		https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040049--serbia-vs-spain/		Stadium: Red Star Stadium Attendance: 29,981 Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (Netherlands)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League A 8 September 2024	Denmark	2–0	Serbia	Copenhagen, Denmark
18:00	Grønbæk  36' Yurary  61'	https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040069--denmark-vs-serbia/		Stadium: Parken Stadium Attendance: 34,902 Referee: Chris Kavanagh (England)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League A 12 October 2024	Serbia	2–0	Switzerland	Leskovac, Serbia
20:45	Elvedi  45+1' (o.g.) Mitrović  61'	https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040119--serbia-vs-switzerland/		Stadium: Dubočica Stadium Attendance: 6,383 Referee: Simone Sozza (Italy)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League A 15 October 2024	Spain	3–0	Serbia	Córdoba, Spain
20:45	Laporte  5' Morata  65' Baena  77'	https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040140--spain-vs-serbia/		Stadium: Estadio Nuevo Arcángel Attendance: 20,345 Referee: Daniel Stefanski (Poland)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League A 15 November 2024	Switzerland	1–1	Serbia	Zurich, Switzerland
20:45	Amdouni  78'	https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040162--switzerland-vs-serbia/	Terzić  88'	Stadium: Letzigrund Attendance: 21,115 Referee: Clément Turpin (France)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League A 18 November 2024	Serbia	0–0	Denmark	Leskovac, Serbia
20:45		https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040186--serbia-vs-denmark/		Stadium: Dubočica Stadium Attendance: 7,295 Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany)

2025

2024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs 20 March 2025	Austria	v	Serbia	Vienna, Austria
20:45		https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2043038/		Stadium: Ernst-Happel-Stadion

2024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs 23 March 2025	Serbia	v	Austria	Belgrade, Serbia
18:00		https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2043046/		Stadium: Red Star Stadium

Management

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Dragan Stojković
Assistant coach	Goran Đorović
Coach	Bratislav Živković
Goalkeeping coach	Goran Čumić
Fitness coach	Katsuhito Kinoshi
Analyst	Nebojša Stamenković
Team manager	Nemanja Filipović
Athletic director	Stevan Stojanović

Manager history

Manager	Period	Record							Major competitions
		Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %	Draw %	Loss %
Dragan Stojković	2021–	48	23	12	13	47.90	25.00	27.10	Euro 2024 – Group stage 2022 World Cup – Group stage
Ilija Stolica (caretaker)	2021	2	0	2	0	0.00	100.00	0.00	—
Ljubiša Tumbaković	2019–2020	14	6	5	3	42.86	35.71	21.43	Euro 2020 – Failed to qualify
Mladen Krstajić	2017–2019	19	9	5	5	47.36	26.32	26.32	2018 World Cup – Group stage
Slavoljub Muslin	2016–2017	15	8	5	2	53.33	33.33	13.33
Radovan Ćurčić	2014–2016	11	5	0	6	45.45	0.00	55.55	Euro 2016 – Failed to qualify
Dick Advocaat	2014	4	0	2	2	0.00	50.00	50.00
Ljubinko Drulović (caretaker)	2014	4	2	1	1	50.00	25.00	25.00	—
Siniša Mihajlović	2012–2013	19	7	4	8	36.84	21.05	42.10	2014 World Cup – Failed to qualify
Radovan Ćurčić (caretaker)	2011–2012	5	2	1	2	40.00	20.00	40.00	—
Vladimir Petrović	2010–2011	13	5	3	5	38.46	23.08	38.46	Euro 2012 – Failed to qualify
Radomir Antić	2008–2010	28	17	3	8	60.71	10.71	28.57	2010 World Cup – Group stage
Miroslav Đukić	2007–2008	5	0	2	3	0.00	40.00	60.00	—
Javier Clemente	2006–2007	16	7	7	2	43.75	43.75	12.50	Euro 2008 – Failed to qualify
Ilija Petković	2003–2006	30	11	10	9	36.66	33.33	30.00	2006 World Cup – Group stage
Dejan Savićević	2001–2003	17	4	3	10	23.53	17.65	58.82	Euro 2004 – Failed to qualify
Boškov-Ćurković-Savićević	2001	8	4	2	2	50.00	25.00	25.00	2002 World Cup – Failed to qualify
Milovan Đorić	2001	3	0	2	1	0.00	66.67	33.33
Ilija Petković	2000–2001	4	2	1	1	50.00	25.00	25.00	—
Vujadin Boškov	1999–2000	15	6	5	4	40.00	33.33	26.67	Euro 2000 – Quarter final
Milan Živadinović	1998–1999	6	3	2	1	50.00	33.33	16.67	—
Slobodan Santrač	1994–1998	43	26	10	7	60.46	23.25	16.28	1998 World Cup – Round of 16
	TOTAL	328	147	87	94	44.82	26.52	28.66	7 out of 14

For the period before 1992 see: Yugoslavia national football team#Head coaches

Players

Current squad

• The following 26 players were called up for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A matches against Switzerland and Denmark on 15 and 18 November 2024, respectively.

Caps and goals as of 18 November 2024, after the match against Denmark.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Đorđe Petrović	(1999-10-08) 8 October 1999 (age 25)	5	0	Strasbourg
12	1GK	Aleksandar Jovanović	(1992-12-06) 6 December 1992 (age 32)	1	0	Partizan
21	1GK	Veljko Ilić	(2003-07-21) 21 July 2003 (age 21)	0	0	TSC Bačka Topola
2	2DF	Kosta Nedeljković	(2005-12-16) 16 December 2005 (age 19)	6	0	Aston Villa
3	2DF	Strahinja Pavlović	(2001-05-24) 24 May 2001 (age 24)	43	4	Milan
4	2DF	Nikola Milenković	(1997-10-12) 12 October 1997 (age 27)	62	3	Nottingham Forest
7	2DF	Aleksa Terzić	(1999-08-17) 17 August 1999 (age 25)	8	1	Red Bull Salzburg
13	2DF	Miloš Veljković	(1995-09-26) 26 September 1995 (age 29)	35	1	Werder Bremen
16	2DF	Strahinja Eraković	(2001-01-22) 22 January 2001 (age 24)	12	1	Zenit Saint Petersburg
19	2DF	Jan-Carlo Simić	(2005-05-02) 2 May 2005 (age 20)	3	0	Anderlecht
22	2DF	Nemanja Stojić	(1998-01-15) 15 January 1998 (age 27)	3	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv
5	3MF	Saša Zdjelar	(1995-03-20) 20 March 1995 (age 30)	9	0	CSKA Moscow
6	3MF	Nemanja Maksimović	(1995-01-26) 26 January 1995 (age 30)	53	0	Panathinaikos
8	3MF	Andrija Maksimović	(2007-06-05) 5 June 2007 (age 17)	4	0	Red Star Belgrade
10	3MF	Nemanja Gudelj	(1991-11-16) 16 November 1991 (age 33)	66	1	Sevilla
11	3MF	Lazar Samardžić	(2002-02-24) 24 February 2002 (age 23)	17	0	Atalanta
14	3MF	Andrija Živković	(1996-07-11) 11 July 1996 (age 28)	53	1	PAOK
17	3MF	Mirko Topić	(2001-02-05) 5 February 2001 (age 24)	2	0	Famalicão
9	4FW	Aleksandar Mitrović (captain)	(1994-09-16) 16 September 1994 (age 30)	98	59	Al Hilal
18	4FW	Mihailo Ivanović	(2004-11-29) 29 November 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Millwall
23	4FW	Dušan Vlahović	(2000-01-28) 28 January 2000 (age 25)	32	13	Juventus

Recent call-ups

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Predrag Rajković	(1995-10-31) 31 October 1995 (age 29)	39	0	Al-Ittihad	v.  Switzerland, 15 November 2024PRE
GK	Vanja Milinković-Savić	(1997-02-20) 20 February 1997 (age 28)	19	0	Torino	v.  Switzerland, 12 October 2024INJ
GK	Marko Ilić	(1998-02-03) 3 February 1998 (age 27)	1	0	Red Star Belgrade	v.  Switzerland, 12 October 2024PRE
GK	Mile Svilar	(1999-08-27) 27 August 1999 (age 25)	1	0	Roma	v.  Russia, 21 March 2024PRE / SUS
DF	Srđan Babić	(1996-04-22) 22 April 1996 (age 29)	9	1	Spartak Moscow	v.  Denmark, 18 November 2024INJ
DF	Filip Mladenović	(1991-08-15) 15 August 1991 (age 33)	34	1	Panathinaikos	v.  Switzerland, 15 November 2024INJ
DF	Uroš Spajić	(1993-02-13) 13 February 1993 (age 32)	21	0	Red Star Belgrade	v.  Denmark, 25 June 2024
DF	Erhan Mašović	(1998-11-22) 22 November 1998 (age 26)	5	0	VfL Bochum	v.  Cyprus, 25 March 2024
DF	Milan Gajić	(1996-01-28) 28 January 1996 (age 29)	2	0	CSKA Moscow	v.  Cyprus, 25 March 2024
DF	Matija Nastasić	(1993-03-28) 28 March 1993 (age 32)	34	0	Leganés	v.  Russia, 21 March 2024PRE
MF	Marko Grujić	(1996-04-13) 13 April 1996 (age 29)	28	0	Porto	v.  Switzerland, 15 November 2024INJ
MF	Ivan Ilić	(2001-03-17) 17 March 2001 (age 24)	21	0	Torino	v.  Switzerland, 15 November 2024INJ
MF	Veljko Birmančević	(1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 27)	11	0	Sparta Prague	v.  Switzerland, 15 November 2024PRE
MF	Nikola Čumić	(1998-11-20) 20 November 1998 (age 26)	2	0	Rubin Kazan	v.  Spain, 15 October 2024
MF	Aleksandar Ćirković	(2001-09-21) 21 September 2001 (age 23)	0	0	TSC	v.  Spain, 15 October 2024
MF	Dejan Zukić	(2001-05-07) 7 May 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Wolfsberger AC	v.  Spain, 15 October 2024
MF	Saša Lukić	(1996-08-13) 13 August 1996 (age 28)	52	2	Fulham	v.  Spain, 15 October 2024INJ
MF	Stefan Mitrović	(2002-08-15) 15 August 2002 (age 22)	4	0	OH Leuven	v.  Switzerland, 12 October 2024PRE
MF	Kristijan Belić	(2001-03-25) 25 March 2001 (age 24)	2	0	AZ	v.  Denmark, 8 September 2024
MF	Milan Aleksić	(2005-08-30) 30 August 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Sunderland	v.  Denmark, 8 September 2024
MF	Sergej Milinković-Savić	(1995-02-27) 27 February 1995 (age 30)	54	9	Al Hilal	v.  Spain, 5 September 2024INJ
MF	Dušan Tadić RET	(1988-11-20) 20 November 1988 (age 36)	111	23	Fenerbahçe	v.  Denmark, 25 June 2024
MF	Filip Kostić	(1992-11-01) 1 November 1992 (age 32)	64	3	Fenerbahçe	v.  Denmark, 25 June 2024
MF	Mijat Gaćinović	(1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 (age 30)	28	2	AEK Athens	v.  Denmark, 25 June 2024
MF	Srđan Mijailović	(1993-11-10) 10 November 1993 (age 31)	8	0	Al-Wasl	v.  Denmark, 25 June 2024
MF	Nemanja Radonjić	(1996-02-15) 15 February 1996 (age 29)	44	5	Red Star Belgrade	UEFA Euro 2024PRE
MF	Matija Gluščević	(2004-06-13) 13 June 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Radnički 1923	UEFA Euro 2024PRE
FW	Luka Jović	(1997-12-23) 23 December 1997 (age 27)	42	11	Milan	v.  Switzerland, 15 November 2024INJ
FW	Mihajlo Cvetković	(2007-01-10) 10 January 2007 (age 18)	0	0	Čukarički	v.  Switzerland, 15 November 2024INJ
FW	Dejan Joveljić	(1999-08-07) 7 August 1999 (age 25)	7	2	LA Galaxy	v.  Spain, 15 October 2024
FW	Petar Ratkov	(2003-08-18) 18 August 2003 (age 21)	3	0	Red Bull Salzburg	v.  Switzerland, 12 October 2024PRE
FW	Đorđe Jovanović	(1999-02-15) 15 February 1999 (age 26)	4	0	Partizan	v.  Denmark, 8 September 2024
FW	Samed BaždarBIH	(2004-01-31) 31 January 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Real Zaragoza	UEFA Euro 2024PRE
Notes PRE Preliminary squad SUS Suspended INJ Withdrew from the roster due to an injury RET Retired from the national team WD Withdrew from the roster for non-injury related reasons BIH Switched to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Previous squads

Player records

Players in bold are still active with Serbia.

Most capped players

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Pos.	Career
1	Dušan Tadić	111	23	MF	2008–2024
2	Branislav Ivanović	105	13	DF	2005–2018
3	Dejan Stanković	103	15	MF	1998–2013
4	Savo Milošević	102	37	FW	1994–2008
5	Aleksandar Mitrović	98	59	FW	2013–present
6	Aleksandar Kolarov	94	11	DF	2008–2020
7	Dragan Džajić	85	23	MF	1964–1979
8	Dragan Stojković	84	15	MF	1983–2001
	Vladimir Stojković	84	0	GK	2006–2018
10	Zoran Tošić	76	11	MF	2007–2016

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Aleksandar Mitrović	59	98	0.60	2013–present
2	Stjepan Bobek	38	63	0.60	1946–1956
3	Milan Galić	37	51	0.73	1959–1965
	Blagoje Marjanović	37	58	0.64	1926–1938
	Savo Milošević	37	102	0.36	1994–2008
6	Rajko Mitić	32	59	0.54	1946–1957
7	Dušan Bajević	29	37	0.78	1970–1977
8	Todor Veselinović	28	37	0.76	1953–1961
9	Predrag Mijatović	27	73	0.37	1989–2003
10	Borivoje Kostić	26	33	0.79	1956–1964

Captains (since 1994)

Player	Period	Tournaments as the captain
Dragan Stojković	1994–2001	1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000
Predrag Mijatović	2001–2003	—
Savo Milošević	2003–2006	2006 FIFA World Cup
Dejan Stanković	2006–2011	2010 FIFA World Cup
Nikola Žigić	2011	—
Branislav Ivanović	2012–2017	—
Aleksandar Kolarov	2018–2020	2018 FIFA World Cup
Dušan Tadić	2021–2024	2022 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2024
Aleksandar Mitrović	2024–	—

Notable players

Goalkeepers

• 

  Ivica Kralj played for the team from 1996 to 2001

• 

  Vladimir Stojković is the most capped goalkeeper in the team's history with 84 caps

Defenders

• 

  Miroslav Đukić played for the team from 1991 to 2001

• 

  Siniša Mihajlović played 63 matches for the team from 1993 to 2003 and managed the team in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

• 

  Zoran Mirković played for the team from 1995 to 2003

• 

  Mladen Krstajić played 59 matches for the team from 1999 to 2008 and managed the team at the 2018 World Cup

• 

  Nemanja Vidić played 56 matches, was a participant in two World Cups and named twice in the FIFA World XI

• 

  Neven Subotić played 36 matches, was a participant at the 2010 World Cup

• 

  Branislav Ivanović played 105 matches for the team from 2005 to 2018

• 

  Aleksandar Kolarov played 94 matches and captained the team at the 2018 World Cup

Midfielders

• 

  Dragan Stojković played from 1983 to 2001 for the team, and is the current head coach

• 

  Dejan Savićević played for the team from 1986 to 1999 and managed the team from 2001 to 2003

• 

  Vladimir Jugović played for the team from 1991 to 2002

• 

  Slaviša Jokanović played for the team from 1991 to 2002

• 

  Dejan Stanković is the Serbian player who won the most trophies; he played in three World Cups and one European Championship

• 

  Miloš Krasić played for the team from 2006 to 2011

• 

  Milan Jovanović played for the team from 2007 to 2012

• 

  Nemanja Matić played for the team from 2008 to 2019

• 

  Dušan Tadić is the most capped player in the team's history with 111 caps from 2008 to 2024

• 

  Filip Kostić has been playing for the team since 2015

Forwards

• 

  Predrag Mijatović was a top goalscorer in 1998 World Cup qualifiers with 14 goals

• 

  Savo Milošević played 102 matches, scored 37 goals and was UEFA Euro 2000 Golden Boot

• 

  Darko Kovačević played 59 matches and scored 10 goals between 1994 and 2004

• 

  Mateja Kežman was the top goal scorer for the team in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification

• 

  Nikola Žigić played 57 matches and scored 20 goals between 2004 and 2011

• 

  Aleksandar Mitrović is top goal scorer in the history of national team, and was 2018–19 and 2022–23 UEFA Nations League top goalscorer

• 

  Dušan Vlahović plays for the team since 2020

Competition records

Serbia was part of Yugoslavia and its national football team which existed between 1920 and 1992. With the collapse of Yugoslavia, the remaining constituent republics, Serbia and Montenegro, formed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992. The country underwent a name change in 2003, and Montenegro left the state union in 2006. FIFA and UEFA consider the Football Association of Serbia a direct successor to both the Football Association of Yugoslavia and the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro, thereby attributing all records to Serbia.

FIFA World Cup

Serbia at the FIFA World Cup

UEFA European Championship

Serbia at the UEFA European Championship

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Season	Division	Group	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK
2018–19	C	4	6	4	2	0	11	4		27th
2020–21	B	3	6	1	3	2	9	7		27th
2022–23	B	4	6	4	1	1	13	5		19th
2024–25	A	4	To be determined							1st–16th
Total			18	9	6	3	33	16	1st–16th

Serbia's Nations League record
First Match	Lithuania 0–1 Serbia  (Vilnius, Lithuania; 7 September 2018)
Biggest Win	Serbia 5–0 Russia  (Belgrade, Serbia; 18 November 2020)
Biggest Defeat	Russia 3–1 Serbia  (Moscow, Russia; 3 September 2020)  Denmark 2–0 Serbia  (Copenhagen, Denmark; 8 September 2024)
Best Result	19th in 2022–23
Worst Result	27th in 2018–19 and 2020–21

Head-to-head records (2006 onward)

Serbia national football team results

Honours

Major competitions

• UEFA European Championship
  • Runners-up (2): 1960, 1968

• Olympic Games
  • Gold Medal (1): 1960
  • Silver Medal (3): 1948, 1952, 1956
  • Bronze Medal (1): 1984

Regional

• Balkan Cup
  • Winners (2): 1934–35, 1935
  • Runners-up (6): 1929–31, 1932, 1933, 1946, 1947, 1977–80
  • Third place (1): 1931
• Mediterranean Games
  • Gold medal (2): 1971, 1979

Friendly

• 1945 Yugoslav Football Tournament
  • Champions (1): 1945
• Lunar New Year Cup
  • Champions (1): 1995
• Millennium Super Cup
  • Champions (1): 2001
• Korea Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1997
• Kirin Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2004

Summary

Competition				Total
FIFA World Cup	0	0	0	0
Olympic Games	1	3	1	5
UEFA European Championship	0	2	0	2
Total	1	5	1	7

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Serbia para niños

• Serbia national football team results
• Serbia and Montenegro national football team results
• Serbia national under-21 football team
• Serbia national under-20 football team
• Serbia national under-19 football team
• Serbia national under-17 football team
• List of Serbia international footballers (including predecessor teams)
• Yugoslavia national football team
• Serbia and Montenegro national football team