The is controlled by the
Estonian Football Association . They played their first match in
1920 . In
1940 Estonia was annexed by the
Soviet Union ; it did not regain its independence (and the possibility of a national football team) until
1991 . As a newly independent nation, they played their first match against
Lithuania in the
Baltic Cup on
November 15 ,
1991 , and their first
FIFA -recognized match against
Slovenia on
June 3 ,
1992 , a 1-1 draw at
Tallinn .
After Estonia gained independence, the national team was initially the weakest of the three Baltic teams, suffering defeats such as a 7-1 loss to
Croatia in the
Euro 96 qualifiers. In the
1998 World Cup qualifiers, Estonia achieved notoriety when a home game against
Scotland would be called off in bizarre circumstances. The replay in
Monaco finished 0-0; goalkeeper
Mart Poom earned a move to
Derby County soon afterwards.
Estonia's fortunes have improved since. In the
Euro 2004 qualifiers, Estonia proved remarkably obdurate with 8 points from as many games, only 4 goals scored and 6 conceded. The
2006 World Cup qualifiers saw further improvement with 5 wins, 2 draws and 5 defeats. Estonia have a number of players who have amassed an astonishing number of caps, including Poom,
Andres Oper ,
Marko Kristal and
Martin Reim .
- 1930 - ''Did not enter''
- 1934 - ''Did not qualify''
- 1938 - ''Did not qualify''
- 1950 to 1990 - ''Did not enter, was part of USSR ''
- 1994 to 2006 - ''Did not qualify''
