Luxembourg national football team

The Luxembourg national football team (nicknamed the Red Lions; Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuergesch Foussballnationalekipp, French: Équipe du Luxembourg de football, German: Luxemburgische Fußballnationalmannschaft) is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team plays most of its home matches at the Stade de Luxembourg in Luxembourg City.

Luxembourg
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)D'Roud Léiwen
Les Lions Rouges
Die Roten Löwen

(The Red Lions)
AssociationLuxembourg Football Federation
(Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Football)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachLuc Holtz
CaptainLaurent Jans
Most capsMario Mutsch / Laurent Jans (102)
Top scorerGerson Rodrigues (21)
Home stadiumStade de Luxembourg
FIFA codeLUX
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 87 Decrease 2 (4 April 2024)[1]
Highest82 (September 2018)
Lowest195 (August 2006)
First international
 Luxembourg 1–4 France 
(Luxembourg, Luxembourg; 29 October 1911)
Biggest win
 Luxembourg 6–0 Afghanistan 
(Brighton, England; 26 July 1948)
Biggest defeat
 Germany 9–0 Luxembourg 
(Berlin, Germany; 4 August 1936)
 Luxembourg 0–9 England 
(Luxembourg, Luxembourg; 19 October 1960)
 England 9–0 Luxembourg 
(London, England; 15 December 1982)
 Portugal 9–0 Luxembourg 
(Almancil, Portugal; 11 September 2023)

Luxembourg has participated in every FIFA World Cup qualifiers since those for the 1934 World Cup and in UEFA European Championship qualifiers since those for Euro 1964. As of 2024, they have never qualified for any of these major tournaments. Luxembourg is the nation with the most qualifying campaigns in both of these competitions without ever making it to the finals. However, they did compete in six Olympic football events between 1920 and 1952.[3]

History

The Luxembourg national football team in 1920 (above), and in 2015

Luxembourg played their first ever international match on 29 October 1911, in a friendly match against France; it resulted in a 1–4 defeat.[3] Their first victory came on 8 February 1914, also in a match against France, which they won 5–4.[3]

The national side of Luxembourg competed in six Olympic football events between 1920 and 1952, and survived the preliminary round twice (in 1948 and 1952).[3] In between, Luxembourg started participating at qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, but as of 2022 they have never qualified.

Starting in 1921, the Luxembourg national A-selection would play 239 unofficial international matches until 1981, mostly against other countries' B-teams like those of Belgium, France, Switzerland and West Germany, as well as a team representing South-Netherlands.[4]

The Luxembourg team in 1969, before a World Cup qualifier

After their last Olympic tournament in 1952, the national team also started playing in qualifying groups for UEFA European Championships, but could not reach the major European tournament end stages. The only time that the team was close to qualify was for a European or World Championship was for the Euro 1964. In the first qualification round they defeated the Netherlands with a score of 3–2 on aggregate after two matches. A Dutch newspaper commented this stunt after the second match with "David Luxembourg won with 2–1 [against Goliath Netherlands]".[5] In the round of eight, Luxembourg and Denmark fought for a spot in the final tournament. The winner was decided after three matches; Denmark was the winner with a total aggregate score of 6–5.

When the national team does win a competitive match, they are often celebrated by national media and fans, as was the case after a 2–1 win against Switzerland in 2008.[6][7]

On 3 September 2017, Luxembourg held France to a 0–0 draw at Stadium Municipal in Toulouse, France.[8] It was the first time France had failed to win against Luxembourg since 1914, when Luxembourg won, 5–4.[9][10] On 10 November 2017, Luxembourg pulled off an upset by defeating Hungary 2–1 in a friendly.[11]

On 28 March 2021, Luxembourg beat the Republic of Ireland in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match with a goal from Gerson Rodrigues in the 85th minute.[12][13] In 2023, Luxembourg achieved some of their best results in European Championship qualifying, finishing third in their group (of six teams) and qualifying for a play-off for a finals berth[14][15][16][17][18][19], but they lost 2–0 to Georgia.[20] Rodrigues also became the top goal scorer in the history of the national team, surpassing the 16-goal tally by Léon Mart, by scoring 5 goals during the qualifying process, also a record for a Luxembourgish player.[21][22]

Kit

Traditionally, the badge on Luxembourg's team outfit displays a shield very similar to Luxembourg's lesser coat of arms, a red lion on a white-blue striped background – hence the team's nickname Red Lions. In modern times, the team played home games in entirely red strips, in accordance with their nickname, and wore white as away colour.

Kit providerPeriod
Adidas1976–2005
Erreà2005–2007
Jako2008–2013
Adidas2014–2018
Macron2018–2022
Erreà2022–present

Home stadium

As of 1 September 2021, the Luxembourg national team adopted Luxembourg City's, Stade de Luxembourg the country's national stadium, as its home venue. Formerly, the team played at the Stade Josy Barthel, where, at counting in August 2015, it had played 235 games, including unofficial matches.[23] It is also used for rugby union and athletics.

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

2023

v  Malta
9 June 2023 Friendly Luxembourg  0–1  Malta Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
20:15 UTC+2Report
  • Nwoko 64'
Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 4,028
Referee: Eldorjan Hamiti (Albania)
v  Liechtenstein
17 June 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Luxembourg  2–0  Liechtenstein Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
15:00 UTC+2ReportStadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 6,806
Referee: Oleksii Derevinskyi (Ukraine)
v  Luxembourg
20 June 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Bosnia and Herzegovina  0–2  Luxembourg Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
20:45 UTC+2ReportStadium: Bilino Polje
Attendance: 8,600
Referee: Gal Leibovitz (Israel)
v  Iceland
8 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Luxembourg  3–1  Iceland Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
20:45 UTC+2ReportStadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 7,427
Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili (Georgia)
v  Luxembourg
11 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Portugal  9–0  Luxembourg Faro/Loulé, Portugal
19:45 UTC+1
ReportStadium: Estádio Algarve
Attendance: 18,932
Referee: John Brooks (England)
v  Luxembourg
13 October 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Iceland  1–1  Luxembourg Reykjavík, Iceland
18:45 UTC±0ReportStadium: Laugardalsvöllur
Attendance: 4,568
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (Austria)
v  Luxembourg
19 November 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Liechtenstein  0–1  Luxembourg Vaduz, Liechtenstein
20:45 UTC+1ReportStadium: Rheinpark Stadion
Attendance: 2,241
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (France)

2024

v  Kazakhstan
26 March 2024 Friendly Luxembourg  2–1  Kazakhstan Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
20:45 UTC+1ReportStadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 8,720
Referee: Christian Dingert (Germany)
v  Luxembourg
5 June 2024 Friendly France  v  Luxembourg Metz, France
21:00 UTC+2Stadium: Stade Saint-Symphorien
v  Luxembourg
8 June 2024 Friendly Belgium  v  Luxembourg Brussels, Belgium
20:00 UTC+1Stadium: King Baudouin Stadium
v  Luxembourg
12 October UEFA Nations League C Bulgaria  v  Luxembourg Bulgaria
19:00Stadium: TBA
v  Luxembourg
15 October UEFA Nations League C Belarus  v  Luxembourg TBD[25]
Stadium: TBD

Current staff

Luc Holtz, the current Luxembourg manager

The crew that guides the Luxembourg national team includes following members:[26]

PositionName
Technical Director Manuel Cardoni
Head coach Luc Holtz
Assistant coach Mario Mutsch
Goalkeeping coach Rui Forte
Fitness coach Claude Origer
Doctor Dr. Patrick Dang
Dr. Lara Heinz
Physiotherapists Erwan Deshoux
Gilles Hoffmann
Alexander Kähler
Video analyst Clément Gonin
Equipment manager Léon Huss
Jos Koecher
Romain Sailer

Coaching history

The following managers have been in charge of Luxembourg's national squad:[27]

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs match against Georgia on 21 March 2024 and the play-offs or friendly match on 26 March 2024.[28]

Caps and goals as of 26 March 2024 after the match against Kazakhstan.[29][30]

No.Pos.PlayerDate of birth (age)CapsGoalsClub
11GKAnthony Moris (1990-04-29) 29 April 1990 (age 33)650 Union SG
121GKRalph Schon (1990-01-20) 20 January 1990 (age 34)180 Wiltz 71
231GKTiago Pereira Cardoso (2006-04-07) 7 April 2006 (age 18)10 Borussia Mönchengladbach U19

32DFEnes Mahmutović (1997-05-22) 22 May 1997 (age 26)310 CSKA Sofia
132DFVahid Selimović (1997-04-03) 3 April 1997 (age 27)111 Željezničar
142DFSeid Korać (2001-10-20) 20 October 2001 (age 22)60 Vojvodina
182DFLaurent Jans (Captain) (1992-08-05) 5 August 1992 (age 31)1021 Waldhof Mannheim
202DFEldin Džogović (2003-06-08) 8 June 2003 (age 20)40 1. FC Magdeburg
222DFMarvin Martins (1995-02-17) 17 February 1995 (age 29)343 Austria Wien
2DFMaxime Chanot (1989-11-21) 21 November 1989 (age 34)694 Los Angeles FC
2DFMica Pinto (1993-06-04) 4 June 1993 (age 30)321 Vitesse

43MFFlorian Bohnert (1997-11-09) 9 November 1997 (age 26)451 Bastia
73MFLars Gerson (1990-02-05) 5 February 1990 (age 34)974 Kongsvinger
83MFChristopher Martins (1997-02-19) 19 February 1997 (age 27)661 Spartak Moscow
153MFOlivier Thill (1996-12-17) 17 December 1996 (age 27)433 LNZ Cherkasy
163MFLeandro Barreiro (2000-01-03) 3 January 2000 (age 24)562 Mainz 05
193MFMathias Olesen (2001-03-21) 21 March 2001 (age 23)201 Yverdon
213MFSébastien Thill (1993-12-29) 29 December 1993 (age 30)362 Stal Rzeszów

24FWDavid Jonathans (2004-01-26) 26 January 2004 (age 20)20 Bayern Munich II
54FWAlessio Curci (2002-02-16) 16 February 2002 (age 22)101 Francs Borains
64FWEdvin Muratović (1997-02-15) 15 February 1997 (age 27)151 Resovia
94FWDanel Sinani (1997-04-05) 5 April 1997 (age 27)6213 FC St. Pauli
104FWGerson Rodrigues (1995-06-20) 20 June 1995 (age 28)6121 Slovan Bratislava
114FWYvandro Borges Sanches (2004-05-24) 24 May 2004 (age 19)253 NEC
174FWAiman Dardari (2005-03-21) 21 March 2005 (age 19)20 Mainz 05 U19

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Luxembourg squad during last 12 months and are still eligible for selection.

Pos.PlayerDate of birth (age)CapsGoalsClubLatest call-up
GKTimothy Martin (2000-02-06) 6 February 2000 (age 24)00 Virtonv.  Malta, 9 June 2023

DFDirk Carlson (1998-04-01) 1 April 1998 (age 26)530 St. Pöltenv.  Liechtenstein, 19 November 2023
DFSofiane Ikene (2005-02-27) 27 February 2005 (age 19)10 1. FC Nürnbergv.  Portugal, 11 September 2023
DFTim Hall (1997-04-15) 15 April 1997 (age 27)40 Hanoiv.  Malta, 9 June 2023
DFFabio Lohei (2005-04-12) 12 April 2005 (age 19)20 Metzv.  Malta, 9 June 2023
DFMiguel Gonçalves (2004-08-18) 18 August 2004 (age 19)00 Gil Vicentev.  Malta, 9 June 2023

MFVincent Thill (2000-02-04) 4 February 2000 (age 24)533 Sabahv.  Liechtenstein, 19 November 2023
MFTimothé Rupil (2003-06-12) 12 June 2003 (age 20)100 Mainz 05 IIv.  Liechtenstein, 19 November 2023
MFRayan Berberi (2004-03-18) 18 March 2004 (age 20)00 Standard Liègev.  Malta, 9 June 2023

FWJames Alves Rodrigues (2004-05-06) 6 May 2004 (age 19)00 Veneziav.  Liechtenstein, 19 November 2023
FWLeon Elshan (2004-09-22) 22 September 2004 (age 19)00 Fortuna Sittardv.  Portugal, 11 September 2023
FWJayson Videira (2005-02-17) 17 February 2005 (age 19)00 Hannover 96v.  Iceland, 8 September 2023INJ
FWDejvid Sinani (1993-04-02) 2 April 1993 (age 31)30 F91 Dudelangev.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 20 June 2023

RET Player retired from the national team.

Player records

As of 26 March 2024.[31]
Players in bold are still active with Luxembourg.

Most capped players

RankPlayerCapsGoalsYears
1Mario Mutsch[a]10242005–2019
Laurent Jans[b]10212012–present
3Daniel da Mota[c]10072007–2021
4Jeff Strasser9871993–2010
5Lars Krogh Gerson[d]9742008–present
6René Peters[e]9232000–2013
7Jonathan Joubert9002006–2017
8Eric Hoffmann[f]8802002–2014
9Carlo Weis[g]8511978–1998
10Aurélien Joachim[h]80152005–2019

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerGoalsCapsRatioCareer
1Gerson Rodrigues21610.342017–present
2Léon Mart16240.671933–1945
3Gustave Kemp[i]15200.751938–1945
Aurélien Joachim[h]15800.192005–2019
5Camille Libar14240.581938–1947
6Nicolas Kettel[j]13560.231946–1959
Danel Sinani13620.212017–present
8François Müller[k]12270.441949–1954
9Léon Letsch11480.231947–1963
10Gilbert Dussier9390.231971–1978

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup recordQualification record
YearRoundPositionPldWD*LGFGAPldWDLGFGA
1930Did not enterDeclined invitation
1934Did not qualify2002215
1938200227
1950200248
19544004119
19584004319
19624103521
19666006620
19706006424
19746105214
19786006222
19828008123
19868008227
19908017322
19948017217
19988008222
2002100010428
2006120012548
201010127425
201410136726
201810136826
20228305818
2026To be determinedTo be determined
2030
2034
Total0/2214281012477451

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship recordQualifying record
YearRoundPositionPldWD*LGFGAPldWDLGFGA
1960Did not enterDeclined participation
1964Did not qualify513188
19686015118
19726015123
19766006728
19806015217
19848008536
19888017223
19926006214
199610316321
20008008223
20048008021
2008121011223
201210118321
201610118627
20208116716
2024115241321
2028To be determinedTo be determined
2032
Total0/17128131310264340

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
SeasonDivisionGroupPosPldWDLGFGAP/RRK
2018–19D22nd6312114 44th
2020–21C12nd631275 39th
2022–23C12nd632197 37th
2024–25C3To be determined
Total18945271637th

Olympic Games

Hectic phase during the goal-rich Olympic defeat against Belgium in 1928 (5–3)
Olympic Games record[3]
YearRoundPldWDLGFGASquad
1920Round 1100103Squad
1924Round 2100102Squad
1928Round 1100135Squad
1936100109Squad
1948210176Squad
1952210165Squad
Total82061630

All-time record

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against Kazakhstan, the Luxembourg national team playing record is as follows:[3]

Luxembourg's all-time international record, 1908–2024
OpponentsPlayedWonDrawn*LostGFGAGD% Won
 Albania7214410-629%
 Algeria1010000

0%

 Armenia1010000

0%

 Austria1100111046−360%
 Azerbaijan733186+243%
 Belarus12246513-817%
 Belgium9381471---9%
 Bosnia and Herzegovina9207718-1122%
 Bulgaria150213935−260%
 Cameroon100102-20%
 Canada200203-30%
 Cape Verde403113-20%
 Cyprus510448-420%
 Czechoslovakia10028736−290%
 Czech Republic210113−250%
 Denmark11029833−250%
 Egypt10101100%
 England1320111255−4315%
 Estonia301217-60%
 Faroe Islands612359-417%
 Finland5104412-820%
 France638946--13%
 Gambia110021+1100%
 Georgia511327-520%
 Germany223118--14%
 Greece9108317−1411%
 Hungary111191243−319%
 Iceland9144711-411%
 Israel9009334-310%
 Italy191117871−635%
 Japan100101-10%
 Kazakhstan110021+1100%
 Latvia7016420−160%
 Liechtenstein6213712-533%
 Lithuania641184+466%
 Madagascar10103300%
 Malta732255043%
 Mexico110021+1100%
 Moldova614163+317%
 Montenegro310226-433%
 Morocco300316-50%
 Netherlands242222--8%
 Nigeria100113-20%
 North Macedonia420268-250%
 Northern Ireland5113610-420%
 Norway133191026-1623%
 Poland7016526−210%
 Portugal221120--5%
 Qatar201112-10%
 Republic of Ireland7106317-1414%
 Romania6006121-200%
 Russia110011438−340%
 San Marino220060+6100%
 Saudi Arabia100112-10%
 Scotland5014112−110%
 Senegal10100000%
 Serbia4004511−60%
 Slovakia7115516-1114%
 Slovenia400419-80%
 South Korea210133050%
 Spain10019227−250%
 Sweden6015116−150%
  Switzerland355822--14%
 Togo10100000%
 Turkey9117918-911%
 United States100102-20%
 Ukraine5005113−120%
 Uruguay100101−10%
 Wales6006217−150%
 Yugoslavia10019530−250%

Footnotes

See also

References

External links