Wikiwand AI

Luxembourg national football team

Men's national association football team From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

Nickname(s)D'Rout Léiwen
Les Lions Rouges
Die Roten Löwen

(The Red Lions)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachJeff Strasser
Quick facts Nickname(s), Association ...
Luxembourg
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)D'Rout Léiwen
Les Lions Rouges
Die Roten Löwen

(The Red Lions)
AssociationFédération Luxembourgeoise de Football (FLF)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachJeff Strasser
CaptainLaurent Jans
Most capsLaurent Jans (124)
Top scorerGerson Rodrigues (23)
Home stadiumStade de Luxembourg
FIFA codeLUX
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 98 Steady (20 July 2026)[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)
Close

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 2026, 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.[2]

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.[2] Their first victory came on 8 February 1914, also in a match against France, which they won 5–4.[2]

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).[2] In between, Luxembourg participated in qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, but has 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.[3]

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 qualifying 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 called the shock after the second match "David Luxembourg beat Goliath Netherlands 2-1".[4] 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.[5][6]

On 3 September 2017, Luxembourg faced France in a goalless draw at Stadium Municipal in Toulouse, France.[7] It was the first time France had failed to win against Luxembourg since 1914, when Luxembourg won, 5–4.[8][9] On 10 November 2017, Luxembourg defeated Hungary 2–1 in a friendly victory.[10]

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.[11][12] 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,[13][14][15][16][17][18] but they lost 2–0 against Georgia.[19] Rodrigues also became the top goalscorer in the history of the national team, surpassing the 16-goal tally by Léon Mart, by scoring five goals during the qualifying process, a record for a Luxembourgian footballer.[20][21]

On 22 March 2025, Luxembourg showed improvement with a convincing victory against Sweden in a friendly match.[22][23]

Kit

More information Kit provider, Period ...
Kit provider Period
Germany Adidas 1976–2005
Italy Erreà 2005–2007
Germany Jako 2008–2013
Germany Adidas 2014–2018
Italy Macron 2018–2022
Italy Erreà 2022–present
Close

Home stadium

Stade de Luxembourg

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.[24]

Supporters

The M-Block Fanatics is a non-profit football supporters' association for the Luxembourg national football team. M-Block Fanatics was founded in 1995 and derives its name from the fact that originally they used to occupy the M-Block of the former National Stadium.

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

2025

4 September 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Luxembourg  1–3  Northern Ireland Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
20:45 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 9,214
Referee: Andris Treimanis (Latvia)
7 September 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Luxembourg  0–1  Slovakia Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
20:45 UTC+2 Report
Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 8,487
Referee: Nicholas Walsh (Scotland)
10 October 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Germany  4–0  Luxembourg Sinsheim, Germany
20:45 UTC+2
Report Stadium: PreZero Arena
Attendance: 25,249
Referee: Nenad Minaković (Serbia)
13 October 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovakia  2–0  Luxembourg Trnava, Slovakia
20:45 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Anton Malatinský Stadium
Attendance: 13,010
Referee: Rade Obrenović (Slovenia)
14 November 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Luxembourg  0–2  Germany Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
20:45 UTC+1 Report
Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 9,214
Referee: John Brooks (England)
17 November 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Northern Ireland  1–0  Luxembourg Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 UTC+0
Report Stadium: Windsor Park
Attendance: 18,037
Referee: Kristo Tohver (Estonia)

2026

26 March 2026 2024-25 Nations League Playoff C/D Malta  0–2  Luxembourg Ta' Qali, Malta
18:00 UTC+1 Report
Stadium: National Stadium
Attendance: 9,467
Referee: Irfan Peljto (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
31 March 2026 2024-25 Nations League Playoff C/D Luxembourg  3–0
(5–0 agg.)
 Malta Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
18:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 9,113
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)
3 June 2026 Friendly Luxembourg  0–1  Italy Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
20:45 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 9,214
Referee: Joey Kooij (Netherlands)
6 June 2026 Friendly Albania  0–1  Luxembourg Tirana, Albania
20:00 UTC+2 Report
Stadium: Arena Kombëtare
Attendance: 5,142
Referee: Genc Nuza (Kosovo)

Staff

Luc Holtz, the Luxembourg manager from 2010 to 2025

As of 2025, the staff of the Luxembourg national team includes the following members:[25]

More information Position, Name ...
Position Name
Technical director Luxembourg Manuel Cardoni
Head coach Luxembourg Jeff Strasser
Assistant coach Luxembourg Mario Mutsch
Goalkeeping coach Luxembourg Rui Forte
Fitness coach Luxembourg Claude Origer
Doctors Luxembourg Patrick Dang
Luxembourg Lara Heinz
Physiotherapists Germany Alexander Kähler
Luxembourg Erwan Deshoux
Luxembourg Gilles Hoffmann
Video analyst France Clément Gonin
Equipment manager Luxembourg Léon Huss
Luxembourg Jos Koecher
Luxembourg Romain Sailer
Close

Coaching history

The following managers have been in charge of Luxembourg's national squad:[26]

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Italy and Albania on 3 and 6 June 2026.[27]

Caps and goals as of 6 June 2026 after the match against Albania.[28]

More information No., Pos. ...
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Tiago Pereira Cardoso (2006-04-07) 7 April 2006 (age 20) 8 0 German Football Association Borussia Mönchengladbach
12 1GK Lucas Fox (2000-10-02) 2 October 2000 (age 25) 0 0 German Football Association 1. FC Bocholt
23 1GK Tim Kips (2000-11-01) 1 November 2000 (age 25) 0 0 German Football Association Phönix Lübeck
1GK Anthony Moris (1990-04-29) 29 April 1990 (age 36) 82 0 Saudi Arabian Football Federation Al-Khaleej

2 2DF Seid Korać (2001-10-20) 20 October 2001 (age 24) 23 2 Italian Football Federation Hellas Verona
3 2DF Enes Mahmutović (1997-05-22) 22 May 1997 (age 29) 44 0 Royal Dutch Football Association NAC Breda
4 2DF Florian Bohnert (1997-11-09) 9 November 1997 (age 28) 63 1 French Football Federation Bastia
5 2DF Vahid Selimović (1997-04-03) 3 April 1997 (age 29) 15 1 Georgian Football Federation Iberia 1999
13 2DF Dirk Carlson (1998-04-01) 1 April 1998 (age 28) 73 0 Austrian Football Association St. Pölten
14 2DF Eric Veiga (1997-02-18) 18 February 1997 (age 29) 10 0 Albanian Football Federation Flamurtari
17 2DF Mica Pinto (1993-06-04) 4 June 1993 (age 33) 43 1 Royal Dutch Football Association Dordrecht
18 2DF Laurent Jans (Captain) (1992-08-05) 5 August 1992 (age 34) 124 1 Royal Belgian Football Association Beveren
2DF Helmer Tavares (2007-04-27) 27 April 2007 (age 19) 0 0 Royal Spanish Football Federation RC Alcobendas

6 3MF Tomás Moreira (2005-06-26) 26 June 2005 (age 21) 16 1 Portuguese Football Federation Benfica B
8 3MF Christopher Martins (1997-02-19) 19 February 1997 (age 29) 83 1 Russian Football Union Spartak Moscow
16 3MF Miguel Gonçalves (2004-08-18) 18 August 2004 (age 21) 2 0 German Football Association FC 08 Homburg
19 3MF Mathias Olesen (2001-03-21) 21 March 2001 (age 25) 39 2 Austrian Football Association Grazer AK
21 3MF Sébastien Thill (1993-12-29) 29 December 1993 (age 32) 47 2 Luxembourg Football Federation Differdange 03
22 3MF Enzo Duarte (2009-06-28) 28 June 2009 (age 17) 5 0 German Football Association Borussia Dortmund II

7 4FW Aiman Dardari (2005-03-21) 21 March 2005 (age 21) 13 1 German Football Association Greuther Fürth
9 4FW Alessio Curci (2002-02-16) 16 February 2002 (age 24) 20 1 Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan Neftçi
10 4FW Danel Sinani (1997-04-05) 5 April 1997 (age 29) 82 16 German Football Association FC St. Pauli
11 4FW Edvin Muratović (1997-02-15) 15 February 1997 (age 29) 22 1 Lithuanian Football Federation Panevėžys
15 4FW Vincent Thill (2000-02-04) 4 February 2000 (age 26) 61 5 German Football Association Waldhof Mannheim
20 4FW Hamza Kadamani (2009-09-13) 13 September 2009 (age 16) 2 0 French Football Federation Metz
4FW Leon Elshan (2004-09-22) 22 September 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Luxembourg Football Federation Jeunesse Esch
Close

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available and eligible for selection.

More information Pos., Player ...
Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Eldin Džogović (2003-06-08) 8 June 2003 (age 23) 13 0 Germany 1. FC Magdeburg v.  Malta, 31 March 2026
DF Marvin Martins (1995-02-17) 17 February 1995 (age 31) 41 3 Latvia Liepāja v.  Northern Ireland, 17 November 2025

MF Diego Duarte (2006-05-03) 3 May 2006 (age 20) 1 0 Belgium Seraing v.  Italy, 3 June 2026U21
MF Leandro Barreiro (2000-01-03) 3 January 2000 (age 26) 73 2 Portugal Benfica v.  Malta, 31 March 2026
MF Olivier Thill (1996-12-17) 17 December 1996 (age 29) 48 3 Luxembourg Käerjéng 97 v.  Northern Ireland, 17 November 2025
MF Mirza Mustafić (1998-06-20) 20 June 1998 (age 28) 1 0 Indonesia Bali United v.  Northern Ireland, 17 November 2025

FW Yvandro Borges Sanches (2004-05-24) 24 May 2004 (age 22) 29 3 Netherlands Heracles Almelo v.  Italy, 3 June 2026INJ
FW Jayson Videira (2005-02-17) 17 February 2005 (age 21) 3 0 Germany Mainz 05 II v.  Malta, 31 March 2026
FW Kenan Avdusinovic (1998-03-03) 3 March 1998 (age 28) 1 0 Luxembourg Progrès Niederkorn v.  Northern Ireland, 17 November 2025
FW Adulai Djabi Embalo (2005-06-20) 20 June 2005 (age 21) 1 0 Italy Virtus Entella v.  Northern Ireland, 17 November 2025

Notes
  • PRE = Preliminary squad/standby.
  • INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury.
  • WD = Player withdrew from the current squad due to non-injury issue.
  • U21 = Player joined under-21 team after opening game of window.
Close

Player records

As of 6 June 2026[29]

Players in bold are still active with Luxembourg.

Most capped players

Laurent Jans is Luxembourg's most capped player with 124 appearances.
More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Caps Goals Years
1 Laurent Jans[a] 124 1 2012–present
2 Mario Mutsch[b] 102 4 2005–2019
3 Daniel da Mota[c] 100 7 2007–2021
Lars Gerson[d] 100 4 2008–present
5 Jeff Strasser 98 7 1993–2010
6 René Peters[e] 92 3 2000–2013
7 Jonathan Joubert 90 0 2006–2017
8 Eric Hoffmann[f] 88 0 2002–2014
9 Carlo Weis[g] 85 1 1978–1998
10 Christopher Martins 83 1 2014–present
Close

Top goalscorers

Gerson Rodrigues is Luxembourg's top scorer with 23 goals.
More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Gerson Rodrigues 23 72 0.32 2017–2025
2 Léon Mart 16 24 0.67 1933–1945
Danel Sinani 16 82 0.2 2017–present
4 Gustave Kemp[h] 15 20 0.75 1938–1945
Aurélien Joachim[i] 15 80 0.19 2005–2019
6 Camille Libar 14 24 0.58 1938–1947
7 Nicolas Kettel[j] 13 56 0.23 1946–1959
8 François Müller[k] 12 27 0.44 1949–1954
9 Léon Letsch 11 48 0.23 1947–1963
10 Gilbert Dussier 9 39 0.23 1971–1978
Close

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

More information FIFA World Cup record, Qualification record ...
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter Declined invitation
Italy 1934 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 2 15
France 1938 2 0 0 2 2 7
Brazil 1950 2 0 0 2 4 8
Switzerland 1954 4 0 0 4 1 19
Sweden 1958 4 0 0 4 3 19
Chile 1962 4 1 0 3 5 21
England 1966 6 0 0 6 6 20
Mexico 1970 6 0 0 6 4 24
West Germany 1974 6 1 0 5 2 14
Argentina 1978 6 0 0 6 2 22
Spain 1982 8 0 0 8 1 23
Mexico 1986 8 0 0 8 2 27
Italy 1990 8 0 1 7 3 22
United States 1994 8 0 1 7 2 17
France 1998 8 0 0 8 2 22
South Korea Japan 2002 10 0 0 10 4 28
Germany 2006 12 0 0 12 5 48
South Africa 2010 10 1 2 7 4 25
Brazil 2014 10 1 3 6 7 26
Russia 2018 10 1 3 6 8 26
Qatar 2022 8 3 0 5 8 18
Canada Mexico United States 2026 6 0 0 6 1 13
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/23 148 8 10 130 78 464
Close

UEFA European Championship

More information UEFA European Championship record, Qualifying record ...
UEFA European Championship record Qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Did not enter Declined participation
Spain 1964 Did not qualify 5 1 3 1 8 8
Italy 1968 6 0 1 5 1 18
Belgium 1972 6 0 1 5 1 23
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 6 0 0 6 7 28
Italy 1980 6 0 1 5 2 17
France 1984 8 0 0 8 5 36
West Germany 1988 8 0 1 7 2 23
Sweden 1992 6 0 0 6 2 14
England 1996 10 3 1 6 3 21
Belgium Netherlands 2000 8 0 0 8 2 23
Portugal 2004 8 0 0 8 0 21
Austria Switzerland 2008 12 1 0 11 2 23
Poland Ukraine 2012 10 1 1 8 3 21
France 2016 10 1 1 8 6 27
European Union 2020 8 1 1 6 7 16
Germany 2024 11 5 2 4 13 21
England Scotland Republic of Ireland Wales 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total 0/17 128 13 13 102 64 340
Close

UEFA Nations League

More information UEFA Nations League record, League phase ...
UEFA Nations League record
League phase Promotion/Relegation play-offs
Season Division Group Pos Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK Pld W D L GF GA
2018–19 D 2 2nd6312114Rise44th
2020–21 C 1 2nd631275Same position39th
2022–23 C 1 2nd632197Same position37th
2024–25 C 3 4th 6 0 3 3 3 7 Same position 46th 2 2 0 0 5 0
Total18945271637th 2 2 0 0 5 0
Close

Olympic Games

Hectic phase during the goal-rich Olympic defeat against Belgium in 1928 (5–3)
More information Olympic Games record, Year ...
Olympic Games record[2]
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Belgium 1920Round 1100103Squad
France 1924Round 2100102Squad
Netherlands 1928Round 1100135Squad
Nazi Germany 1936100109Squad
United Kingdom 1948210176Squad
Finland 1952210165Squad
Total82061630
Close

Head to head record

As of 6 June 2026 after the match against Albania, the Luxembourg national team playing record is as follows:[2]

More information Opponent, P ...
Close

Footnotes

  1. Laurent Jans also played in Luxembourg's match against Belgium in 2014, but Belgium used seven substitutions, rendering the match unofficial according to FIFA regulations.
  2. Mario Mutsch also played in Luxembourg's match against Belgium in 2014, but Belgium used seven substitutions, rendering the match unofficial according to FIFA regulations.
  3. Daniel da Mota also played in Luxembourg's match against Belgium in 2014, but Belgium used seven substitutions, rendering the match unofficial according to FIFA regulations.
  4. Lars Gerson also played in Luxembourg's match against Belgium in 2014, but Belgium used 7 substitutions, rendering the match unofficial according to FIFA regulations.
  5. René Peters also played and scored against Faroe Islands in 2004, but this was not recognised as a full A-international by FIFA.
  6. Eric Hoffmann also played and scored against Faroe Islands in 2004, but this was not recognised as a full senior international match by FIFA.
  7. Carlo Weis also played in three matches against France Amateur, West Germany B and France B, but these are not recognised as full senior international matches by FIFA.
  8. Gustave Kemp also played a match at the 1936 Summer Olympics, but this was not recognised as a full senior international match by FIFA.
  9. Aurélien Joachim also played and scored in Luxembourg's match against Belgium in 2014, but Belgium used seven substitutions, rendering the match unofficial according to FIFA regulations.
  10. Nicolas Kettel also played and scored at the 1948 Summer Olympics, however these matches are not recognised as full A-internationals by FIFA.
  11. François Müller also played at the 1952 Summer Olympics, however these matches are not recognised as full A-internationals by FIFA.

See also

References

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks