Moldova national under-21 football team

Moldova Under-21
Nickname(s)	Tricolorii mici (The Young Tricolours)
Association	Moldovan Football Federation (FMF)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Ștefan Stoica
Captain	Artiom Dijinari
Home stadium	Zimbru Stadium; Nisporeni Central Stadium
FIFA code	MDA
First colours	Second colours
First international
	Moldova 0–1 Belarus ; (Chișinău, Moldova; 30 August 1992)
Biggest win
	Moldova 5–1 Georgia ; (Valletta, Malta; 27 February 2006); Gibraltar 0–4 Moldova ; (Gibraltar; 29 March 2022)
Biggest defeat
	Greece 8–0 Moldova ; (Sparta, Greece; 23 October 1996)
Website	fmf.md (in Romanian)

The Moldova national under-21 football team represents Moldova in international football at this age level and is controlled by the Moldovan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Moldova. The team is considered to be the feeder team for the senior Moldovan national football team. The team competes to qualify for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, held every two years. Since the establishment of the Moldovan under-21 team, the under-21 side has never reached a final tournament of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, but has produced many players, who have become regular internationals for the senior side. The team is coached by Ștefan Stoica.^[1]^[2]

This team is for Moldovan players aged 21 or under at the start of a two-year European Under-21 Championship campaign, so players can be, and often are, up to 23 years old. Players born on or after 1 January 2002 are eligible for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification.

Moldova U21s began their first competitive campaign in 1994, in which they tried to qualify for the 1996 finals. They eventually finished fourth in a five-team group, with two wins out of eight games. The U-21 team plays its home matches in many different venues all around the country, including Chișinău, Orhei and Tiraspol.

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

2023

21 November 2023 (2023-11-21) 2025 UEFA Euro Under-21 qualifying	Moldova	1–2	Gibraltar	Chișinău, Moldova
	Mișcov 80'	Report	Borge 29' (pen.) Carrington 57'	Stadium: Stadionul Zimbru Attendance: 759 Referee: Ashot Ghaltakhchyan (Armenia)

2024

21 March 2024 (2024-03-21) Friendly	Hungary	2–0	Moldova	Budapest, Hungary
	Kerezsi 54' Jurek 90+2'	Report		Stadium: Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion Attendance: 800 Referee: Walter Altmann (Austria)

25 March 2024 (2024-03-25) 2025 UEFA Euro Under-21 qualifying	Moldova	0–3	Netherlands	Chișinău, Moldova
		Report	Rensch 7' Manhoef 45+1' Van Bommel 49'	Stadium: Stadionul Zimbru Attendance: 1,473 Referee: Henrik Nalbandyan (Armenia)

11 June 2024 (2024-06-11) Friendly	Slovakia	0–1	Moldova	Senec, Slovakia
		Report	Răileanu 19' (pen.)	Stadium: NTC Senec Attendance: 338 Referee: Jakob Semler (Austria)

5 September 2024 (2024-09-05) 2025 UEFA Euro Under-21 qualifying	Georgia	3–0	Moldova	Batumi, Georgia
	Mamageishvili 14' Kvernadze 49' Abuashvili 72'	Report		Stadium: Adjarabet Arena Attendance: 5,250 Referee: Radoslav Gidzhenov (Bulgaria)

10 September 2024 (2024-09-10) 2025 UEFA Euro Under-21 qualifying	Moldova	0–0	Sweden	Nisporeni, Moldova
		Report		Stadium: Nisporeni Central Stadium Attendance: 2,070 Referee: Sayat Karabayev (Kazakhstan)

11 October 2024 (2024-10-11) 2025 UEFA Euro Under-21 qualifying	North Macedonia	2–1	Moldova	Skopje, North Macedonia
	Feta 11' Kamberi 90+4'	Report	Răileanu 90+5'	Stadium: Petar Miloševski Training Centre Attendance: 280 Referee: Martin Dohal (Slovakia)

15 November 2024 (2024-11-15) Friendly	Albania	1–1	Moldova	Tirana, Albania
	Rashica 10' (pen.)	Report	Costin 79'	Stadium: Vora Stadium Referee: Ermis Çelaj (Albania)

18 November 2024 (2024-11-18) Friendly	Albania	v	Moldova	Tirana, Albania
		Report		Stadium: Vora Stadium

2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification

Group C

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Netherlands	10	10	0	0	32	3	+29	30	Final tournament
2	Georgia	10	6	1	3	14	10	+4	19	Play-offs
3	Sweden	10	5	2	3	25	10	+15	17
4	North Macedonia	10	4	0	6	8	15	−7	12
5	Moldova	10	2	1	7	7	20	−13	7
6	Gibraltar	10	1	0	9	3	31	−28	3

Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

Position	Staff
Head coach	Ștefan Stoica
Assistant coach	Simeon Bulgaru
Goalkeeping coach	Serghei Botnaraș

Last updated: 11 October 2024
Source: FMF

Manager history

Coach	Nat.	Period
Anatol Teslev		1995–1996
Alexandru Spiridon		2000–2001
Alexandru Guzun		2002–2003
Vladimir Vusatîi		2003–2004
Boris Tropaneț		2004–2007
Ilie Carp		2007–2008
Sergiu Chirilov		2008–2011
Alexandru Curtianu		2011–2014
Igor Ursachi		2014–2015
Dănuț Oprea		2015–2017
Serghei Cleșcenco		2019–2020
Alexandru Guzun		2020
Ștefan Stoica		2021–present

Players

Current squad

The following players were selected for the friendly matches against Albania on 15 and 18 November 2024.

Caps and goals are correct as of 15 November 2024, after the match against Albania.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Victor Dodon	(2004-03-01) 1 March 2004 (age 20)	5	0	Petrocub Hîncești
12	1GK	Daniel Vîrlan	(2005-09-18) 18 September 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Spartanii Sportul
23	1GK	Artur Nazarciuc	(2004-01-06) 6 January 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Bălți

3	2DF	Cristian Martin	(2004-12-22) 22 December 2004 (age 19)	1	0	Gilortul Târgu Cărbunești
4	2DF	Vlad Coliș	(2004-01-24) 24 January 2004 (age 20)	3	0	Dacia Buiucani
5	2DF	Artiom Dijinari (captain)	(2005-10-26) 26 October 2005 (age 19)	5	0	Sheriff Tiraspol U19
15	2DF	Danila Forov	(2004-01-07) 7 January 2004 (age 20)	3	0	Sheriff Tiraspol
19	2DF	Vladislav Costin	(2004-02-24) 24 February 2004 (age 20)	1	1	Sheriff-2 Tiraspol

2	3MF	Vitalie Dumbrava	(2004-04-23) 23 April 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Dacia Buiucani
6	3MF	Alexandru Gău	(2004-01-27) 27 January 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Bălți
7	3MF	Ștefan Bîtca	(2005-09-25) 25 September 2005 (age 19)	3	0	Zimbru Chișinău
8	3MF	Cristian Păscăluță	(2005-09-08) 8 September 2005 (age 19)	7	0	Spartanii Sportul
13	3MF	Vasile Luchița	(2004-07-16) 16 July 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Milsami Orhei
16	3MF	Marius Ursu	(2005-01-01) 1 January 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Bacău
17	3MF	Serghei Țurcan	(2004-07-27) 27 July 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Spartanii Sportul
18	3MF	Vasile Bîtlan	(2004-01-31) 31 January 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Fratria
20	3MF	Daniele Grosu	(2005-11-20) 20 November 2005 (age 18)	1	0	Treviso

9	4FW	Vlad Lupașco	(2005-02-11) 11 February 2005 (age 19)	7	0	Dacia Buiucani
10	4FW	Mihai Lupan	(2004-09-08) 8 September 2004 (age 20)	10	1	Petrocub Hîncești
11	4FW	Nicu Rotaru	(2005-12-19) 19 December 2005 (age 18)	3	0	Spartanii Sportul
14	4FW	Victor Ciumașu	(2005-06-24) 24 June 2005 (age 19)	2	0	Bacău
24	4FW	Veaceslav Cozma	(2005-03-01) 1 March 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Sheriff Tiraspol U19

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Roman Lazăr	(2004-01-14) 14 January 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Reggina	v. Albania, 15 November 2024 ^PRE
GK	Silviu Șmalenea	(2002-12-09) 9 December 2002 (age 21)	13	0	Petrocub Hîncești	v. North Macedonia, 11 October 2024
GK	Nicolae Danko Ciobanu	(2005-12-06) 6 December 2005 (age 18)	0	0	Livorno	v. Slovakia, 11 June 2024
GK	Roman Dumenco	(2004-07-30) 30 July 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Sheriff-2 Tiraspol	v. Netherlands, 25 March 2024

DF	Leo Saca	(2007-01-03) 3 January 2007 (age 17)	7	0	Barcelona Atlètic	v. Albania, 15 November 2024 ^INJ
DF	Danis Baciu	(2005-02-01) 1 February 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Dacia Buiucani	v. North Macedonia, 11 October 2024
DF	Cătălin Cucoș	(2003-09-29) 29 September 2003 (age 21)	14	0	Zimbru Chișinău	v. North Macedonia, 11 October 2024
DF	Iurie Iovu	(2002-07-06) 6 July 2002 (age 22)	18	1	Istra 1961	v. North Macedonia, 11 October 2024
DF	Doru Calestru	(2002-11-15) 15 November 2002 (age 22)	13	0	Akritas Chlorakas	v. North Macedonia, 11 October 2024
DF	Ion Borș	(2002-07-25) 25 July 2002 (age 22)	18	1	Petrocub Hîncești	v. North Macedonia, 11 October 2024 ^INJ
DF	Andrei Motoc	(2002-12-13) 13 December 2002 (age 21)	13	0	Athens Kallithea	v. Slovakia, 11 June 2024
DF	Cornelius Staver	(2003-03-08) 8 March 2003 (age 21)	5	0	Pescara	v. Gibraltar, 21 November 2023

MF	Tudor Butucel	(2003-08-14) 14 August 2003 (age 21)	4	0	1599 Șelimbăr	v. North Macedonia, 11 October 2024
MF	Vicu Bulmaga	(2003-07-05) 5 July 2003 (age 21)	16	0	Isloch Minsk	v. North Macedonia, 11 October 2024
MF	Vlad Răileanu	(2003-01-09) 9 January 2003 (age 21)	9	5	Zimbru Chișinău	v. North Macedonia, 11 October 2024
MF	Daniel Danu	(2002-08-26) 26 August 2002 (age 22)	11	0	Chindia Târgoviște	v. Sweden, 10 September 2024
MF	Ilie Botnari	(2003-07-25) 25 July 2003 (age 21)	9	0	Pirin Blagoevgrad	v. Sweden, 10 September 2024
MF	Daniel Lisu	(2002-04-02) 2 April 2002 (age 22)	16	0	Milsami Orhei	v. Netherlands, 25 March 2024
MF	Mihai Dolghi	(2002-07-08) 8 July 2002 (age 22)	10	0	CSM Reșița	v. Netherlands, 25 March 2024
MF	Nichita Covali	(2002-09-07) 7 September 2002 (age 22)	8	0	Zimbru Chișinău	v. Netherlands, 25 March 2024
MF	Vladislav Zavalișca	(2003-01-23) 23 January 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Milsami Orhei	v. Gibraltar, 21 November 2023
MF	Mihai Morozan	(2004-03-22) 22 March 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Zimbru Chișinău	v. Gibraltar, 21 November 2023

FW	Sorin Chele	(2003-09-22) 22 September 2003 (age 21)	4	0	Milsami Orhei	v. Slovakia, 11 June 2024
FW	Vladimir Fratea	(2003-07-27) 27 July 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Spartakos Kitiou	v. Gibraltar, 21 November 2023
FW	Serghei Mișcov	(2003-04-25) 25 April 2003 (age 21)	6	1	Edineț	v. Gibraltar, 21 November 2023
^INJ Withdrew due to injury ^PRE Preliminary squad / standby ^SUS Serving suspension ^WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Competition history

UEFA European Under-21 Championship

UEFA U-21 European Championship										UEFA U-21 Qualification record^[3]
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Campaign
1996	Did not qualify									8	2	2	4	5	11	1996
1998										8	1	1	6	5	17	1998
2000										8	0	4	4	3	10	2000
2002										10	2	3	5	6	13	2002
2004										8	0	2	6	3	14	2004
2006										10	3	2	5	8	12	2006
2007										4	1	2	1	4	5	2007	2007
2009										8	4	0	4	6	8	2009
2011										10	4	2	4	9	13	2011
2013										8	2	1	5	10	24	2013
2015										10	5	1	4	12	6	2015
2017										10	2	1	7	8	18	2017
2019										10	2	1	7	8	23	2019
2021										8	2	1	5	6	22	2021
2023										10	3	3	4	7	12	2023
2025										10	2	1	7	7	20	2025
2027	Future event
Total	0/16									140	35	27	78	107	228

Head-to-head record

Only competitive matches are included and correct as of 11 October 2024.^[4]

Opponents	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Albania	2	1	0	1	5	5	0
Andorra	2	2	0	0	4	1	+3
Armenia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Austria	2	0	0	2	0	2	−2
Azerbaijan	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1
Belarus	6	2	1	3	8	12	−4
Belgium	4	1	0	3	3	8	−5
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2	0	1	1	1	5	−4
Bulgaria	4	0	2	2	0	4	−4
Croatia	2	0	0	2	0	7	−7
Cyprus	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Czech Republic	6	0	0	6	3	16	−13
Denmark	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
England	5	0	1	4	2	9	−7
Estonia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Faroe Islands	2	1	1	0	2	1	+1
Finland	4	1	1	2	2	3	−1
France	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Georgia	6	1	1	4	2	9	−7
Germany	8	1	1	6	4	20	−16
Gibraltar	4	3	0	1	9	3	+6
Greece	2	0	0	2	1	7	−6
Hungary	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Iceland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Israel	2	1	0	1	1	1	0
Italy	4	0	0	4	0	11	−11
Kazakhstan	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1
Kosovo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Latvia	4	2	1	1	4	4	0
Liechtenstein	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lithuania	2	2	0	0	6	0	+6
Luxembourg	2	2	0	0	4	0	+4
Malta	2	0	1	1	2	3	−1
Montenegro	2	1	0	1	1	1	0
Netherlands	6	0	2	4	2	14	−12
North Macedonia	4	2	0	2	6	5	+1
Northern Ireland	4	0	2	2	1	5	−4
Norway	2	1	0	1	3	4	−1
Poland	4	2	0	2	8	8	0
Portugal	2	0	0	2	0	7	−7
Republic of Ireland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Romania	2	0	0	2	0	4	−4
Russia	4	0	1	3	3	14	−11
San Marino	4	4	0	0	8	0	+8
Scotland	2	0	2	0	0	0	0
Serbia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Slovakia	2	0	1	1	0	3	−3
Slovenia	2	0	0	2	1	4	−3
Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sweden	4	0	1	3	0	9	−9
Switzerland	3	0	1	2	2	7	−5
Turkey	4	0	2	2	3	6	−3
Ukraine	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wales	8	3	2	3	4	6	−2
Total	140	35	27	78	107	228	−121