European Union
Besides qualifying for euro 2008 or World Cup 2010 there are also international friendly matches.
Estonia vs Finland LIVE
Match scheduled:
Date: 21-05-2010
Time: 16:00 until 18:00
Friendly Match
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 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifiers. In the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, Estonia achieved notoriety when a home game against Scotland would be called off in bizarre circumstances.[1] The replay in Monaco finished 0–0; goalkeeper Mart Poom earned a move to Derby County soon afterwards, with a move to Arsenal later on. The team's best FIFA World Ranking is that of 60th in December 2002. This allowed Estonia's players to be granted a work visa by the British Home Office to play in the Premier League.[2]
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, almost sending them to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. During the 2006 qualifiers Estonia played 1-1 against Russia in Tallinn, and this result is considered one of the greatest in Estonian football history. Also, the 0-0 draw against Turkey in the latest 2010 World Cup qualifiers is worth mentioning. Estonia have a number of players who have amassed an astonishing number of caps, including Mart Poom, Andres Oper, Marko Kristal and Martin Reim.
[edit] Stadium
The main stadium for home matches is A. Le Coq Arena, the stadium named after a beer made in Estonia. The stadium was opened in 2001 and the first match was against the Netherlands, which Estonia lost 4–2. It is planned to add two more stories and complete the roof in the future.
The Estonian team also plays some of their matches at Kuressaare Linnastaadion. In the near future, Linnastaadion will be replaced by a new stadium to host the games of FC Kuressaare and to be the back-up stadium for the Estonian team. When the stadium is complete, Estonia hopes to host the 2011 and 2013 European Championships for different age class youth national teams.
