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Serbia national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Serbia women's national football team.

Serbia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Орлови / [Оrlovi] Error: {{Lang}}: Non-latn text (pos 1)/Latn script subtag mismatch (help)
(The Eagles)
AssociationFootball Association of Serbia
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachDragan Stojković
CaptainDušan Tadić
Most capsBranislav Ivanović (105)
Top scorerAleksandar Mitrović (44)
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeSRB
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 32 Steady (19 December 2024)[1]
Highest6 (December 1998)
Lowest101 (December 1994)
First international
 Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920)
as Serbia
 Czech Republic 1–3 Serbia 
(Uherské Hradiště, Czech Republic; 18 August 2006)
Biggest win
 Yugoslavia 10–0 Venezuela 
(Curitiba, Brazil; 14 June 1972)
as Serbia
 Azerbaijan 1–6 Serbia 
(Baku, Azerbaijan; 17 October 2007)
 Serbia 6–1 Bulgaria 
(Belgrade, Serbia; 19 November 2008)
 Serbia 5–0 Romania 
(Belgrade, Serbia; 10 October 2009)
 Serbia 6–1 Wales 
(Novi Sad, Serbia; 11 September 2012)
 Serbia 5–0 Russia 
(Belgrade, Serbia; 18 November 2020)
Biggest defeat
 Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920)
 Uruguay 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Paris, France; 26 May 1924)
 Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Prague, Czechoslovakia; 28 October 1925)
as Serbia
 Ukraine 5–0 Serbia 
(Lviv, Ukraine 7 June 2019)
World Cup
Appearances12 (first in 1930)
Best resultFourth place (1930, 1962)
UEFA European Championship
Appearances5 (first in 1960)
Best resultRunners-up (1960, 1968)
Medal record
UEFA European Championship
Silver medal – second place 1960 France Team
Silver medal – second place 1968 Italy Team
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome Team
Silver medal – second place 1948 London Team
Silver medal – second place 1952 Helsinki Team
Silver medal – second place 1956 Melbourne Team
Bronze medal – third place 1984 Los Angeles Team
Balkan Cup
Gold medal – first place 1934–35 Greece Team
Gold medal – first place 1935 Bulgaria Team
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 1971 Izmir Team
Gold medal – first place 1979 Split Team

The Serbia national football team (Template:Lang-sr) represents Serbia in men's international football competition. It is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia.

After the breakup of SFR Yugoslavia and its football team in 1992 Serbia was represented (alongside Montenegro) within the new FR Yugoslavia national football team. Despite qualifying for Euro 92 the team was banned from participating in the tournament due to international sanctions, with the ruling also enforced for World Cup 94 and Euro 96 qualifiers. The national team played its first friendly in December 1994, and with the easing of sanctions the golden generation of the 1990s eventually participated at World Cup 98, reaching the Round of 16 and the Quarter-finals at Euro 2000. The national team played in the 2006, 2010 and 2018 FIFA World Cup tournaments but failing to progress past the group stage on each occasion. They are due to participate in the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Between February 2003 and June 2006 Serbia participated as Serbia and Montenegro due to the countries name change. Following a 2006 referendum Montenegro declared its independence, leading to separate football federations which resulted in the teams final renaming and establishment as the sovereign Serbia national football team.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

Serbia is considered by FIFA and UEFA to be the official successor of both the Kingdom of Yugoslavia/SFR Yugoslavia, and FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro national football teams.[17][18][19][20][21][22]

History

Serbia within Yugoslavia (1920–1992)

Yugoslavia at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, featured an all Serbian team following a boycott by Croat and Slovene representatives.
Main article: History of the Serbia national football team
See also: Yugoslavia national football team

The Football Federation of what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia) was founded in Zagreb in 1919 under the name Jugoslavenski nogometni savez (Yugoslavian Football Association). Jovan Ružić was the first Serb to represent the national team in its international debut match, a 7-0 drubbing by Czechoslovakia at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.[23]

In 1921 the Belgrade Football Subassociation organised a friendly match between the France national football team and a Belgrade XI, dubbed the "Serbian representatives". The team featured footballers from SK Jugoslavija and BSK, the two strongest Serbian clubs of the interwar period. The French delegation were on a four-game tour of Yugoslavia with the last exhibition game being played in Belgrade's SK Jugoslavija Stadium on July 3. Prince Regent Aleksandar I and FIFA President Jules Rimet were in attendance as the visitors triumphed 3–0.[24]

In the lead-up to the 1930 FIFA World Cup a dispute regarding the relocation of the FAs headquarters from Zagreb to the capital Belgrade erupted, culminating in a boycott by the Zagreb Subassociation which disallowed its members to participate in the upcoming tournament. The de facto Serbian team led by coach Boško Simonović, composed largely of players from Belgrade's BSK, SK Jugoslavija and BASK, reached the semi-final, losing controversially to hosts and eventual winners Uruguay 6–1.[25][26][27] The royal interbellum era featured noteworthy Serbian footballers such as Blagoje Marjanović, Aleksandar Tirnanić, Milorad Arsenijević, Đorđe Vujadinović, Branislav Sekulić and Milutin Ivković. Due to the dismemberment of Yugoslavia during World War II the football federation and national team ceased activities but reformed following the end of hostilities.

In 1945 Svetislav Glišović led the first unofficial national team representing the Federal State of Serbia in a tournament held to mark the end of World War II.[28] The Serbian team encompassing the newly established Red Star squad won its first game by beating FS Montenegro 2–1, FS Croatia 3–1 in the semi-final, then proceeding to win the tournament against the Yugoslav People's Army team 1–0 in Belgrade.[29][30]

The reconstituted Yugoslavia achieved its best performance reaching the UEFA European Championship finals in 1960 and 1968, and finishing fourth place at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. During its existence Serbian footballers would continually play a pivotal role in the Yugoslav national team throughout the socialist era, with the likes of Rajko Mitić, Branko Stanković, Vladimir Beara, Vujadin Boškov, Todor Veselinović, Miloš Milutinović,  Borivoje Kostić, Milan Galić, Vladimir Durković,  Velibor Vasović, Dragan Džajić, Jovan Aćimović,  Dušan Bajević, Vladimir Petrović and many others until the states disintegrated in the early 1990s. The national team of SFR Yugoslavia played its last game on 25 March 1992, losing 2–0 to the Netherlands.[31]

FR Yugoslavia/Serbia & Montenegro era (1992–2006)

Although the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro, was formed on 27 April 1992,[32] its teams were banned from all international sporting events, including the national football team as a result of U.N. sanctions stemming from the conflict in Yugoslavia.[33] Consequently, the national team did not play its first game as a new country before 23 December 1994, a friendly match played in Porto Alegre and in which Brazil won 2–0.[34] This was the first ever team composed of Serbian and Montenegrin players exclusively, while Slobodan Santrač, a former Yugoslavia national team player, was named the team's first ever manager. The next game was played three days later, this time in Buenos Aires, resulting in a 1–0 loss to Argentina.[35]

Due to international sanctions, the team could not participate in 1994 World Cup qualifying nor the Euro 1996 qualifying process.[33][36]

1998 World Cup

As FR Yugoslavia joined FIFA and UEFA in late 1994, the team was available to participate in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers. Slobodan Santrač was appointed as a coach for the team.[37] In the qualifiers, Yugoslavia was drawn in Group 6 with Euro 1996 runners-up Czech Republic, Slovakia, Spain, Faroe Islands and Malta. With seven winning games (of which are both against the Czech Republic, Faroe Islands and Malta and one against Slovakia), two draw games (against Spain and Slovakia) and one lost game against Spain, Yugoslavia ended up in second place with 23 points behind Spain. Yugoslavia qualified for the play-off i n which they were drawn to play against Hungary. With the aggregate score of 12–1 against Hungary, Yugoslavia qualified for the World Cup.[38]

The 1998 World Cup seeding had Yugoslavia ranked 21st among the world's national teams, but Yugoslavia was widely recognized as one of the shadow favorites for the World Cup. The New York Times suggested that Yugoslavia could easily be a semi-finalist in that year's World Cup.[39] The draw put the team in Group F alongside Germany, the United States, and Iran. Yugoslavia won its first game 1–0 against Iran thanks to a goal from defender Siniša Mihajlović.[40] The next game was a draw for Yugoslavia; after leading Germany 2–0, a free kick from Michael Tarnat deflected off Mihajlović and into the goal, then Oliver Bierhoff equalised it at 2–2 at the 80th minute.[41] Yugoslavia responded in the next game against the United States and won 1–0 due to a goal in the fourth minute by Slobodan Komljenović.[42] Yugoslavia finished second in the group and Germany won the group with a better goal difference.

Due to their second position, Yugoslavia saw itself face the Netherlands in the Round of 16. Yugoslavia entered in the match with a sole attacker, but its defensive tactics proved unsuccessful as Dennis Bergkamp put the Netherlands in front in the 38th minute. Immediately following the start of the second half, Yugoslavia pressured the Dutch, who conceded a header from Komljenović. However, the turning point of this match was a penalty awarded to Yugoslavia after Vladimir Jugović was fouled.[43] Predrag Mijatović missed, and the scoreline remained the same at 1–1.[44] Such an event demoralized the Yugoslavs, as the Dutch took the initiative. In the late seconds of the game Edgar Davids' shot towards the Yugoslav net from a distance of 20 meters and beat goalkeeper Ivica Kralj.[43] This marked the end of Yugoslavia's run in the 1998 World Cup.

Euro 2000

The draw for the Euro 2000 qualifiers saw first-seeded Yugoslavia drawn in a group with Croatia, thus marking the first games between the two teams after the breakup of Yugoslavia. The other teams in the group were the Republic of Ireland, Macedonia, and Malta. When the qualifiers began, the coach was Milan Živadinović, but in July 1999 he was dismissed and was replaced by Vujadin Boškov.[45][46]

The team started with a 1–0 win over Ireland in Belgrade, before beating Malta 3–0 in Ta' Qali. The home fixture against the Maltese followed, but was moved to Thessaloniki, Greece due to the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. The team nonetheless won 4–1. The first match against Croatia took place in Belgrade shortly after the bombing ended, and was interrupted due to a power outage at the beginning of the second half, resuming after 43 minutes and eventually finishing 0–0.[47] A 2–1 defeat against Ireland in Dublin was followed by victories home and away against Macedonia (3–1 and 4–2 respectively), meaning that Yugoslavia needed to win its final qualifier against Croatia in Zagreb, or to draw with Ireland failing to beat Macedonia in Skopje, in order to qualify automatically for Euro 2000. In the event, Ireland conceded an injury-time equaliser, meaning that Yugoslavia's 2–2 draw with the Croatians was good enough.

The draw for the finals placed Yugoslavia in Group C along with Spain, Norway and another former Yugoslav republic, Slovenia. The Slovenians took a 3–0 lead in the first game at the Stade du Pays de Charleroi, but three goals in six second-half minutes enabled Yugoslavia to secure a 3–3 draw. The team then beat Norway 1–0 in Liège, thanks to an early Savo Milošević backheel strike. The final group game, against Spain in Bruges, saw the Yugoslavs take the lead three times, before a Gaizka Mendieta penalty and an Alfonso strike in injury-time secured a dramatic 4–3 win for the Spaniards and top spot in the group. Yugoslavia nonetheless finished second, level on points with Norway but ranked ahead due to its victory in Liège. In each of the three games, the team had one player sent off (Siniša Mihajlović, Mateja Kežman, and Slaviša Jokanović, respectively).[48]

In the quarter-finals, Yugoslavia was once again paired with the Netherlands. Unlike the last time, the co-hosts won 6–1 in Rotterdam with Patrick Kluivert scoring a hat-trick. Despite Yugoslavia's elimination, Savo Milošević was crowned the joint top scorer of the tournament alongside Patrick Kluivert. Both players scored five goals, although Milošević played one game fewer.[49]

2002 World Cup campaign

Ilija Petković replaced Boškov as head coach in July 2000.[50] For the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, Yugoslavia was drawn in Group 1 with Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, the Faroe Islands and Luxembourg. Not long after winning against Luxembourg, Petković was sacked and replaced with a three-pieced team which consisted of Boškov, Dejan Savićević and Ivan Ćurković. Despite being one of the favourites from the group and winning both games against Luxembourg and Faroe Islands as well and away game against Switzerland, Yugoslavia managed to suffer a home loss and away draw against Russia, a home draw against Switzerland and both draw games against Slovenia. Yugoslavia ended the qualifying campaign in the third place of the group just one point behind second-placed Slovenia.[51]

Euro 2004 campaign

Savićević was appointed as coach in July 2002.[52] For the Euro 2004 qualifiers Yugoslavia was drawn in Group 9 with Italy, Wales, Finland and Azerbaijan. During qualifying, the country went under a political transformation, and the newly named Serbia and Montenegro appeared for the first time in a game against Azerbaijan in February 2003.[53] In June, after a 2–1 loss to Azerbaijan, Savićević resigned and was replaced by Ilija Petković.[54] Despite drawing both games against group favourites and eventual group winners Italy and winning both games against runners-up Wales, Serbia and Montenegro failed to qualify, mostly due to a 2–2 home draw, the 2–1 loss to Azerbaijan, as well and a 3–0 away loss to Finland.

2006 World Cup

Serbia and Montenegro and Cote d'Ivoire playing in the Allianz Arena at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

Petković remained as a coach for the team, despite the failure to qualify for Euro 2004.[55] However, qualifying for 2006 World Cup was different. With six wins and four draw games, Serbia and Montenegro ended up first in the group with an undefeated record in their qualification group ahead of favourites Spain. The Serbia and Montenegro team also allowed only one goal in the ten matches, the best defensive record of all 51 teams participating in qualification.

For the 2006 qualifiers, Serbia and Montenegro was drawn in a group with Spain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania and San Marino. Led once again by Ilija Petković as the coach, Serbia and Montenegro with the "Famous Four" defence, consisting of Nemanja Vidić, Mladen Krstajić, Goran Gavrančić, and Ivica Dragutinović, with Dragoslav Jevrić as the goalkeeper, conceded only one goal in ten games, finishing first with a 6–4–0 record, ahead of Spain.

On 3 June 2006, following a referendum, Montenegro declared its independence from Serbia. As the World Cup was about to start, it was decided that the Serbia and Montenegro team that had qualified for the tournament would compete, with the split into separate teams representing the new countries of Montenegro and Serbia to take place once the team was no longer in the tournament.

In the group stage, Serbia and Montenegro lost their opening game to joint group favourite, the Netherlands. The final score was 1–0 after Arjen Robben scored the only goal of the game. They also lost their second game to Argentina 6–0, Serbia and Montenegro's worst ever international result. With the team's two losses and with Netherlands and Argentina winning both their games, Serbia and Montenegro could no longer qualify for the knockout matches and was playing for pride alone in their final group game against Ivory Coast. Despite having a 2–0 lead for much of the first half, the Elephants managed to come back and win 3–2, leaving Serbia and Montenegro with no points.[56]

Independent Serbia (2006–present)

Euro 2008 campaign

Javier Clemente, Serbia's first-ever foreign coach was appointed to lead the team for the 2008 Euro campaign.[57] After Montenegro declared independence, Serbia marked their split from Montenegro with a 3–1 win over the Czech Republic. For the Euro 2008 qualifiers, Serbia was drawn in Group A along with Poland, Portugal, Belgium, Finland, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The qualification process began promising and ended in disappointment for Serbia. A strong start in qualification was overshadowed by the final hurdle of matches where inconsistency took over, the side dropping points against the likes of Finland, Belgium, Armenia and Kazakhstan. They eventually finished third, three points behind runners-up Portugal and Group A winners Poland. Clemente was sacked after the team's failure to qualify.[58]

Serbia replaced Clemente with Miroslav Đukić, who then left the position on 19 August of the following year without having played any official games, due to various disagreements with the Football Association of Serbia.

2010 World Cup

Atmosphere at the start of match vs. France, 9 September 2009
Serbia's starting XI under coach Radomir Antić in their 1–0 win over Germany at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[59]

Subsequent to Ðukić's rapid departure, Radomir Antić was appointed coach and success followed. Serbia's World Cup qualification campaign began in 2008. Their qualification group featured 1998 World Cup winners and 2006 World Cup runners-up France, Romania, as well as Austria, Lithuania and the Faroe Islands. Serbia played consistently during the qualifiers and this led to the team automatically qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. They confirmed qualification with a 5–0 win at home against Romania.

Like in 2006, Serbia went into the World Cup as the dark horses of the tournament. Key points justifying their potential surprise team status included a star-studded defence that was composed by Nemanja Vidić, Neven Subotić, Aleksandar Kolarov and Branislav Ivanović. The captain of Serbia's 2010 World Cup campaign was Dejan Stanković, who became the only player to feature in a World Cup having played under three different national names (although he never changed nationality; this was a result of geopolitical events involving the identity of Yugoslavia).[60] In their first tournament as an independent nation, they were to face Ghana, Germany and Australia.

Their opening group game was against Ghana and chances came to both sides but a red card to Aleksandar Luković and a handball by substitute Zdravko Kuzmanović in the second half gave Ghana a penalty to take all three points at the death. Asamoah Gyan converted eight minutes from full-time and Serbia were defeated 1–0.

In Serbia's second group match, they defeated Germany by a score of 1–0 with a goal by Milan Jovanović late in the first half. FIFA's official YouTube channel called the win "the most famous day in Serbia's footballing history".[61]

Serbia only needed a single point to reach the knockout stages but was defeated by Australia 2–1. Australia scored two goals in the second half through Tim Cahill and Brett Holman. A late Marko Pantelić goal served only as a consolation. They finished last in the group.

Radomir Antić was sacked two games into the Euro 2012 qualification process, a 1–1 draw at home to Slovenia spelling the end to his two-year stint. The sacking meant the bringing in of Vladimir Petrović to the job.

Euro 2012 campaign

Nemanja Vidić was named twice in the FIFA World XI.

For the Euro 2012 qualifying, Serbia was drawn in Group C featuring Italy, Slovenia, Estonia, Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands. The qualifying stage began with Radomir Antić as coach and finished with Vladimir Petrović. Serbia and Antić started the first two games positively with a 3–0 win away to Faroe Islands and a 1–1 draw at home to Slovenia but this result brought the end of Antić's reign as the country's coach.[62] New coach Petrović faced setbacks immediately with a 3–1 loss at home to Estonia[63] and an abandoned match resulting in a 3–0 loss to Italy due to crowd trouble from the Serbian away supporters in Genoa.[64]

Serbia returned to form with a 2–1 win at home over Northern Ireland but could only manage a 1–1 draw away to Estonia. Afterwards, Serbia won back to back games with a 1–0 win away to Northern Ireland and a crucial 3–1 win at home against Faroe Islands. These results put Serbia in pole position to confirm a play-off spot behind Italy.

Serbia needed a win at home against Italy to confirm a play-off spot but their efforts only resulted in a 1–1 draw. The team, however, still had one more chance to confirm a play-off place when they faced Slovenia away. This game was a must-win even though Serbia had a superior goal difference over Estonia, a draw was not good enough for progression. Neither side played decisively better in the first half, but a long-range goal put Slovenia up 1–0 at half time.[65] The Serbians improved their play in the second half, though they missed opportunities; notably Nemanja Vidić's penalty miss midway through the second half.[65] Serbia left empty-handed after a 1–0 loss and exited the tournament for the third time in a row during the qualifying group stages, missing out by one point behind Estonia. Serbia once again failed to qualify for the European Championships.[65] Vladimir Petrović was sacked after the team's failure to qualify.

2014 World Cup campaign

Ahead of the qualifying campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Dejan Stanković and Nemanja Vidić announced that they were retiring from international football.[66][67] This meant that Serbia had lost two key players and that a new era had started. Branislav Ivanović became the new captain. Siniša Mihajlović, a former member of the national team, was appointed as the coach on 24 April 2012. Serbia was drawn in Group A in qualification for 2014 FIFA World Cup, together with Croatia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, and Wales. The team began the qualification campaign with a goalless draw with Scotland and a 6–1 win over Wales. In the next two games, Serbia suffered two defeats, from Macedonia and Belgium.

On 22 March 2013, Serbia played in Zagreb against Croatia. The game was highly anticipated in both countries due to their rivalry both on and off the pitch. Croatia won 2–0.[68] Serbia then defeated Scotland 2–0 at home in a crucial qualifier, though their World Cup hopes were taken away after a 2–1 defeat to Belgium. Serbia drew with Croatia 1–1 in the corresponding fixture at home, where 18-year-old Aleksandar Mitrović scored an equalizer in the second-half after Mario Mandžukić opened the scoring.[69] They then defeated Wales 0–3 in Cardiff. Dejan Stanković's farewell game was completed in a friendly against Japan, which Serbia won 2–0. He finished his career with 103 appearances for the national team, a record previously held by Savo Milošević, with 102 appearances. Serbia finished qualifying with a 5–1 home win against Macedonia,[70] putting them in third in the group, three points from a playoff spot behind Croatia and group winners Belgium.

Euro 2016 campaign

After failing to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, Dick Advocaat was appointed as the coach in 2014.[71] Serbia was drawn in Group I in qualification for UEFA Euro 2016, together with Portugal, Denmark, Albania and Armenia. Advocaat started with a draw in a friendly 1–1 game against France. The team began qualification with a 1–1 draw against Armenia. The following game was an abandoned game against Albania in Belgrade. The match had to be abandoned as a result of crowd trouble after a drone carrying an Albanian flag and a map of Greater Albania was flown over the pitch.[72] Serbia was originally awarded with a 3–0 victory by the UEFA, and deducted three points, but on 10 July 2015, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reversed the earlier decision and awarded Albania a 3–0 win.[72] On 14 November 2014, Serbia played against Denmark in Belgrade and lost, 1–3. After this game, Advocaat left,[73] whereupon Radovan Ćurčić was announced as a new coach on 25 November.[74]

In 2015, Serbia's first match was a qualifying match against Portugal in Lisbon, during which Serbia lost 2–1, cutting their chances for qualification to Euro 2016. On 13 June 2015, Serbia played a qualifying match against Denmark in Copenhagen, losing 2–0. With the 10 July ruling by the CAS on the abandoned game against Albania, Serbia would become mathematically eliminated from Euro 2016 qualification. On 4 September 2015, Serbia had their first victory, winning 2–0, against Armenia. On 8 October 2015, Serbia defeated Albania with a goal each from Aleksandar Kolarov and Adem Ljajić. In the table of Group I, Serbia finished second to last place with four points in a five team group.

2018 World Cup

Serbia national team at the 2018 World Cup in Russia

After failing to qualify for Euro 2016, Slavoljub Muslin was appointed as a coach. Serbia was drawn in Group D in qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup with Euro 2016 semi-finalists Wales, Austria, Ireland, Georgia and Moldova. They started off their campaign with a 2–2 draw against Ireland at the Red Star Stadium and continued this good form with wins over Austria, Georgia and Moldova.

Serbia beat Moldova in Belgrade with goals from Aleksandar Kolarov, Aleksandar Mitrović and Mijat Gaćinović. This consolidated their first position going into their top-of-the group clash with Ireland. They won this match with a 55th-minute goal from Kolarov. Serbia finished the qualifying campaign with a 1–0 home win against Georgia, and ended at the top of Group D and therefore qualified for the 2018 tournament, its first major tournament after an eight-year absence. Despite Serbia's qualification, Muslin was sacked by the Football Association of Serbia as a result on differences regarding team selection.[75] Muslin was criticized for not inviting Sergej Milinković-Savić to play in the campaign which sparked controversy in Serbia. Mladen Krstajić took the place as a temporary coach after Muslin's dismissal and led the team in the World Cup.[76]

In the World Cup, Serbia opened their match against Costa Rica. Kolarov's free kick at the second half meant Serbia won their first World Cup game after eight years. Serbia lost their later encounters, losing 1–2 to Switzerland with a 90-minute goal scored by Xherdan Shaqiri[77] and 0–2 to Brazil, thus being eliminated from the group stage.[78]

2018–19 Nations League

Due to poor performance of Serbia in previous years, the country found itself started the campaign of the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C, where they were drawn into Group 4 with Montenegro, Lithuania and Romania. With both wins against Lithuania and Montenegro and both draw games against Romania, Serbia finished on top of the group, securing the Euro 2020 play-off spot and being promoted into League B for 2020–21 season. With six goals, Aleksandar Mitrović finished the tournament as the top scorer.

Euro 2020 campaign

In December 2017, Mladen Krstajić became a permanent coach for Serbia.[79] Serbia started the campaign of 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, which served as a part of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.

For Euro 2020 qualifiers, Serbia was drawn into Group B with Euro 2016 champions Portugal, Ukraine, Lithuania and Luxembourg. Serbia kicked off the qualifiers with 1–1 away draw game against Portugal. But in the next away game against Ukraine, Serbia lost the game 0–5. This game also spawned a lot of controversy due to Krstajić's coaching style. After the 4–1 home win against Lithuania, Krstajić was sacked mainly because of the loss against Ukraine and replaced with Ljubiša Tumbaković. Tumbaković started with a 2–4 home loss against Portugal. The next two games were away wins against Luxembourg and Lithuania, before beating Luxembourg at home to keep its slim hope alive. However, Serbia could not take one of the top two places after the team managed a 2–2 draw to Ukraine at home.

After the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs were resumed, Serbia placed itself against Norway in Oslo. The game happened to be difficult for the Serbs, but two goals, one in the extra times and scored both by Sergej Milinković-Savić finally helped Serbia to overcome Norway 2–1, thus marching to the final playoff game against Scotland at home.[80] The game was won by Scotland in a penalty shootout (5–4) after the game was tied 1–1 after full time.[81] Serbia once again failed to qualify for the Euros, making 20 years since the country last took part in the tournament. Tumbaković was sacked after the team's failure to qualify for the tournament.[82]

2020–21 Nations League

On 3 March 2020, Serbia was drawn in 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B Group 3 alongside Russia, Turkey and Hungary. Serbia had a difficult beginning in their first two games. Their first match against Russia away, Serbia was defeated 1–3 as expected. In the second game, Serbia however only gained a goalless draw to Turkey, though it was notable that Serbia played with only 10 men in the second half. In the next four games, Serbia played another draw game against Turkey, suffered a draw and a lost game against Hungary, and in the final game Serbia unexpectedly won against Russia with 5–0. Serbia ended the campaign at the third place on group 3, securing the place of League B for 2022–23 season.

2022 World Cup

Serbia was drawn in Group A in qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.[83]

After penalty shootout loss against Scotland in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play offs, Ljubiša Tumbaković was sacked and replaced with national team hero Dragan Stojković.

Serbia started it's qualification journey with a 3–2 win against the Republic of Ireland in Belgrade in March 2021. It was followed by a 2–2 draw against Portugal. In that game, Serbia was losing 2–0 at the half time, but managed to get back into the match with goals from Filip Kostić and Aleksandar Mitrović. It ended in a draw after Cristiano Ronaldo's goal was controversially disallowed. After this game, Serbia won against Azerbaijan in Baku 2–1. This was followed by a 4–1 victory against Luxembourg in Belgrade and a 1–1 draw against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin, where Serbia was leading until the 87th minute when Milenković scored an own goal. The remaining fixtures were a 1–0 win against Luxembourg and a 3–1 victory against Azerbaijan. After those games, it was clear that Serbia needed a victory against Portugal to qualify directly from the group. On 14 November 2021, Serbia faced Portugal at the Estádio da Luz, and suffered a goal lead from Renato Sanches. However, an equaliser by Dušan Tadić was later followed with an emotional decisive goal from Aleksandar Mitrović in the final minutes of the second half sealed a shock 2–1 away win for the Serbs, therefore confirmed Serbia an automatic spot in Qatar.[84]

Rivalries

Team image

The badge of the Football Association of Serbia is modelled on the Serbian cross inescutcheon featured on the Serbian coat of arms. It consists of a modified version of the four firesteels and cross, with the addition of a football. The team is nicknamed "the Eagles" (Serbian Cyrillic: Орлови) in reference to the white double-headed eagle, a national symbol of Serbia.[89][90][91][92][93]

Serbian team before a friendly match versus Ireland in Dublin in May 2008

For many years following the breakup of SFR Yugoslavia the national team experienced an identity crisis, which despite its name, was seen as de facto representative of Serbia. From 1994 to 2006 the obsolete and unpopular Communist era national anthem "Hej, Sloveni" was often jeered, booed and whistled by home supporters as players refrained from singing the lyrics. During this period the team continued to officially carry the old nickname "Plavi" (the Blues), badge and kit design indicative of the Yugoslav tricolour.[94][92][95]

Following the secession of Montenegro in 2006 the national team adopt red shirts, blue shorts and white socks in honor of the Serbian tricolour. Between 2010 and 2016 a cross motif inspired by the country's coat of arms was incorporated on the jersey. In recent years Serbia have utilised all-red uniforms due to FIFA's strict kit clash regulations.  Away kits are traditionally white with blue or white shorts.[96][97]

FS Serbia

FR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro

1992
1994
1998
2000
2004
2006

Serbia

2006–2008
2008–2010
2010–2012
2012–2014
2014–2016
2016–2018
2018–2020
2020–
The 53,000 capacity Rajko Mitić Stadium is the largest in Serbia, and is often utilised for international fixtures.

Serbia does not have an official national stadium and the team has played at various grounds throughout the country. The Rajko Mitić Stadium is the most popular venue following by Partizan Stadium, both ground are located in the capital city Belgrade.[98][99][100]

Kit sponsorship

In July 2014, a partnership was announced between the Football Association of Serbia and English manufacturer Umbro which is Serbia's official supplier before Puma took over with their home and away kits, debuting 7 September 2014 in the friendly match against France. On 7 September 2014, Serbia unveiled their latest kits also worn at the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers campaign.[101]

Kit Supplier Period
Germany Adidas 1974–2002
Italy Lotto 2002–2006
United States Nike 2006–2014
England Umbro 2014–2018
Germany Puma 2018–present

Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

For more result see: Serbia national football team results

2021

29 January 2021 (2021-01-29) International friendly Panama  0–0  Serbia Panama City, Panama
01:00 Report Stadium: Estadio Rommel Fernández
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ameth Ariel Sánchez Pinzón (Panama)
24 March 2021 (2021-03-24) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Serbia  3–2  Republic of Ireland Belgrade, Serbia
20:45
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Rajko Mitić Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)
27 March 2021 (2021-03-27) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Serbia  2–2  Portugal Belgrade, Serbia
20:45
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Rajko Mitić Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
30 March 2021 (2021-03-30) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Azerbaijan  1–2  Serbia Baku, Azerbaijan
18:00
Report (FIFA)[dead link‍]
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Baku Olympic Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Roi Reinshreiber (Israel)
7 June 2021 (2021-06-07) International friendly Serbia  1–1  Jamaica Miki, Hyōgo, Japan
09:00
Report
Stadium: Miki Athletic Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Yudai Yamamoto (Japan)
11 June 2021 (2021-06-11) 2021 Kirin Challenge Cup Japan  1–0  Serbia Kobe, Japan
12:25 J.Ito 48' Report Stadium: Noevir Stadium Kobe
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ahmed Eisa Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)
1 September 2021 (2021-09-01) International friendly Qatar  0–4  Serbia Debrecen, Hungary
20:45 Report
Stadium: Nagyerdei Stadion
Referee: Filip Glova (Slovakia)
4 September 2021 (2021-09-04) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Serbia  4–1  Luxembourg Belgrade, Serbia
18:00
Report (FIFA)[dead link‍]
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Rajko Mitić Stadium
Attendance: 10,078[102]
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (Turkey)
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Republic of Ireland  1–1  Serbia Dublin, Ireland
20:45
Report (FIFA)[dead link‍]
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Aviva Stadium
Attendance: 25,415
Referee: José María Sánchez (Spain)
9 October 2021 (2021-10-09) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Luxembourg  0–1  Serbia Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
20:45 Report (FIFA)[dead link‍]
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: William Collum (Scotland)
12 October 2021 (2021-10-12) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Serbia  3–1  Azerbaijan Belgrade, Serbia
20:45
Report (FIFA)[dead link‍]
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Rajko Mitić Stadium
Attendance: 5,890
Referee: Erik Lambrechts (Belgium)
11 November 2021 (2021-11-11) International friendly Serbia  4–0  Qatar Belgrade, Serbia
 Report Stadium: Rajko Mitić Stadium
Referee: Irfan Peljto (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
14 November 2021 (2021-11-14) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Portugal  1–2  Serbia Lisbon, Portugal
20:45
Report
Stadium: Estadio Jose Alvalade
Attendance: 58,873[103]
Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy)

2022

24 March 2022 International friendly Hungary  v  Serbia Budapest, Hungary
Stadium: TBD
29 March 2022 International friendly Denmark  v  Serbia Copenhagen, Denmark
Stadium: TBD
2 June 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Serbia  v  Norway Serbia
20:45 Stadium: TBD
5 June 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Serbia  v  Slovenia Serbia
20:45 Stadium: TBD
9 June 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Sweden  v  Serbia Sweden
20:45 Stadium: TBD
12 June 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Slovenia  v  Serbia Slovenia
20:45 Stadium: TBD
24 September 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Serbia  v  Sweden Serbia
20:45 Stadium: TBD
27 September 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Norway  v  Serbia Norway
20:45 Stadium: TBD
21–24 November 2022 2022 FIFA World Cup Serbia  v TBD Qatar
Stadium: TBD
25–28 November 2022 2022 FIFA World Cup Serbia  v TBD Qatar
Stadium: TBD
29 November – 2 December 2022 2022 FIFA World Cup Serbia  v TBD Qatar
Stadium: TBD

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

As of 3 March 2021
Serbian coaching staff[104]

Manager history

As of 15 November 2021
Manager Period Record Major competitions
Matches Won Drawn Lost Win % Draw % Loss %
Serbia Dragan Stojković 2021– 12 8 3 1 66.67 27.27 9.09 2022 World Cup
Serbia Ilija Stolica (caretaker) 2021 2 0 2 0 0.00 100.00 0.00 —
Serbia Ljubiša Tumbaković 2019–2020 14 6 5 3 42.86 35.71 21.43 Euro 2020 – Failed to qualify
Serbia Mladen Krstajić 2017–2019 19 9 5 5 47.36 26.32 26.32 2018 World Cup – Group stage
Serbia Slavoljub Muslin 2016–2017 15 8 5 2 53.33 33.33 13.33
Serbia Radovan Ćurčić 2014–2016 11 5 0 6 45.45 0.00 55.55 Euro 2016 – Failed to qualify
Netherlands Dick Advocaat 2014 4 0 2 2 0.00 50.00 50.00
Serbia Ljubinko Drulović (caretaker) 2014 4 2 1 1 50.00 25.00 25.00 —
Serbia Siniša Mihajlović 2012–2013 19 7 4 8 36.84 21.05 42.10 2014 World Cup – Failed to qualify
Serbia Radovan Ćurčić (caretaker) 2011–2012 5 2 1 2 40.00 20.00 40.00 —
Serbia Vladimir Petrović 2010–2011 13 5 3 5 38.46 23.08 38.46 Euro 2012 – Failed to qualify
Serbia Radomir Antić 2008–2010 28 17 3 8 60.71 10.71 28.57 2010 World Cup – Group stage
Serbia Miroslav Đukić 2007–2008 5 0 2 3 0.00 40.00 60.00 —
Spain Javier Clemente 2006–2007 16 7 7 2 43.75 43.75 12.50 Euro 2008 – Failed to qualify
Serbia and Montenegro Ilija Petković 2003–2006 30 11 10 9 36.66 33.33 30.00 2006 World Cup – Group stage
Serbia and Montenegro Dejan Savićević 2001–2003 17 4 3 10 23.53 17.65 58.82 Euro 2004 – Failed to qualify
Serbia and Montenegro Boškov-Ćurković-Savićević 2001 8 4 2 2 50.00 25.00 25.00 2002 World Cup – Failed to qualify
Serbia and Montenegro Milovan Đorić 2001 3 0 2 1 0.00 66.66 33.33
Serbia and Montenegro Ilija Petković 2000–2001 4 2 1 1 50.00 25.00 25.00 —
Serbia and Montenegro Vujadin Boškov 1999–2000 15 6 5 4 40.00 33.33 26.66 Euro 2000 – Quarter final
Serbia and Montenegro Milan Živadinović 1998–1999 6 3 2 1 50.00 33.33 16.66 —
Serbia and Montenegro Slobodan Santrač 1994–1998 43 26 10 7 60.46 23.25 16.28 1998 World Cup – Round of 16
TOTAL 293 132 78 83 45.05 26.62 28.33 6 out of 13

For the period before 1992 see: Yugoslavia national football team#Head coaches

Players

Current squad

  • The following players were called up for the matches against Qatar and Portugal, on 11 and 14 November 2021.[105]
  • Caps and goals as of 14 November 2021 after the match against Portugal.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Marko Dmitrović (1992-01-24) 24 January 1992 (age 32) 18 0 Spain Sevilla
12 1GK Predrag Rajković (1995-10-31) 31 October 1995 (age 29) 26 0 France Reims
23 1GK Vanja Milinković-Savić (1997-02-20) 20 February 1997 (age 27) 1 0 Italy Torino
1GK Mile Svilar (1999-08-27) 27 August 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Portugal Benfica
2 2DF Strahinja Pavlović (2001-05-24) 24 May 2001 (age 23) 15 1 Switzerland Basel
3 2DF Filip Mladenović (1991-08-15) 15 August 1991 (age 33) 18 1 Poland Legia Warsaw
4 2DF Nikola Milenković (1997-10-12) 12 October 1997 (age 27) 32 3 Italy Fiorentina
5 2DF Aleksa Terzić (1999-08-17) 17 August 1999 (age 25) 3 0 Italy Fiorentina
13 2DF Stefan Mitrović (vice-captain) (1990-05-22) 22 May 1990 (age 34) 28 0 Spain Getafe
15 2DF Uroš Spajić (1993-02-13) 13 February 1993 (age 31) 20 0 Turkey Kasımpaşa
21 2DF Miloš Veljković (1995-09-26) 26 September 1995 (age 29) 15 0 Germany Werder Bremen
2DF Mihailo Ristić (1995-10-31) 31 October 1995 (age 29) 7 0 France Montpellier
6 3MF Nemanja Maksimović (1995-01-26) 26 January 1995 (age 29) 37 0 Spain Getafe
7 3MF Nemanja Radonjić (1996-02-15) 15 February 1996 (age 28) 29 4 Portugal Benfica
8 3MF Nemanja Gudelj (1991-11-16) 16 November 1991 (age 33) 44 1 Spain Sevilla
10 3MF Dušan Tadić (captain) (1988-11-20) 20 November 1988 (age 36) 82 18 Netherlands Ajax
14 3MF Andrija Živković (1996-07-11) 11 July 1996 (age 28) 21 0 Greece PAOK
16 3MF Saša Lukić (1996-08-13) 13 August 1996 (age 28) 24 1 Italy Torino
17 3MF Filip Kostić (1992-11-01) 1 November 1992 (age 32) 43 3 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
19 3MF Uroš Račić (1998-03-17) 17 March 1998 (age 26) 3 0 Spain Valencia
20 3MF Sergej Milinković-Savić (1995-02-27) 27 February 1995 (age 29) 28 5 Italy Lazio
22 3MF Marko Grujić (1996-04-13) 13 April 1996 (age 28) 14 0 Portugal Porto
9 4FW Aleksandar Mitrović (1994-09-16) 16 September 1994 (age 30) 69 44 England Fulham
11 4FW Luka Jović (1997-12-23) 23 December 1997 (age 26) 20 7 Spain Real Madrid
18 4FW Dušan Vlahović (2000-01-28) 28 January 2000 (age 24) 14 7 Italy Juventus

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Marko Ilić (1998-02-03) 3 February 1998 (age 26) 1 0 Belgium Kortrijk v.  Republic of Ireland, 7 September 2021
GK Đorđe Nikolić (1997-05-13) 13 May 1997 (age 27) 1 0 Switzerland Basel v.  Japan, 11 June 2021
DF Matija Nastasić (1993-03-28) 28 March 1993 (age 31) 32 0 Italy Fiorentina v.  Qatar, 11 November 2021 INJ
DF Marko Petković (1992-09-03) 3 September 1992 (age 32) 4 0 Hungary Honvéd v.  Qatar, 1 September 2021 INJ
DF Sava-Arangel Čestić (2001-02-19) 19 February 2001 (age 23) 2 0 Croatia Rijeka v.  Japan, 11 June 2021
DF Milan Gajić (1996-01-28) 28 January 1996 (age 28) 1 0 Serbia Red Star Belgrade v.  Azerbaijan, 30 March 2021
MF Filip Đuričić (1992-01-30) 30 January 1992 (age 32) 34 4 Italy Sassuolo v.  Qatar, 11 November 2021 INJ
MF Darko Lazović (1990-09-15) 15 September 1990 (age 34) 21 0 Italy Hellas Verona v.  Qatar, 11 November 2021 INJ
MF Veljko Birmančević (1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 26) 3 0 Sweden Malmö v.  Republic of Ireland, 7 September 2021
MF Ivan Ilić (2001-03-17) 17 March 2001 (age 23) 2 0 Italy Hellas Verona v.  Republic of Ireland, 7 September 2021
MF Miloš Vulić (1996-08-19) 19 August 1996 (age 28) 2 0 Italy Crotone v.  Japan, 11 June 2021
MF Željko Gavrić (2000-12-05) 5 December 2000 (age 24) 2 0 Hungary Ferencváros v.  Japan, 11 June 2021
MF Nenad Krstičić (1990-07-03) 3 July 1990 (age 34) 4 0 Serbia Red Star Belgrade v.  Azerbaijan, 30 March 2021
FW Milan Makarić (1995-10-04) 4 October 1995 (age 29) 3 0 Denmark AaB v.  Japan, 11 June 2021
FW Dejan Joveljić (1999-08-07) 7 August 1999 (age 25) 2 0 United States LA Galaxy v.  Japan, 11 June 2021
FW Nemanja Jović (2002-08-08) 8 August 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Serbia Partizan v.  Japan, 11 June 2021
FW Đorđe Despotović (1992-03-04) 4 March 1992 (age 32) 0 0 Russia Arsenal Tula v.  Azerbaijan, 30 March 2021INJ

Notes:

  • PRE Preliminary squad
  • SUS Player suspended
  • INJ Player withdrew from the roster due to an injury
  • COV Player withdrew from the roster due to COVID-19
  • RET Retired from the national team
  • WD Player withdrew from the roster for non-injury related reasons

Previous squads

Player records

As of 14 November 2021[106]
Players in bold are still active with Serbia.

Most capped players

Branislav Ivanović is the most capped player in the history of Serbia with 105 caps.
Rank Name Caps Goals Pos. Career
1 Branislav Ivanović 105 13 DF 2005–2018
2 Dejan Stanković 103 15 MF 1998–2013
3 Savo Milošević 102 37 FW 1994–2008
4 Aleksandar Kolarov 94 11 DF 2008–2020
5 Dragan Džajić 85 23 MF 1964–1979
6 Dragan Stojković 84 15 MF 1983–2001
Vladimir Stojković 84 0 GK 2006–2018
8 Dušan Tadić 82 18 MF 2008–present
9 Zoran Tošić 76 11 MF 2007–2016
10 Predrag Mijatović 73 27 FW 1989–2003

Top goalscorers

Aleksandar Mitrović is the top scorer in the history of Serbia with 44 goals.
Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Aleksandar Mitrović 44 69 0.64 2013–present
2 Stjepan Bobek 38 63 0.60 1946–1956
3 Milan Galić 37 51 0.73 1959–1965
Blagoje Marjanović 37 58 0.64 1926–1938
Savo Milošević 37 102 0.36 1994–2008
6 Rajko Mitić 32 59 0.54 1946–1957
7 Dušan Bajević 29 37 0.78 1970–1977
8 Todor Veselinović 28 37 0.76 1953–1961
9 Predrag Mijatović 27 73 0.37 1989–2003
10 Borivoje Kostić 26 33 0.79 1956–1964

Captains (since 1994)

Name Period Major tournaments as the captain
Dragan Stojković 1994–2001 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000
Predrag Mijatovic 2001–2003 -
Savo Milošević 2003–2006 2006 FIFA World Cup
Dejan Stanković 2006–2011 2010 FIFA World Cup
Nikola Žigić
2011
 —
Branislav Ivanović 2012–2017 —
Aleksandar Kolarov 2018–2020 2018 FIFA World Cup
Dušan Tadić
2021–
 —

Notable players

Competition records

The Football Association of Serbia is deemed the direct successor to both SFR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro by FIFA, and therefore the inheritor to all the records of the defunct nations.

FIFA World Cup

Main article: Serbia at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
as  Yugoslavia
Uruguay 1930 Fourth place 4th 3 2 0 1 7 7 Invited
Italy 1934 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 3 4
France 1938 2 1 0 1 1 4
Brazil 1950 Group stage 5th 3 2 0 1 7 3 5 3 2 0 16 6
Switzerland 1954 Quarter-finals 7th 3 1 1 1 2 3 4 4 0 0 4 0
Sweden 1958 5th 4 1 2 1 7 7 4 2 2 0 7 2
Chile 1962 Fourth place 4th 6 3 0 3 10 7 4 3 1 0 11 4
England 1966 Did not qualify 6 3 1 2 10 8
Mexico 1970 6 3 1 2 19 7
West Germany 1974 Second group stage 7th 6 1 2 3 12 7 5 3 2 0 8 4
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 4 1 0 3 6 8
Spain 1982 Group stage 16th 3 1 1 1 2 2 8 6 1 1 22 7
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 8 3 2 3 7 8
Italy 1990 Quarter-finals 5th 5 3 1 1 8 6 8 6 2 0 16 6
as  FR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro
United States 1994 Suspended[note 1] 0 0 0 0 0 0
France 1998 Round of 16 10th 4 2 1 1 5 4 12 9 2 1 41 8
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 10 5 4 1 22 8
Germany 2006 Group stage 32nd 3 0 0 3 2 10 10 6 4 0 16 1
as  Serbia
South Africa 2010 Group stage 23rd 3 1 0 2 2 3 10 7 1 2 22 8
Brazil 2014 Did not qualify 10 4 2 4 18 11
Russia 2018 Group stage 23rd 3 1 0 2 2 4 10 6 3 1 20 10
Qatar 2022 29th 3 0 1 2 5 8 8 6 2 0 18 9
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined Future event
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Fourth place 13/22 49 18 9 22 71 71 136 81 33 22 287 123

UEFA European Championship

Main article: Serbia at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
as  Yugoslavia
France 1960 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 6 6 4 2 1 1 9 4
Spain 1964 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 6 5
Italy 1968 Runners-up 2nd 3 1 1 1 2 3 6 4 1 1 14 5
Belgium 1972 Did not qualify 8 3 4 1 7 5
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 Fourth place 4th 2 0 0 2 4 7 8 6 1 1 15 5
Italy 1980 Did not qualify 6 4 0 2 14 6
France 1984 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 2 10 6 3 2 1 12 11
West Germany 1988 Did not qualify 6 4 0 2 13 9
Sweden 1992 Qualified, but suspended 8 7 0 1 24 4
as  FR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro
England 1996 Suspended Suspended
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 8 13 8 5 2 1 18 8
Portugal 2004 Did not qualify 8 3 3 2 11 11
as  Serbia
Austria Switzerland 2008 Did not qualify 14 6 6 2 22 11
Poland Ukraine 2012 10 4 3 3 13 12
France 2016 8 2 1 5 8 13
Europe 2020 10 5 3 2 20 19
Germany 2024 Group stage 19th 3 0 2 1 1 2 8 4 2 2 15 9
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Total Runners-up 7/17 17 3 4 10 23 41 122 64 30 28 221 137

UEFA Nations League record

Last update : 18 November 2020

UEFA Nations League record
Season Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
Portugal 2018–19 C 4 6 4 2 0 11 4 Rise 27th
Italy 2020–21 B 3 6 1 3 2 9 7 Same position 27th
2022–23 B 4 Future event
Total 12 5 5 2 20 11 27th

Head-to-head records (2006 onward)

As of 18 November 2024
  1. ^ Legend: In each final tournament of the World Cup, the European Championship and the Nations League (shown in bold), Serbia has played one match against the respective opponent, while in each qualifying tournament and each Nations League group stage, it has played two matches against the respective opponent. Friendly matches and minor tournaments are counted in the table but are not shown in this column.
  2. ^ The Serbia v Albania match was abandoned with the score at 0–0 in the 42nd minute after "various incidents", which resulted in the Albania players refusing to return to the field. UEFA ruled that not only Albania had forfeited the match and awarded a 3–0 win to Serbia, but also deducted three points from Serbia for their involvement in the events. Serbia also had to play their next two home qualifying games behind closed doors, and both the Serbian and Albanian FAs were fined €100,000.[108] The decision was appealed by both Serbia and Albania,[109] but the decision was upheld by UEFA.[110][111] Both associations then filed further appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,[112][113] and on 10 July 2015, the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected the appeal filed by the Serbian FA, and upheld in part the appeal filed by the Albanian FA, meaning the match is deemed to have been forfeited by Serbia with 0–3 and they are still deducted three points.[114]
  3. ^ The Italy v Serbia match was abandoned after six minutes due to rioting by Serbian fans.[115] The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body awarded the match as a 3–0 forfeit win to Italy.[116]


Honours

See also

References

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  1. ^ Draw for 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers was made on 8 December 1991, however due to break-up of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and consequent military conflict, which broke in early 1991, FSJ ceased to exist as football organization of the SFR Yugoslavia. Organization that remained based in Belgrade, Serbia, was excluded from taking part as FSJ or its successor due to UN sanctions.[107]
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