The Armenia National Football Team

The Armenian Soccer Side Since the Break up of the Soviet Union

Nov 18, 2009 Jonathan Squirrell

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a proliferation of new national sides began to play international football. One of these was Armenia.

Armenia made their competitive bow in the qualifying tournament for Euro 96. They were drawn in a strong group which included Spain, Denmark and Belgium, and qualification was never likely, indeed, the Armenians went on to lose all six matches against the group front-runners. Results against the smaller sides gave little cause for optimism, as Armenia took just a single point off Cyprus, and were held at home by the FYRO Macedonia. The only ray of light in the campaign came with a 2-1 victory in the return fixture, but this single victory could not prevent them finishing bottom of the table.

Armenia versus Russia and Ukraine

Immediate improvement did not look on the cards when Armenia were drawn against Germany and Portugal in qualifying for the 1998 World Cup. The group also included one of the stronger former Soviet sides, the Ukraine. However Armenia managed some creditable results, holding Portugal to a goalless draw, and drawing 1-1 in the Ukraine. Two further draws against Northern Ireland, and a draw and a victory over Albania saw Armenia into fourth place in the group. The qualification group for the 2000 European Championships once again pitted Armenia against the Ukraine, and this time they were also due to play Russia. The Armenians lost three of the four matches against their neighbours, but did gain a point at home to the Ukraine. Two victories over tiny Andorra kept them off the bottom of the group, which was won by world champions France.

There were more encounters with former Soviet states in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, as Armenia were drawn against Belarus, and, yet again, the Ukraine. Again results were disappointing, with only one point from the four games, earned in a home draw with the Belarusians. This time there was to be no respite from the rest of the group, Armenia finished bottom of the table with five draws and five defeats from ten matches. Euro 2004 qualifying began, remarkably, with another encounter with the Ukraine. The match finished a 2-2, and that result, along with two wins over Northern Ireland, took Armenia to fourth place in the table, the top of which was occupied by Greece and Spain.

Armenia and Azerbaijan in Conflict

Armenia also managed to stay off the bottom of their group in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, but only thanks to the presence once again of Andorra, who they twice defeated. The only other highlight of the campaign was a 1-1 draw with Romania, as Armenia finished sixth out of seven in the table. For the Euro 2008 qualifiers Armenia were drawn in an eight team group, but they only faced six of their opponents after UEFA decided that their matches against Azerbaijan posed a security risk. The two nations, who had warred in the early 1990's, therefore played only 12 games each, and were given no extra points for the cancelled matches. Unsurprisingly, they finished seventh and eighth in the table. A win over Kazakhstan, and a shock victory over group winners Poland gave Armenia seventh place.

Given their qualifying record, it would have been a massive surprise had Armenia made any impact on the road to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and, unfortunately for them, results went with form. They met another former Soviet state, Estonia, but managed only a point from two matches. Of their remaining eight games, they lost seven, and were rooted to the foot of the table once again. The one bright spark came with a win at home to Belgium, which, alongside the defeat of the Poles, ranks as one of the best in their brief history.

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