Montenegro national football team

Montenegro
Nickname(s)Hrabri sokoli / Храбри соколи
(The Brave Falcons)
AssociationFootball Association of Montenegro (FSCG)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachRobert Prosinečki
CaptainStevan Jovetić
Most capsStevan Jovetić (87)
Top scorerStevan Jovetić (37)
Home stadiumPodgorica City Stadium
FIFA codeMNE
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 73 (3 April 2025)[1]
Highest16 (June 2011)
Lowest199 (June 2007)
First international
  2–1 Hungary 
(Podgorica, Montenegro; 24 March 2007)
Biggest win
 San Marino 0–6  
(Serravalle, San Marino; 11 September 2012)
Biggest defeat
 England 7–0  
(London, England; 14 November 2019)

The Montenegro national football team (Montenegrin: Fudbalska reprezentacija Crne Gore) has represented Montenegro in men's international football since 2007. It is controlled by the Football Association of Montenegro, the governing body for football in Montenegro. Montenegro's home ground is Podgorica City Stadium in Podgorica.

Montenegro is one of the world's youngest international teams, having joined FIFA and UEFA in 2007 following the 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum. The team played its first official international match against Hungary in March 2007.

History

Formation

Following the independence of Montenegro from Serbia and Montenegro, Serbia was set to represent both Serbia and Montenegro in the Euro 2008 qualifying stage. However, UEFA would include Montenegro as a late entry if FIFA ratified a separate Montenegrin Football Association before September 2006. Moreover, this did not occur before the competition began.[3][4][5]

In October 2006, Montenegro was granted provisional membership of UEFA, with a debate regarding full membership scheduled at a full UEFA Congress in January 2007.[6] Montenegro's first FIFA World Ranking was joint 199th place, the last place on the list by default.

First matches

On 26 January 2007, the Montenegro FA was granted full membership of UEFA.[7] The team played its first FIFA-recognized friendly match against Hungary on 24 March 2007 at Stadion Pod Goricom in Podgorica. Montenegro won 2–1 in front of 12,000 spectators. Striker Mirko Vučinić scored the country's first goal in the 62nd minute.[8][9] On 31 May 2007, Montenegro was admitted as FIFA's 208th member.[10]

Golden era

On 11 September 2012, Montenegro played against San Marino in Seravalle. In a one-sided match, Montenegro won 6–0,[11] the biggest win in the team's history. Montenegro then beat Ukraine 1–0 in Kyiv,[12] with the only goal scored by Dejan Damjanović.

Ups and downs

On 23 February 2014 in Nice, Montenegro were drawn for qualification in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group G alongside Russia, Sweden, Austria, Moldova and Liechtenstein. Although Montenegro, opened their campaign with a 2–0 victory against Moldova, they failed to qualify with goalless draw against Liechtenstein, a 1–0 loss against Austria and a 1–1 home draw against Sweden. On 27 March 2015, Montenegro's home match against Russia was abandoned after 67 minutes due to crowd violence, after the Russian left-back Dmitri Kombarov was hit by a projectile. The score was goalless and Russia had missed a penalty moments before the match was abandoned. The Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was hit by a flare, causing a second 33-minute delay.[13] The abandoned match was ruled a 3–0 victory in Russia's favour. Montenegro finished fourth at the end of the campaign and placed 95th on the FIFA ranking list.

Stadium and facilities

Montenegro play home matches at the Podgorica City Stadium (Montenegrin: Stadion pod Goricom). The stadium's capacity is 15,230, but international matches reduce this to between 10,700 and 13,000.

Camp FSCG

The Football Association of Montenegro owns Camp FSCG, a Montenegrin training ground. Built in 2007, the centre has a total area of 54,000 square metres.[14] It is located on Ćemovsko polje, a plain located in the outskirts of Podgorica outskirts between the settlements of Stari Aerodrom and Konik. It consists of six pitches with stands and floodlights,[15] and House of Football – the seat of the Football Association of Montenegro.[16]

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

2024

6 September 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Iceland  2–0   Reykjavík, Iceland
18:45 UTC+0
  • Óskarsson 39'
  • Þorsteinsson 58'
Report Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur
Attendance: 4,683
Referee: Willy Delajod (France)
9 September 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B   1–2  Wales Nikšić, Montenegro
19:45 UTC+0
Report
Stadium: Gradski stadion (Nikšić)
Attendance: 3,569
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (Bulgaria)
11 October 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Turkey  1–0   Samsun, Turkey
21:45 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium
Attendance: 28,829
Referee: Daniele Chiffi (Italy)
14 October 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Wales  1–0   Cardiff, Wales
19:45 UTC+0
Report Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
Attendance: 27,326
Referee: Filip Glova (Slovakia)
16 November 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B   0–2  Iceland Nikšić, Montenegro
18:00 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Gradski stadion (Nikšić)
Attendance: 2,354
Referee: Sven Jablonski (Germany)
19 November 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B   3–1  Turkey Nikšić, Montenegro
20:45 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Gradski stadion (Nikšić)
Attendance: 2,579
Referee: Urs Schnyder (Switzerland)

2025

22 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification   3–1  Gibraltar Nikšić, Montenegro
18:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Gradski stadion
Attendance: 3,021
Referee: António Nobre (Portugal)
25 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification   1–0  Faroe Islands Nikšić, Montenegro
20:45 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Gradski stadion
Attendance: 3,226
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
6 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Czech Republic  2–0   Plzeň, Czech Republic
20:45 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Stadion města Plzně
Attendance: 10,889
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (Netherlands)
9 June Friendly   2–2  Armenia Nikšić, Montenegro
20:00 UTC+2 Report
Stadium: Gradski stadion
Attendance: 1,398
Referee: Jasmin Šabotić (Luxembourg)
8 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Croatia  v   Zagreb, Croatia
20:45 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Stadion Maksimir
13 October Friendly   v  Liechtenstein Nikšić, Montenegro
18:00 UTC+2 Stadium: Gradski stadion
17 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification   v  Croatia Nikšić, Montenegro
20:45 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Gradski stadion

Coaching history

Manager Career Played Won Draw Lost GF GA Win %
Zoran Filipović 2006–2009 23 8 8 7 28 31 34.78%
Zlatko Kranjčar 2010–2011 13 6 2 5 14 11 46.15%
Branko Brnović 2011–2015 34 11 9 14 44 50 32.35%
Ljubiša Tumbaković 2016–2019 26 7 7 12 33 33 26.92%
Miodrag Džudović 2019 (caretaker) 2 0 1 1 1 4 00.00%
Faruk Hadžibegić 2019–2020 13 5 4 4 13 16 38.46%
Miodrag Radulović 2020–2023 23 6 4 13 22 35 26.08%
Robert Prosinečki 2024–present 13 5 0 8 11 17 38.46%

Players

In international football, footballers can normally only play for one national team once they play in all or part of any match recognised as a full international by FIFA. However, an exception is made in cases where one or more newly-independent states are created out of a former state. Based on current FIFA rules, a footballer will be eligible to play for Montenegro, even if they had previously represented Serbia and Montenegro or any other country and at least one of the following statements applies:[17]

  • The footballer was born in Montenegro;
  • At least one of their parents and/or at least one of their grandparents was born in Montenegro;
  • The player has lived in Montenegro continuously for any five-year period.

Due to mixed ancestries, it is likely that a high percentage of the footballers eligible to play for Montenegro will also remain eligible to play for Serbia, and vice versa. However, once they have played for either Serbia or Montenegro in any competitive fixture, they are no longer eligible to play for any other nation.

Current squad

The following players were called up for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Czech Republic on 6 June, and friendly match against Armenia on 9 June.[18]

Caps and goals as of 9 June 2025, after the match against Armenia.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Balša Popović (2000-06-10) 10 June 2000 2 0 OFK Beograd
12 1GK Danijel Petković (1993-05-25) 25 May 1993 25 0 Liepāja
13 1GK Igor Nikić (2000-08-25) 25 August 2000 6 0 Dečić

2 2DF Andrija Vukčević (1996-10-11) 11 October 1996 17 0 Cartagena
3 2DF Risto Radunović (1992-05-04) 4 May 1992 41 1 FCSB
4 2DF Marko Vukčević (1993-06-07) 7 June 1993 30 1 Tobol
5 2DF Igor Vujačić (1994-08-08) 8 August 1994 40 0 Rubin Kazan
6 2DF Slobodan Rubežić (2000-03-21) 21 March 2000 8 1 Novi Pazar
7 2DF Marko Vešović (1991-08-28) 28 August 1991 58 2 Qarabağ
15 2DF Stefan Savić (vice-captain) (1991-01-08) 8 January 1991 74 9 Trabzonspor
16 2DF Ognjen Gašević (2002-04-02) 2 April 2002 2 0 Budućnost Podgorica
23 2DF Nikola Šipčić (1995-05-17) 17 May 1995 16 0 Asteras Tripolis

8 3MF Miloš Brnović (2000-04-26) 26 April 2000 7 0 Arsenal Tula
14 3MF Edvin Kuč (1993-10-27) 27 October 1993 15 4 Neftçi
17 3MF Vasilije Adžić (2006-05-12) 12 May 2006 1 1 Juventus
18 3MF Marko Bakić (1993-11-01) 1 November 1993 35 0 OFI
19 3MF Stefan Lončar (1996-02-19) 19 February 1996 20 0 Akron Tolyatti
21 3MF Andrija Bulatović (2006-12-27) 27 December 2006 1 1 Lens
22 3MF Driton Camaj (1997-03-07) 7 March 1997 24 2 Kecskemét
3MF Marko Janković (1995-07-09) 9 July 1995 54 1 Qarabağ
3MF Milan Vukotić (2002-10-05) 5 October 2002 5 0 Partizan

9 4FW Andrija Radulović (2002-07-03) 3 July 2002 7 0 Rapid Wien
10 4FW Stevan Jovetić (captain) (1989-11-02) 2 November 1989 87 37 Omonia Nicosia
20 4FW Milutin Osmajić (1999-07-25) 25 July 1999 28 2 Preston North End
4FW Nikola Krstović (2000-04-05) 5 April 2000 27 6 Lecce
4FW Stefan Mugoša (1992-02-23) 23 February 1992 63 15 Incheon United

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up in the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Milan Mijatović (1987-07-26) 26 July 1987 40 0 Budućnost Podgorica v.  Faroe Islands, 25 March 2025

DF Adam Marušić (1992-10-17) 17 October 1992 66 5 Lazio v.  Czech Republic, 6 June 2025INJ
DF Marko Tući (1998-12-04) 4 December 1998 7 1 Gangwon v.  Faroe Islands, 25 March 2025
DF Robert Gjelaj (2002-09-23) 23 September 2002 0 0 Dečić v.  Turkey, 19 November 2024

MF Vladimir Jovović (1994-10-26) 26 October 1994 63 0 Neftchi Fergana v.  Faroe Islands, 25 March 2025
MF Milan Vušurović (1995-04-18) 18 April 1995 0 0 Mornar Bar v.  Turkey, 19 November 2024
MF Ilija Vukotić (1999-01-07) 7 January 1999 3 1 Boavista v.  Wales, 14 October 2024
MF Novica Eraković (1999-11-12) 12 November 1999 4 0 Omonia Nicosia v.  Wales, 9 September 2024

FW Viktor Đukanović (2004-01-29) 29 January 2004 4 0 DAC 1904 v.  Wales, 9 September 2024
FW Vladimir Perišić (2004-08-26) 26 August 2004 0 0 Slavia Prague B v.  Wales, 9 September 2024

Notes
  • WD = Player withdrew from the current squad due to non-injury issue.
  • INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury.

Player records

As of 9 June 2025[19]
Players in bold are still active with Montenegro.

Most appearances

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Stevan Jovetić 87 37 2007–present
2 Fatos Bećiraj 86 15 2009–2022
3 Stefan Savić 74 9 2010–present
4 Adam Marušić 66 5 2015–present
5 Žarko Tomašević 65 5 2010–present
6 Vladimir Jovović 63 0 2013–present
Stefan Mugoša 63 15 2015–present
8 Elsad Zverotić 61 5 2008–2017
9 Marko Vešović 57 2 2013–present
10 Marko Janković 54 1 2016–present

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Average Career
1 Stevan Jovetić 37 87 0.43 2007–present
2 Mirko Vučinić 17 46 0.37 2007–2017
3 Stefan Mugoša 15 63 0.24 2015–present
Fatos Bećiraj 15 86 0.17 2009–2022
5 Stefan Savić 9 74 0.12 2010–present
6 Dejan Damjanović 8 30 0.27 2008–2015
7 Radomir Đalović 7 26 0.27 2007–2012
8 Andrija Delibašić 6 21 0.29 2009–2013
Nikola Krstović 6 28 0.21 2022–present
10 Elsad Zverotić 5 61 0.08 2008–2017
Žarko Tomašević 5 64 0.08 2014–present
Adam Marušić 5 66 0.08 2015–present

Competitive record

Competition Pld W D L GF GA GD
FIFA World Cup qualifiers 41 13 13 15 61 60 +1
UEFA European Championship qualifiers 37 10 10 17 32 57 −25
UEFA Nations League 24 9 3 15 25 28 -3
Friendly games 53 20 13 19 62 64 -2
Overall 155 52 39 66 180 209 −29

Updated: 7 June 2025

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pos Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1938 Part of  Yugoslavia Part of  Yugoslavia
1950 to 1990 Part of  Yugoslavia Part of  Yugoslavia
1994 to 2002 Part of  FR Yugoslavia Part of  FR Yugoslavia
2006 Part of  Serbia and Montenegro Part of  Serbia and Montenegro
2010 Did not qualify 5th 10 1 6 3 9 14
2014 3rd 10 4 3 3 18 17
2018 3rd 10 5 1 4 20 12
2022 4th 10 3 3 4 14 15
2026 To be determined To be determined
2030
2034
Total 0/4 40 13 13 14 61 58

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record Qualification record Qualification play-offs record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pos. Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1960 Part of  Yugoslavia Part of  Yugoslavia Part of  Yugoslavia
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996 Part of  FR Yugoslavia Part of  FR Yugoslavia Part of  FR Yugoslavia
2000
2004 Part of  Serbia and Montenegro Part of  Serbia and Montenegro Part of  Serbia and Montenegro
2008 Did not enter Did not enter
2012 Did not qualify PO 8 3 3 2 7 7 2 0 0 2 0 3
2016 4th 10 3 2 5 10 13
2020 5th 8 0 3 5 3 22
2024 3rd 8 3 2 3 9 11
2028 To be determined To be determined To be determined
2032
Total 0/4 34 9 10 15 29 53 2 0 0 2 0 3

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Season Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 C 4 6 2 1 3 7 6 35th
2020–21 C 1 6 4 1 1 10 2 34th
2022–23 B 3 6 2 1 3 6 6 28th
2024–25 B 4 6 1 0 5 4 9 30th
2026–27 C TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 TBD
Total 24 9 3 12 27 23 28th

Head-to-head record

Below is a summary of Montenegrin national team results against every opponent country.

As of 9 June 2025
Opponent P W D L GF GA GD Win %
 Albania 2 0 0 2 2 4 −2 000.00
 Armenia 4 1 1 2 8 7 +1 025.00
 Austria 2 0 0 2 2 4 −2 000.00
 Azerbaijan 3 2 1 0 4 0 +4 066.67
 Belarus 5 3 2 0 6 1 +5 060.00
 Belgium 2 0 1 1 2 4 −2 000.00
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 0 3 1 1 2 −1 000.00
 Bulgaria 8 3 4 1 9 9 +0 037.50
 Colombia 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 000.00
 Cyprus 5 2 3 0 9 3 +6 040.00
 Czech Republic 6 0 0 6 1 15 −14 000.00
 Denmark 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 033.33
 England 6 0 3 3 5 19 −14 000.00
 Estonia 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00
 Faroe Islands 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00
 Finland 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 000.00
 Georgia 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 033.33
 Ghana 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00
 Gibraltar 3 3 0 0 10 2 +8 100.00
 Greece 2 1 0 1 2 2 +0 050.00
 Hungary 5 2 2 1 8 8 +0 040.00
 Iceland 3 1 0 2 2 5 −3 033.33
 Israel 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 000.00
 Iran 2 0 1 1 1 2 −1 000.00
 Italy 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3 000.00
 Japan 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 000.00
 Kazakhstan 4 3 1 0 11 0 +11 075.00
 Kosovo 2 0 1 1 1 3 −2 000.00
 Latvia 4 2 2 0 5 2 +3 050.00
 Lebanon 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1 100.00
 Liechtenstein 2 1 1 0 2 0 +2 050.00
 Lithuania 4 3 1 0 10 3 +7 075.00
 Luxembourg 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 066.67
 Moldova 4 3 0 1 7 5 +2 075.00
 North Macedonia 4 2 0 2 5 7 −2 050.00
 Netherlands 2 0 1 1 2 6 −4 000.00
 Northern Ireland 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100.00
 Norway 4 1 0 3 4 6 −2 025.00
 Poland 4 0 2 2 6 9 −3 000.00
 Republic of Ireland 2 0 2 0 0 0 +0 000.00
 Romania 7 3 2 2 7 6 +1 042.86
 Russia 2 0 0 2 0 5 −5 000.00
 San Marino 2 2 0 0 9 0 +9 100.00
 Serbia 4 0 0 4 2 9 −7 000.00
 Slovakia 2 0 1 1 2 4 −2 000.00
 Slovenia 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 000.00
 Sweden 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 000.00
  Switzerland 2 1 0 1 1 2 −1 050.00
 Turkey 6 1 2 3 8 9 −1 016.67
 Ukraine 2 1 0 1 1 4 −3 050.00
 Uzbekistan 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00
 Wales 5 2 0 3 5 6 −1 040.00
52 Teams 158 53 40 65 186 209 −23 033.54

FIFA rankings

See also

Notes

References

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  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
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  5. ^ Frylan, Kevin (9 August 2007). "UEFA admits Montenegro". Reuters. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  6. ^ Chaplin, Mark (2006). "No decision yet on Gibraltar". UEFA. Archived from the original on 28 November 2006. Retrieved 11 April 2007.
  7. ^ Simon Hart (2007). "UEFA to consider 24-team Euro". UEFA. Archived from the original on 19 February 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2007.
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  10. ^ "Blatter's third term confirmed". FIFA. Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
  11. ^ "Crna Gora ubjedljiva protiv San Marina - pukla šestica, oboren rekord". Vijesti (in Montenegrin). 11 September 2012. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  12. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil | Matches | Ukraine-Montenegro". FIFA. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  13. ^ "Montenegro Arrests Fans for Football Violence". Balkan Insight. Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  14. ^ "Sportski objekti na teritoriji Glavnog grada Podgorica". Podgorica.me (in Montenegrin). Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2006.
  15. ^ "Fudbalski savez Crne Gore". Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  16. ^ "VIDEO: Zavirite u novu Kuću fudbala". CDM (in Montenegrin). Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2006.
  17. ^ "Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players" (PDF). FIFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2007.
  18. ^ "Prosinečki pozvao 27 igrača" (in Montenegrin). Football Association of Montenegro. 25 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  19. ^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Montenegro: Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2013.