Serbia national football team

Mens national football team.

The Serbia national football team (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалска репрезентација Србије, romanized: Fudbalska reprezentacija Srbije) represents Serbia in men's international football and is governed by the Football Association of Serbia (FSS). The team is nicknamed "Orlovi" (Eagles) and has a rich history, having participated in numerous international competitions.

Serbia's footballing history began under the umbrella of Yugoslavia, with the national team competing in its first match in 1920. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, Serbia was represented by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which later became Serbia and Montenegro. The team faced challenges during this transitional period, including international sanctions that prevented participation in major tournaments until 1994.

Serbia has qualified for the FIFA World Cup on 13 occasions, with its best results coming as part of the Yugoslavian team, which finished fourth in 1930 and 1962. As an independent nation, Serbia has participated in four World Cups (2006, 2010, 2018, and 2022) but has struggled to progress past the group stage. Their highest FIFA ranking was sixth in December 1998.

In European competitions, Serbia has also had notable performances. As part of Yugoslavia, they were runners-up in the UEFA European Championship in 1960 and 1968. After the split with Montenegro, Serbia qualified for Euro 2008 but did not advance beyond the group stage. The team reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2000 as FR Yugoslavia.

Key players in Serbian football history include Aleksandar Mitrović, who is the all-time top scorer for Serbia with 59 goals, and Dušan Tadić, who holds the record for most caps with 111 appearances. Under head coach Dragan Stojković, Serbia continues to develop its talent pool and aims for success on both European and global stages.