The Cyprus national football team (Greek: Κύπρος εθνική ομάδα ποδοσφαίρου, Kýpros ethnikí̱ omáda podosfaírou) represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias. They have never reached the finals of either the European Championships or the World Cup.

History

Their first match was a friendly on 23 July 1949, against Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Tel Aviv which ended in a 3–3 draw, one year after becoming a member of the world governing body FIFA. Seven days later the team had its first international game, a 3–1 defeat against Israel in the same city. In November 1960, following independence from British rule, Cyprus drew its first post-independence official match 1–1 against Israel, as part of the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament.

Cyprus' first international victory was a 3–1 win against Greece on 27 November 1963 in a friendly. On 17 February 1968 Cyprus recorded their first competitive win, beating Switzerland 2–1 in a European Championship qualifying match in Nicosia.

In 1974, the national team enjoyed one of their most famous victories when they beat a Northern Ireland side 1–0 in Nicosia. On 12 February 1983, as part of the Euro 1984 qualifiers, Cyprus held world champions Italy to a 1–1 draw in Nicosia, followed a month later by the same result against Czechoslovakia. Four years later, in Euro 1988 qualification, Cyprus recorded their first ever point achieved in an away match, against Poland. In 1989 they drew 1–1 with France in World Cup qualifying match. Despite a number of triumphs on home soil, Cyprus had to wait until 1992 to record their first away win, a 2–0 victory against the Faroe Islands.

Results in qualifying tournaments have also improved considerably in recent times. In the qualifying stages for the 1996 UEFA European Championship, Cyprus drew 1–1 with holders Denmark. Four years later, they missed out on a place in the 2000 European Football Championship by a solitary point, 3–2 victories against Spain and Israel and a 4–0 defeat of San Marino contributing to the team finishing on 12 points, just one point behind Israel who qualified for the Euro 2000 play-offs.

On 15 November 2000 Cyprus scored their biggest win in history by beating Andorra in Limassol 5–0 in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification.

On 7 October 2006, as part of the Euro 2008 qualifiers, Cyprus caused a major upset by beating the Republic of Ireland 5–2 at home with Michalis Konstantinou and Constantinos Charalambides each scoring two goals and Alexandros Garpozis one goal. On 15 November 2006, they caused another surprise by holding the World Cup semi-finalists Germany to a 1–1 draw at home. On 13 October 2007, they beat Wales 3–1 in Nicosia. Also on 17 October 2007 Cyprus came close to a historic away victory in Dublin against the Republic of Ireland, but the hosts equalised in the last minute of the game, and the match ended 1–1. On 3 September 2010, as part of the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Cyprus claimed a historic result against Portugal after drawing 4–4 in Guimarães.
Kit

On 7 October 2006 a new kit, made by Diadora and outlining a map of Cyprus in amber from the shoulder to the sleeve with a green line running down the middle indicating the division of the island. This kit was used for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, and was replaced by a kit made by Adidas for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.
Home stadium

Cyprus currently plays home matches at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia. Home matches had previously been staged at different stadiums all around the country. Until 1974 Cyprus used either the old GSP Stadium in central Nicosia, or the GSE stadium in Famagusta. After the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, some matches were played at Tsirion Stadium in Limassol and the Makario Stadium in Nicosia. In 1999, the building of the New GSP Stadium in Nicosia provided a new home for the national team but in 2008 a change of sponsorship forced home fixtures for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification to be played at the Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium. However, Cyprus returned to the GSP Stadium for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying round matches.
Total Results and Records

Last Update: 23 March 2013
Competition Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA
FIFA World Cup qualification 99 12 11 76 78 274
European Championship qualification 94 12 14 68 67 251
Friendly Matches 114 34 30 50 126 167
TOTAL 307 58 55 194 271 692
FIFA World Cup Record
Cyprus national football team 2012, Sofia, Bulgaria, 15-8-2012.
FIFA World Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Did Not Enter
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962 Did Not Qualify
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994
France 1998
South Korea Japan 2002
Germany 2006
South Africa 2010
Brazil 2014 To Be Determined
European Championship Record
UEFA European Championship record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
France 1960 Did Not Enter
Spain 1964
Italy 1968 Did Not Qualify
Belgium 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976
Italy 1980
France 1984
West Germany 1988
Sweden 1992
England 1996
Belgium Netherlands 2000
Portugal 2004
Austria Switzerland 2008
Poland Ukraine 2012
France 2016 To Be Determined
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
Main article: UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group H

Team

v
t
e

Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Denmark 8 6 1 1 15 6 +9 19
Portugal 8 5 1 2 21 12 +9 16
Norway 8 5 1 2 10 7 +3 16
Iceland 8 1 1 6 6 14 −8 4
Cyprus 8 0 2 6 7 20 −13 2

Cyprus Denmark Iceland Norway Portugal
Cyprus — 1–4 0–0 1–2 0–4
Denmark 2–0 — 1–0 2–0 2–1
Iceland 1–0 0–2 — 1–2 1–3
Norway 3–1 1–1 1–0 — 1–0
Portugal 4–4 3–1 5–3 1–0 —

Results and fixtures

Group H fixtures were to be negotiated between the participants in a meeting held in Copenhagen on 8 March.[1] After that meeting proved inconclusive, the fixture list was determined by a random draw at the XXXIV Ordinary UEFA Congress in Tel Aviv, Israel, on 25 March.[2]
3 September 2010
20:45 UTC+1
Portugal 4 – 4 Cyprus Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães
Attendance: 9,100
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (England)
Almeida Goal 8'
Meireles Goal 29'
Danny Goal 50'
Fernandes Goal 60' Report Aloneftis Goal 3'
Konstantinou Goal 11'
Okkas Goal 57'
Avraam Goal 89'
8 October 2010
21:00 UTC+3
Cyprus 1 – 2 Norway Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca
Attendance: 7,648
Referee: Thomas Einwaller (Austria)
Okkas Goal 58' Report Riise Goal 2'
Carew Goal 42'
12 October 2010
20:15 UTC+2
Denmark 2 – 0 Cyprus Parken Stadium, Copenhagen
Attendance: 15,544
Referee: César Muñiz Fernández (Spain)
Rasmussen Goal 48'
Lorentzen Goal 81' Report
26 March 2011
20:00 UTC+2
Cyprus 0 – 0 Iceland GSP Stadium, Nicosia
Attendance: 2,088
Referee: Darko Čeferin (Slovenia)
Report
2 September 2011
21:45 UTC+3
Cyprus 0 – 4 Portugal GSP Stadium, Nicosia
Attendance: 15,444
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)
Report Ronaldo Goal 35' (pen.), 83'
Almeida Goal 84'
Danny Goal 90+2'
6 September 2011
18:45 UTC±0
Iceland 1 – 0 Cyprus Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík
Attendance: 5,267
Referee: Boško Jovanetić (Serbia)
Sigþórsson Goal 5' Report
7 October 2011
21:30 UTC+3
Cyprus 1 – 4 Denmark GSP Stadium, Nicosia
Attendance: 2,408
Referee: Marijo Strahonja (Croatia)
Avraam Goal 45+1' Report Jacobsen Goal 7'
Rommedahl Goal 11', 22'
Krohn-Dehli Goal 20'
11 October 2011
20:15 UTC+2
Norway 3 – 1 Cyprus Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo
Attendance: 13,490
Referee: William Collum (Scotland)
Pedersen Goal 25'
Carew Goal 34'
Høgli Goal 65' Report Okkas Goal 42'
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
Main article: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group E
Team

v
t
e

Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Switzerland 5 3 2 0 7 1 +6 11
Iceland 5 3 0 2 6 5 +1 9
Albania 5 3 0 2 6 5 +1 9
Norway 5 2 1 2 6 6 0 7
Cyprus 5 1 1 3 4 8 −4 4
Slovenia 5 1 0 4 4 8 −4 3

Albania Cyprus Iceland Norway Slovenia Switzerland
Albania — 3–1 1–2 7 Jun 1–0 11 Oct
Cyprus 15 Oct — 1–0 1–3 10 Sep 0–0
Iceland 10 Sep 11 Oct — 2–0 7 Jun 0–2
Norway 0–1 6 Sep 15 Oct — 2–1 10 Sep
Slovenia 6 Sep 2–1 1–2 11 Oct — 0–2
Switzerland 2–0 8 Jun 6 Sep 1–1 15 Oct —

Results and fixtures

A meeting was held in Zurich, Switzerland on 22 November 2011 to determine the schedule. The delegates failed to reach agreement on the fixtures, which were then determined by a random draw at the conclusion of the meeting.[3]
7 September 2012
20:30 UTC+2
Albania 3 – 1 Cyprus Qemal Stafa National Stadium, Tirana
Attendance: 9,400[4]
Referee: Artyom Kuchin (Kazakhstan)
Konstantinou Goal 35' (o.g.)
Çani Goal 84'
Bogdani Goal 87' Report Laban Goal 45+2'
11 September 2012
20:00 UTC+3
Cyprus 1 – 0 Iceland Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca
Attendance: 1,600[5]
Referee: Sébastien Delferiere (Belgium)
Makrides Goal 57' Report Ottesen Red card 86'
12 October 2012
20:45 UTC+2
Slovenia 2 – 1 Cyprus Ljudski vrt, Maribor
Attendance: 7,988[6]
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia)
Matavž Goal 38', 61' Report Aloneftis Goal 83'
16 October 2012
20:00 UTC+3
Cyprus 1 – 3 Norway Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca
Attendance: 2,493[7]
Referee: Paweł Gil (Poland)
Aloneftis Goal 42' Report Hangeland Goal 44'
Elyounoussi Goal 81' (pen.)
King Goal 83'
23 March 2013
18:30 UTC+2
Cyprus 0 – 0 Switzerland GSP Stadium, Nicosia
Attendance: 2,045[8]
Referee: Manuel Gräfe (Germany)
Report
7 June 2013
Switzerland v Cyprus

6 September 2013
Norway v Cyprus

10 September 2013
Cyprus v Slovenia

11 October 2013
Iceland v Cyprus Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík

15 October 2013
Cyprus v Albania

Current squad

The following 24 players have been nominated for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Switzerland on 23 March 2013.

Players' records are accurate as of 23 March 2013, after the match against Switzerland.
# Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
GK Antonis Georgallides 30 January 1982 (age 31) 48 0 Cyprus Alki Larnaca
GK Anastasios Kissas 18 January 1988 (age 25) 10 0 Cyprus APOEL
GK Christos Mastrou 30 January 1988 (age 25) 2 0 Cyprus Anorthosis
DF Elias Charalambous 25 September 1980 (age 32) 61 0 Romania Vaslui
DF Paraskevas Christou 2 February 1984 (age 29) 31 0 Romania Pandurii Târgu Jiu
MF Athos Solomou 30 November 1985 (age 27) 13 0 Cyprus APOEL
DF Christos Theophilou 30 April 1980 (age 32) 11 0 Cyprus AEL Limassol
DF Dosa Júnior 27 August 1986 (age 26) 7 0 Cyprus AEL Limassol
DF Angelis Charalambous 31 May 1989 (age 23) 3 0 Cyprus Apollon Limassol
DF Marios Antoniades 14 May 1990 (age 22) 1 0 Cyprus APOEL
DF Eleftherios Mertakas 16 March 1985 (age 28) 0 0 Cyprus AEK Larnaca
MF Constantinos Charalambides 25 July 1981 (age 31) 70 11 Cyprus APOEL
MF Constantinos Makrides 13 January 1982 (age 31) 62 4 Ukraine Metalurh Donetsk
MF Marios Nicolaou 4 October 1983 (age 29) 34 1 Cyprus AEL Limassol
MF Siniša Dobrašinović 17 February 1977 (age 36) 24 1 Greece Veria
MF Christos Marangos 9 May 1983 (age 29) 22 1 Cyprus AEK Larnaca
MF Nektarios Alexandrou 19 December 1983 (age 29) 20 0 Cyprus APOEL
MF Georgios Efrem 5 July 1989 (age 23) 20 0 Cyprus Omonia
MF Vincent Laban 9 September 1984 (age 28) 6 1 Cyprus Anorthosis
MF Giorgos Vasiliou 12 June 1984 (age 28) 5 0 Cyprus Apollon Limassol
MF Kostakis Artymatas 15 April 1993 (age 19) 2 0 Cyprus Enosis Neon Paralimni
FW Demetris Christofi 28 September 1988 (age 24) 31 3 Cyprus Omonia
FW Pieros Sotiriou 13 January 1993 (age 20) 3 0 Cyprus Olympiakos Nicosia
FW Alex Konstantinou 11 April 1992 (age 20) 0 0 Cyprus Apollon Limassol
Recent call-ups
Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Michalis Morfis 15 January 1979 (age 34) 22 0 Cyprus Doxa Katokopias v. Romania, 9 February 2011
DF Giorgos Merkis 30 July 1984 (age 28) 20 0 Cyprus Apollon Limassol v. Serbia, 6 February 2013
DF Valentinos Sielis 1 March 1990 (age 23) 8 0 Cyprus Anorthosis v. Serbia, 6 February 2013
DF Jason Demetriou 18 November 1987 (age 25) 20 0 Cyprus AEK Larnaca v. Finland, 14 November 2012
DF Stelios Parpas 25 July 1985 (age 27) 3 0 Cyprus AEL Limassol v. Finland, 14 November 2012
DF Giorgos Pelagias 10 May 1985 (age 27) 2 0 Cyprus Olympiakos Nicosia v. Serbia, 29 February 2012
DF Alexandros Garpozis 5 September 1980 (age 32) 39 1 Cyprus AEP Paphos v. Bulgaria, 29 March 2011
DF Marios Elia 14 April 1979 (age 33) 51 2 Cyprus APOEL v. Moldova, 10 August 2011
MF Efstathios Aloneftis 29 March 1983 (age 30) 52 10 Cyprus APOEL v. Serbia, 6 February 2013
MF Andreas Avraam 6 June 1987 (age 25) 28 5 Cyprus Anorthosis v. Serbia, 6 February 2013
MF Andreas Stavrou 27 October 1988 (age 24) 2 0 Cyprus Apollon Limassol v. Bulgaria, 15 August 2012
MF Marinos Satsias 24 May 1978 (age 34) 65 0 Cyprus APOEL v. Serbia, 29 February 2012
MF Giorgos Panagi 3 November 1986 (age 26) 14 0 Cyprus Ermis Aradippou v. Romania, 9 February 2011
MF Kyriacos Pavlou 4 September 1986 (age 26) 9 0 Cyprus AEK Larnaca v. Denmark, 7 October 2011
FW Nestoras Mitidis 1 June 1991 (age 21) 8 0 Cyprus AEK Larnaca v. Serbia, 6 February 2013
FW Michalis Konstantinou 19 February 1978 (age 35) 86 32 Cyprus AEL Limassol v. Finland, 14 November 2012
FW Ioannis Okkas 11 February 1977 (age 36) 106 27 Cyprus Anorthosis v. Norway, 11 October 2011
Past Managers

As of 23 March 2013.[9]

Name Career
Greece Nikos Nioplias 2011–present
Greece Angelos Anastasiadis 2004–2011
Serbia Momčilo Vukotić 2001–2004
Cyprus Stavros Papadopoulos 1999–2001
Cyprus Panikos Georgiou 1997–1999
Cyprus Andreas Michaelides 1991–1997
Cyprus Panikos Iakovou 1984–1991
Bulgaria Vassil Spasov 1982–1984
Greece Kostas Talianos 1977–1982
Cyprus Panikos Krystallis 1976–1977
Cyprus Pambos Avraamidis 1972–1976
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Sima Milovanov 1972
England Ray Wood 1969–1971
Cyprus Pambos Avraamidis 1968–1969
Greece Argyrios Gavalas 1960–1967
Hungary Gyula Zsengellér 1958–1959
Player records

As of 23 March 2013.
Most capped Cyprus players
# Name Debut Caps Goals Active?
1 Ioannis Okkas 1997 106 27 No
2 Michalis Konstantinou 1998 86 32 Yes
3 Pambos Pittas 1987 82 7 No
4 Nicos Panayiotou 1994 75 0 No
5 Constantinos Charalambides 2003 70 11 Yes
Top Cyprus goalscorers
# Player Debut Caps Goals Active?
1 Michalis Konstantinou 1998 86 32 Yes
2 Ioannis Okkas 1997 106 27 No
3 Constantinos Charalambides 2003 70 11 Yes
4 Marios Agathokleous 1994 38 10 No
5 Efstathios Aloneftis 2005 52 10 Yes

See here for top goal scorers per country.
Memorable Results
Date Tournament Place Match Score
November 27, 1963 Friendly Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – Greece 3 – 1
February 17, 1968 UEFA EURO 1968 qualifying Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – Switzerland 2 – 1
May 13, 1979 UEFA EURO 1980 qualifying Limassol, Cyprus Cyprus – Romania 1 – 1
February 14, 1973 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – Northern Ireland 1 – 0
February 12, 1983 UEFA EURO 1984 qualifying Limassol, Cyprus Cyprus – Italy 1 – 1
March 27, 1983 UEFA EURO 1984 qualifying Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – Czechoslovakia 1 – 1
April 12, 1987 UEFA EURO 1988 qualifying Gdansk, Poland Poland – Cyprus 0 – 0
October 22, 1988 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – France 1 – 1
March 24, 1993 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification Limassol, Cyprus Cyprus – Czechoslovakia 1 – 1
March 29, 1995 UEFA EURO 1996 qualifying Limassol, Cyprus Cyprus – Denmark 1 – 1
November 15, 1995 UEFA EURO 1996 qualifying Limassol, Cyprus Cyprus – Belgium 1 – 1
November 10, 1996 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification Limassol, Cyprus Cyprus – Israel 2 – 0
March 29, 1997 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification Paralimni, Cyprus Cyprus – Russia 1 – 1
September 5, 1998 UEFA EURO 2000 qualifying Larnaca, Cyprus Cyprus – Spain 3 – 2
September 5, 1999 UEFA EURO 2000 qualifying Limassol, Cyprus Cyprus – Israel 3 – 2
February 6, 2000 Friendly Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – Romania 3 – 2
November 15, 2000 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification Limassol, Cyprus Cyprus – Andorra 5 – 0
February 28, 2001 Friendly Larnaca, Cyprus Cyprus – Ukraine 4 – 3
November 14, 2001 Friendly Athens, Greece Greece – Cyprus 1 – 2
October 11, 2003 UEFA EURO 2004 qualifying Limassol, Cyprus Cyprus – Slovenia 2 – 2
August 18, 2004 Friendly Limassol, Cyprus Cyprus – Albania 2 – 1
October 7, 2006 UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – Republic of Ireland 5 – 2
November 15, 2006 UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – Germany 1 – 1
October 13, 2007 UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – Wales 3 – 1
October 17, 2007 UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying Dublin, Ireland Republic of Ireland – Cyprus 1 – 1
February 6, 2008 Friendly Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – Ukraine 1 – 1
October 11, 2008 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Tbilisi, Georgia Georgia – Cyprus 1 – 1
February 11, 2009 Friendly Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – Slovakia 3 – 2
March 28, 2009 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Larnaca, Cyprus Cyprus – Georgia 2 – 1
September 9, 2009 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Podgorica, Montenegro Montenegro – Cyprus 1 – 1
October 11, 2009 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Larnaca, Cyprus Cyprus – Bulgaria 4 – 1
September 3, 2010 UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Guimarães, Portugal Portugal – Cyprus 4 – 4
February 29, 2012 Friendly Larnaca, Cyprus Cyprus – Serbia 0 – 0
March 23, 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus – Switzerland 0 – 0

References

^ "Danmark mod Portugal i EM-kvalifikation" (in Danish). Danish FA. 7 February 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
^ "Fixtures draw completes qualifying schedule". UEFA.com (Union of European Football Associations). 25 March 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
^ "Po žrebu najprej s Švico in Norveško" [After the draw - first Switzerland and Norway] (in Slovenian). nzs.si. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
^ http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/europe/matches/round=258374/match=300182251/report.html
^ http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/europe/matches/round=258374/match=300182265/report.html
^ http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/europe/matches/round=258374/match=300182267/report.html
^ http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/europe/matches/round=258374/match=300182261/report.html
^ http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/europe/matches/round=258374/match=300182270/report.html
^ RSSSF - Cyprus National Team Coaches

External links

RSSSF archive of results 1949-
RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
RSSSF archive of coaches 1929-
Cyprus national football team

Ancient Greece Science, Technology , Medicine , Warfare, , Biographies , Life , Cities/Places/Maps , Arts , Literature , Philosophy ,Olympics, Mythology , History , Images Medieval Greece / Byzantine Empire Science, Technology, Arts, , Warfare , Literature, Biographies, Icons, History Modern Greece Cities, Islands, Regions, Fauna/Flora ,Biographies , History , Warfare, Science/Technology, Literature, Music , Arts , Film/Actors , Sport , Fashion --- Cyprus Greek-Library - Scientific Library