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football in Luxembourg

{{Short description|none}}

{{use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}

{{Expert needed|Luxembourg|reason=inadequate content on the historical and cultural aspects of the subject|date=September 2018}}

{{Infobox sport overview

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| title = Football in Luxembourg

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| union = Luxembourg Football Federation

| country = Luxembourg

| sport = association football

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| nationalteam = Men ({{small|U21, U19, U17}})
Women ({{small|U19, U17}})

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Men's competition

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{{Plainlist|

Women's competition

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Men's leagues

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{{Plainlist|

Men's cups

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{{Plainlist|

Women's leagues

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{{Plainlist|

Women's cups

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| intl_list = Champions League
Europa League
Europa Conference League

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Football in Luxembourg is governed by the Luxembourg Football Federation (FLF), which is a member of FIFA and UEFA.{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/luxembourg-s-emphatic-rise-has-created-an-unforeseen-problem-1.4521217?mode=amp|title=Luxembourg's emphatic rise has created an unforeseen problem|website=www.irishtimes.com}} The FLF organises the men's, women's and futsal national teams, in addition to the main domestic competitions, the National Division and the Luxembourg Cup.

Despite football being so popular, Luxembourg has rarely had a club pass the second round of qualifying for the Champions League. However, in the 2018-19 Europa League, F91 Dudelange became the first team from Luxembourg to qualify to the group stage of a major European Competition when they beat CFR Cluj of Romania in the Play-Offs 5–2 on aggregate.

The first match of the national team was played on 29 October 1911 (defeat 1–4 against France {{cite web |title=Live Scores - Luxembourg - Matches |url=https://www.fifa.com/live-scores/teams/country=lux/men/matches/index.html#year1911 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624150703/http://www.fifa.com/live-scores/teams/country=lux/men/matches/index.html#year1911 |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 June 2016 |website=FIFA |access-date=15 November 2018}}), while the first women's game was a 0–4 defeat to Slovakia on 18 November 2006.{{cite web |title=Live Scores - Luxembourg - Women's - Matches |url=https://www.fifa.com/live-scores/teams/country=lux/women/matches/index.html#year2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116000916/https://www.fifa.com/live-scores/teams/country=lux/women/matches/index.html#year2006 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 November 2018 |website=FIFA |access-date=15 November 2018}}

History

The oldest football club in Luxembourg is Fola Esch, founded as the "Football and Lawntennis Club" on 9 December 1906 by English language teacher Jean Roeder.{{cite web |title=CS Fola Esch - Historique |url=https://www.csfola.lu/page/historique-723 |publisher=CS Fola Esch |access-date=20 November 2018|language=fr|trans-title=CS Fola Esch - History}} Being the oldest club in the country, they are also part of the Club of Pioneers, a group set up by Sheffield FC to join the oldest clubs in each country.

It wasn't until 1908 that enough clubs had been created to form the Luxembourg Football Federation (FLF).{{cite web |title=Luxembourg - Association Information |url=https://www.fifa.com/associations/association=LUX/about.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906090836/http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=LUX/about.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 September 2015 |website=FIFA |access-date=20 November 2018}} The following year, in 1909, the FLF organised the first National Division league, which would be won by Racing Club Luxembourg.{{cite web |last1=Schöggl |first1=Hans |title=Luxembourg 1909/10 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesl/lux1910.html |website=RSSSF |access-date=20 November 2018}} Racing were also the first team to win the inaugural Luxembourg Cup 12 years later.{{cite web |last1=Stokkermans |first1=Karel |title=Luxembourg - List of Cup Finals |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesl/luxcuphist.html |website=RSSSF |access-date=20 November 2018}} The women's league started in the 1971–73 season and was won by the Atert Bissen women's team.{{cite web |last1=Garin |first1=Erik |title=Luxembourg - List of Women Champions |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesl/lux-womchamp.html |website=RSSSF |access-date=20 November 2018}} A women's cup competition started in 2001–02, where the Progrès Niederkorn women's team won the trophy.{{cite web |last1=Schöggl |first1=Hans |title=Luxembourg - List of Women Cup Winners |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesl/lux-womcuphist.html |website=RSSSF |access-date=20 November 2018}}

Luxembourg, as a nation, was affiliated with FIFA in 1910, and then with UEFA in 1954. The first match of the national team was a 1–4 defeat at home to France on 29 October 1910.{{cite web |title=Live Scores - Luxembourg - Matches |url=https://www.fifa.com/live-scores/teams/country=lux/men/matches/index.html#year2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624150703/http://www.fifa.com/live-scores/teams/country=lux/men/matches/index.html#year2006 |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 June 2016 |website=FIFA.com |access-date=23 November 2018}} It was only in 2006 that the national women's team played their first game, a 0–4 defeat to Slovakia at home in the 2009 UEFA Euro Qualifying stage.{{cite web |title=Live Scores - Luxembourg - Women's - Matches |url=https://www.fifa.com/live-scores/teams/country=lux/women/matches/index.html#year2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116000916/https://www.fifa.com/live-scores/teams/country=lux/women/matches/index.html#year2006 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 November 2018 |website=FIFA.com |access-date=23 November 2018}} The country hosted their first, and so far only, national tournament in 2006 when they hosted the Euro Under-17 Euro tournament,{{cite web |title=Under-17 - Russian determination wins out |url=https://www.uefa.com/under17/history/season=2006/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703175129/http://www.uefa.com/under17/history/season=2006/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 July 2017 |website=UEFA |access-date=23 November 2018}} where they failed to progress beyond the group stage. Until 2017, Luxembourg were consistently ranked outside the top 100 teams by FIFA,{{cite web |title=The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking |url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/associations/association=lux/men/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219142740/http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/associations/association=lux/men/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 February 2015 |publisher=FIFA |access-date=28 November 2018}} but after some good results, namely in the UEFA Nations League, they are now ranked 84th.

The national stadium, the Stade de Luxembourg was opened in September 2021, replacing the outdated Stade Josy Barthel, first inaugurated in 1931, as the home of the country's national team.{{cite news |last1=Jacquemot |first1=Patrick |title=Le Stade de Luxembourg va sonner creux |url=https://www.wort.lu/fr/luxembourg/1er-match-officiel-le-stade-de-luxembourg-va-sonner-creux-611a18b5de135b9236056498 |work=Luxemburger Wort - Edition francophone |date=16 August 2021 |language=fr}}

Since the turn of the century, the domestic league has been dominated by F91 Dudelange, having won 14 league titles as well as 7 Luxembourg Cup titles. This is still some way behind the most successful team in the country, Jeunesse Esch, with 28 league titles, however Dudelange was only founded as recently as 1991. They added to this success by becoming the first Luxembourgish team to qualify for the group stage of the Europa League in 2018–19, after dropping out of the Champions League Qualification Stage.{{cite web |last1=Colin |first1=Jean-François |title=Revue de presse: entre extase et incrédulité |url=https://www.wort.lu/fr/sport/revue-de-presse-entre-extase-et-incredulite-5b88d82d182b657ad3b92173 |publisher=Wort.lu |access-date=26 November 2018|language=fr|trans-title=Press review: between ecstasy and disbelief}}

Rankings

=FIFA Ranking=

{{#invoke:SportsRankings|list2|FIFA World Rankings|Luxembourg|2}}

=UEFA Coefficient=

{{#invoke:SportsRankings|list2|UEFA Coefficient Rankings|Luxembourg|2}}

League system

{{main|Luxembourg football league system}}

{{Luxembourg football league pyramid}}

Seasons in Luxembourg Football

The National Division started with the 1909–10 season, which was won by Racing Club Luxembourg. The Luxembourg Cup was started twelve seasons later, with the 1921–22 edition being won by Racing Club Luxembourg. During the 1912–13 and 1940–41 to 1943–44 there were no competitive competitions held in Luxembourg.

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=Luxembourg National Division Seasons=

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1900s

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| 1909–10

1910s

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| 1911–12

| style="color:#AAA" | 1912–13

| 1913–14

| 1914–15

| 1915–16

| 1916–17

| 1917–18

| 1918–19

| 1919–20

1920s

| 1920–21

| 1921–22

| 1922–23

| 1923–24

| 1924–25

| 1925–26

| 1926–27

| 1927–28

| 1928–29

| 1929–30

1930s

| 1930–31

| 1931–32

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1940s

| style="color:#AAA" | 1940–41

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| style="color:#AAA" | 1942–43

| style="color:#AAA" | 1943–44

| 1944–45

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1950s

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| 1952–53

| 1953–54

| 1954–55

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| 1956–57

| 1957–58

| 1958–59

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1960s

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| 1962–63

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1970s

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1980s

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1990s

| 1990–91

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| 1999–00

2000s

| 2000–01

| 2001–02

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| 2004–05

| 2005–06

| 2006–07

| 2007–08

| 2008–09

| 2009–10

2010s

| 2010–11

| 2011–12

| 2012–13

| 2013–14

| 2014–15

| 2015–16

| 2016–17

| 2017–18

| 2018–19

| 2019–20

2020s

| 2020–21

| 2021–22

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=Luxembourg Cup Seasons=

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1910s

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1920s

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| 1921–22

| 1922–23

| 1923–24

| 1924–25

| 1925–26

| 1926–27

| 1927–28

| 1928–29

| 1929–30

1930s

| 1930–31

| 1931–32

| 1932–33

| 1933–34

| 1934–35

| 1935–36

| 1936–37

| 1937–38

| 1938–39

| 1939–40

1940s

| style="color:#AAA" | 1940–41

| style="color:#AAA" | 1941–42

| style="color:#AAA" | 1942–43

| style="color:#AAA" | 1943–44

| 1944–45

| 1945–46

| 1946–47

| 1947–48

| 1948–49

| 1949–50

1950s

| 1950–51

| 1951–52

| 1952–53

| 1953–54

| 1954–55

| 1955–56

| 1956–57

| 1957–58

| 1958–59

| 1959–60

1960s

| 1960–61

| 1961–62

| 1962–63

| 1963–64

| 1964–65

| 1965–66

| 1966–67

| 1967–68

| 1968–69

| 1969–70

1970s

| 1970–71

| 1971–72

| 1972–73

| 1973–74

| 1974–75

| 1975–76

| 1976–77

| 1977–78

| 1978–79

| 1979–80

1980s

| 1980–81

| 1981–82

| 1982–83

| 1983–84

| 1984–85

| 1985–86

| 1986–87

| 1987–88

| 1988–89

| 1989–90

1990s

| 1990–91

| 1991–92

| 1992–93

| 1993–94

| 1994–95

| 1995–96

| 1996–97

| 1997–98

| 1998–99

| 1999–00

2000s

| 2000–01

| 2001–02

| 2002–03

| 2003–04

| 2004–05

| 2005–06

| 2006–07

| 2007–08

| 2008–09

| 2009–10

2010s

| 2010–11

| 2011–12

| 2012–13

| 2013–14

| 2014–15

| 2015–16

| 2016–17

| 2017–18

| 2018–19

| 2019–20

2020s

| 2020–21

| 2021–22

| 2022-23

{{col-end}}

Luxembourg Clubs in European Competitions

{{Main|Luxembourgian football clubs in European competitions}}

Luxembourg football clubs have participated in European football competitions since Spora Luxembourg first took part in the 1956–57 European Cup. In total, 23 different clubs have since represented Luxembourg in European competition. Of these, 14 are still in existence while the remaining 9 were merged into a new or existing team.

In the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, F91 Dudelange became the first Luxembourgish club to compete in the group stage of a modern European competition.

National team

{{Main|Luxembourg national football team}}

{{See also|Luxembourg national football team results}}

The national team has had limited international success and has never qualified for a European Championship or World Cup. {{cite web | url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/georgia-luxembourg-euro-2024 | title=How Luxembourg went from whipping boys to genuine contenders to reach Euro 2024 | date=21 March 2024 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/sep/10/luxembourg-thrive-among-peers-dream-euro-2020|title=Luxembourg thrive among their peers and can dream of Euro 2020 place - Nick Ames|first=Nick|last=Ames|date=10 September 2018|website=the Guardian|access-date=11 September 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/917-International-football/4706-life-of-luxe |title=When Saturday Comes - Life of Luxe |publisher=Wsc.co.uk |date=2012-07-09 |access-date=2013-12-03}} According to the FIFA World Ranking, the national team is currently ranked 83rd (December 2023).{{Cite web|last=FIFA.com|title=The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Associations - Luxembourg - Men's |url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/LUX|access-date=2024-02-13|website=www.fifa.com|language=en-GB}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.flf.lu flf.lu] - Luxembourg football federation
  • {{in lang|fr}} [https://www.worldfootball.net worldfootball.net] - Luxembourg

{{Luxembourg football}}

{{Football in Europe}}

{{League systems}}

{{Luxembourg topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Football In Luxembourg}}