Armenia 2010-11 Home, matchworn v Republic of Ireland by David Manoyan(?)

Before we get onto the rest of the shirt, look at those sleeves! The classic chevron pattern from Hummel extends the full length of the sleeves and really stands out well. Not that the kitman then knew what to do with the patches, they’re kind of obscured. Now, back to the shirt itself. The asymmetry feels a bit weird here, not sure what they were really trying to go for here. Possibly meant as a bit of a mirror of the asymmetry in the Armenian emblem? Not that the white stripe then makes much sense! A transfer logo is a bit poor, though this varied across even player shirts. However, the mini flag on the back will never not be a good thing on a national shirt and I think we can chalk this up as a success.

Used across Euro 2012 qualification, Armenia were very competitive throughout. Aside from a 2-2 draw in Skopje, they were excellent against the bottom three of Slovakia, North Macedonia and Andorra, scoring 20 and conceding only 4. Against Russia and the Republic of Ireland they did ok at home, drawing 0-0 and losing 1-0 but two away losses (3-1 and 2-1) sank their play-off hopes.

Sadly, Euro 2012 was a major outlier for Armenia, with other qualifications being much more of a struggle. Typically a 50-50 between second last and bottom of their groups, before Euro 2012 Armenia had never won more than 2 games in a campaign, though had rather overpopulated the draws column at times. 2014 qualification would bring 4 wins, though they still finished second last due to the highly competitive group and they’ve returned to their previous average since then. The Nations League tried to provide some respite but a humiliating 1-0 loss at home to Gibraltar and 2-2 away draw to Liechtenstein were compounded by a loss away in North Macedonia to condemn them to League D, were it not for the redesign of the tournament. League C in 2019-20 brought revenge over North Macedonia for Armenia to get promoted to League B, though a draw against each of Georgia and Estonia showed they need to be careful.

Sporadic would be the word for women’s football in Armenia with 1 World Cup qualification attempt and 3 Euros qualification attempts. Last seen in Euro 2013 qualification, Armenia have not done very well but did qualify for the main qualifying stage for 2013, beating the Faroe Islands and drawing to Malta and Georgia. However, every main group stage they’ve been in has been very poor. 2005 Euros qualifiers were an unmitigated disaster, 2009 they didn’t make it, 2011 had a 1-0 away loss and 2013 had two 2 goal losses at home. Otherwise, no joy. Men’s youth football has brought little joy, with a few exceptions. The U21s were competitive in 2013 qualification, falling short of the play-offs on goal difference alone but otherwise have really struggled. The U19s and U17s have both been to the Elite Round of qualification more than once, but hardly regularly, and they struggled when they did reach it. Beyond a 1-1 draw with Turkey at an U19 level, the women’s youth teams have not performed well, with further inconsistency in their playing. The U19s seem more active recently, with the U17s not being seen since 2016.

While Armenia have never participated in beach soccer, they’ve been very active in futsal, though almost exclusively in the preliminary qualifying rounds. Rarely last and once qualified to the main round, Armenia don’t show much in futsal but they can’t be considered amongst the very worst. Surprisingly, they participated in the sole women’s futsal Euro qualifying to date, edging Moldova and losing to Belarus to miss out on the main qualifying round.

For Qatar 2022 Armenia are not expected to qualify, but an open group could provide some surprises. Kingmaker is definitely achievable; a play-off spot is a very slim chance but still a chance. Germany are expected to dominate but Romania, Iceland, North Macedonia and Liechtenstein may have to be wary of the team that just got promoted to League B.

Benin 2013-16 GK

A standard Airness GK template that they used across a few nations, Benin included. There’s a sort of bubble shaped fade effect going down the front and some yellow accenting on the elbows and down the sides. Badge and logo are decent quality but there is a bit of a disconnect between the top of the shirt and the sleeves in comparison to the fade. By no means perfect, but a decent shirt and certainly better than some of their stranger outfield kits!

Photos of this exact design are hard to come by but it appears the U17s used it for quite a while. Main use of these templates was across the 2015 AFCON qualifiers though. Drawn in the preliminary qualifying round, Benin won 1-0 at home and lost by the same margin away, being forced into penalties against Malawi. They missed their first and final spot kick to be knocked out at the first hurdle.

This is slightly unusual for Benin. While not one of Africa’s most successful teams, they have been to 4 AFCONs to date, and look set to go to a 5^th in 2021. Before 2019, they had 1 draw from 9 games but the 2019 tournament brought them knockout football, with 3 group stage draws, a successful penalty shootout (after yet another draw) against Morocco and a narrow 1-0 loss against eventual runners-up Senegal. They’ve never been to a World Cup, coming closest for the 2010 tournament where they were 3 points and 6 goals behind Ghana for the qualification spot. Despite trading wins with Ghana, their goal difference against Sudan was worse and they only took a solitary point off Mali. They’ve only entered recent CHANs and have been a close match against Togo and Nigeria but never qualified.

As a women’s side, Benin are largely inactive. They beat Malawi 1-0 over 2 legs in 2006 AFCON qualifiers, got two 1-1 draws against the Ivory Coast and won the subsequent penalty shoot-out before losing both legs to Mali to fall at the final qualification hurdle. They didn’t play between 2007 and 2018 but had some good friendlies and a 2006 friendly tournament where they did fairly well. The men’s youth teams have had some good results (and a few bans for ineligible players…) with 3^rd place at their home 2005 U20 AFCON and a group stage exit in 2013. Otherwise, they tend to have close results, with a few near misses at U20 and U17 level. Women’s youth football has been much rarer, with a failed attempt to qualify for the 2006 U20 AFCON appearing to be their only appearance. They lost 2-1 and 1-0 to DR Congo in the first round.

Neither futsal nor beach soccer have proven to be an outlet for Benin, with no CAF tournament appearances in either.

Drawn in a group with DR Congo, Madagascar and Tanzania (all 4 were at the last AFCON, 3 in the knockout stages!), Benin have a very tough route to Qatar 2022. Definitely a chance for them to take their group but it won’t be an easy task.

Liberia 2012-13 Away

There isn’t much to this shirt from Specs, a name I’ve not heard of previously. While, as with most Liberia shirts, there isn’t really much to talk about, we do have some nice accenting on the cuffs and the collar with the red curves across the front an interesting further touch. An ironed on Liberian flag and a totally plain rear do lower the quality in my eyes but it is a reasonable enough shirt.

These designs were used across 2013 AFCON qualification where they edged Namibia 1-0 over 2 legs in the first round. This led them into a crucial tie against Nigeria for qualification to the final tournament. A 2-2 home draw was impressive, but a 6-1 away loss sank them completely.

Aside from a brief period, this is fairly typical of Liberia’s footballing history. They’ve been to 2 AFCONs and narrowly missed out on a 2002 World Cup spot, but all that was with Ballon d’Or winner George Weah in the team. While a few AFCON qualification attempts have gone fairly well, they sit nearer the bottom of CAF then the top, regularly ranking around the mid to low 30’s in the continent. Getting first-rounded in qualification isn’t entirely unexpected, as they have been in every African Nations Championship qualifier to date (didn’t take part in 2009). The 1996 AFCON had them eliminated on goal difference and the 2002 AFCON brought only 2 draws and a loss, which wasn’t enough. They only narrowly missed out on the 1998 and 2000 tournaments (by goal difference and/or a point) but their heydays are a little behind them now.

Currently unranked, having not played in over 4 years, Liberia’s women’s team has barely existed, with a friendly draw against Sierra Leone in 2014 and an 11-0 aggregate loss to Ghana in All African games qualification in 2011. They were also due to take part in the 2020 AFCON qualifiers before they were cancelled. In terms of youth teams, the men have withdrawn a lot and rarely tended to succeed when they do play with the U23, U20 and U17 all struggling for results. None have made a major CAF competition. The women’s youth teams are similar to the senior side, with very few games. The U23s had a 5-0 aggregate loss to Ethiopia back in 2008 qualification and won & lost a walkover in 2015. The U20s got battered 14-1 on aggregate by Nigeria in 2015 but beat Guinea 7-5 on aggregate in 2020 (games against Cameroon postponed) and lastly the U17s in 2020 battered Niger 9-0 before getting battered 10-0 by Ghana (both on aggregate) with walkover win/loss in 2008 too.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Liberia have never participated in futsal or beach soccer competition in Africa, with the closest they’ve come being a loss on walkover for the 2016 Beach Soccer AFCON.

After a 3-2 aggregate win over Sierra Leone, Liberia have been drawn against Nigeria, Cape Verde and the Central African Republic in 2022 WCQ. Expected to compete for 3^rd or 4^th, Liberia are not anticipated to come close to qualification. Some way to go for them to reach their previous heights.

Belgium 2018 Home

Aside from the front pattern, a very plain shirt. However, it is quite a nice one, with a sort of variable checkerboard of the Belgian flag colours. Done as a homage to the 1984 kit, it does work pretty well while not being a total copy. However, the badge feels larger than it needs to be and the rest of the shirt is too plain, they’re definitely a strange nation for kits.

Primarily used in the 2018 World Cup, Belgium were tipped to possibly win the whole thing, but fell in the semi-finals to France after a dominant group stage against Tunisia, Panama and England. Their 3-2 comeback win against Japan was hailed as a masterclass and they disposed of Brazil fairly comfortably too. One defensive lapse from a set piece in the semis later, they were taking out their frustrations on England once more.

This run was atypical of Belgium who are more typically competitive but underwhelming. They first escaped the 1^st round of the World Cup on their sixth attempt, even coming 4^th in 1986, but have repeatedly had qualification gaps while they recycle their squads. Only having qualified for 6 European Championships, they got 3^rd in 1972 and 2^nd in 1980 but have otherwise struggled for consistency. If nothing else, they deserve respect for a 3 week boat travel to the 1930 World Cup, all for 2 losses!

As a women’s side, they’ve been less successful. Strict qualifying restrictions prevented them from the 2003 World Cup but they’ve generally only been middling. Their sole major tournament qualification came for the 2017 Euros where they came 3^rd in their group, though played well, ending with 0 GD. While underwhelming at the Cyprus and Algarve Cups, they did managed a 3^rd place at the 2019 Cyprus Cup and came 6^th at the following Algarve Cup. They look well on track to continue their rise with a Euro 2021 place. Their men’s youth teams (except for U17) have been underwhelming with one Olympics qualification since 1928 (came 4^th though), two U21 Euros qualifications (1 semi-final) and 1 U19 Euros qualification. 13 U17 euros qualifications and 3 3^rd places since 2007 shows they have the ability though. The women’s youth sides are more successful at U19 level, with 4 qualifications, though the U17’s sole appearance at a Euros resulted in a 4^th place!

Starting off well, with a 3^rd place in the first UEFA Futsal Euros, Belgium have fallen into a pattern of semi-regular qualifiers, qualifying for 4 of the next 10 Euros and never placing higher than 7^th. Their women’s and youth futsal sides only have 1 qualification attempt under their belts and were unsuccessful. The men qualified for the first 3 Futsal World Cups, coming 4^th in 1989, but have not returned since. In beach soccer, Belgium were active in the middle of the 2000’s, with 4 Euro Beach Soccer League appearances (and one declined World Cup play-off invite). They last played in 2009, where they reach the Round of 16 in UEFA’s World Cup qualification.

Really expected to make their mark with their current golden generation, Belgium haven’t quite managed it yet. Will we see more in the next Euros? They’re expected to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and reach the knock-outs but can they deliver more?

Gambia 2015-17 Home, matchworn/prepared? U17s
Gambia 2019-23 Home

Ok, so first off they are legally “The Gambia” but FIFA’s rankings refer to them just as Gambia (which is the river around which the country is based) so that’s what I’ll do.

Yes, it is a template, simple red and white stripes across the front with white across the top and bottom to both highlight the classic Adidas 3 stripes (which are also mirrored in the front pattern) and keep the bottom of the shirt one step above plain. Unless you count the fantastic FA logo, there’s nothing particularly special about it, but it does work fairly nicely. The rear of the shirt only really works with the numbers though, totally plain otherwise.

Used across 2018 World Cup qualifiers and 2017 AFCON qualifiers, the design didn’t oversee much success. Their World Cup journey ended at the very first hurdle, a 1-1 home draw followed up by a 2-1 away loss to Namibia sending them out in CAF’s typical knockout setup. Little was expected of them in AFCON qualifiers, in a group with South Africa, Cameroon and Mauritania. Despite a superb opening 0-0 away draw in South Africa, they only managed a 0-0 home draw to Mauritania to add to that. Matches were generally close, 2 being single goal losses and one by 2 goals, but they only scored 1 goal in 6 games and comfortably finished bottom.

At first glance, the shirt is fairly plain, with a little bit of asymmetry. There is a slightly broken up striped pattern on it, but it is next to impossible to see. The right sleeve has a white shoulder and cuff plus a Saller logo, while the left side has a few rectangles and another Saller logo. Details are all transfers, though the Gambia have a great logo. A nice shirt, but disappointing that the real detail isn’t very obvious.

Again used across AFCON and World Cup qualifiers (2021 and 2022 editions), WCQ started them in the first round, drawing them against Angola. They lost 1-0 at home and 2-1 away to get first rounded once more. 2021 AFCON qualifiers went a little better. They entered at the preliminary stage, drawing 1-1 home and away to Djibouti to win on penalties. However, the group stage against Angola, Gabon and DRC, where they would be expected to do poorly, went superbly. In a tight group, with the top 3 separated by a single point (top 2 qualify), The Gambia managed 7 points at home, only dropping points in a 2-2 draw with DRC (where they equalised deep in stoppage time), and an away win in Angola proved enough for them to top the group, qualifying for their first ever AFCON!

The performance of the earlier shirt is more typical for The Gambia, having gone out at the first stage of qualification for every World Cup attempt to date and regularly struggling in AFCON qualification. Prior to 2021, they had some very good results in AFCON qualifiers, but still typically fell short. At their best, in 2008 and 2010 qualification, they came close to qualifying, just falling short of the final round in 2010 (to a team that qualified) and 3 points short in a tough group for 2008. They don’t always enter though, with a mixture of withdrawals and bans stymying their efforts.

The Gambia’s first competitive women’s international came in 2018 AFCON qualification. They traded 2-1 home wins with Burkina Faso, winning on penalties to face the terrifying Nigeria for an AFCON spot. A 1-0 loss at home to the team that’s barely ever lost in African competition was great but they were swept away 6-0 in the away leg. 2020 qualification has been postponed, but they’ve been drawn against Guinea-Bissau. Men’s youth football has been a tremendous success, with sporadic but significant results. They came 3^rd in the 2007 U20 Championship, going on to beat New Zealand and Portugal at the U20 World Cup and only being knocked out narrowly by Austria in the Round of 16. From 4 qualifications they have 2 U17 titles, being short on goal difference from the knockouts at the 2005 U17 World Cup (after beating Brazil!) and gaining a draw against Colombia in 2009. Women’s youth football is limited to 3 qualifying attempts. First for the 2012 U17 World Cup, where they edged Sierra Leone and beat Tunisia to qualify for the world Cup but heavily lost every game. Second for the 2018 U17 Championship where they beat Sierra Leone 3-0 at home and then won on a walkover; before being thrashed 7-1 by Ghana over two legs in the next round. Third for the 2020 U20 Championships where a 3-2 loss and a 0-0 draw knocked them out immediately against Burkina Faso.

As with plenty of CAF members, they’ve never participated in futsal or beach soccer competitively and are not expected to in short order.

They were expected to fall in 2022 qualifiers and did so in short order. Their 2021 AFCON qualification performance and resultant AFCON performance, however, blew expectations out of the water and very much proved to be the redemption The Gambia were after!

Iraq 2019 Home

Now here’s a beauty! White fadeout across the shoulders (to hide dandruff?) and irregular dark green slashes across the deep green torso. What caused the fearful head shaking to throw around that dandruff and what slashed at the shirt? The really detailed lion in the bottom, of course! The Lions of Mesopotamia (yeah their nickname is awesome too) stand head and shoulders above their competition with this beauty, even having the flag made from a solid but flexible plastic and the Givova logo standing out slightly, rather than being a simple transfer. Quite a lot to this shirt, and none of it bad.

The 2019 WAFF Championship saw the debut of this shirt and sadly they changed afterwards to a similar but slightly worse design (in my opinion). Drawn in the larger group, with Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria, the Iraqis barely paused. Two 2-1 victories over Yemen and Palestine were added to by a 1-0 win over Lebanon and a 0-0 draw to Syria. This led them directly to the final against Bahrain, where a 1-0 loss proved to be their only real stumble in the tournament.

In West Asia they do tend to amongst the top few nations, with regular top 3 finishes across all their regional tournaments, though their championship wins in the Arab Nations Cup, the Pan Arab Games and the Arabian Gulf Cup were all prior to the 90’s and the Gulf War. A strong defensive side, they tend to do fairly well in AFC Competitive play. They qualified for the 1986 World Cup, taking three narrow losses to Mexico, Paraguay and Belgium, but haven’t been back since, being a little way short in the final stages of AFC qualification. They’ve only once not reached the knockout stages of the Asian Cu, when they’ve competed, all the way back in 1972 and managed the spectacular by winning the 2007 edition amidst a plethora of disadvantageous circumstances that I can’t do justice.

Women’s football has only played a very minor part to date, with them trying to qualify for the 2018 AFC championships, but losing all 5 games relatively heavily. Local tournament performance has been rare and similarly discouraging. Men’s youth football has been very successful, including a number of AFC youth titles at every level, from U23 (2013), U20 (5 times, latest in 2000), U17 (2016) and U14 (2014), local titles and several world competition participations. They took 4^th place at the 2004 Olympics and the 2013 U20 World Cup with multiple qualifications for the Olympics and both youth World Cups. Women’s youth football has only been once, at U17 level, with them finishing 5^th from 6, losing 2-1 to Hong Kong and beating Palestine 1-0 but otherwise losing by at least 3 goals.

Regulars at the AFC Futsal Championship, they’ve rarely escaped the group stages, though they do have a WAFF title and got 4^th place in the 2018 AFC competition, though this was not enough for the World Cup. At an U20 level they reached the 2017 final, losing to rivals Iran, and reached the knockouts in 2019. They’ve never played women’s futsal but have been to every AFC beach soccer championship since 2011, though have never reached the knockout stages, even in 3 team groups. They’ve been to 5 AFC beach Soccer Championships and 1 Asian Beach Games, never quite finishing last but not exactly covering themselves in glory.

Comfortably top of a tricky 2022 qualifying group, they’re expected in the 3^rd round of qualifying. Could this be their year for a return to the global stage?

Faroe Islands Home 1992-98 Matchworn by ??? v San Marino
Faroe Islands Home 2000-01 Matchworn/prepared v Denmark
Faroe Islands 2001-04 Matchowrn/prepared U19s v England
Faroe Islands Home 2006-07 Matchworn by Fróði Benjaminsen v Scotland
Faroe Islands Away 2018-19
Faroe Islands Home 2020-21 Matchworn by Sonni Nattestad v Latvia
Faroe Islands Away 2020-21

Let’s start with this Adidas beauty! An absolute classic! The 3 stripes coming across the shoulders, making up the colours of the flag/FSF logo. Then the more traditional stripes across the shoulders are in blue with the red in between for the same effect without being so obviously Adidas. Everything’s focused at the top of the shirt, there is a lot of whitespace, but the design that is there works really well. The central FA logo works well with the stripes around it, but the Adidas logo then stands out a little strangely. Regardless, it is a great shirt.

Used across both 1996 Euros and 1998 World Cup qualifiers, the Faroes managed a solid 5^th place in both groups. They beat San Marino and then Malta home and away but lost all their other matches in the 2 sets of qualifiers. This also included one of their largest official defeats at 8-1 against FR Yugoslavia. Their best results came at home, with a 2-1 loss to Slovakia and 2-0 losses to Scotland and Czechia but in general it was a struggle for them.

Sticking with Adidas we have another great shirt. Collar is incredibly thick but is nicely coloured without being too showy. The Faroese colours also make their appearance with the Adidas stripes in red across the front of the sleeves and providing a nice transition from the blue side panelling to the white of the sleeves. This does leave the shoulders a little bare and the rear of the shirt then lacks detail but the effect is very nice. Logos and numbers down the centreline works surprisingly well, though possibly that’s just due to the shirt’s size, and this saw some variety regardless.

The shirt was used to round out the 1990’s, used in Euro 2000 qualification and the start of the 2000-01 Nordic Championship. Drawn in a surprisingly tight group of Czechia, Scotland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania and Estonia, the Faroes struggled to make an impact. Four single goal losses highlighted their ability to compete but they suffered for goals, with three draws consisting of their only points. The Nordic Championship went similarly with both their goals coming in a 3-2 loss to Iceland, but otherwise being resilient, losing 1-0, 2-0 and drawing 0-0 (they ended up never playing Norway as it wouldn’t affect the standings).

Puma started out of the gate with their best effort for the Faroes. Their first shirt was easily their best, using all 3 of the flag colours distinctly without overly biasing the shirt and standing out well. The red accentuates the blue in the design but it remains mostly white. Add to that the flag along with the FSF logo to keep the centre busy without it being overwhelming and you have a great shirt. The 3 dimensional numbers don’t hurt either. It may be a template, but it was a decent one and it was done very well here.

The design was used across 2002 World Cup and 2004 Euros qualifiers, neither of which went brilliantly, except for a shock 2-2 draw. For 2002 they managed a home draw against Slovenia, who finished in the play-offs, but otherwise only took points from Luxembourg. They did manage a full 6 points against their fellow minnows and kept Russia and Switzerland each to within a 1 goal in a match, but they lost every other game (Yugoslavia the other side) scoring only 1 goal outside of the results that gained them points. 2004 qualifiers were characteristic by lots of narrow losses with Germany and Iceland being kept to within a single goal in the away matches. Their shock draw came against Scotland, again a team who reached the play-offs. However, Lithuania were comfortable enough against them and they went home with only a single point.

Puma weren’t always the best to the Faroe Islands and here’s an example of why. It is nice, but shows so much missed potential. A little red on the sleeve cuffs and a lovely red curved bar on the rear prevent it from being plain and the blue shows up on the Puma logos but there’s too much white. Without numbers, this would be unworthy, but with patches and numbers it just about makes the cut.

Used across Euro 2008 qualification, the Faroe Islands struggled massively. Drawn in a 7-team group with Italy, France, Scotland, Ukraine, Lithuania and Georgia, they didn’t manage a single point. Three single goal losses was about the highlight, with one being a 2-1 loss to group winners Italy, but positives from such a campaign are hard to find. One of only two qualifying campaigns without points, at least it was an outlier.

UEFA’s kit assistance deal brought Macron to a number of UEFA’s smaller teams, the Faroe Islands included. Detail is the word of the day, with heat pressed lines representing the flag across the front, Føroyar (Faroese for the Faroe Islands) on the back and the outline of the country itself lower down in the back. A tiny embroidered flag and red and white accenting complete a surprisingly detailed shirt and the nice colour scheme only adds to it. Easily beating the boring Adidas templates they’ve previously used, we have a great shirt here.

Oddly not used by the senior team (they only used the Home shirt), the design was used across the Euro 2020 qualifiers and the 2018-19 Nations League. Malta are the only opponents to have brought joy, with 2 home wins and 1 away draw meaning that they finished above the Maltese in both competitions, but nobody else. A 1-1 draw against Kosovo in the Nations League brough their only other points from 2 disappointing campaigns, losing home and away to Azerbaijan, Spain, Sweden, Norway and Romania.

Macron continued to impress with their latest kits. White, red and blue across the collar and sleeve cuffs, the islands remain heat pressed on the rear of the shirt and the main Macron logo helps make the shirts look a lot cleaner. Both also have the baby flag at the rear of the collar, always a nice touch. The home has a subtle sort of pinstripe pattern across the body of the shirt, but the away is a little more variable, with diagonal sweeps and numerous little crosses. Exactly what the latter means, I have no idea, but, along with the deep, navy blue, it works rather well!

Used in the 2020-21 Nations League and the 2022 world Cup qualifiers, the Faroe Islands were promoted to League C! 3 victories from their first 4 games put them in a dominant position, with 2 further draws proving sufficient against teams that needed to win. They drew twice against Latvia, beat Andorra twice and drew away in Malta after a home win to finish top of their group, unbeaten and ready for the next division. Impressive stuff.

Across their history, the Faroese have typically only competed at the bottom of UEFA, with a maximum of 2 wins across each qualifying campaign for the Euros or the World Cup. The highest they’ve finished was 4^th for 2018 qualification, 2 wins and 3 draws putting them above Latvia and Andorra. Euro 2016 qualifiers also brought some joy when, despite a vast difference in FIFA rankings, the Faroe Islands beat former Euros champions Greece home and away to finish ahead of them in the group! Their early days brought the most joy, with their 2 Island Games appearances both resulting in gold medals and one of the greatest results of all time when their first competitive international in 1990 brought a 1-0 victory over highly competitive Austria!

Ranked amongst the lowest nations in women’s football, the Faroese tend to compete in preliminary qualifying rounds, where they do well against the likes of Malta, Andorra and Turkey. They’ve never been top the second stages of Euros qualification, missing out on head-to-head record in 2017, but have done so for both their World Cup campaigns, where they have gone on to achieve 2 draws from 18 games and scoring 4 goals to 94 against. Their small population is not helping them. Their men’s youth teams retain the ability to surprise, and do so a little more regularly, but otherwise follow a familiar pattern. The exception being the U17s in 2017 where they qualified for the elite round by beating the Czechs and drawing with Luxembourg before qualifying for the euros by beating Slovakia and drawing with Cyprus. A handful of wins characterise the women’s youth teams, with close games against fellow low ranked nations and suffering at the hands of more established nations. They haven’t seriously threatened to qualify for the Elite round to date at either level but will host the upcoming 2023 U17 Euros.

The small population means they’ve not spread across to futsal, needing players for the main team and beach soccer is out for fairly obvious reasons, so they’ve only competed in the traditional format to date.

As one of 7 teams in League D of the UEFA Nations League, the Faroese weren’t expected to make waves in 2022 qualifying. Drawn with Denmark, Scotland, Israel, Austria and Moldova they wanted to at least be kingmakers. However, despite a series of close matches, with single goal losses to Israel, Denmark and Scotland, they only managed points against Moldova. A 2-1 home win and a 1-1 away draw would not have been what they wanted. Maybe next time.

Antigua and Barbuda 2012-15 Home

The second thing you notice about this shirt is that it is rather nice. The first thing you notice is that the FA logo just doesn’t look right not being in the hole in the stripes! Why can’t the numbers go where the logo is and the logo in the gap it would so clearly fit in?! That gotten over with, as mentioned the shirt is nice. The stripe ends in a rather strange place (partway down the back?) but there are a number of little details, from the flags to the colour gradient on the collar. They also came in a large variety of colours!

The design was used for quite a long time, though the main competition they were used in was the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Seeded into the second round, they breezed through Curaçao and the USVIs, also taking 3 points off Haiti. Superior goal difference and a Haitian draw to Curaçao sent them through to a brutal group with the USA, Jamaica and Guatemala. The home scorelines were respectable, even grabbing a 0-0 draw to the Jamaicans, but they lost all 5 of their other games and each away one was by at least 2 goals, though they scored in all 3. They also used this in the 2014 Caribbean Cup, where they draw 2-2 with Haiti but otherwise lost comfortably to Jamaica and Martinique.

Antigua and Barbuda are typically a middling team in CONCACAF these days, but 2014 period otherwise stands out as a highlight. They’ve regularly been eliminated in early knockout rounds for World Cup qualification but have qualified for around half of the Caribbean Cups. 4 draws from 5 games brought them a runners-up finish but 2 wins from 5 games is their best result since. Comfortable, but unspectacular describes their Nations League record, with wins and losses split 50-50. They maintained their League B spot for the next season.

Being a more recent development, their women’s side has less success to their name, with 2 Caribbean Cup qualifications to their name. They tend to stand up well in early qualification stages but have suffered dearly against more experienced opposition as proved by 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship qualification where they won all their first qualifying games but then lost all their final round games by at least 5 goals each. The men’s youth teams have reached 4 U20 CONCACAF Championships but otherwise have made little impact, with them regularly finishing in the middle of their qualification groups and even starting in the lowest division for U15 football, though they quickly got promoted to League B. Women’s youth football has typically been a step lower, with solid results against the likes of the Cayman Islands and Bonaire, but otherwise poor results throughout.

They tried to qualify for the 2016 CONCACAF Futsal Championship, losing all three qualification games, albeit only narrowly to Guyana. Curaçao and Trinidad and Tobago did thrash them though and they haven’t played since. Beach soccer has proved a little better, with them playing in the last three CONCACAF Championships, though they’ve only won one group stage game in each tournament (and 1 placement game in the 2017 edition, other editions haven’t had placements).

They’re not in any danger of being in the top 6 for the optimal 2022 qualification route and they also aren’t expected to navigate far through the other qualification period. Anything other than a handful of wins would be disappointing, however.

Kosovo 2016-17 Away
Kosovo 2018-20 Away

Blue and white standard Kelme template is ok. Throw in a non-standard shield badge with some surprisingly elaborate detailing on it. Add an authenticity patch with the same design and spray stars across the front and you make a great shirt. Flag on the back is sublimated but perfectly worth adding and it all adds up to a fantastic shirt. A little more blue trimming would perhaps be ideal but don’t let that detract you from a great shirt.

This design was used in their debut World Cup qualification campaign where they kicked off with a 1-1 draw in Finland. Sadly, that proved to be the highlight, with them losing all 9 of their other games, against the likes of Croatia, Iceland, Turkey and Ukraine. The low point was a 6-0 home loss to Croatia but in the return leg it was only 1-0 and they improved as time went on.

Fourteen are not a large brand, but they’ve stepped in for Kosovo quite nicely. Stripes across the shoulders invoke thoughts of Adidas, but there are also stars down the sides and FFK Kosovo written across the cuffs. Some detailing on the collar and air holes down the front make for a decent design, but the updated FFK logo does feel messy. Nicely applied, with a rubbery feel, but it isn’t quite round and is drawn blotchily. A poor design choice which slightly sours the shirt.

The Euro 2020 qualifiers helped to cement Kosovo as more than a small team. They grabbed 3^rd place in their 5 team group, finishing 4 points off the 2^nd qualification spot, with some fairly mixed results. They lost both matches to England (including a 5-3 thriller), but took 3 points off Czechia and 4 points off both Bulgaria and Montenegro. Ideally they’d have grabbed more points from the bottom two, but they qualified for the play-offs via the Nations League anyway. There they lost to North Macedonia. It was also used across a slightly disappointing 2020-21 Nations League season where they held in League C.

They may have started poorly, but Kosovo quickly proved they were better than first impressions showed. Their League D campaign in the 2018-19 Nations League was comfortable, with two away draws still leaving them 5 points clear of their nearest opposition. Then they defied their seeding for the Euro 2020 qualifiers, held their new League C spot in the 2020-21 Nations League and entered 2022 qualification with better seeding. They’ve dropped off from their initial successes a little, but are maintaining a reasonable level.

The Kosovan women’s side started inauspiciously as well, with 3 losses from 3 in the preliminary round for 2019 World Cup qualification, including a 6-0 thrashing by Greece. A 3-2 loss to Albania showed they could be dangerous and Euro 2022 qualification has brought wins against Estonia and Turkey, though the gap to the Dutch, Slovenia and Russia was wide. An away draw to Albania and win in Armenia have started off 2023 qualification well too. The men’s youth teams have started off life in a mixed fashion, with some very positive results but plenty of poorer ones. No level has been terribly close to progressing. The women start off very poorly at U19 level, with a win and 3 draws from 9 games, but the U17s managed a comfortable preliminary round to enter the main qualification.

Their futsal side so far has only had two qualification campaigns, both of which where they had to start in the preliminary round. Their performance was middling both times, though look to be heading for middle of the preliminary pack/lower end of main qualifiers rather than seriously competitive. They have not had a beach soccer side yet.

Kosovo were almost expected to build on their success for 2022 and compete for the mid table, possibly even push for more. However, they’ve not lived up to that billing and are competing with Georgia for the bottom spot. Their football has changed a lot over a short time, maybe more to come in the future.

Liechtenstein 2000-02 GK Benchworn
Liechtenstein 2006-08 GK Matchworn/prepared Peter Jehle
Liechtenstein 2018-20 Away

If the Sun just went out, I’m sorry, this GK shirt is just that massive. Strange feeling and fairly plain in colour, it also uses Liechtenstein’s old badge, with the body of the crown being blue. Numbers and badge are printed onto the fabric and the black on the sleeves contains some of the most seriously heavy duty padding you’ll ever see. Or maybe that’s just the size of the thing again.

Believed to be match prepared or benchworn for whoever Liechtenstein’s backup GK was for the 2002 World Cup qualifiers (going for the good old Sunday League tactic of larger GK blocks more of the goal), Liechtenstein managed a credible 1-0 home loss to Austria and 2-0 to Spain but conceded 23 goals across 8 games without scoring. Very much a campaign to forget, and the only one in their history in which they didn’t score.

Gold is cool. Period. Transfer badge, horrible white Adidas detailing aside, this shirt is a great example of how to use a template. The sleeve padding helps the black stand out and it has grips on the front side of the sleeves to help you grasp the ball. To top it off, it is squad signed, with identifiable signatures from the likes Daniel Frick, Thomas Beck, Martin Telser and Martin Büchel. Probably the friendly against Switzerland, where they lost 3-0.

This design was used in 2008 Euros qualification where there were 7 team groups. Despite finishing bottom of the group (by a single point), they amassed 7 points in their second best qualification campaign in their history. Drawn with Spain, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Latvia and Iceland they lost home and away to all but Iceland and Latvia, though some results were closer than you might expect. They scored away against Sweden and Northern Ireland and only lost 2-0 at home to Spain. Edging Latvia by 1 goal and drawing 1-1 away to Iceland would’ve been reasonable enough but they also thrashed Iceland 3-0 in Vaduz to cap a solid campaign but failing to steal 6^th spot.

UEFA’s Kit Assistance Program kicked off in style and Liechtenstein were no exceptions. The FA badge had a larger version of itself heat pressed around it, the entire bottom of the shirt has Vaduz Castle heat pressed across it and the rest of the design is simple and clean. Macron’s collar style is certainly a little strange and the transfer flag on the back can get lost in the shirt colour a little but this is truly a great shirt to add to any collection.

Used across the 2018-19 Nations League and the Euro 2020 qualifiers (I think they’re STILL using it too), they finished bottom of both groups. Narrow away losses in Gibraltar and Armenia overturned their home win and draw respectively for the Nations League and another home draw against Armenia was their only Euros qualifying point aside from a spectacular away 1-1 draw in Greece. Their first Euros qualification without a win since 2004.

As you may have deduced, 2006 WCQ was not a typical Liechtenstein campaign at all, though sadly it was a highlight rather than a lowlight. They had never won a WCQ match until 2006 and haven’t repeated that since. 4 draws (Finland, Azerbaijan, Latvia and Slovakia) round off their poor World Cup qualifying record. Euro qualification hasn’t regularly been much better, though they’ve always gotten at least a point. The two highlights are 2008 qualifying where they scored 7 points (including 4 from my beloved Iceland and a home win against Latvia) along with 2016 qualification where an away win in Moldova meant they didn’t finish last in the group. Their 2018-19 Nations League campaign was also poor, with a respectable draw against Armenia and a home win against Gibraltar overshadowed by no other points, finishing below Gibraltar and granting them their first ever home win. They remain the only team to concede more than 1 goal in a match against San Marino (2003 friendly) and the only team to lose to them (2004 friendly).

Their women’s side just about exists, with them starting from youth to build up to a senior side. They will become the penultimate UEFA member to play a full international, with a friendly organised against Gibraltar. Men’s youth football hasn’t gone well, with the senior side consistently outperforming their youth counterparts. The U21s avoided defeat for the first time in 2019, but are still bottom of their qualifying group, and the U19s and U17s have only gotten results off Gibraltar in recent years. An U19 women’s side tried to qualify for the 2019 UEFA Championship but conceded 29 without reply, though only lost 3-0 to Greece.

No team has ever competed in national futsal or beach soccer for Liechtenstein.

Similar results are expected for Liechtenstein in 2022 qualifying, depending on their group, they’re unlikely to be expected to finish anywhere other than bottom. They’ll get a result or two but can they push for more?