Andorra and Latvia will kickstart their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign on Friday evening as they clash on matchday one in Group K.
The hosts have not won a competitive match since September 2022, while the visitors’ last victory came in September 2024, with a 1-0 win over the Faroe Islands.
Match preview
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The Andorran Football Federation first formed in 1994, but they were only able to participate in major championships after becoming affiliated with UEFA and FIFA in 1996.
The Tricolours made their first attempt at FIFA World Cup qualification in 2002, as they became affiliated too late to join the 1998 qualifiers, but they have failed to reach the World Cup finals in their six attempts thus far.
Andorra have won only four matches from the 62 World Cup qualification fixtures across their six attempts, losing 55 in that time, though they did secure their best finish in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
For the first time in their history, the Tricolours avoided a bottom-placed finish in the group – securing fifth place ahead of San Marino – though they trailed second-placed Poland by a significant 14 points.
While history suggests Andorra have little chance of qualification, long-term manager Koldo Alvarez and his side can take encouragement from the revised qualification format, with UEFA’s tournament slots being increased from 13 to 16.
The change means there are now 12 groups of four or five teams, with Andorra competing against Albania, England, Latvia and Serbia in a bid to achieve a top-two finish and make history with their first-ever qualification.
However, the Tricolours are in a dismal run of form heading into this clash with Latvia, failing to win a competitive matchup since beating Liechtenstein 2-0 in the UEFA Nations League in September 2022.
Latvia also boast a favourable record against Andorra, remaining undefeated in their last 11 encounters, with seven wins and four draws in that time.
The visitors will be eager to extend that record when they face off on Friday, aiming to kickstart their qualification campaign with a victory as they also strive for their first-ever World Cup qualification.
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Latvia have participated in all eight subsequent qualifying campaigns, coming closest to qualifying in 2010 when they finished third, just three points shy of the top two.
Unlike their hosts, Latvia do have experience of competing at a major tournament, qualifying for the 2004 European Championship, though they crashed out at the group stage without a victory.
Paolo Nicolato, who was hired in February 2024, will now aim to match that achievement by leading Latvia to their first-ever World Cup, and a winning start on Friday could prove pivotal to that goal.
The Italian has endured a challenging start to his managerial tenure with Latvia, though, winning two, drawing three and losing five of his 10 matches in charge, including four games without a win leading into this one.
Team News
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Iker Alvarez is likely to retain his spot in goal for Andorra, with the back five – Biel Borra, Moises San Nicolas, Christian Garcia, Ian Olivera, and Marc Garcia – expected to remain unchanged from their 0-0 draw with Malta in November.
Albert Rosas and Marc Pujol are the only two goalscorers for Andorra in their last nine matches across all competitions, and both could be in line to start in this one.
As for Latvia, Roberts Uldrikis and captain Kristers Tobers are both unavailable for this month’s qualifiers due to ongoing injury issues, while 21-year-old central defender Niks Sliede has been called up for the first time.
Due to the absence of Tobers, Sliede could be in contention for a first start on Friday, with Daniels Balodis and Antonijs Cernomordijs partnering him in central defence and Rihards Matrevics in goal.
Andorra possible starting lineup:
Alvarez; Borra, Nicolas, Garcia, Olivera, Garcia; Fernandez, Teixeira, Pujol, Cervos; Rosas
Latvia possible starting lineup:
Matrevics; Jurkovskis, Sliede, Cernomordijs, Balodis, Ciganiks; Zelenkovs, Saveljevs, Varslavans; Ikaunieks, Gutkovskis
We say: Andorra 0-2 Latvia
Latvia have a formidable record against Andorra, and given the hosts have also failed to win in a competitive setting since September 2022, we believe the visitors will win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
