Baltic Cup (football)

Baltic Cup
Founded 1928
Region Baltic (UEFA)
Number of teams 3
Current champions  Latvia
Most successful team(s)  Latvia (13 titles)
2016 Baltic Cup

The Baltic Cup (Estonian: Balti turniir, Latvian: Baltijas kauss, Lithuanian: Baltijos taurė) is a football competition contested between the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania every two years. During the Soviet era, when all the nations were part of the Soviet Union, Belarus also took part in some of the competitions.

Originally the competition was annual, but after the states regained their independence, it became biennial. Since 2008 the tournament runs on even-numbered years. In 2012, Finland took part in the competition for the first time. In 2016, after Finland dropped out, it was agreed to host the tournament on a new format, with each country hosting a match each on the same week.

It is the oldest football tournament for national teams in Europe after the British Home Championship and the oldest still organized.[1]

List of winners

Year Host Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
1928 Estonia Tallinn  Latvia  Estonia  Lithuania
1929 Latvia Riga  Estonia  Latvia  Lithuania
1930 Lithuania Kaunas  Lithuania  Latvia  Estonia
1931 Estonia Tallinn  Estonia  Latvia  Lithuania
1932 Latvia Riga  Latvia  Lithuania  Estonia
1933 Lithuania Kaunas  Latvia  Lithuania  Estonia
1934 Not organised due to disagreements over the 1933 competition.
1935 Estonia Tallinn  Lithuania  Latvia  Estonia
1936 Latvia Riga  Latvia  Estonia  Lithuania
1937 Lithuania Kaunas  Latvia  Estonia  Lithuania
1938 Estonia Tallinn  Estonia  Latvia  Lithuania
1939 Not organised due to strained sports-relations between Latvia and Lithuania after a controversial basketball game.
1940–1990 Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia occupied by Soviet Union.
1991 Lithuania Klaipėda  Lithuania  Latvia  Estonia
1992 Latvia Liepāja  Lithuania  Latvia  Estonia
1993 Estonia Pärnu  Latvia  Estonia  Lithuania
1994 Lithuania Vilnius  Lithuania  Latvia  Estonia
1995 Latvia Riga  Latvia  Lithuania  Estonia
1996 Estonia Narva  Lithuania  Estonia  Latvia
1997 Lithuania Vilnius  Lithuania  Latvia  Estonia
1998 Latvia Liepāja
Estonia Valga
Estonia Viljandi
 Lithuania  Latvia  Estonia
2000 Lithuania Kaunas  Lithuania  Latvia Estonia did not participate.
2001 Latvia Riga  Latvia  Lithuania  Estonia
2003 Estonia Valga
Estonia Tallinn
 Latvia  Lithuania  Estonia
2005 Lithuania Kaunas  Lithuania  Latvia Estonia did not participate due to scheduling conflicts.
2008 Latvia Jūrmala
Latvia Riga
 Latvia  Lithuania  Estonia
2010 Lithuania Kaunas  Lithuania  Latvia  Estonia
2012 Estonia Võru
Estonia Tartu
 Latvia  Finland  Estonia  Lithuania
2014 Latvia Ventspils
Latvia Liepāja
 Latvia  Lithuania  Finland  Estonia
2016 Lithuania Klaipėda
Latvia Liepāja
Estonia Tallinn
 Latvia  Lithuania  Estonia

Performances

Country 1st, gold medalist(s) 2nd, silver medalist(s) 3rd, bronze medalist(s) Years won
 Latvia 13 13 1 1928, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016
 Lithuania 11 8 7 1930, 1935, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2010
 Estonia 3 5 16 1929, 1931, 1938
 Finland 0 1 1

Soviet-era results

Similar competition was also played 20 times between 1940 and 1976 during the Soviet-time. Latvian SSR won the most titles with nine followed by Lithuanian SSR with six and Estonian SSR with five. Byelorussian SSR also participated in the tournament in later years.

Between 1950 and 1976 every tournament was contested by national 'B' teams as only players from the 'national leagues' represented the occupied national sides. However, the A side of the Estonian SSR returned to compete in the competition between 1969 and 1976, the period which saw them win three of their five titles.[2]

1940
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA EST LTU
1  Latvian SSR 1 – 1 – 0 3 3–2 2–2 1–0
2  Estonian SSR 0 – 2 – 0 2 3–3 1–1
3  Lithuanian SSR 0 – 1 – 1 1 1–2
1948
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA EST LAT
1  Lithuanian SSR 2 – 0 – 0 4 3–1 2–1 1–0
2  Estonian SSR 0 – 1 – 1 1 2–3 1–1
3  Latvian SSR 0 – 1 – 1 1 1–2
1949
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA LAT EST
1  Lithuanian SSR 2 – 0 – 0 4 3–1 1–0 2–1
2  Latvian SSR 1 – 0 – 1 2 3–3 2–1
3  Estonian SSR 0 – 0 – 2 0 2–4
1950
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA LAT EST
1  Lithuanian SSR 1 – 1 – 0 3 9–4 2–2 7–2
2  Latvian SSR 1 – 1 – 0 3 6–3 4–1
3  Estonian SSR 0 – 0 – 2 0 3–11
1952
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA LAT LTU
1  Estonian SSR 1 – 0 – 1 2 5–3 0–3 5–0
2  Latvian SSR 1 – 0 – 1 2 4–3 1–3
3  Lithuanian SSR 1 – 0 – 1 2 3–6
1954
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA LTU BLR EST
1  Latvian SSR 2 – 1 – 0 5 5–1 2–0 0–0 3–1
2  Lithuanian SSR 1 – 1 – 1 3 5–3 0–0 5–1
3  Byelorussian SSR 0 – 3 – 0 3 0–0 0–0
4  Estonian SSR 0 – 1 – 2 1 2–8
1957
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA LTU BLR EST
1  Latvian SSR 2 – 1 – 0 5 3–1 0–0 2–1 1–0
2  Lithuanian SSR 1 – 2 – 0 4 5–1 1–1 4–0
3  Byelorussian SSR 1 – 1 – 1 3 4–3 2–0
4  Estonian SSR 0 – 0 – 3 0 0–7
1958
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA LTU EST
1  Latvian SSR 2 – 0 – 0 4 8–0 2–0 6–0
2  Lithuanian SSR 0 – 1 – 1 1 1–3 1–1
3  Estonian SSR 0 – 1 – 1 1 1–7
1959
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA LTU EST
1  Latvian SSR 1 – 1 – 0 3 5–3 3–1 2–2
2  Lithuanian SSR 1 – 0 – 1 2 4–4 3–1
3  Estonian SSR 0 – 1 – 1 1 3–5
1960
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA LTU LAT
1  Estonian SSR 0 – 2 – 0 2 4–4 3–3 1–1
1  Lithuanian SSR 0 – 2 – 0 2 3–3 0–0
1  Latvian SSR 0 – 2 – 0 2 1–1

1961
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA LTU EST
1  Latvian SSR 2 – 0 – 0 4 7–1 3–1 4–0
2  Lithuanian SSR 1 – 0 – 1 2 5–4 4–1
3  Estonian SSR 0 – 0 – 2 0 1–8
1962
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA EST LTU
1  Latvian SSR 1 – 1 – 0 4 2–0 0–0 2–0
2  Estonian SSR 0 – 2 – 0 2 0–0 0–0
3  Lithuanian SSR 0 – 0 – 2 0 0–2
1969
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA LAT LTU
1  Estonian SSR (A) 2 – 0 – 0 4 7–1 2–0 5–1
2  Latvian SSR (B) 1 – 0 – 1 2 2–3 2–1
3  Lithuanian SSR (B) 0 – 0 – 2 0 2–7
1970
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA EST LAT
1  Lithuanian SSR (B) 2 – 0 – 0 4 4–1 1–0 3–1
2  Estonian SSR (A) 1 – 0 – 1 2 2–2 2–1
3  Latvian SSR (B) 0 – 0 – 2 0 2–5
1971
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA EST LAT
1  Lithuanian SSR (B) 1 – 1 – 0 3 4–2 0–0 4–2
2  Estonian SSR (A) 1 – 1 – 0 3 4–3 4–3
3  Latvian SSR (B) 0 – 0 – 2 0 5–8
1972
# team W – D – L Pts GF–GA EST LTU
1  Estonian SSR (A) 1 – 1 – 0 3 5–1 0–0 5–1
2  Latvian SSR (B) 1 – 1 – 0 3 1–0 1–0
3  Lithuanian SSR (B) 0 – 0 – 2 0 1–6
1973
Round Winner Score Opponent
SF  Estonian SSR (A) 3–1  Byelorussian SSR (B)
SF  Latvian SSR (B) 4–2  Lithuanian SSR (B)
TF  Latvian SSR (B) 4–1  Lithuanian SSR (B)
F  Estonian SSR (A) 4–1  Latvian SSR (B)
1974
Round Winner Score Opponent
SF  Latvian SSR (B) 2–0  Byelorussian SSR (B)
SF  Estonian SSR (A) 3–2  Lithuanian SSR (B)
TF  Lithuanian SSR (B) 2–1  Byelorussian SSR (B)
F  Latvian SSR (B) 3–1  Estonian SSR (A)
1975
Round Winner Score Opponent
SF  Lithuanian SSR (B) 2–0  Byelorussian SSR (B)
SF  Latvian SSR (B) 1–1 (pen. 5–3)  Estonian SSR (A)
TF  Byelorussian SSR (B) 5–1  Estonian SSR (A)
F  Lithuanian SSR (B) 2–0  Latvian SSR (B)
1976
Round Winner Score Opponent
SF  Latvian SSR (B) 0–0 (pen. 4–3)  Lithuanian SSR (B)
SF  Estonian SSR (A) 3–1  Byelorussian SSR (B)
TF  Lithuanian SSR (B) 2–1  Byelorussian SSR (B)
F  Latvian SSR (B) 1–1 (pen. 5–4)  Estonian SSR (A)

External links

References

  1. "Eiropas vecākā starptautiskā futbola turnīra vēstures līkloči un ceļš pretim jaunai atzinībai". Latvijas futbols. Maijs 2014. Latvijas Futbola federācija. 2014-05-20. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  2. Official Baltic Cup Programme (2008) LFF [Latvian Football Federation]: Riga.
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