Malta women's national football team

This article is about the women's team. For the men's team, see Malta national football team.

Malta

Association	Malta Football Association
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Manuela Tesse
Captain	Emma Lipman
Most caps	Dorianne Theuma (118)
Top scorer	Dorianne Theuma (26)
Home stadium	Centenary Stadium
FIFA code	MLT
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	89 2 (7 August 2025) [1]
Highest	74 (August 2003)
Lowest	115 (October 2007)
First international
Romania 3–0 Malta   (Bucharest, Romania; 10 August 2003)
Biggest win
Malta 6–0 Luxembourg   (Ta' Qali, Malta; 6 April 2013)
Biggest defeat
Malta 0–13 Spain   (Ta' Qali, Malta; 9 September 2009)

The Malta women's national football team (Maltese : Tim nazzjonali tal-futbol ta' Malta tan-nisa) represents the Malta Football Association in international women's football matches sanctioned by UEFA. ^[2]

History

The team first appeared in official competitions in the 2005 European Championship's qualifying, debuting on August 10, 2003 in Bucharest with a 3–0 loss to Romania. Malta lost all eight games in the qualifiers, scoring once and conceding 35 goals. The team's first goal was scored by Sarah Caruana on November 16, 2003, against Croatia in a match played at the Gozo Stadium. ^[3]

After 13 losses, Malta achieved its first draw on June 7, 2006 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last match of the 2007 World Cup's qualifying. The team played in the 2011 World Cup's qualifying, losing all games including a record 0–13 defeat to Spain. On March 3, 2011, Malta won an official match for the first time in the 2013 European Championship qualifying's preliminary round, beating Georgia 1–0 with a goal by D'Agostino in injury time.

On April 6, 2013 Malta beat Luxembourg 6–0 in the 2015 World Cup qualifying's preliminary round. The team also defeated Latvia and drew with Albania to top the group and make it past a preliminary round for the first time. ^[4]

The team was coached from its foundation until 2014 by Pierre Brincat, and then from 2015 till 2022 by former U19 coach Mark Gatt. ^[5] Former Italian international Manuela Tesse was appointed as the head coach from 1 January 2023 ^[6]

Team image

Home stadium

The Malta women's national team play their home matches at the Centenary Stadium.

Overall official record

Competition	Stage	Result	Opponent	Position	Scorers
2005 Euro qualifying	Regular stage (Class B)	0–3 0–8 0–1 0–2 0–3 1–4 0–9 0–5	Romania Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Ireland	5 / 5	0 0 Caruana 0
2007 World Cup qualifying	Regular stage (Class B)	1–4 0–1 1–4 1–3 0–1 1–1	Croatia Slovenia Bosnia and Herzegovina	4 / 4	D'Agostino Theuma, Tonna Theuma
2009 Euro qualifying	Preliminary round	0–0 2–4 0–8	Lithuania Luxembourg Slovakia	4 / 4	0 Carabott 2 0
2011 World Cup qualifying	Regular stage	0–13 0–9 0–8 0–6 0–2 0–6 0–2 1–5	Spain England Austria Turkey	5 / 5	0 0 0 N. Pace
2013 Euro qualifying	Preliminary round	1–0 0–2 1–1	Georgia Faroe Islands Armenia	2 / 4	D'Agostino 0 Cuschieri
2015 World Cup qualifying	Preliminary round	1–1 6–0 2–0	Albania Luxembourg Latvia	1 / 4	Theuma Theuma 2, Buttigieg, Carabott, Cuschieri, Xuereb Cuschieri, Theuma
	Regular stage	0–2 0–2 0–5 0–8 0–3 0–5 0–11 0–5 0–8 0–5	Israel Denmark Serbia Switzerland Iceland	6 / 6

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win  Draw  Lose  Fixture

2024

Malta   v   Faroe Islands

22 February Visit Malta Women's Tournament 2024	Malta	2–0	Faroe Islands	Paola, Malta
18:00	Sultana 55' Bugeja 59'			Stadium: Tony Bezzina Stadium

Malta   v   Belarus

25 February Visit Malta Women's Tournament 2024	Malta	1–1	Belarus	Paola, Malta
18:00	Borg 58'		Arcišeŭskaja 90+2'	Stadium: Tony Bezzina Stadium

Northern Ireland   v   Malta

5 April Euro 2025 qualifying	Northern Ireland	0–0	Malta	Belfast
		Report		Stadium: Windsor Park Referee: Maria Marotta (Italy)

Malta   v   Portugal

9 April Euro 2025 qualifying	Malta	0–2	Portugal	Ta' Qali
		Report		Stadium: Centenary Stadium Referee: Katalin Sipos (Hungary)

Malta   v   Bosnia and Herzegovina

31 May Euro 2025 qualifying	Malta	0–1	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Ta' Qali
19:30		Report	Nikolić 88'	Stadium: Centenary Stadium Attendance: 661 Referee: Emily Heaslip (England)

Bosnia and Herzegovina   v   Malta

4 June Euro 2025 qualifying	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2–1	Malta	Zenica
16:00	Nikolić 64', 90+4'	Report	Farrugia 10'	Stadium: Bosnia and Herzegovina FA Training Centre Referee: Sofik Torosyan (Armenia)

Malta   v   Northern Ireland

12 July Euro 2025 qualifying	Malta	0–2	Northern Ireland	Ta' Qali
19:30		Report		Stadium: Centenary Stadium

Portugal   v   Malta

16 July Euro 2025 qualifying	Portugal	3–1	Malta	Leiria
19:00 (18:00 UTC+1)		Report		Stadium: Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa

Italy   v   Malta

25 October Friendly	Italy	5–0	Malta	Roma
18:15				Stadium: Stadio Tre Fontane

Malta   v   Hungary

29 November Friendly	Malta	1-3	Hungary	Ta' Qali,Malta
14:00	Bugeja ??'		Zeller 33', 55' ??71', .og'	Stadium: Centenary Stadium

Malta   v   Hungary

3 December Friendly	Malta	1-1	Hungary	Ta' Qali,Malta
14:00	Bugeja 53'		Csizar 46'	Stadium: Centenary Stadium

2025

Cyprus   v   Malta

21 February 2025 UEFA Nations League C	Cyprus	2–1	Malta	Larnaca,Cyprus
18:00 (19:00 EEST)	Violari 33' Constantinou 37'	Report	Papadopoulou 51' (o.g.)	Stadium: AEK Arena Attendance: 180 Referee: Emily Heaslip (England)

Malta   v   Andorra

25 February 2025 UEFA Nations League C	Malta	1–0	Andorra	Ta' Qali
19:30	Zammit 11'	Report		Stadium: Centenary Stadium Attendance: 612 Referee: Teresa Oliveira (Portugal)

Georgia   v   Malta

4 April 2025 UEFA Nations League C	Georgia	2–3	Malta	Tbilisi,Georgia
17:00 (19:00 GET)	Bakradze 59' Danelia 90+6' (pen.)	Report	Farrugia 27', 44' Bugeja 30'	Stadium: Mikheil Meskhi Stadium Attendance: 853 Referee: Elvira Nurmustafina (Kazakhstan)

Malta   v   Georgia

8 April 2025 UEFA Nations League C	Malta	2–1	Georgia	Ta' Qali,Malta
19:00	Cuschieri 39' Bugeja 60' (pen.)	Report	Kalandadze 84'	Stadium: Centenary Stadium Attendance: 620 Referee: Cansu Tryak (Türkiye)

Malta   v   Cyprus

30 May 2025 UEFA Nations League C	Malta	1–0	Cyprus	Ta' Qali
19:00	Bugeja 42'	Report		Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 1,205 Referee: Sabina Bolić (Croatia)

Andorra   v   Malta

3 June 2025 UEFA Nations League C	Andorra	0–0	Malta	Encamp
19:00		Report		Stadium: Estadi de la FAF Attendance: 470 Referee: Satu Miettunen (Finland)

• Official Malta Fixtures (Friendly matches only) – MFA.com.mt
• Official Malta Results (Friendly matches only) – MFA.com.mt
• Malta Results and Fixtures – Soccerway.com

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

Position	Name	Ref.
Head coach	Manuela Tesse
Assistant coach	Dionne Tonna
Physical coach	Karl Attard

Coaching history

As of 23 December 2023

Manager	Malta career	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %
Pierre Brincat	2003–2014	60	11	8	41	018.3
Mark Gatt	2015–2022	66	23	13	30	034.8
Manuela Tesse	2023–Present	10	8	1	1	080.0

Players

Main article: List of Malta women's international footballers

See also: Category:Malta women's international footballers

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League matches against Cyprus and Andorra on 30 May and 3 June 2025, respectively. ^[7]

Caps and goals are correct as of 3 June 2025, after the match against Andorra.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1 GK	Janice Xuereb	(1996-08-01) 1 August 1996 (age 29)	73	0	Birkirkara
12	1 GK	Maya Cachia	(2004-12-23) 23 December 2004 (age 20)	3	0	Hibernians
23	1 GK	Patricia Ebejer	(2000-02-23) 23 February 2000 (age 25)	12	0	Mġarr United
4	2 DF	Emma Lipman (captain)	(1989-02-23) 23 February 1989 (age 36)	41	1	Genoa
5	2 DF	Stefania Farrugia	(1991-09-11) 11 September 1991 (age 33)	103	5	Birkirkara
6	2 DF	Valentina Rapa	(2002-02-14) 14 February 2002 (age 23)	7	0	Swieqi United
6	2 DF	Oceane Grange	(1995-09-24) 24 September 1995 (age 29)	5	0	RC Roubaix Wervicq
13	2 DF	Maya Lucia	(2003-07-06) 6 July 2003 (age 22)	13	0	AP Orlen Gdańsk
15	2 DF	Fiona Buttigieg	(1998-07-18) 18 July 1998 (age 27)	4	0	Luton Town
16	2 DF	Charlene Zammit	(1991-01-18) 18 January 1991 (age 34)	105	2	Birkirkara
18	2 DF	Emma Xuereb	(1992-01-05) 5 January 1992 (age 33)	84	4	Swieqi United
22	2 DF	Rebecca Bajada	(1994-12-22) 22 December 1994 (age 30)	19	0	Mġarr United
2	3 MF	Gabriella Zahra	(1991-05-02) 2 May 1991 (age 34)	60	1	Birkirkara
3	3 MF	Ann-Marie Said	(1994-07-02) 2 July 1994 (age 31)	52	0	Mġarr United
8	3 MF	Rachel Cuschieri (vice-captain)	(1992-04-26) 26 April 1992 (age 33)	107	15	Genoa
14	3 MF	Shona Zammit	(1996-06-15) 15 June 1996 (age 29)	88	7	Swieqi United
17	3 MF	Jana Barbara	(2001-07-07) 7 July 2001 (age 24)	2	0	FC Schalke 04
20	3 MF	Nicole Sciberras	(2001-04-28) 28 April 2001 (age 24)	52	0	Hibernians
21	3 MF	Alexandra Gatt	(2004-10-13) 13 October 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Durham Cestria
7	4 FW	Lexine Farrugia	(2007-07-06) 6 July 2007 (age 18)	6	0	Roma
9	4 FW	Kailey Willis	(2003-05-18) 18 May 2003 (age 22)	22	3	Venezia
10	4 FW	Maria Farrugia	(2001-01-09) 9 January 2001 (age 24)	55	11	Bristol City
11	4 FW	Leah Ayres	(2003-11-22) 22 November 2003 (age 21)	5	0	Hibernians
19	4 FW	Yulya Carella	(2005-03-30) 30 March 2005 (age 20)	5	0	Mġarr United
21	4 FW	Haley Bugeja	(2004-05-05) 5 May 2004 (age 21)	40	24	Inter Milan

Recent call-ups

The following players were called up to the squad within the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Giulia D'Antuono	(2003-12-31) 31 December 2003 (age 21)	2	0	Mġarr United	v.   Hungary, 3 December 2024
GK	Christiana Pisani	(2003-09-19) 19 September 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Lija Athletic	v.   Hungary, 3 December 2024
GK	Raisa Costantino	(2005-05-23) 23 May 2005 (age 20)	1	0	SPD Tharros	v.   Italy, 25 October 2024
DF	Jessica Dimech	(2002-06-22) 22 June 2002 (age 23)	8	0	Hibernians	v.   Andorra, 25 February 2025
DF	Tammy Falzon	(2005-08-05) 5 August 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Swieqi United	v.   Andorra, 25 February 2025
DF	Abigail Camilleri	(1993-09-11) 11 September 1993 (age 31)	1	0	Mġarr United	v.   Hungary, 3 December 2024
DF	Mariah Cardona	(2003-12-14) 14 December 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Birkirkara	v.   Italy, 25 October 2024
DF	Leanne Cefai	(2000-02-22) 22 February 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Mġarr United	v.   Italy, 25 October 2024
MF	Brenda Borg	(1997-05-01) 1 May 1997 (age 28)	79	5	Mġarr United	v.   Hungary, 3 December 2024
MF	Maia Debono	(2001-11-07) 7 November 2001 (age 23)	3	0	Mġarr United	v.   Hungary, 3 December 2024
MF	Sarah Urpani	(2000-06-21) 21 June 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Swieqi United	v.   Hungary, 3 December 2024
MF	Michela Cachia	(2005-08-25) 25 August 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Swieqi United	v.   Hungary, 3 December 2024
MF	Veronique Mifsud	(2003-02-11) 11 February 2003 (age 22)	11	0	Birkirkara	v.   Italy, 25 October 2024
FW	Alishia Sultana	(1997-04-09) 9 April 1997 (age 28)	61	2	Birkirkara	v.   Georgia, 8 April 2025
FW	Jade Flask	(1996-08-04) 4 August 1996 (age 29)	67	7	Swieqi United	v.   Andorra, 25 February 2025
FW	Amber Grech	(1995-11-10) 10 November 1995 (age 29)	10	0	Hibernians	v.   Andorra, 25 February 2025
FW	Ylenia Carabott	(1989-03-02) 2 March 1989 (age 36)	97	20	London Seaward	v.   Hungary, 3 December 2024
Notes (appended to Name) INJ = Withdrew due to injury RET = Retired from national team

Captains

• Dorianne Theuma (????–????)
• Emma Lipman (????–)

Records

See also: Category:Malta women's international footballers

*Active players in bold, statistics correct as of 9 August 2025.

Most capped players

In 2015 Dorianne Theuma was Malta's most capped player with 64 caps.

Below is a list of the 10 players with the most caps for Malta.^{[ citation needed ]}

#	Player	Period	Caps	Goals
1	Dorianne Theuma	2003–2024	118	26
2	Rachel Cuschieri	2007–present	107	15
3	Charlene Zammit	2009–present	105	2
4	Stefania Farrugia	2007–present	103	5
5	Ylenia Carabott	2005–present	97	20
6	Shona Zammit	2014–present	88	7
7	Emma Xuereb	2009–present	84	4
8	Brenda Borg	2013–present	79	5
9	Janice Xuereb		73	0
10	Jade Flask	2014-present	67	7

Top goalscorers

#	Player	Year(s)	Goals	Caps
1	Dorianne Theuma	2003-2024	26	118
2	Haley Bugeja	2020-present	24	40
3	Ylenia Carabott	2007-present	20	97
4	Rachel Cuschieri	2009-present	15	107
5	Maria Farrugia	2019-present	11	55
6	Jade Flask	2014-present	7	67
6	Shona Zammit	2014-present	7	88
8	Brenda Borg	2013-present	5	79
8	Stefania Farrugia	2013-present	5	103
10	Emma Xuereb	2009-present	4	84

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD
1991	Did not enter									UEFA Euro 1991
1995										UEFA Euro 1995
1999										Did not enter
2003
2007	Did not qualify									6	0	1	5	4	14	−10
2011										8	0	0	8	1	51	−50
2015										13	2	1	10	9	56	−47
2019										3	1	1	1	3	2	+1
2023										8	2	1	5	6	17	−11
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2031	To be determined									To be determined
2035	To be determined									To be determined
Total	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-		38	5	1	29	23	140	−117

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Women's Championship

UEFA Women's Championship record									Qualifying record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk
1984	Did not enter								Did not enter
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
2001
2005	Did not qualify								8	0	0	8	1	35	–
2009									3	0	1	2	2	12
2013									3	1	1	1	2	3
2017									3	2	0	1	9	8
2022									10	3	1	6	11	30
2025									6	0	1	5	2	10	[a]	30th
2029	To be determined								To be determined
Total	-	-	-	-	-	-	-		27	6	3	18	25	88	30th

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Year	League	Group	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk
2023–24	C	1	1st	6	5	1	0	13	1		34th
2025	C	2	To be determined
Total				6	5	1	0	13	1	34th

	Promoted at end of season
	No movement at end of season
	Relegated at end of season
*	Participated in promotion/relegation play-offs

See also

Malta International Football Tournament

• Europe portal
• Malta portal
• Sports portal
• Association football portal
• Women's association football portal

• Sport in Malta
  • Football in Malta
    • Women's football in Malta
    • Malta women's national football team
    • Malta women's national under-20 football team
    • Malta women's national under-17 football team
    • Malta men's national football team
    • Malta men's national under-21 football team
    • Malta men's national under-19 football team
    • Malta men's national under-17 football team

Notes

1. From Euro 2025 onwards a new qualifying format was introduced, linked to the Women's Nations League where teams are divided into leagues with promotion/relegation between the leagues at the end of each cycle.

References

1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
2. "Malta – Women's". UEFA . Retrieved 23 June 2017.
3. Duret, Sébastien; Morrison, Neil (19 June 2005). "European Women Championship 2005 – Match Details". RSSSF . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
4. Aquilina, Domenic (18 April 2013). "Malta proud to make history". UEFA . Retrieved 23 June 2017.
5. Lia, Gianluca (8 February 2015). "Interview with Malta women's national team head coach Mark Gatt". Women's Soccer United. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
6. "MANUELA TESSE IS THE NEW NATIONAL WOMEN'S TEAM HEAD COACH". Malta Football Association. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
7. "Tesse Calls Up Squad For Crucial UEFA Women's Nations League Matches With Cyprus And Andorra". Malta Football Association. 28 May 2025.

External links

• Official website (in English)
• The Sporting Fan
• FIFA profile