Malta will be meeting Moldova and Andorra in two away matches in September as the fixtures for Group D2 of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League were released on Friday.
The first game is against Moldova in Chisinau on September 7 and three days later, Malta plays Andorra in Andorra La Vella.
Malta hosts Moldova on October 13 and Andorra on November 19.
7 September 2024 18:00. Moldova – Malta
10 September 2024 20:45. Andorra – Malta
10 October 2024 20:45. Moldova – Andorra
13 October 2024 18:00. Malta – Moldova
16 November 2024 18:00. Andorra – Moldova
19 November 2024 20:45. Malta – Andorra
Group winners are automatically promoted to League C while the two runners-up from League D will face the two best-ranked fourth-placed teams in play-offs.
Malta and Moldova met eight times. Moldova won 2-0 in a friendly match at Ta’ Qali in March 1999 and then once again 1-0 on home soil in August 2000. The two teams met three times in the Rothmans/Malta International Tournament with Malta winning 3-0 in February 2002, the two teams sharing the spoils in a goalless draw in 2004 and Moldova winning 2-0 in 2006. In the EURO 2008 qualifiers, Malta held Moldova in a 1-1 draw away from home in March 2007 but in October 2007, Moldova registered a 3-2 win at Ta’ Qali. In a friendly match in March 2016, the two teams drew 0-0.
Moldova are currently ranked 155th. They placed on level points with group winners Latvia in the UEFA Nations League 2022/23 Group D1 but had to settle for second place due to an inferior goal-difference in direct encounters.
In the EURO 2024 qualifiers, Moldova placed fourth in Group E behind Albania, Czechia and Poland and ahead of the Faroe Islands, collected no less than ten points thanks to wins over Poland at home and the Faroe Islands away from home and draws with Albania, Czechia and Faroe Islands at home and Poland away from home.
Malta and Andorra met four times. Malta hosted Andorra in the Rothmans Tournament in February 2000, the game ending 1-1. There was another 1-1 draw in a friendly match in March 2002. In October 2020, Malta earned a point in a goalless draw away from home in the UEFA Nations League and a month later, Malta registered a 3-1 win.
Andorra are currently ranked 164th. They placed third in Group D1 of the UEFA Nations League 2022/23, behind Latvia and Moldova and ahead of Liechtenstein. They defeated Liechtenstein twice and earned points in draws with Latvia and Moldova at home.
In the EURO 2024 qualifiers, Andorra finished last in Group I in a group which included Romania, Switzerland, Israel, Belarus and Kosovo, earning two points in draws with Belarus at home and Kosovo away from home.
This will be the fourth edition of the UEFA Nations League with Malta still chasing a historic promotion to League C.
Malta placed fourth in Group D3 in the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League in 2018, finishing behind Kosovo, Azerbaijan and the Faroe Islands and collecting three points in two draws with Azerbaijan and another with the Faroe Islands at home.
In the 2020 edition, Malta placed second three points behind the Faroe Islands and ahead of Latvia and Andorra, collecting a draw with Latvia at home and Andorra away from home, a win over Latvia away from home, a home win over Andorra and a draw with the Faroe Islands at home.
In the last edition, held in 2022, Malta was drawn in a group of three teams with Estonia and San Marino. Malta opened its account with a 2-0 win over San Marino away from home but lost 1-2 at Ta’ Qali to Estonia, defeated San Marino 1-0 at home but suffered another 2-1 defeat to Estonia in Tallinn to finish second.