Greece national football team

The Greece men's national football team (Greek: Εθνική Ελλάδας, Ethniki Elladas) represents Greece in men's international football matches and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Starting in 2023, Greece play their home matches in Nea Filadelfeia, a suburb of Athens, at the newly built Agia Sophia Stadium. Greece is one of only ten national teams to have been crowned UEFA European Champions.

Quick facts: Nickname(s), Association, Confederation, Head... ▼

Greece

Nickname(s)	Piratiko (The Pirate Ship) Ethniki (The National) Galanolefki (The Sky Blues and Whites)
Association	Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) (Ελληνική Ποδοσφαιρική Ομοσπονδία – ΕΠΟ)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Gus Poyet
Captain	Anastasios Bakasetas
Most caps	Giorgos Karagounis (139)
Top scorer	Nikos Anastopoulos (29)
Home stadium	Agia Sophia Stadium
FIFA code	GRE
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	51 1 (21 September 2023)[1]
Highest	8[2] (April 2008, October 2011)
Lowest	66 (September 1998)
First international
Greece 1–4 Italy  (Piraeus, Greece; 7 April 1927)
Biggest win
Greece 8–0 Syria  (Athens, Greece; 25 November 1949)
Biggest defeat
Hungary 11–1 Greece  (Budapest, Hungary; 25 March 1938)
World Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 1994)
Best result	Round of 16 (2014)
European Championship
Appearances	4 (first in 1980)
Best result	Champions (2004)
Olympic Games
Appearances	3 (first in 1920)
Best result	Group stage (2004)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2005)
Best result	Group stage (2005)
Medal record Men's football UEFA European Championship 2004 Portugal Team Mediterranean Games 1951 Alexandria Team 1991 Athens Team Mediterranean Cup 1950–53 Mediterranean Cup Balkan Cup 1934–35 Balkan Cup 1929–31 Balkan Cup 1935 Balkan Cup 1936 Balkan Cup

Greece had a small presence in international football. From the 1980s they have experienced the first taste of, but not a banquet, of football achievement. Their first appearance in a major tournament was at UEFA Euro 1980 where they were knocked out in the group stage. Their qualification to the then eight-team UEFA European Championship gave them a position in the top eight European football nations that year. Greece did not qualify for another major tournament until the 1994 FIFA World Cup and after an undefeated qualifying campaign, they produced a poor performance in the finals, losing all three group matches without scoring.

UEFA Euro 2004 marked the highest point in Greece's football history when they won the tournament in only their second participation. Dismissed as rank outsiders before the tournament, Greece defeated some of the favourites in the competition including defending European champions France and hosts Portugal. During the tournament, Greece defeated the hosts in both the opening game of the tournaments and again in the final. Their triumph earned them a place in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup.

In the decade after the 2004 victory, Greece qualified for the finals tournaments of all but one major competition entered, reaching the quarter-finals at the UEFA Euro 2012 and the round of 16 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. During that period, they occupied a place in the top 20 of the FIFA World Rankings for all but four months, and reached an all-time high of eighth in the world from April to June 2008, as well as in October 2011.