The Estonian Football Association (EFA) marked its 104th anniversary on Saturday, 14 December, reflecting on a year that featured notable sporting achievements and key organisational milestones across the game.
The men’s national team played two home matches in front of sell-out crowds, which ranked as the second- and fourth-most attended games in Estonia’s football history. Youth national teams also delivered strong results: the women’s U19 side earned promotion to League A in European qualifying, while the men’s U19 team recorded draws against both Portugal and Belgium. The women’s U15 team won the Baltic Tournament, and the men’s U19 futsal team made history by qualifying for the UEFA European Championship main round.
On the international front, the Estonian and Norwegian football associations signed a memorandum of understanding focused on developing women’s football and promoting more environmentally sustainable artificial pitches. Domestically, the year saw the opening of the football museum at A. Le Coq Arena, while record fan support through the LHV football card programme generated close to €200,000 for Estonian clubs.
Preparations continued throughout the year for the UEFA U17 Men’s European Championship finals, which Estonia will host in 2026. The calendar year concludes with the traditional Aastalõputurniir (End-of-year tournament), held from 16 to 30 December at the Kalev Sports Hall, bringing together thousands of players of all ages. The football season will officially be wrapped up on Sunday, 21 December, with three awards ceremonies at the Estonia Concert Hall, where the best teams, standout players and the coach of the year will be honoured.
Founded on 14 December 1921 by representatives of three Tallinn clubs, the Estonian Football Association became a FIFA member in 1923 and joined UEFA in 1992. Its activities were interrupted during the Second World War and restored on 3 December 1988. Today, the EFA is Estonia’s largest sports organisation, overseeing national teams, domestic competitions, refereeing and coaching education, club and player licensing, regulatory development and football infrastructure nationwide.
