Our Men’s National Team may not have finished its 2025 fixtures in the best possible way, but by general consensus, the overall assessment of the year is positive.
In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, we saw an improved team in almost every match — with the right mentality and an attacking approach, a team that fought for the result until the end and once again gave Cypriot fans hope that something good can be achieved.
The friendly match against Estonia was a poor exception that does not overturn the team’s overall image in recent months.
On Tuesday night, the National Team paid for its unjustifiable collapse in the final 20 minutes, turning a 2–1 lead into a 2–4 loss within ten minutes. There may be mitigating factors for the defeat, but there are no excuses — something coach Apostolos Mantzios stressed to his players in the dressing room.
Now, the coach and his staff, armed with the experience of the ten matches played in 2025, are beginning to map out their plan for next year.
2026 Match Schedule
The year 2026 includes four friendly matches and six official matches in the UEFA Nations League 2026–2027.
The draw for the Nations League will take place on February 12. Cyprus will participate in League C along with fifteen other countries and will be drawn into one of the four groups in the league, along with three other teams.
The teams finishing first in their groups will be promoted to League B and will also compete in play-offs for qualification to EURO 2028.
Details regarding the seeding pots for each league will be announced by UEFA in the coming days.
A key innovation of next year’s Nations League is the scheduling of four consecutive matches between September 24 and October 6.
Matchdays 5 and 6 of the group stage will take place from November 12 to 17, 2026.
In essence, the group stage will be completed within two “windows” instead of the three that applied until now.
In addition to the official matches, our National Team will also play four friendlies.
Two matches will take place between March 23 and 31, and the other two between June 1 and 9, 2026.
