Wikipedia

Baltic Cup (football)

The Baltic Cup (Estonian: Balti turniir, Latvian: Baltijas kauss, Lithuanian: Baltijos taurė) is an international football competition contested by the national teams of the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Sometimes guests from the Northern Europe subregion are also invited: Finland and the Faroe Islands have participated in the event twice, Iceland's inaugural participation in 2022 culminated in a victory. The reigning champions are Estonia, who won two consecutive editions in 2024 and 2026.

Baltic Cup
Founded1928; 98 years ago (1928)
RegionBaltic (UEFA)
Teams3
(+ possible guests)
Current champions Estonia
(6th title)
Most championships Latvia
(13 titles)
2026 Baltic Cup

It is one of the earliest national teams football tournaments in Europe after the British Home Championship, and the oldest one that is still organized.[1][2] Though originally held annually, the competition has been biennial since 2008.

History

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Match count by location.
Green indicate where the Finals were held in a cup-format edition.

As Estonia had unofficially declared itself the Baltic football champion in 1925, 1926 and 1927 based on matches played with Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland it was decided in 1928 to organize an official tournament. Though Poland and Finland were invited to join, the tournament took place between the three Baltic nations.[3]

The tournament was intended to improve relations between the nations, but intrigues around the organization and budget questions worked against this goal. The hosts always did everything to wear out their competitors. In 1933 Lithuanian hosts surprised the officials with a tour to a local brewery in Kaunas in the morning before the Lithuania–Latvia match. The Estonian newspaper Päevaleht reported that the Finnish referee for the match was really jolly, but did a horrible job, mostly favouring the Lithuanian hosts. The rules demanded that at least two wins were necessary to win the championship. Both the Lithuania–Estonia and Lithuania–Latvia matches had been drawn, but stopped due to darkness and a lack of artificial lighting.

In the team meeting Latvia demanded that the Lithuania–Estonia match should be re-played first. Latvia was hoping for an advantage against a tired Lithuanian team in their match. Lithuania and Estonia disagreed, noting that Latvia had won their match against Estonia, so a Latvian win against Lithuania would grant the Latvians the championship and end the tournament. Consensus was not reached and the Latvian team left the same day. The championship was not awarded.[3][4]

The feud led to the cancellation of the 1934 tournament, but the championship returned for the 1935. The rules were changed so that extra matches were now only held between leading teams if they were necessary for deciding on the championship.[5]

During the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, the Baltic Cup took place in 1940 and from 1948 to 1976 (with cancelled editions in 1951, 1953 to 1956 and 1963 to 1968) as a minor regional tournament between the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian SSRs, with occasional appearances by the Belarusian SSR. In 1991, the tournament was fully restored to the format as it was in the 1930s.

The 2020 tournament was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic, and took place in 2021, similarly to UEFA Euro 2020. In 2021, for the 2020 Baltic Cup, Estonia won the Cup after a wait of 83 years.[6]

The trophy

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The original silver trophy of the Baltic Cup was seized by the Soviets in 1940 and subsequently lost after reportedly being taken to Moscow.[7] A new replica trophy was created in 1991 by Latvian sculptor Indulis Urbāns.[8] It depicts three footballers, representing the three Baltic nations, holding a football on their shoulders akin to Atlas.[9][10][6] After the 2010 edition, the Lithuanian FA commissioned third iteration of the trophy. The 27 kilograms (60 lb) trophy, reproducing the original's design, was created by Lithuanian sculptor Džiugas Jurkūnas, who had previously produced the "Lithuanian Footballer" statue by the National Football Academy of Lithuania.[11]

Results

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Year Host cities Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
1928Estonia Tallinn Latvia Estonia LithuaniaN/a
1929Latvia Riga Estonia Latvia Lithuania
1930Lithuania Kaunas Lithuania Latvia Estonia
1931Estonia Tallinn Estonia (2) Latvia Lithuania
1932Latvia Riga Latvia (2) Lithuania Estonia
1933Lithuania KaunasChampion undecided due to disagreements over match times.
1934Not held due to disagreements over the 1933 competition.
1935Estonia Tallinn Lithuania (2) Latvia Estonia
1936Latvia Riga Latvia (3) Estonia Lithuania
1937Lithuania Kaunas Latvia (4) Estonia Lithuania
1938Estonia Tallinn Estonia (3) Latvia Lithuania
1939Not held due to strained sporting relations between Latvia and Lithuania after EuroBasket 1939.
1940–1990Not held, similar tournament occasionally held during Soviet occupation/annexation of the Baltic states
1991Lithuania Klaipėda
Lithuania Kretinga		 Lithuania (3) Latvia Estonia
1992Latvia Liepāja Lithuania (4) Latvia Estonia
1993Estonia Pärnu Latvia (5) Estonia Lithuania
1994Lithuania Vilnius Lithuania (5) Latvia Estonia
1995Latvia Riga Latvia (6) Lithuania Estonia
1996Estonia Narva Lithuania (6) Estonia Latvia
1997Lithuania Vilnius Lithuania (7) Latvia Estonia
1998Latvia Liepāja
Estonia Valga
Estonia Viljandi		 Lithuania (8) Latvia Estonia
2001Latvia Riga Latvia (7) Lithuania Estonia
2003Estonia Valga
Estonia Tallinn		 Latvia (8) Lithuania Estonia
2005Lithuania Kaunas Lithuania (9) LatviaEstonia did not participate due to scheduling conflicts.[12]
2008Latvia Riga
Latvia Jūrmala		 Latvia (9) Lithuania Estonia
2010Lithuania Kaunas Lithuania (10) Latvia Estonia
2012Estonia Võru
Estonia Tartu		 Latvia (10) Finland Estonia Lithuania
2014Latvia Ventspils
Latvia Liepāja		 Latvia (11) Lithuania Finland Estonia
2016Lithuania Klaipėda
Latvia Liepāja
Estonia Tallinn		 Latvia (12) Lithuania EstoniaN/a
2018Estonia Rakvere
Latvia Riga
Lithuania Vilnius		 Latvia (13) Estonia Lithuania
2020Lithuania Vilnius
Latvia Riga
Estonia Tallinn		 Estonia (4) Latvia Lithuania
2022Latvia Riga
Lithuania Kaunas
Estonia Tallinn		 Iceland (1) Latvia Estonia Lithuania
2024Latvia Liepāja
Estonia Tallinn
Lithuania Kaunas		 Estonia (5) Lithuania Latvia Faroe Islands
2026Lithuania Kaunas
Estonia Pärnu
Latvia Riga
Estonia Tallinn		 Estonia (6) Lithuania Faroe Islands Latvia

Medal summary

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As of 2026, excluding 1933.[13]
RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Latvia1314229
2 Lithuania109928
3 Estonia661628
4 Iceland1001
5 Finland0112
6 Faroe Islands0011
Totals (6 entries)30302989

Statistics

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As of 2026. Including the 1933 tournament, but excluding the replay match played on 5 September 1933.
Rank Team Apps Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Latvia31613021109354+39111
2  Lithuania31602114268097−1775
3  Estonia30601615296787−2063
4  Finland2421153+27
5  Faroe Islands2410326−43
6  Iceland120201102

Top scorers per tournament

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Tournament Name Team Goals
1928 Arnold Pihlak  Estonia 3
1929 Voldemārs Plade  Latvia 3
Eugen Einman  Estonia
Eduard Ellman-Eelma  Estonia
1930 Ēriks Pētersons  Latvia 4
1931 Friedrich Karm  Estonia 2
Eduard Ellman-Eelma  Estonia
1932 Alberts Šeibelis  Latvia 2
1933 Ēriks Pētersons  Latvia 2
1935 Iļja Vestermans  Latvia 2
Antanas Lingis  Lithuania
1936 Alberts Šeibelis  Latvia 2
1937 Iļja Vestermans  Latvia 3
1938 Ralf Veidemann  Estonia 2
1991 9 different players – 1
1992 Virginijus Baltušnikas  Lithuania 3
1993 5 different players – 1
1994 Valdas Ivanauskas  Lithuania 2
1995 11 different players – 1
1996 7 different players – 1
1997 7 different players – 1
1998 4 different players – 1
2001 Marians Pahars  Latvia 2
Vladimirs Koļesņičenko  Latvia
2003 9 different players – 1
2005 Igoris Morinas  Lithuania 2
2008 4 different players – 1
2010 Mantas Savėnas  Lithuania 1
Artūras Rimkevičius  Lithuania
2012 Edgars Gauračs  Latvia 3
2014 4 different players – 1
2016 Fiodor Černych  Lithuania 2
2018 5 different players – 1
2020 Mattias Käit  Estonia 2
2022 Sergei Zenjov  Estonia 2
2024 10 different players – 1
2026 5 different players – 1

All-time top goalscorers

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Rank Name Team Goals Tournament(s)
1 Ēriks Pētersons  Latvia 9 1930(4), 1931(1), 1932(1), 1933(2) and 1935(1)
2 Antanas Lingis  Lithuania 6 1930(2), 1932(1), 1933(1) and 1935(2)
Eduard Ellman-Eelma  Estonia 1929(3), 1931(2) and 1935(1)
Iļja Vestermans  Latvia 1935(2), 1936(1) and 1937(3)
5 Alberts Šeibelis  Latvia 5 1932(2), 1933(1) and 1936(2)
6 Arnold Pihlak  Estonia 4 1928(3) and 1929(1)
Eugen Einman  Estonia 1929(3) and 1930(1)
Friedrich Karm  Estonia 1930(2) and 1931(2)
Jaroslavas Citavičius  Lithuania 1930(2), 1932 (1) and 1933(1)
Virginijus Baltušnikas  Lithuania 1992(3) and 1995(1)
Marians Pahars  Latvia 1997(1), 1998(1) and 2001(2)
Igoris Morinas  Lithuania 1997(1), 2003(1) and 2005(2)
13 Voldemārs Plade  Latvia 3 1929(3)
Stepas Chmelevskis  Lithuania 1928(2) and 1930(1)
Georg Siimenson  Estonia 1936(1) and 1937(2)
Richard Kuremaa  Estonia 1933(1), 1936(1) and 1937(1)
Voldemaras Jaškevičius  Lithuania 1935(1), 1936(1) and 1938(1)
Vitālijs Astafjevs  Latvia 1993(1), 1994(1) and 1995(1)
Edgars Gauračs  Latvia 2012(3)
Mattias Käit  Estonia 2018(1) and 2020(2)

Hat-tricks

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Since the first official tournament in 1928, 4 hat-tricks have been scored in over 50 matches of the 28 editions of the tournament. The first hat-trick was scored by Arnold Pihlak of the Estonia, playing against Lithuania on 26 July 1928; and the last was by Virginijus Baltušnikas of Lithuania, playing against Latvia on 12 July 1992. No player has ever scored two hat-tricks in the Baltic Cup and no player has ever scored more than 3 goals in a single Baltic Cup match.

List

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Baltic Cup hat-tricks
# Player G Time of goals For Result Against Tournament Date FIFA
report
1. Arnold Pihlak 3 1', 21', 57'  Estonia 6–0  Lithuania 1928 Baltic Cup 26 July 1928 Report
2. Voldemārs Plade 3 51', 68', 86'  Latvia 3–1  Lithuania 1929 Baltic Cup 14 August 1929 Report
3. Ēriks Pētersons 3 37', 61', 64'  Latvia 3–3  Lithuania 1930 Baltic Cup 17 August 1930 Report
4. Virginijus Baltušnikas 3 28', 31', 79'  Lithuania 3–2  Latvia 1992 Baltic Cup 12 July 1992 Report

Other competitions

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Competition Edition Champions Runners-up Next edition
National teams (Men's)
Baltic Cup 2026[14]  Estonia  Lithuania 2028
Under-21 Baltic Cup Latvia
Lithuania 2026[15]		  Lithuania  Estonia
Under-19 Baltic Cup Latvia 2026[16]  Estonia  Latvia
Under-17 Baltic Cup Finland 2026[17]  Latvia  Finland
Baltic Futsal Cup Latvia 2021[18]  Lithuania  Latvia TBD
Baltic–Nordic Futsal Cup Denmark 2023[19]  Denmark  Latvia
National teams (Women's)
Women's Baltic Cup Lithuania 2025[20]  Latvia  Lithuania Estonia 2026 October
Women's Under-19 Baltic Cup Latvia 2026 [21]  Lithuania  Faroe Islands
Women's Under-17 Baltic Cup Latvia 2026 [22]  Estonia  Faroe Islands
Women's Under-15 Baltic Cup Latvia 2025[23]  Estonia  Latvia Lithuania 2026[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Eiropas vecākā starptautiskā futbola turnīra vēstures līkloči un ceļš pretim jaunai atzinībai". Latvijas futbols. Maijs 2014. Latvijas Futbola federācija. 2014-05-20. Archived from the original on 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  2. ↑ "Historic Baltic Cup returns this June with semifinal games confirmed". Baltic Football News. 19 February 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Eesti välispoliitika Balti suund 1926–1934" (PDF). University of Tartu. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "Balti turniir lõppes fiaskoga". dea.digar.ee. Maa Hääl. 6 September 1933. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Allika, Andrus. "Vilniuses algas Balti turniir". Õhtuleht. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Estonia lifts Baltic Cup trophy after 83-year wait". ERR.ee. 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  7. ↑ Vaiders, Arturs (2014-06-02). "Arturs Vaiders: Pirmie čaļi ciemā jeb nevainosim Paharu". lsm.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2024-06-29. Baltijas kausa trofeja ir atjaunota tās agrākajā izskatā. Oriģināls visdrīzāk ir kāda čekista pēcteča privātajā kolekcijā Maskavā vai kaut kur citur Krievijā. [The trophy of the Baltic Cup has been restored in its original appearance. The original, most likely, is in the private Moscow collection of some Cheka worker's offspring or somewhere else in Russia.]
  8. ↑ "Mūžībā devies metālmākslinieks Indulis Urbāns" [Metal sculptor Indulis Urbāns has died]. lsm.lv (in Latvian). 2024-03-28. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  9. ↑ Critchlow, Dan (2021-06-11). "Arsenal 19-year-old Karl Hein wins Baltic Cup". Dailycannon.com. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  10. ↑ "Knattspyrnusambandið on X: "Baltic Cup final on Saturday. Daugava Stadium, Riga. 🇱🇻⚽️🇮🇸 The trophy.👇 "". X. 2022-11-18.
  11. ↑ "Atkurtas istorinis Baltijos futbolo taurės trofėjus". 15min (in Lithuanian). 1 March 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "EJL tegi ettepaneku uuendusteks Balti turniiril". Eesti Päevaleht. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  13. ↑ "Baltic Cup Overview in rsssf.com". almis.sritis.lt. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  14. ↑ "International Baltic Cup 2026 - Scores & Standings". Futbol24.com. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Turniir". Jalgpall.ee. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Turniir". Jalgpall.ee. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Turniir". Jalgpall.ee. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Turniir". Jalgpall.ee. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  19. ↑ "FutsalPlanet News". Futsalplanet.com. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Turniir". Jalgpall.ee. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Futbol24". futbol24.com. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Turniir". Jalgpall.ee. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Turniir". Jalgpall.ee. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Turniir". Jalgpall.ee. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
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