Timor-Leste national football team

History

Early history (2003–2017)

Football was established in East Timor during the Portuguese colonial era, when many of the locals and the Portuguese officials played amateur football. After Portugal ended its colonial rule, Indonesia invaded and occupied the island, which resulted in a long running battle against Jakarta-led forces. Timor-Leste eventually gained independence from Indonesia in 2002.

The East Timor Football Federation was accepted as an associate member of AFC at the 20th AFC Congress in 2002. Their international debut came in March 2003 when they participated in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in China. Given their history, it was no surprise that they crashed out with defeats against the likes of Sri Lanka and Chinese Taipei. They then entered the regional competition for the first time in 2004 as they played in the 2004 AFF Championship as an invited member. They finished in last place, showing that they had a long way to go before they could compete even on the regional stage.

They again had no success in the 2007 AFF Championship qualification, with four heavy losses, including a 7–0 trouncing by the Philippines. The following year in the 2008 AFF Championship qualification, Timor-Leste surprisingly drew against Cambodia; this feat was reported in international news.

First win

In the 2012 AFF Championship qualification, the country's football federation (FFTL) reportedly selected their foreign based players, who played in Brazil, Portugal, Australia and elsewhere, to fortify the team as they also did at the 2011 SEA Games.

On 5 October 2012, Timor-Leste won their first international match in a 5–1 victory against Cambodia with goals coming from Murilo de Almeida who scored a brace, Adelino Trindade and Alan Leandro. On 9 October 2012, the team won another match against Laos in the qualification round as Murilo de Almeida scored a penalty at 43' minutes of the first half of the match. Later Adelino Trindade extended the Timorese advantage with a header early in the second half and then Alan Leandro added the third goal on the 83rd minute. After winning the second match against Laos, head coach Emerson Alcântara stated "This is a win for the people of East Timor. They had to wait a long time for our team to win their first match in this competition but now we have two wins and this was an important victory for Timor-Leste. "I think that about 70 percent of people in Timor Leste are poor so it is very important to get this result for them because they love football and the people can get confidence and take pride in this result. It is very important for us to motivate our people and to help to change their lives." With a win needed in the final fixture, Timor-Leste subsequently lost to Brunei 2–1 and finished in third place in the group, one point away from runners-up of the group, Laos as they went on to qualify for the 2012 AFF Championship. In the 2014 AFF Championship qualification, Timor-Leste secured a victory against Brunei winning them 4–2 in the process. In the next match, they caused an upset to Myanmar on 14 October 2014 which ended up in a goalless draw but that wasn't enough as Timor-Leste didn't make it to the 2014 AFF Championship.

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round

Timor-Leste then participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification first round facing Mongolia where on 12 March 2015, they secured their first ever win against a country outside of Southeast Asia in a 4–1 win at the National Stadium of Timor-Leste. In the second leg, Timor-Leste travelled to Ulaanbaatar where they won 1–0 putting them on an aggregate of 5–2 seeing them advancing to the second round however on 12 December 2017, FIFA awarded both matches 3–0 to Mongolia due to Timor-Leste fielding numerous ineligible players. However, this was long after the Second round had been played, so Timor-Leste advanced and Mongolia were not reinstated. Timor-Leste were then grouped with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Palestine and Malaysia in Group A. On 11 June 2015, Ramon Saro scored in the 90+3' minute stoppage time which cause a huge upsets to Malaysia in a 1–1 draw at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium which Timor-Leste got their first ever point in the campaign. On 8 October 2015 while playing at home, Ramon Saro break the deadlock as they lead against Palestine however in the dying minute of the match, Ahmad Abu Nahyeh equalise for Palestine in 1–1 draw as it gains media attention from the Southeast Asia region. However, Timor-Leste has to forfeited five of their group matches due to fielding numerous ineligible players. Since their last match against Saudi Arabia on 17 November 2015, Timor-Leste has been playing their home match overboard as their National Stadium of Timor-Leste in Dili failed to meet FIFA standards which also see them finishing at the bottom of the table. During the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification match, Timor-Leste played their home match at the Tan Sri Dato Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium in Johor Bahru playing against Malaysia.

Timor-Leste then participated in the 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup held in Kuching where they snatched a goalless draw against Nepal. They were also invited to the 2017 CTFA International Tournament where in the match against the Philippines, Silveiro Garcia scored the only goal in the match as Timor-Leste gains a win in the tournament.

Back-to-back AFF Championships (2018–2020)

Timor-Leste then qualified to the 2018 AFF Championship for the first time in 14 years winning the 2018 AFF Championship qualification against Brunei on an aggregate of 3–2. They will play their designated "home" match against Thailand at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, while their home tie against the Philippines will be played at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium in Malaysia due to the incomplete floodlighting of the National Stadium of Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste then qualified for the 2020 AFF Championship automatically after the withdrawal of Brunei in the qualification play-off.

Young star in the making (2021–present)

During the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round first leg match on 5 September 2024, João Pedro became the first player in Timorese history to score a hat-trick in a 4–1 win over Mongolia while playing on neutral ground at the Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium held in Gianyar, Bali. In October 2024, Timor Leste then played against Brunei who is also on a five-game winning streak for the 2024 ASEAN Championship qualification. Timor Leste ended up victorious winning 1–0 on aggregate where Gali Freitas scored the goal to ensure the team qualified for the 2024 ASEAN Championship, where they will play their matches at Hàng Đẫy Stadium in Hanoi.

2024 ASEAN Championship

As of 28 December 2024, Timor-Leste's performance at the 2024 ASEAN Championship has been poor, ending in a string of defeats that resulted in their early elimination. The squad competed in four matches, beginning with a devastating loss to Thailand on 8 December suffering their worst ever defeat since 2015 with a 10–0 thrasing defeat scoreline. Following that, they met Malaysia on 11 December, putting up a valiant battle but ultimately lost 2–3. Their difficulties continued against Singapore on 14 December with a 0–3 defeat. Timor-Leste met Cambodia in their last group stage match on 17 December and fell to a 1–2 defeat.

Timor-Leste finished with a record of four losses, two goals scored, and an incredible eighteen goals conceded, resulting in a goal differential of -16. They were unable to gain any victories during the tournament. They became the first team to be eliminated from the 2024 ASEAN Championship.

During the third round of 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification on 10 June 2025, João Pedro scored the lone goal in a 1–0 win against Maldives which put him to become the all time top scorer for Timor-Leste.

Eligibility of players controversy

Since 2012, several Brazilian-born footballers, who are not of East Timorese descent and had not necessarily played in the East Timorese League, were expressly naturalised.

The country's recent history of naturalising foreign players such as Murilo de Almeida, Fellipe Bertoldo, Diogo Rangel, Rodrigo Silva, Jairo Neto, Ramon Saro, Alan Leandro, Thiago Cunha, Juninho and Heberty has been criticized by many, including native East Timorese players and fans.

In a match on 8 October 2015 against Palestine seven of the starting eleven for the Timorese line-up were naturalized Brazilians. Following the match the Palestinian Football Association made a complaint to FIFA stating that the naturalized Timorese players were not eligible to represent Timor-Leste under FIFA rules.

Following a concern from some Timorese who complained to the prime minister, the prosecutor general and the minister for justice regarding the naturalisation program, Timor Leste Football Federation (FFTL) decided to drop their overseas-born legion. It meant Timor-Leste would be without seven naturalised Brazilian players for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers match against United Arab Emirates on 12 November 2015. In that match, coach Fernando Alcântara played an all national line up including six who were under twenty, including Ervino Soares who was 16. Timor-Leste ended up losing the match 8–0. Alcântara took responsibility for the defeat although he also added that he had been forced to play such an inexperienced line-up by the FFTL.

The next match, Timor-Leste did even worse, suffering a record 0–10 home defeat to a strong Saudi Arabia side, who eventually qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Jesse Pinto, an Australian-Timorese footballer, told reporters that the FFTL gives Brazilian players Timorese passports so that they can be registered as "Asian" players and meet the quotas of teams. Pinto also added that the FFTL often takes advantage of players from poor backgrounds, but that it often did not meet its promises of allowing players to travel back to Brazil to meet their families.

In December 2016, the FFTL was charged with using forged and falsified documents, fielding ineligible players and bringing the game into disrepute.

A decision was made on 20 January 2017 that Timor-Leste is barred from participating in the qualification tournament for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup after being found to have fielded a total of twelve ineligible players in 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification matches and among other competitions.

Team image

Kit manufacturers

The team's kit manufacturer was Kubba Sportswear from June 2014 to February 2017.

Since 2018, the kits are made by Narrow, an Indonesian apparel. The home kit is red shirts, black shorts, and red socks, with black as a secondary color. The away kit all white. From 2008 to 2010, their away kits were yellow but at 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification, the away kits changed back into all whites. Their kits were made by Nike in 2012. Previous kit makers include Mitre, Joma, Nike and Tiger.

Home stadium

Timor Leste's home ground is the National Stadium of Timor-Leste in Dili. The stadium capacity is 5,000. The first official match played in the stadium was a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Mongolia on 12 March 2015. Timor-Leste played their last match at the National Stadium of Timor-Leste against Saudi Arabia on 17 November 2015 and since then used their stadium as a neutral ground all over East Asia.

Neutral venue

List of neutral venue grounds for Timor-Leste in the FIFA World Cup qualifications, AFC Asian Cup qualifications and AFF Championship qualifications since 2020.

Results and fixtures

Main article: Timor-Leste national football team results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2024

• Davis
• Gustavsson
• Suphanat
• Seksan
• Teerasak
• Mickelson
• Syafiq
• Josué
• Xavier
• João Pedro
• Nakamura
• Shawal
• Rotana
• Soknet
• João Pedro

2025

• Osman
• Budib
• Merheg
• Hanonov
• J. Pedro
• Freitas
• Kristensen
• J. Tabinas
• Kristensen
• Gayoso
• Rangel Report (AFC)
• Mabatshoyev
• Panjshanbe
• Rakhimov
• Boboev

;Notes

• 1 Non FIFA 'A' international match

2026

Coaching staff

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

• The following 23 players were called up for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers match.
• Match date: 10 June 2025
• Opponents: Maldives
• Caps and goals correct as of: 10 June, after the match against Maldives.

Recent call-ups

PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE ;Notes

• INJ Withdrew due to injury
• PRE Preliminary squad / standby

Previous squads

• 2004 AFF Championship squad
• 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup squad
• 2018 AFF Championship squad
• 2020 AFF Championship squad
• 2024 ASEAN Championship squad

Player records

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

| |2010–2018 |}

Competition records

Main article: Timor-Leste national football team results

FIFA World Cup

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Challenge Cup

• 2006 – Was originally selected to take part, but was then replaced
• 2008 – Was selected to take part, but withdrew

AFC Solidarity Cup

ASEAN Championship

Lusofonia Games

Head-to-head record

As of 18 November 2025

Regional record

Notes

References

References

1. "East Timor matches, ratings and points exchanged". World Football Elo Ratings: East Timor.
2. "Member Association – Timor-Leste".
3. "Timor-Leste – Timor-Leste – Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos and news – Soccerway".
4. (5 October 2012). "Timor Leste cause upset; Myanmar win".
5. (23 May 2012). "KIMURA FOR LAOS' AFF SUZUKI CUP 2012 QUALIFYING CAMPAIGN". ASEAN Football.
6. (5 October 2012). "Cambodia 1-5 Timor Leste".
7. "Timor Leste 3 Laos 1".
8. (10 October 2012). "Win dedicated to Timorese people".
9. "Thailand 10-0 Timor-Leste (Dec 8, 2024) Final Score".
10. "Cambodia edges Timor-Leste in 2024 ASEAN Championship clash".
11. ONLINE, TUOI TRE. (2024-12-14). "Thua đậm Singapore, tuyển Timor Leste chính thức bị loại tại ASEAN Cup 2024".
12. (2016-11-29). "How Timor-Leste, like others, (probably) flouted FIFA's eligibility rules". These Football Times.
13. (3 October 2015). "Timor Leste naturalisation of Brazilian footballers criticized". Football Channel Asia.
14. Jack Kerr. (1 October 2015). "Success Is No Longer Foreign to East Timor, but the Players Are". [[The New York Times]].
15. Jack Kerr. (8 October 2015). "East Timor Fields Seven Ex-Brazilians in Tie With Palestine". The New York Times.
16. Jack Kerr. (16 October 2015). "Palestinians Protest East Timor's Use of Brazilian Players". The New York Times.
17. (2015-07-13). "Is East Timor Illegally Putting Together a National Soccer Team With Brazilian Players?". Sports.
18. (12 November 2015). "Timor Leste set to be without seven naturalised Brazilians for UAE clash". Football Channel Asia.
19. Amith Passela. (12 November 2015). "Coach Mahdi Ali cautions his players that tougher challenges await as UAE thrash East Timor to get World Cup qualification back on track". [[The National (Abu Dhabi).
20. Jack Kerr. (7 November 2015). "Darwin soccer player who captained Timor-Leste opens up on team's FIFA controversy". [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
21. Jack Kerr. (9 December 2016). "East Timor Is Accused of Using Ineligible Players for Its Soccer Team". [[The New York Times]].
22. (January 20, 2017). "Federacao Futebol Timor-Leste expelled from AFC Asian Cup 2023".
23. "Timor Leste Football Federation sign Kubba sportswear contract".
24. "2017-18 Timor-Leste Away Shirt BNIB".
25. "Timor-Leste national team".
26. Bola.com. (27 October 2017). "Former Persita Coach Officially Handles the Timor Leste National Team".
27. (8 June 2025). "Lista ba Jogadór Selesaun Nasional Na'in-23 Ne'ebe Prepara ba Jogu Hasoru Maldivas". FFTL.
28. "Timor-Leste".
29. "Fixtures Results". eloratings.