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The Gibraltar national football team represents the Gibraltar in association football and is controlled by the Gibraltar Football Association (GFA), the governing body of the sport there. It competes as a member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which encompasses the countries of Europe. Organised football has been played in the British Overseas Territory since the 19th century. Gibraltar first applied for UEFA membership in 1999 but was rejected because of intense opposition from Spain. In October 2012, Gibraltar reapplied for full membership and it was granted in March 2013.
Gibraltar's first announced matches were two friendlies scheduled for 5 March and 26 May 2014 as a home-and-away series against Estonia. Although it was not their first announced match, Gibraltar later scheduled a match against Slovakia for 19 November 2013 which became their official debut. They entered their first major international competition in 2014: the qualifying rounds for UEFA Euro 2016. On 13 May 2016 Gibraltar was accepted as a member of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA); this was after their original application in 2014 was denied; as a result Gibraltar are allowed to participate in the qualification process for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The team has yet to win their first competitive match. The team's largest, and only victory came on 4 June 2014 when they defeated Malta by one goal to nil in a friendly. Their worst loss is an 8–1 against Poland in 2015. Gibraltar have also been defeated by seven goals to nil three times: against Poland in 2014; the Republic of Ireland in 2014; and Germany in 2015. Joseph Chipolina holds the appearance record for Gibraltar, having been capped 23 times during his international career. The goalscoring record is jointly held by Lee Casciaro and Jake Gosling, who have scored two times in 14 and 11 matches respectively.
The team's home ground, Victoria Stadium, does not meet UEFA's standards for competitive internationals, although it can be used for international friendlies. Gibraltar's first full international was played at the Estádio Algarve in Faro/Loulé, Portugal as a test for its future temporary use, since 2014 it has been used as the team's home ground in competitive matches. These are the official results of the national football team after being accepted into UEFA. Unofficial internationals played by the team before obtaining UEFA membership are not included.
All-time record
Gibraltar's first team has competed in one qualifying tournament and a number of friendlies, and their record against each team faced in these competitions is listed below. Since their first official match against Slovakia in November 2013 Gibraltar have faced a total of fifteen teams, they met their fifteenth and most recent different opponent, Cyprus, for the first time in November 2016.