Moldova gained their independence with the end of the USSR in 1991 and have competed since then as an independent nation in international football. A member of FIFA since 1994, Moldova first competed in the qualifiers for the1998 FIFA World Cup France™, without much success. In fact, in eight games they suffered eight defeats and only managed two goals scored.
They enjoyed slightly greater success four years later, overcoming Azerbaijan and notching three draws, and then continued their improvement in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2004, when they beat Austria and Belarus but fell ultimately fell short of booking a ticket to Portugal.

Moldova finished bottom of their pool in the European preliminaries for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ and despite beginning their campaign to progress to UEFA EURO 2008 with just one point from four games, away wins in Bosnia Herzegovina and Malta and a 1-1 draw at home to Turkey lifted their spirits.