Moldova vs Estonia

A World Cup 2026 Qualifiers points recreation occurs when Moldova faces Estonia at Stadionul Zimbru during their Tuesday matchup.

The hosts suffered a disastrous start to Group I when Norway defeated them 5-0 and the Blueshirt footballers lost by a single goal to Israel.

Moldova ranks as world number 151 and will start the preliminary 2026 World Cup cycle in last place since they did not advance past a World Cup knock-out round as an independent nation before this contest.

The five Norway scorers including Erling Haaland and Aron Donnum and Thelo Aasgaard and Alexander Sorloth and Julian Ryerson scored five goals each as the team easily defeated Moldova 5-0 through four goals before half-time on Saturday.

Tuesday's hosts Moldova suffered their tenth consecutive loss in World Cup Qualifying following their defeat against Norway on Saturday. This failure runs parallel to their single draw in March 2021 against the Faroe Islands which stopped their losing streak at 9 games.

Since October 2013 Moldova has won their last World Cup qualifying match against Montenegro 5-2 yet they have claimed only three victories at home since the start of the new millennium.

Moldova stands with overwhelming chances against them but their recent defeat on Saturday marked their third defeat from their last 11 competitions and secured their League C position in the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League.

Estonia, still seeking their first World Cup finals appearance as an independent nation, put up a resilient fight against Israel in their Group I opener—unlike Moldova, who suffered a heavy defeat in their first match. However, their efforts weren’t enough to secure a result.

Maksim Paskotsi, the young center-back and former Tottenham Hotspur prospect, gave Estonia a dream start by scoring their first qualifying goal within just 10 minutes. But Israel fought back, leveling through an own goal by Karl Hein before Eli Dasa netted the winner 15 minutes from time, leaving Estonia empty-handed.

The loss extends Estonia’s winless streak in World Cup qualifying to four matches—though far from Moldova’s dismal run of 10 consecutive defeats. Notably, Estonia has recorded at least one victory in every qualifying campaign since 1998.

Currently ranked 123rd in the world, Estonia has struggled for form under manager Jürgen Henn, going four matches without a win across all competitions. Their recent Nations League campaign saw just four points from six games, though it was enough to keep them in League C.

Estonia can take some confidence from their past meetings with Moldova, having won their last three encounters. However, their most recent clash was back in 2008, when Estonia secured a 1-0 friendly victory.