Striker ahead of first two world cup qualifiers: Israel, Moldova both manageable
Estonia kicks off its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign this weekend and one player looking forward with anticipation to the games is striker Alex Matthias Tamm, who has just signed for NK Ljubljana Olimpija.
Tamm said he hopes to find the net for the national team once again, with games against Israel (being played in Hungary) and away to Moldova the first opportunities to do so.
Tamm, 23, was the most prolific striker last year for both the Estonian national team and in the domestic Premium liiga.
In January, he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Ljubljana Olimpija, and can now state that he has been well-received at the new club and has fit in nicely.
He said: "When I went there, we immediately traveled with the team to a two-week training camp in Spain, where I was put side by side with the team and coaches. Through this, I was able to integrate very well into the team, and it has led to me feeling comfortable both in the team and on the pitch."
He has got off to a good start too, scoring four times in his first seven games for the Slovenian club.
For his last club, Nõmme Kalju, Tamm scored 28 goals in 35 matches last season (due to weather considerations, Estonian football seasons run from March to November).
"For me, both in life and in football, playing abroad is something I have dreamed of since I was little and wanted to try it out," he went on. "My attitude is that whatever will be, will be, but at the end of the day, I will know that at least I tried. But in terms of league levels, there are a lot of players there with experience in Europe's top leagues, which in turn raises the level of the league overall," he said of the Slovenian PrvaLiga.
As for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, Tamm said: "I always go into every game aiming to win. I believe both of these opponents are very manageable for us, so we have the opportunity to get a result. Both as a team and individually, these are some very good challenges for us," he went on.
Estonia plays Israel first, on Saturday, then Moldova away on Tuesday, March 25.
Both matches will be broadcast live via ERR's sports portal and on ETV2.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup finals take place from June to July next year in 16 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Estonia has yet to qualify for the football World Cup.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Kristjan Kallaste
