Benin national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Benin women's national football team.

Benin

Nickname(s)	Les Guépards (The Cheetahs) Formerly: Les Ecureuils (The Squirrels)
Association	Fédération Béninoise de Football (FBF, FEBEFOOT)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach	Gernot Rohr
Captain	Steve Mounié
Most caps	Stéphane Sessègnon (89)
Top scorer	Stéphane Sessègnon (24)
Home stadium	Stade de l'Amitié
FIFA code	BEN
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	92 (19 January 2026) [1]
Highest	59 (November–December 2009, April 2010)
Lowest	165 (July 1996)
First international
Dahomey 0–1 Nigeria   (Dahomey; 8 November 1959)
Biggest win
Dahomey 7–0 Mauritania   (Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 27 December 1961)
Biggest defeat
Nigeria 10–1 Dahomey   (Nigeria; 28 November 1959)
World Cup
Appearances	0
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	5 (first in 2004 )
Best result	Quarter-finals (2019)

The Benin national football team (French: Équipe nationale de Football du Bénin), nicknamed Les Guépards (The Cheetahs), represents Benin in men's international association football and are controlled by the Benin Football Federation. They were known as Dahomey until 1975, when the Republic of Dahomey became Benin.

Benin have been affiliated with FIFA since 1962 and are a member of the Confederation of African Football since 1969. They have never qualified for the World Cup, but have participated at four Africa Cups of Nations in 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2019, never placing in the top two in the group stage at all of these occasions. However, Benin has a unique record as the country is the first national team to reach the quarter-finals of an AFCON edition without gaining a single win in their AFCON history.

History

Benin hosted its first official international match on 8 November 1959, a 1–0 loss to Nigeria. The match was played while the country was still a French dependency, prior to its independence on 1 August 1960.

Benin qualified for the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, their first AFCON in history. However, they lost all three matches to South Africa, Morocco and again Nigeria. Benin's only goal was scored by Moussa Latoundji against Nigeria.

History repeated itself again in 2008, when Benin lost to Mali, the Ivory Coast and yet again Nigeria. They also scored only once through Razak Omotoyossi in the 4–1 defeat to the Ivory Coast.

In 2010, the Benin Football Federation's president Anjorin Moucharaf was arrested. Members of the BFF decried the imprisonment, saying that Moucharaf had been unjustly accused of fraud, leading to 12 of the 15 board members resigning in protest. ^[2]

In the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Benin topped their group in the second round. They started with a defeat to Angola but went on to win the next four matches and ensure their qualification before the final day. In the third round of the qualifiers, Benin finished second in their group, three points behind Ghana. Despite not qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Benin's second-place finish ensured their qualification to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, where they drew against Mozambique to receive their first ever point at the AFCON. The Squirrels then lost their other two matches against Nigeria and defending champions Egypt to finish third in their group and fail to progress to the next round. After this performance, on 8 February 2010, the BFF, not willing to accept a group stage exit for the third time in a row, dissolved the national team and sacked coach Michel Dussuyer, as well as the rest of his staff. ^{[3] [4]} Dussuyer was unaware that he had been sacked and claimed that he had not done anything wrong. ^[5] The team became an innocent victim of enraged African countries failing to accept defeat at major tournaments and disbanding their national teams in the early 2010s, along with Nigeria, the team that Benin have met in the group stage of all three of their AFCONs before their disbandment, which were suspended for two years by President Goodluck Jonathan after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

In the second round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Benin were placed in Group H with Algeria, Mali and Rwanda. They finished third in their group, failing to advance to the next round.

On 9 May 2016, FIFA suspended Benin for unknown reasons.

At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, despite advancing only as the third-best third-placed team, Benin reunited with Dussuyer, reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual runners-up Senegal, with a shock win over tournament favourites Morocco on penalties.

Kit history

Kit manufacturer

Kit providers	Period
Adidas	1980–1992
Puma	1992–1997
Adidas	1998–2001
Erreà	2002–2006
Airness	2006–2014
Tovio	2015–2018
Umbro	2019–2022
Macron	2023–present

Results and fixtures

Main article: Benin national football team results (2020–present)

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

  Win  Draw  Loss  Fixture

2025

Zimbabwe   v   Benin

20 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Zimbabwe	2–2	Benin	Durban, South Africa
18:00  UTC+2	Munetsi 44' Musona 59'	Report (FIFA) Report (CAF)	Mounié 12' Dokou 35'	Stadium: Moses Mabhida Stadium Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)

Benin   v   South Africa

25 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Benin	0–2	South Africa	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
16:00  UTC+0		Report (FIFA) Report (CAF)	Foster 53' Adams 84'	Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Attendance: 786 Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)

Morocco   v   Benin

9 June Friendly	Morocco	1–0	Benin	Fez, Morocco
21:00  UTC+1	El Kaabi 45+2'	Report		Stadium: Fez Stadium Attendance: 34,000 Referee: Mehrez Melki (Tunisia)

Benin   v   Zimbabwe

5 September 2026 World Cup qualification	Benin	1–0	Zimbabwe	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
16:00  UTC+0	Mounié 77'	Report		Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium Attendance: 457 Referee: Lamin Jammeh (Gambia)

Benin   v   Lesotho

9 September 2026 World Cup qualification	Benin	4–0	Lesotho	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:45  UTC+0	Mounié 6' Hountondji 23' Imourane 33' Olaitan 67'	Report		Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Attendance: 3,417 Referee: Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail (Sudan)

Rwanda   v   Benin

10 October 2026 World Cup qualification	Rwanda	0–1	Benin	Kigali, Rwanda
17:00  UTC+1		Report	Aiyegun 80'	Stadium: Amahoro Stadium Referee: Mohamed Maarouf Eid Mansour (Egypt)

Nigeria   v   Benin

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14) 2026 World Cup qualification	Nigeria	4–0	Benin	Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo
17:00  UTC+1	Osimhen 3', 37', 51' Onyeka 90+1'	Report		Referee: Amin Omar (Egypt)

Burkina Faso   v   Benin

18 November Friendly	Burkina Faso	3–0	Benin	Mohammedia, Morocco
17:00  UTC+1	Minoungou 25', 45+3' Simpore 90+4'	Report		Stadium: El Bachir Stadium

DR Congo   v   Benin

23 December 2025 AFCON Group D	DR Congo	1–0	Benin	Rabat, Morocco
13:30  UTC+1	Bongonda 16'	Report		Stadium: Al Barid Stadium Attendance: 13,073 Referee: Abongile Tom (South Africa)

Benin   v   Botswana

27 December 2025 AFCON Group D	Benin	1–0	Botswana	Rabat, Morocco
13:30  UTC+1	Roche 28'	Report		Stadium: Rabat Olympic Stadium Attendance: 7,462 Referee: Shamirah Nabadda (Uganda)

Benin   v   Senegal

30 December 2025 AFCON Group D	Benin	0–3	Senegal	Tangier, Morocco
20:00  UTC+1		Report	Seck 38' H. Diallo 62' Koulibaly  71' C. Ndiaye 90+7'	Stadium: Ibn Batouta Stadium Attendance: 26,707 Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (Rwanda)

2026

Egypt   v   Benin

5 January 2025 AFCON Round of 16	Egypt	3–1 (a.e.t.)	Benin	Agadir, Morocco
17:00  UTC+1	Attia 69' Y. Ibrahim 97' M. Salah 124'	Report	Dossou 83'	Stadium: Adrar Stadium Attendance: 20,191 Referee: Pierre Atcho (Gabon)

Coaching staff

Gernot Rohr is the current manager of Benin

Position	Name
Head coach	Gernot Rohr
Assistant coaches	Moustapha Tchawogbé Gervais Adjanohoun
Goalkeeping coach	Apollinaire Gbadamassi
Fitness coach	Ibrahim Kpadenou
Match Analyst	Christophe Fagbohoun
Doctors	Dr. Hervé Gbalazou Dr. Michel Djogbenou
Physiotherapists	Alain Gbenou Thomas Hounkpè Ousmane Houssou Maxime Tchouassi
Team coordinator	Bernard Gbedjissi
Technical director	Mohamed Agbassi

Coaching history

• Serge Devèze
• Wabi Gomez
• Peter Schnittger (1992)
• Moise Ekoue (1993)
• Cecil Jones Attuquayefio (2003–2004)
• Hervé Revelli (2004)
• Edmé Codjo (2005–2007)
• Didier Notheaux (2007)
• Reinhard Fabisch (2007–2008)
• Michel Dussuyer (2008–2010)
• Jean-Marc Nobilo (2010)
• Denis Goavec (2010–2011)
• Edmé Codjo (2011–2012)
• Manuel Amoros (2012–2014)
• Didier Ollé-Nicolle (2014)
• Oumar Tchomogo (2015–2017)
• Michel Dussuyer (2018–2021)
• Moussa Latoundji (2022–2023)
• Gernot Rohr (2023–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the preliminary squad of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. ^[6]
Caps and goals correct as of 14 October 2025, after the match against Nigeria.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1 GK	Marcel Dandjinou	(1998-06-25) 25 June 1998 (age 27)	19	0	Kruger United
16	1 GK	Saturnin Allagbé	(1993-11-22) 22 November 1993 (age 32)	45	0	Chauray
23	1 GK	Serge Obassa	(1996-06-30) 30 June 1996 (age 29)	2	0	Remo Stars
3	2 DF	Tamimou Ouorou	(2003-05-03) 3 May 2003 (age 22)	9	0	Unattached
5	2 DF	Yohan Roche	(1997-07-07) 7 July 1997 (age 28)	22	1	Petrolul Ploiești
6	2 DF	Olivier Verdon	(1995-10-05) 5 October 1995 (age 30)	42	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
11	2 DF	Rachid Moumini	(2004-10-27) 27 October 2004 (age 21)	21	1	Sumgayit
12	2 DF	David Kiki	(1993-11-25) 25 November 1993 (age 32)	54	0	FCSB
13	2 DF	Mohamed Tijani	(1997-07-10) 10 July 1997 (age 28)	22	1	Yverdon-Sport
26	2 DF	Charlemagne Azongnitode	(2001-08-08) 8 August 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Oulu
2	3 MF	Rodrigue Fassinou	(1999-05-22) 22 May 1999 (age 26)	17	0	Coton
4	3 MF	Attidjikou Samadou	(2004-02-02) 2 February 2004 (age 22)	8	0	Smouha
7	3 MF	Mattéo Ahlinvi	(1999-07-02) 2 July 1999 (age 26)	24	0	Arsenal Tula
8	3 MF	Hassane Imourane	(2003-04-08) 8 April 2003 (age 22)	24	2	Grasshopper
14	3 MF	Mariano Ahouangbo	(2002-11-16) 16 November 2002 (age 23)	3	0	Olimpija Ljubljana
15	3 MF	Sessi D'Almeida	(1995-11-20) 20 November 1995 (age 30)	45	1	Neftçi
17	3 MF	Rodolfo Aloko	(2006-12-26) 26 December 2006 (age 19)	3	0	Kustošija
18	3 MF	Junior Olaitan	(2002-05-09) 9 May 2002 (age 23)	36	5	Göztepe
19	3 MF	Dodo Dokou	(2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 (age 21)	22	2	Leixões
20	3 MF	Jodel Dossou	(1992-03-17) 17 March 1992 (age 33)	72	9	Pays du Valois
21	3 MF	Rodrigue Kossi	(1999-12-31) 31 December 1999 (age 26)	13	1	Hassania Agadir
22	3 MF	Romaric Amoussou	(2000-12-10) 10 December 2000 (age 25)	5	0	ASEC Mimosas
24	3 MF	Razack Rachidou	(2006-06-22) 22 June 2006 (age 19)	6	0	Kustošija
25	3 MF	Olatoundji Tessilimi	(1998-02-18) 18 February 1998 (age 27)	4	0	SJK
27	3 MF	Gislain Ahoudo	(1999-07-02) 2 July 1999 (age 26)	4	0	AS Gabès
9	4 FW	Steve Mounié (captain)	(1994-09-29) 29 September 1994 (age 31)	66	22	Alanyaspor
10	4 FW	Aiyegun Tosin	(1998-06-26) 26 June 1998 (age 27)	20	4	Lorient
28	4 FW	Adam Akimey	(2004-02-25) 25 February 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Helsingborg

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mariano Tchinonvi	(2004-07-29) 29 July 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Loto-Popo	v.   Burkina Faso , 18 November 2025
DF	Rabiou Sankamao	(2003-10-12) 12 October 2003 (age 22)	6	0	Wydad de Fès	v.   Burkina Faso , 18 November 2025
DF	Jordan Lawson	(2007-08-07) 7 August 2007 (age 18)	0	0	Lincoln Trail College	v.   Burkina Faso , 18 November 2025
DF	Cédric Hountondji	(1994-01-19) 19 January 1994 (age 32)	32	2	Bandırmaspor	v.   Nigeria , 14 October 2025
DF	Gabriel Moulero	(2006-01-01) 1 January 2006 (age 20)	0	0	Dila Gori II	v.   Morocco , 9 June 2025
DF	Moïse Adiléhou	(1995-11-01) 1 November 1995 (age 30)	15	1	Laval	v.   South Africa , 25 March 2025
MF	Felipe Santos	(1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 29)	0	0	Araz-Naxçıvan	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Prince Ricardo Dossou	(2006-07-20) 20 July 2006 (age 19)	5	0	ASVO	v.   Burkina Faso , 18 November 2025
MF	Salifu Ibrahim	(2000-06-06) 6 June 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Unattached	v.   Burkina Faso , 18 November 2025
MF	Steve Traoré	(1998-02-18) 18 February 1998 (age 27)	5	0	Unattached	v.   South Africa , 25 March 2025
MF	Brandon Agounon	(1994-10-19) 19 October 1994 (age 31)	1	0	Créteil	v.   South Africa , 25 March 2025
MF	Ryan Adigo	(2001-04-15) 15 April 2001 (age 24)	1	0	SGV Freiberg	v.   Libya , 18 November 2024
MF	Lenny Pirringuel	(2004-03-02) 2 March 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Quevilly-Rouen	v.   Libya , 18 November 2024
FW	Andréas Hountondji	(2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 (age 23)	19	3	FC St. Pauli	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Candas Fiogbé	(2005-01-18) 18 January 2005 (age 21)	3	0	PAS Giannina	v.   Lesotho , 9 September 2025
Notes PRE = Preliminary squad/standby.

Player records

As of 9 September 2025 ^[7]

Players in bold are still active with Benin.

Stéphane Sessègnon is Benin's top goalscorer and their most capped player.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Stéphane Sessègnon	89	24	2004–2023
2	Khaled Adénon	86	2	2006–2023
3	Jodel Dossou	71	10	2013–present
4	Mickaël Poté	69	10	2008–2022
5	Steve Mounié	65	22	2015–present
6	Damien Chrysostome	58	0	2002–2011
7	Jocelyn Ahouéya	55	3	2003–2013
	Razak Omotoyossi	55	21	2004–2016
9	David Kiki	54	0	2015–present
10	Romuald Boco	52	1	2004–2013

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Stéphane Sessègnon	24	89	0.27	2004–2023
2	Steve Mounié	22	65	0.34	2015–present
3	Razak Omotoyossi	21	55	0.38	2004–2016
4	Oumar Tchomogo	15	34	0.44	1995–2008
5	Jodel Dossou	10	71	0.14	2013–present
	Mickaël Poté	10	69	0.14	2008–2022
7	Moussa Latoundji	6	21	0.29	1993–2004
	Mouritala Ogunbiyi	6	47	0.13	1998–2019
	Séïdath Tchomogo	6	51	0.12	2003–2014
10	Léon Bessan	5	20	0.25	1995–2007
	Junior Olaitan	5	35	0.14	2021–present
	Anicet Adjamossi	5	48	0.1	2002–2013

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1958	Not a FIFA member; part of France									Not a FIFA member; part of France
as   Dahomey										as   Dahomey
1962	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1966 and 1970	Did not enter									Did not enter
1974	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	10
as /   Benin										as /   Benin
1978 and 1982	Did not enter									Did not enter
1986	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	0	6
1990	Did not enter									Did not enter
1994	Did not qualify									6	1	0	5	3	19
1998	Did not enter									Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	1	2
2006										12	2	3	7	13	26
2010										12	7	1	4	18	14
2014										6	2	2	2	8	9
2018										2	1	0	1	2	3
2022										6	3	1	2	5	4
2026										10	5	2	3	12	11
2030	To be determined
2034
Total	−	0/15	−	−	−	−	−	−		60	21	10	29	63	104

Africa Cup of Nations

Main article: Benin at the Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of   France
1959
1962	Not affiliated to CAF
1963
1965	Did not enter
1968
1970
1972	Did not qualify
1974	Withdrew
1976
1978	Did not enter
1980	Did not qualify
1982	Did not enter
1984	Did not qualify
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996	Withdrew
1998	Did not qualify
2000
2002
2004	Group stage	16th	3	0	0	3	1	8
2006	Did not qualify
2008	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	1	7
2010		14th	3	0	1	2	2	5
2012	Did not qualify
2013
2015
2017
2019	Quarter-finals	8th	5	0	4	1	3	4
2021	Did not qualify
2023
2025	Round of 16	14th	4	1	0	3	2	7
2027	To be determined
2029
Total	Quarter-finals	5/35	18	1	5	12	9	31

West African Nations Cup West African Nations Cup record Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA 1982 Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 4 8 1983 Did not enter 1984 Group stage 5th 4 0 0 4 3 9 1986 Did not enter 1987 Group stage 7th 3 0 2 1 3 7 Total Group stage 3/5 10 0 4 6 10 24

WAFU Nations Cup WAFU Nations Cup record Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA 2010 Group stage 7th 3 0 1 2 0 5 2011 Did not enter 2013 Fourth place 4th 4 0 2 2 5 6 2017 Fourth place 4th 5 2 0 3 4 8 Total Fourth place 3/4 12 2 3 7 9 19

Honours

Regional

• UEMOA Tournament
  • Runners-up (1): 2013

References

1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
2. Kobo, Kingsley. "Fifa back detained Benin FA boss Anjorin Moucharaf". Goal. Archived from the original on 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
3. "Benin löst Nationalelf auf". Der Spiegel. 9 February 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
4. "Bénin: Les Ecureuils et Michel DUSSUYER sanctionnés" (in French). Fédération Béninoise de Football. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
5. "Benin coach Michel Dussuyer 'unaware' of sacking". BBC Sport. 9 February 2010. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
6. "Benin name 30-man provisional squad for TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2025". cafonline.fr. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
7. Mamrud, Roberto. "Benin – Record International Players". RSSSF . Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2017.

External links

• Football au Bénin (in French)
• Benin at CAF
• Benin at FIFA
• Le miroir du football béninois! (in French)