Gambia national football team

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

Gambia

Nickname(s)	The Scorpions
Association	Gambia Football Federation (GFF)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach	Sang Ndong
Captain	Omar Colley
Most caps	Omar Colley (52)
Top scorer	Assan Ceesay (13)
Home stadium	Independence Stadium
FIFA code	GAM
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	130 (4 April 2024) [1]
Highest	65 (June 2009)
Lowest	179 (March 2017)
First international
British Gambia 2–1 Sierra Leone (Gambia; 9 February 1953)
Biggest win
Gambia 6–0 Lesotho   (Bakau, Gambia; 13 October 2002)
Biggest defeat
Guinea 8–0 Gambia   (Guinea; 14 May 1972)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	2 (first in 2021 )
Best result	Quarter-finals (2021)

The Gambia national football team (recognized as The Gambia by FIFA) ^[2] represents The Gambia in men's international football and is controlled by the Gambia Football Federation. Until 1965, the team and the country were known as British Gambia. The team has never qualified for the World Cup. In 2021, Gambia qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time in history. The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

History

Under the name British Gambia, the team played their first ever game on 9 February 1953 against Sierra Leone, winning 2–1 at home in a friendly. ^[3] In April 1963, the team entered the L'Amitié tournament in Senegal, a competition mainly for French-speaking nations. They were drawn in a group with France's amateur team, the Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and Gabon. Their first match was lost 5–1 to the French amateurs on 11 April. The Gambia drew 2–2 with the Upper Volta on 13 April, and had the same result the very next day versus Gabon. The Gambia did not advance to the next round.

After the tournament in Senegal, the Gambia did not play another match until 16 November 1968, when they travelled to Sierra Leone to play its team in a friendly and lost 2–1. They played again in Sierra Leone in The Gambia's next match on 24 April 1971, and the hosts won 3–1. On 2 May 1971, The Gambia travelled to Guinea for a friendly and lost 4–2. On 14 May 1972, The Gambia returned to Guinea for their first African Games qualifier and lost 8–0 and were knocked out.

In 1975, the Gambia entered its first qualification campaign for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Canada. They were drawn in a qualifier against Guinea, and lost the first leg 1–0 at home on 27 April 1975. The second leg was lost 6–0 in Guinea on 1 June as Guinea advanced 7–0 on aggregate.

In August of that same year, the Gambia entered their first qualification for the African Cup of Nations, with the aim of reaching the 1976 finals in Ethiopia. They were drawn in a two-legged qualifier against Morocco and lost the first leg 3–0 away on 10 August. They lost by the same score in their home leg on 24 August and Morocco advanced 6–0 on aggregate.

After the qualification campaign for the 1976 finals, The Gambia played their first match against a full European side, losing a home friendly 4–1 to Denmark on 30 January 1977. ^[4]

On 12 October 2002, the team got their biggest ever victory in international competition, a 6–0 victory against Lesotho. ^[5]

In May 2014, the Gambia was banned from all CAF competitions for two years after deliberately falsifying players' ages. ^[6]

The nation's fortunes improved in qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Although they failed to qualify, they took it to the final round of games, including drawing twice with African giants Algeria.

On 13 November, in their first Group D match of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Gambia defeated Angola 1–3 in Luanda. This was the Scorpions' first away win in an AFCON or FIFA World Cup qualifier ever, at their 40th attempt. An impressive campaign saw them qualify for their first ever major tournament that year. As the lowest-ranked team in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, the Gambia defied the odds by defeating favourites Tunisia in the group stage, finishing unbeaten in 2nd place in the group. A further win against Guinea in the Round of 16 saw them reach the quarter-finals at their first attempt, eventually going out to tournament hosts Cameroon.

Home stadium

Football fans watching Gambia v Guinea

Independence Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Bakau, Gambia. It is currently used mostly for football matches, although it is also used for music concerts, political events, trade fairs and national celebrations. The stadium holds 30,000 people. ^[7]

Results and fixtures

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

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win  Draw  Loss  Fixture

2023

Mali   v   Gambia

24 March 2023 AFCON qualification	Mali	2–0	Gambia	Bamako, Mali
19:00  UTC±0	K. Doumbia 3' A. Traoré 90+5'	Report		Stadium: Stade du 26 Mars Referee: Jean Ouattara (Burkina Faso)

Gambia   v   Mali

28 March 2023 AFCON qualification	Gambia	1–0	Mali	Casablanca, Morocco
16:00  UTC±0	O. Colley 79'	Report		Stadium: Stade Mohamed V Referee: Kouassi Attisso Attiogbe (Togo)

South Sudan   v   Gambia

14 June 2023 AFCON qualification	South Sudan	2–3	Gambia	Ismailia, Egypt
15:00  UTC+2	Yuel 21' Chol 90+1'	Report	Angier 4 (og)' Jallow 62' Hamza 90+6'	Stadium: Suez Canal Stadium Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)

Gambia   v   Congo

10 September 2023 AFCON qualification	Gambia	2–2	Congo	Marrakesh, Morocco
20:00  UTC+1	Minteh 79' Badamosi 90'	Report	Makouta 30' Ganvoula 45+1' (pen.)	Stadium: Stade de Marrakech Referee: Mohamed Maarouf Eid Mansour (Egypt)

Burundi   v   Gambia

16 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Burundi	3–2	Gambia	Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
16:00  UTC+3	A. Bigirimana 31' Nsabiyumva 35' Abdallah 75'	Report	Barrow 45+4' E. Colley 90+8' (pen.)	Stadium: Benjamin Mkapa (National Stadium) Referee: Djindo Louis Houngnandande (Benin)

Gambia   v   Ivory Coast

20 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Gambia	0–2	Ivory Coast	Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
17:00  UTC+3		Report	Kouamé 45' S. Fofana 85'	Stadium: Benjamin Mkapa (National Stadium) Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco)

2024

Senegal   v   Gambia

15 January 2023 AFCON GS	Senegal	3–0	Gambia	Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
14:00  UTC±0	P. Gueye 4' Camara 52', 86'	Report		Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium Attendance: 7,896 Referee: Redouane Jiyed (Morocco)

Guinea   v   Gambia

19 January 2023 AFCON GS	Guinea	1–0	Gambia	Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
	A. Camara 69'	Report		Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium Attendance: 19,822 Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania)

Gambia   v   Cameroon

23 January 2023 AFCON GS	Gambia	2–3	Cameroon	Bouaké, Ivory Coast
17:00	Jallow 72' E. Colley 85'	Report	Toko Ekambi 56' Gomez 87' (o.g.) Wooh 90+1'	Stadium: Stade de la Paix Attendance: 24,172 Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)

Gambia   v   Seychelles

2 June 2026 World Cup qualification

Gambia

v

Seychelles

Gabon   v   Gambia

9 June 2026 World Cup qualification

Gabon

v

Gambia

Coaching history

• Hans Heiniger (1987–1992)
• Sang Ndong (1994–2003)
• Antoine Hey (2006–2007)
• José Martínez (2007–2008)
• Paul Put (2008–2011)
• Peter Bonu Johnson (2011–2012)
• Luciano Mancini (2012–2013)
• Peter Bonu Johnson (2013–2015)
• Raoul Savoy (2015)
• Sang Ndong (2016–2018)
• Tom Saintfiet (2018–2024)
• Sang Ndong (2024–)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. ^[8]

Caps and goals correct as of 23 January 2023, after the match against Cameroon.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1 GK	Modou Jobe	(1988-10-27) 27 October 1988 (age 35)	31	0	Black Leopards
18	1 GK	Baboucarr Gaye	(1998-02-24) 24 February 1998 (age 26)	21	0	Lokomotiv Sofia
22	1 GK	Lamin Sarr	(2001-03-11) 11 March 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Eskilsminne IF
4	2 DF	Dawda Ngum	(1990-09-02) 2 September 1990 (age 33)	21	0	Ariana
5	2 DF	Omar Colley	(1992-10-24) 24 October 1992 (age 31)	51	1	Beşiktaş
12	2 DF	James Gomez	(2001-11-14) 14 November 2001 (age 22)	19	1	Odense
13	2 DF	Ibou Touray	(1994-12-24) 24 December 1994 (age 29)	21	0	Stockport County
14	2 DF	Noah Sonko Sundberg	(1996-06-06) 6 June 1996 (age 27)	18	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
15	2 DF	Jacob Mendy	(1996-12-27) 27 December 1996 (age 27)	3	0	Wrexham
17	2 DF	Saidy Janko	(1995-10-22) 22 October 1995 (age 28)	10	0	Young Boys
21	2 DF	Muhammed Sanneh	(2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 24)	10	0	Baník Ostrava
25	2 DF	Bubacarr Sanneh	(1994-11-14) 14 November 1994 (age 29)	40	1	FK Zvijezda 09
2	3 MF	Hamza Barry	(1994-05-03) 3 May 1994 (age 29)	26	1	Vejle
6	3 MF	Sulayman Marreh	(1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 28)	35	1	Železničar Pančevo
8	3 MF	Ebou Adams	(1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 28)	16	0	Cardiff City
16	3 MF	Alasana Manneh	(1998-04-08) 8 April 1998 (age 26)	12	0	Odense
24	3 MF	Ebrima Darboe	(2001-06-06) 6 June 2001 (age 22)	15	0	Sampdoria
27	3 MF	Yusupha Bobb	(1996-06-22) 22 June 1996 (age 27)	20	0	KAC Marrakech
3	4 FW	Ablie Jallow	(1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 25)	32	8	Metz
7	4 FW	Alieu Fadera	(2001-11-03) 3 November 2001 (age 22)	7	0	K.R.C. Genk
9	4 FW	Assan Ceesay	(1994-03-17) 17 March 1994 (age 30)	41	14	Damac
10	4 FW	Musa Barrow	(1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 25)	38	6	Al Taawoun
11	4 FW	Abdoulie Sanyang	(1999-05-08) 8 May 1999 (age 24)	14	0	Grenoble
19	4 FW	Ebrima Colley	(2000-02-01) 1 February 2000 (age 24)	24	2	Young Boys
20	4 FW	Yankuba Minteh	(2004-07-22) 22 July 2004 (age 19)	5	1	Feyenoord
23	4 FW	Muhammed Badamosi	(1998-12-27) 27 December 1998 (age 25)	22	2	Čukarički
26	4 FW	Ali Sowe	(1994-06-14) 14 June 1994 (age 29)	12	0	MKE Ankaragücü

Recent call ups

The following players have also been called up to the Gambia squad within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Sheikh Sibi	(1998-02-21) 21 February 1998 (age 26)	3	0	Virtus Verona	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
GK	Ebrima Jarju	(1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Paide	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Sulayman Bojang	(1997-09-03) 3 September 1997 (age 26)	6	0	Skeid	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Ismaila Jome	(1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 (age 29)	2	0	Oakland Roots	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Baboucarr Njie	(1995-06-05) 5 June 1995 (age 28)	0	0	San Antonio	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Alagie Saine	(2003-01-20) 20 January 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Horsens	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Momodou Colley	(1995-01-30) 30 January 1995 (age 29)	0	0	Union Titus Pétange	v.   Mali , 28 March 2023
MF	Bubacarr Jobe	(1994-11-21) 21 November 1994 (age 29)	10	3	Norrby	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Sainey Njie	(2001-08-30) 30 August 2001 (age 22)	5	0	Radnik Surdulica	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Jesper Ceesay	(2003-05-04) 4 May 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Norrköping	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Saikou Touray	(2000-06-06) 6 June 2000 (age 23)	0	0	Grenoble	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Saidou Khan	(1995-12-05) 5 December 1995 (age 28)	0	0	Swindon Town	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Mahmudu Bajo	(2004-08-15) 15 August 2004 (age 19)	0	0	Podbrezová	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Ismail Ceesay	(2004-08-15) 15 August 2004 (age 19)	0	0	Železiarne Podbrezová	v.   Ivory Coast , 20 November 2023
MF	Mustapha Colley	(1996-12-27) 27 December 1996 (age 27)	0	0	Wrexham	v.   Ivory Coast , 20 November 2023
MF	Ousman Bojang	(2001-08-30) 30 August 2001 (age 22)	3	0	Radnik Surdulica	v.   Congo , 10 September 2023
MF	Ebrima Barrow	(2001-10-20) 20 October 2001 (age 22)	0	0	IFK Norrköping	v.   Congo , 10 September 2023
MF	Musa Touray	(1995-12-05) 5 December 1995 (age 28)	0	0	Swindon Town	v.   Congo , 10 September 2023
MF	Bakary Kinteh	(1999-08-05) 5 August 1999 (age 24)	0	0	RFS	v.   Mali , 28 March 2023
FW	Lamin Jallow	(1994-07-22) 22 July 1994 (age 29)	19	1	CR Belouizdad	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Dembo Darboe	(1998-08-17) 17 August 1998 (age 25)	5	0	Astana	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Musa Juwara	(2001-12-26) 26 December 2001 (age 22)	1	0	Vejle	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Adama Bojang	(2004-05-28) 28 May 2004 (age 19)	0	0	Reims	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Pa Adama Jallow	(1999-05-08) 8 May 1999 (age 24)	12	0	Grenoble	v.   Ivory Coast , 20 November 2023
FW	Ibrahim Jammeh	(1994-01-03) 3 January 1994 (age 30)	6	0	Al-Markhiya	v.   Mali , 28 March 2023
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue. INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. PRE Preliminary squad. RET Player has retired from international football. SUS Suspended from the national team.

Records

As of 20 November 2023 ^[9]

Players in bold are still active with Gambia.

Most appearances

Omar Colley is Gambia's most capped player with 49 appearances.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Omar Colley	49	1	2012–present
2	Pa Modou Jagne	43	2	2006–2022
3	Assan Ceesay	39	13	2013–present
	Bubacarr Sanneh	39	1	2012–present
5	Ebrima Sohna	38	3	2007–2022
6	Musa Barrow	35	6	2018–present
	Sulayman Marreh	35	1	2011–present
8	Abdou Jammeh	33	2	2006–2015
9	Modou Jobe	31	0	2007–present
10	Ablie Jallow	30	7	2015–present

Top goalscorer

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Assan Ceesay	13	39	0.33	2013–present
2	Ablie Jallow	7	30	0.23	2015–present
3	Momoudou Ceesay	6	16	0.38	2010–2015
	Musa Barrow	6	35	0.17	2018–present
5	Omar Samba	5	11	0.45	1995–2002
	Jatto Ceesay	5	17	0.29	1994–2007
	Mustapha Jarju	5	26	0.19	2006–2013
8	Samuel Kargbo	3	9	0.33	1994–1996
	Njogu Demba-Nyrén	3	15	0.2	2006–2011
	Edrissa Sonko	3	16	0.19	1996–2008
	Aziz Corr Nyang	3	17	0.18	2002–2011
	Bubacarr Jobe	3	17	0.18	2018–present
	Mamadou Danso	3	20	0.15	2011–2019
	Ebrima Ebou Sillah	3	24	0.13	1996–2008
	Ebrima Sohna	3	38	0.08	2007–2022

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup										Qualification
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1950	Part of   United Kingdom									Part of   United Kingdom
1954 to 1966	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1970 to 1978	Did not enter									Did not enter
1982	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	2	1
1986										2	1	0	1	3	6
1990	Did not enter									Did not enter
1994	Withdrew									Withdrew
1998	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	5
2002										2	0	0	2	0	3
2006										2	1	0	1	2	3
2010										6	2	3	1	6	3
2014										6	1	1	4	4	11
2018										2	0	1	1	2	3
2022										2	0	0	2	1	3
2026	To be determined									2	0	0	2	2	5
2030										To be determined
2034
Total	–	0/14	–	–	–	–	–	–		28	6	6	16	24	43

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957 to 1963	Part of United Kingdom
1965	Not affiliated to CAF
1968 to 1974	did not enter
1976	did not qualify
1978	did not enter
1980 to 1988	did not qualify
1990	Withdrew
1992	did not qualify
1994	did not enter
1996	Withdrew during qualifying
1998	Banned for withdrawing in 1996
2000	Withdrew
2002 to 2013	did not qualify
2015	Banned
2017	did not qualify
2019
2021	Quarter-finals	6th	5	3	1	1	4	3
2023	Group stage	23rd	3	0	0	3	2	7
2025	to be determined
2027
Total	Quarter-finals	2/33	8	3	1	4	6	10

Honours

• Amilcar Cabral Cup
  • Runners-up (3): 1980, 1985, 2001

References

1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
2. "The Gambia". FIFA . Retrieved 4 August 2023.
3. "World Football Elo Ratings: Gambia". World Football Elo Rankings. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
4. "Gambia – List of International Matches". Rsssf.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
5. "Gambia v Lesotho, 13 October 2002". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
6. "The Gambia disqualified from all Caf competitions". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
7. "Gambia National Stadium". Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
8. "Final Squad" (PDF). CAF Online.
9. "Gambia". National Football Teams.

External links

• Official website of the Gambian Football Federation
• Gambia at CAF
• Gambia at FIFA