Nickname(s) | The Scorpions | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Gambia Football Federation (GFF) | ||
Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | ||
Head coach | Johnny McKinstry | ||
Captain | Omar Colley | ||
Most caps | Omar Colley (55) | ||
Top scorer | Assan Ceesay (13) | ||
Home stadium | Independence Stadium | ||
FIFA code | GAM | ||
| |||
FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 128 7 (24 October 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) [2] | |||
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) [3] 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). Unfortunately this year they don’t qualify
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. [4] 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. [5]
On 13 October 2002, the team got their biggest ever victory in international competition, a 6–0 victory against Lesotho. [2]
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.
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]
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
15 January 2023 AFCON GS | Senegal | 3–0 | Gambia | Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast |
14:00 UTC±0 | Report | Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium Attendance: 7,896 Referee: Redouane Jiyed (Morocco) |
19 January 2023 AFCON GS | Guinea | 1–0 | Gambia | Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast |
| Report | Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium Attendance: 19,822 Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania) |
23 January 2023 AFCON GS | Gambia | 2–3 | Cameroon | Bouaké, Ivory Coast |
17:00 | Report |
| Stadium: Stade de la Paix Attendance: 24,172 Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia) |
8 June 2026 World Cup qualification | Gambia | 5–1 | Seychelles | Berkane, Morocco |
17:00 UTC+1 | Report |
| Stadium: Berkane Municipal Stadium Attendance: 700 Referee: Joseph Odey Ogabor (Nigeria) |
11 June 2026 World Cup qualification | Gabon | 3–2 | Gambia | Franceville, Gabon |
20:00 UTC+1 |
| Report | Stadium: Stade de Franceville Referee: Sadok Selmi (Tunisia) |
4 September 2025 AFCON qualification | Comoros | 1–1 | Gambia | El Jadida, Morocco |
16:00 UTC+1 |
| Report |
| Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Referee: Chelangat Sabilla (Uganda) |
8 September 2025 AFCON qualification | Gambia | 1–2 | Tunisia | El Jadida, Morocco |
16:00 UTC+1 |
| Report |
| Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Tewodros Mitiku (Ethiopia) |
11 October 2024 2025 AFCON qualification | Madagascar | 1–1 | Gambia | Casablanca, Morocco |
15:00 UTC+1 |
| Report |
| Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Chelanget Sabila (Uganda) |
14 October 2024 2025 AFCON qualification | Gambia | 1–0 | Madagascar | El Jadida, Morocco |
15:00 UTC+1 | Barrow 62' | Report | Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Referee: Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco) |
15 November 2024 2025 AFCON qualification | Gambia | 1–2 | Comoros | Berkane, Morocco |
--:-- |
| Report | Stadium: Berkane Municipal Stadium Referee: Ibrahim Mutaz (Libya) |
18 November 2024 2025 AFCON qualification | Tunisia | 0–1 | Gambia | Tunis, Tunisia |
20:00 UTC+1 | Report |
| Stadium: Hammadi Agrebi Stadium Referee: Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea (Ghana) |
28 May 2025 Friendly | Honduras | v | Gambia | Orlando, United States |
Stadium: Inter&Co Stadium |
Position | Name |
---|---|
Head Coach | Johnny McKinstry |
Assistant Coaches | Sulayman Ceesay Omar Barrow |
Goalkeeping Coach | Musa Touray |
Fitness Coach | Edrissa Jatta |
Match Analyst | Alieu Drammeh |
Doctors | Dr. Ousman Colley Dr. Alhagie Jawara |
Physiotherapists | Ebrima Jallow Modou Jarra Alassan Fofanah Hassan Darboe |
Team Coordinator | Adama Sanyang |
Technical Director | Sang Ndong |
The following players were called up for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Comoros and Tunisia on 15 and 18 November 2024. [8]
Caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2024, after the match against Tunisia.
The following players have also been called up to the Gambia squad within the last twelve months.
Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Omar Colley | 56 | 1 | 2012–present |
2 | Musa Barrow | 44 | 9 | 2018-present |
3 | Pa Modou Jagne | 43 | 2 | 2006–2022 |
4 | Assan Ceesay | 41 | 13 | 2013–present |
5 | Bubacarr Sanneh | 40 | 1 | 2012–present |
6 | Ebrima Sohna | 38 | 3 | 2007–2022 |
7 | Sulayman Marreh | 35 | 1 | 2011–present |
8 | Abdou Jammeh | 33 | 2 | 2006–2015 |
9 | Ablie Jallow | 32 | 8 | 2015–present |
10 | Modou Jobe | 31 | 0 | 2007–present |
Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Assan Ceesay | 13 | 41 | 0.32 | 2013–present |
2 | Musa Barrow | 9 | 44 | 0.2 | 2018–present |
3 | Ablie Jallow | 8 | 32 | 0.25 | 2015–present |
4 | Momoudou Ceesay | 6 | 16 | 0.38 | 2010–2015 |
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 | Yankuba Minteh | 4 | 10 | 0.4 | 2022–present |
Muhammed Badamosi | 4 | 24 | 0.17 | 2018–present | |
10 | 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 | |
FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||
2030 | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
2034 | |||||||||||||||
Total | – | 0/14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 30 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 31 | 47 |
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 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2027 | To be determined | |||||||
2029 | ||||||||
Total | Quarter-finals | 2/34 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
The Algeria national football team represents Algeria in men's international football, and is governed by the Algerian Football Federation. The team plays their home matches at the 5 July Stadium in Algiers and Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran. Algeria joined FIFA on 1 January 1964, a year and a half after gaining independence. They are the current champions of the FIFA Arab Cup.
The Tunisia national football team represents Tunisia in men's international association football competitions and it is controlled by the Tunisian Football Federation (TFF), which governs football in Tunisia. On the continental level, the team competes under the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which governs associate football in Africa, and is also affiliated with FIFA for global competitions. Additionally, the team is a member of the Union of North African Football (UNAF) and the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA). The team is colloquially known as Eagles of Carthage by fans and the media, with the bald eagle serving as its symbol. Their home kit is primarily red and their away kit is white, which is a reference to the national flag of Tunisia. The team has qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times, qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations twenty-one times, competed in four editions of Olympic football tournaments and one participation in the FIFA Confederation Cup. Tunisia's main venue is the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Radès, Tunis since 2001. Kais Yaâkoubi, is the team’s interim head coach, since 5 November 2024.
The Mali national football team represents Mali in men's international football and is governed by the Malian Football Federation. The team's nickname is Les Aigles. They represent the country at tournaments organized by both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Congo national football team represents the Republic of the Congo in men's association football and is governed by the Congolese Football Federation. They have never qualified for the World Cup, but did win the Africa Cup of Nations in 1972. They also won the All-Africa Games football tournament in 1965. The team is also a member of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Guinea national football team represents Guinea in men's international football and it is controlled by the Guinean Football Federation. They have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals, and their best finish in the Africa Cup of Nations was runners-up in 1976. The team reached the quarter-finals in four recent tournaments. The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Liberia national football team, nicknamed the Lone Stars, represents Liberia in men's international football and is controlled by the Liberia Football Association. Although the nation produced the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year, George Weah, its football team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup and has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations just twice—in 1996 and 2002. It is a member of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Angola national football team represents Angola in men's international football and is controlled by the Angolan Football Federation. Nicknamed Palancas Negras, the team is a member of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Libya national football team represents Libya in men's international association football and it is controlled by the Libyan Football Federation. The team has never qualified for FIFA World Cup but has qualified for editions of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1982, 2006, and 2012. In 1982, the team was both the host and runner-up. In the Arab Cup, Libya finished second in 1964 and 2012, and third in 1966. The team is affiliated with both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Gabon national football team represents Gabon in men's international football. The team's nickname is The Panthers and it is governed by the Gabonese Football Federation. They have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but have qualified eight times for the Africa Cup of Nations. Gabon is a member of both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Mozambique national football team represents Mozambique in men's international football competitions and is controlled by the Mozambican Football Federation, the governing body for football in Mozambique. Mozambique have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup, but they have qualified for five Africa Cup of Nations in 1986, 1996, 1998, 2010, and most recently 2023, being eliminated in the first round in all five. In 1997, the Mozambique Football Federation became a founding member of COSAFA.
The Madagascar national football team, nicknamed Barea after the island's zebu, is the national team of Madagascar and is controlled by the Malagasy Football Federation. It has never qualified for the finals of the World Cup. It took part in its first Africa Cup of Nations in 2019. Among its biggest wins was a 1–0 home victory over Egypt in the qualification rounds of the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations until being surpassed by a recent 2–0 win over Nigeria in the group stage of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Reflecting the official name of the country at the time, the team was known as the Malagasy Republic national football team between 1958 and 1975.
The Burundi national football team,, nicknamed The Swallows, represents Burundi in international football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Burundi. The team has never qualified for the World Cup. Burundi previously did come very close to qualifying for the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, losing only on penalties to Guinea in a playoff. However, in 2019, it qualified for the first time, and took part in the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Group B, but lost all its matches and left from the group stage without scoring a single goal.
The Mauritania national football team, nicknamed Al-Murabitun in the reference to Almoravid dynasty, represents Mauritania in men's international football. It is controlled by the Féderation de Football de la République Islamique de Mauritanie, and is a member of the Confederation of African Football. They have not qualified for the FIFA World Cup. However, in the Amílcar Cabral Cup, a regional tournament for West Africa, Mauritania came fourth in 1980 on hosting the competition. The national football team of Mauritania later runners-up in 1995, losing on penalties to Sierra Leone after the final finished 0–0.
The Niger national football team represents Niger in international football through the Nigerien Football Federation, a member of Confederation of African Football (CAF). Niger plays in the colors of the flag of Niger, white, green and orange. Their nickname comes from the Dama gazelle, native to Niger, the Hausa name of which is Meyna or Ménas The Dama appears on their badge in the colors of the national flag.
The Chad national football team, nicknamed Les Sao, represents Chad in international football and is controlled by the Chadian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country. The team has never qualified for the World Cup finals or Africa Cup of Nations. Home matches are played at the Idriss Mahamat Ouya Stadium. In April 2021, FIFA banned the Chad national football team from participating in global football over the Chadian government's interference with the Chadian Football Federation.
The Central African Republic national football team, nicknamed Les Fauves, is the national team of the Central African Republic and is controlled by the Central African Football Federation. They are a member of CAF. Despite being traditionally one of the weakest teams in Africa and the world, they recently achieved success. They won the 2009 CEMAC Cup by beating Gabon in the semi-finals and Equatorial Guinea in the final 3–0. Their FIFA ranking rose from 202nd in August 2010 to 89th by July 2011. On 10 October 2010, they earned a shock 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win at home against Algeria 2–0, which put them top of their qualification group. The team won its first FIFA World Cup qualifier on 2 June 2012 after beating Botswana 2–0 at home.
The Equatorial Guinea national football team represents Equatorial Guinea in men's international football and is controlled by the Equatoguinean Football Federation, a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Comoros national football team represents the Comoros in international football and is controlled by the Comoros Football Federation. It was formed in 1979, joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2003, and became a FIFA member in 2005. Comoros qualified for their first major tournament in 2021, after their 0–0 draw with Togo assured them of a place in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
This is a list of the Angola national football team results from 2000 to 2019.
The Tunisia national football team is the national team that represents Tunisia in men's international football, since it played its first match on 2 June 1957 against Libya, which ended with Tunisia winning 4–2. It is a member team of the FIFA internationally and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on the continent. It is supervised by the Tunisian Football Federation, which was established on 29 March 1957, after Tunisia's independence. Jalel Kadri has been coaching the team since 30 January 2022, accompanied by his assistants Ali Boumnijel and Selim Benachour. The Tunisian national team is nicknamed the Eagles of Carthage, The team's colors are red and white, similar to the colors of the Tunisian flag, and its symbol is the Bald eagle. There have been periods of regular Tunisian representation at the highest international level: from 1962 to 1978, from 1994 to 2008 and again from 2014 onwards. Most of its matches have been played since 2001 at the Stade Hammadi Agrebi which is located in the city of Radès, in the southern suburbs of the capital, Tunis. It has a capacity of 60,000.