![]() | |||
Nickname(s) | The Scorpions | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Gambia Football Federation (GFF) | ||
Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | ||
Head coach | Yahya Manneh | ||
FIFA code | GAM | ||
| |||
FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 130 ![]() | ||
Highest | 104 (December 2020) | ||
Lowest | 130 (June 2024) | ||
First international | |||
![]() ![]() (Rabat, Morocco; 4 April 2018) [2] | |||
Biggest win | |||
![]() ![]() (Espargos, Cape Verde; 21 January 2023) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
![]() ![]() (Yaoundé, Cameroon; 18 February 2022) |
The Gambia women's national football team (recognized at The Gambia by FIFA) [3] represents the Gambia in international women's football. It is governed by the Gambia Football Federation. As of December 2019, it has only competed in one major international competition, the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations qualification. The Gambia has two youth teams, an under-17 side that has competed in FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup qualifiers, and an under-19 side that withdrew from regional qualifiers for an under-19 World Cup. The development of a national team faces challenges similar to those across Africa, although the national football association has four staff members focusing on women's football.
In 1985, few countries had women's national football teams. [4] While the sport gained popularity worldwide in later decades, the Gambia's national team only played its first game in 2007. [5] [6] That game was not FIFA-recognized.
The Gambian Senior National Team's first appearance at a major event occurred in April 2018 when they lost a 1–2 result at Burkina Faso in the opening round of qualifying for the 2018 Africa Cup of Nations. In the second leg of the fixture, the Gambia produced a 2–1 victory of their own. As the results of both legs were identical, a penalty shoot-out was required to determine which squad would advance. The Gambia converted all five of its penalty kicks, and advanced to the second round of qualifying. [7] The Gambia drew the defending Cup of Nations champions Nigeria as their second round opponent. They failed to score against the Super Falcons, and were eliminated from the tournament with a 0–7 aggregate line. [8]
The country did not have a FIFA-recognised youth national team until 2012, when the Gambia under-17 women's team competed in Confederation of African Football qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, to be held in Azerbaijan in September 2012. The Gambia fielded a team of 24 players, narrowed from an initial pool of 49 young women. [9] [10] Two girls from the SOS Children’s Village Bakoteh were chosen as a members of the team. [9] The Gambia first played Sierra Leone in a pair of qualifying matches for the tournament. The Gambia won the first match 3–0 in Banjul, the Gambia's capital. [10] The return match was delayed for 24 hours and played in Makeni. [10] The Gambia beat Sierra Leone 4–3 to qualify for the final round. [11] The Gambia then beat Tunisia 1–0 at home and won 2–1 in the away fixture. Adama Tamba and Awa Demba scored the Gambia's goals. Tunisia's only goal was a Gambian own goal. The win qualified the Gambia for the 2012 Azerbaijan World Cup. [12]
The Gambia also has an Under -19 team that was to play in the 2002 African U-19 Women's Championship. That Gambian squad's first match was to be against Morocco, but the team withdrew from the competition. [13]
The development of women's football in Africa faces several challenges, including limited access to education, poverty amongst women, inequalities and human rights abuses targeting women. [14] [15] [16] [17] Funding is another issue impacting the game in Africa, where most financial assistance comes from FIFA and not national football associations. [18]
Another challenge is the retention of football players. Many women footballers leave the continent to seek greater opportunity in Europe or the United States. [18]
Gambia's national football association was founded in 1952, and became affiliated with FIFA in 1968. [19] [20] Football is the most popular women's sport in the country, and was first played in an organized system in 1998. [20] A national competition was launched in 2007, [21] the same year FIFA started an education course on football for women. [5] Competition was active on both the national and scholastic levels by 2009. [5] There are four staffers dedicated to women's football in the Gambia Football Association, and representation of women on the board is required by the association's charter. [20]
In September 2016, Fatim Jawara, a member of the national team, left Serrekunda in her homeland the Gambia and crossed the Sahara Desert to Libya. [22] In November 2016, she travelled with others on two boats across the Mediterranean Sea, heading towards the Lampedusa island of Italy. [23] She did this as she sought to smuggle herself into Europe, where the national team was due to play Casa Sports F.C. from Senegal as part of a festival to celebrate women's football. [24] Due to a severe storm, their boats capsized and Jawara drowned at the age of 19, with her family was contacted several days after the tragedy. [24] Lamin Kaba Bajo, President of the Gambia Football Federation, said "We are grieving at the moment as this is a great loss to the national soccer team and the nation." [22]
![]() | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (November 2020) |
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 Lose Fixture
21 January 2023 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup GS | Sierra Leone ![]() | 1–4 | ![]() | Sal, Cape Verde |
18:00 | Kabba ![]() | Report | Jatta ![]() | Stadium: Estádio Marcelo Leitão Referee: Sylvina Garnett (Liberia) |
23 January 2023 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup GS | Gambia ![]() | 1–4 | ![]() | Sal, Cape Verde |
18:00 | Jatta ![]() | Diallo ![]() | Stadium: Estádio Marcelo Leitão Referee: Sylvina Garnett (Liberia) |
25 January 2023 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup GS | Guinea ![]() | 0–1 | ![]() | Sal, Cape Verde |
15:00 | Jatta ![]() | Stadium: Estádio Marcelo Leitão |
27 January 2023 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup SF | Cape Verde ![]() | 2–1 | ![]() | Sal, Cape Verde |
15:00 |
| [ Report (FCF)] | Jatta ![]() | Stadium: Estádio Marcelo Leitão |
29 January 2023 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup 3rd place | Gambia ![]() | 3–2 | ![]() | Sal, Cape Verde |
15:00 | Stadium: Estádio Marcelo Leitão |
21 September 2023 2024 AFWCON qualification First round 1st leg | Gambia ![]() | 2–3 | ![]() | El Jadida, Morocco |
15:00 UTC±0 | Report (GFF) | Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium |
24 September 2023 2024 AFWCON qualification First round 2nd leg | Namibia ![]() | 2–0 (5–2 agg.) | ![]() | El Jadida, Morocco |
15:00 UTC+1 |
| Report (GFF) Report (NFA) | Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium | |
Note: Namibia won 5–2 on aggregate |
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2020) |
Position | Name | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Head coach | ![]() | [25] |
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2020) |
This is the convened selection for the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification in September 2023. [26]
Caps and goals accurate up to and including 19 June 2021.
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Club | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Fatou Joof | ![]() | ||||
18 | GK | Matty Manga | ![]() | |||
22 | GK | Mariama Ceesay | 22 January 1998 | ![]() | ||
13 | DF | Mariama Bojang | ![]() | |||
13 | DF | Ruggy Joof | 13 April 2001 | ![]() | ||
DF | Wuday Colley | ![]() | ||||
DF | Veronic Sambo | ![]() | ||||
DF | Fatou Fatty | ![]() | ||||
DF | Fatou Darboe | ![]() | ||||
DF | Juana Colley | ![]() | ||||
MF | Kaddy Jatta | 28 November 1993 | ![]() | |||
19 | MF | Metta Sanneh | 10 February 1993 | ![]() | ||
19 | MF | Isatou Jallow | ![]() | |||
19 | MF | Kumba Kassama | ![]() | |||
2 | MF | Mbassey Darboe | 20 May 1998 | ![]() | ||
19 | MF | Manyima Stevelmans | 31 October 2000 | ![]() | ||
FW | Kumba Kuyateh | 27 October 1996 | ![]() | |||
FW | Haddy Wally | ![]() | ||||
FW | Mam Drammeh | ![]() | ||||
FW | Fatoumatta Jammeh | ![]() | ||||
FW | Fatou Kanteh | ![]() | ||||
FW | Elizabeth Ndecky | ![]() | ||||
FW | Catherine Jatta | ![]() | ||||
FW | Fatoumatta Sonko | ![]() |
The following players have been called up to a Gambia squad in the past 12 months.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Ramatoulie Dukureh | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup PRE | |||
GK | Fatou Kine Mendy | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup | |||
GK | Aminata Gaye | 3 March 1996 | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup | ||
DF | Sally Ceesay | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup PRE | |||
DF | Juwana Colley | 11 October 1997 | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup PRE | ||
DF | Fatou Lowe | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup | |||
DF | Bintou Ceesay | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup | |||
DF | Fatoumatta Mook | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup | |||
MF | Awa Jawo | 21 February 1997 | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup PRE | ||
MF | Kadijatou Bayo | ![]() | ||||
MF | Mamie Sylva | 25 April 1992 | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup | ||
MF | Jabou Jobarteh | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup | |||
FW | Ola Buwaro | 23 December 2001 | 3 | 1 | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup |
FW | Kaddy Jarju | ![]() | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup |
*Active players in bold, statistics correct as of 1 August 2021.
Most capped players
| Top goalscorers
|
FIFA Women's World Cup record | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD | |
![]() | Did not enter | ||||||||
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![]() | Did not qualify | ||||||||
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![]() | To be determined | ||||||||
Total | 0/10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Summer Olympics record | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD | |
![]() | Did not enter | ||||||||
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Total | 0/8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Africa Women Cup of Nations record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | |
1991 | Did not enter | |||||||
1995 | ||||||||
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![]() | Did not qualify | |||||||
![]() | Cancelled due to covid | |||||||
![]() | Did not qualify | |||||||
![]() | Did not qualify | |||||||
Total | 0/13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
African Games record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | |
![]() | Did not enter | |||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() | Did not qualify | |||||||
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Total | 0/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
WAFU Zone A Women's Cup | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
![]() | Group Stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
Total | Group Stage | 1/1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 17 |
The list shown below shows the Djibouti national football team all−time international record against opposing nations.
*As of xxxxxx after match against xxxx.
Against | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Confederation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
*As ofxxxxx after match against xxxxx.
The following table shows Djibouti's all-time official international record per opponent:
Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W% | Confederation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | — |
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 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 Gambia national football team 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).
The Djibouti national football team, nicknamed the "Riverains de la Mer Rouge", is the national football team of Djibouti. It is controlled by the Djiboutian Football Federation and is a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA). The Djibouti national football team's first win in a full FIFA-sanctioned international match was a 1–0 win vs. Somalia in the first round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.
The Guinea-Bissau national football team represents Guinea-Bissau in men's international association football and it is controlled by the Football Federation of Guinea-Bissau, The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cups but qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations four times, making their debut in 2017. The team is a member of both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Cameroon national women's football team, also known as the Indomitable Lionesses, is the national team of Cameroon and is controlled by the Cameroon Football Association. They finished second in the 1991, 2004, 2014, and 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations, participated in the 2012 Olympic Games and have competed in their first ever FIFA Women's World Cup in 2015.
The Egypt women's national football team, nicknamed "the Cleopatras", represents Egypt in international women's football. It is managed by the Egyptian Football Association, the governing body of football in the country.
The Senegal women's national football team represents Senegal in international women's football. The team is governed by the Senegalese Football Federation.
The Burkina Faso women's national football team represents Burkina Faso in international women's football. It is governed by the Burkinabé Football Federation. It played its first match on 2 September 2007 in Ouagadougou against Niger and won 10–0, the best result till today. Its next matches were against Niger (5–0) and Mali (2–4).
The Guinea women's national football team represents Guinea in international women's football. It is governed by the Guinean Football Federation.
The Cape Verde women's national football team represents Cape Verde in international women's association football and is governed by the Cape Verdean Football Federation.
The Chad women's national football team is the national women's football team of Chad and is overseen by the Chadian Football Federation.
The Guinea-Bissau women's national football team represents Guinea-Bissau in international women's football. It is governed by the Football Federation of Guinea-Bissau. It has played in two FIFA-recognised matches, both in 2006 against Guinea. The country also has a national under-17 side which participated in the 2012 Confederation of African Football qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Football is the most popular women's sport in the country. A women's football programme was established in 2004, followed by the creation of a women's national league.
The Mauritania women's national football team represents Mauritania in international women's football and is controlled by the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (FFIRM). The team played its first international match in 2019 as a friendly against Djibouti in which they lost three to one. Fatou Dioup scored Mauritania's first international goal.
The Rwanda women's national football team represents Rwanda in women's association football and is controlled by the Rwandese Association Football Federation. It had to date been scheduled to compete in one major tournament, the inaugural Women's Challenge Cup held in Zanzibar in October 2007, but the event was ultimately canceled. It has finally debuted in February 2014 against Kenya. The team is nicknamed The She-Amavubi.
The Sierra Leone women's national football team is governed by the Sierra Leone Football Association.
The Togo women's national football team represents Togo in international women's football since 2006. It is governed by the Togolese Football Federation (FTF), the governing body of football in Togo. The team has played five FIFA-recognised matches, in 2006 and 2007, before reappearing in the 2018 WAFU Women's Cup, set in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Their manager since January 2018 is Kaï Tomety. Togo's home stadium is the Stade de Kégué, located in Lomé.
Group F of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification tournament was one of the twelve groups to decide the teams which qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals tournament. The group consisted of four teams: Ghana, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and Kenya, before Sierra Leone's disqualification.
Adama Tamba is a Gambian footballer who plays as a forward for Division 3 Féminine club Cannes and the Gambia national team.
The Cape Verde women's national football team is the representative women's association football team of Cape Verde. Its governing body is the Cape Verdean Football Federation (FCF) and it competes as a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
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