Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an Indian Ocean island country, approximately 2,000 kilometres off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island, as well as Rodrigues, Agaléga and St. Brandon. The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, along with nearby Réunion, are part of the Mascarene Islands. The main island of Mauritius, where most of the population is concentrated, hosts the capital and largest city, Port Louis. The country spans 2,040 square kilometres (790 sq mi) and has an exclusive economic zone covering 2,300,000 square kilometres.
Mauritius is a multi-ethnic and multi-language society; it is also a plural society with its population mainly composed of four ethnic groups and four major religious groups; it is often depicted as a "rainbow nation". The island of Mauritius did not have any indigenous population; historically, it was characterized by successive waves of European colonization and multiple immigrations. Under the French rule between 1715 and 1810, slaves were imported on the island from mainland Africa and Madagascar; slavery was only abolished in 1835 due to the British commitment to end slavery. Indian migrants from Pondicherry first started to arrive in Mauritius under the French rule in 1736; The 18th century also saw one the earliest influx of Chinese migrants into Mauritius, who mostly came from Fujian. Under British rule, more Indian migrants came to Mauritius following the emancipation of the slaves in 1835. From the 1800s, Chinese migrants from Southern China arrived in Mauritius, first as indentured labourers and later as free merchants. Since 1860, Hakka immigration started and continued until they became the dominant group of Chinese in Mauritius at the beginning of the 20th century. The co-existence of Mauritians of Indian, African, European, and Chinese ancestry eventually led to a sharing of values and cultures, a collective participation in festivals, and an increased understanding between people of different ethnic backgrounds. Mauritians from different cultural backgrounds are very distinct from each other, and it is also highly unpopular to encourage the dissolution of cultural boundaries in Mauritius. Presently, the Mauritian society continues to be culturally and linguistically French-dominated.
The Mauritius national football team, nicknamed Club M and Les Dodos, is the national team of Mauritius. They are overseen by the Mauritius Football Association and are members of FIFA, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA). The head coach is Tony François.
The Seychelles national football team, nicknamed the Pirates, represents Seychelles in international football and is controlled by the Seychelles Football Federation (SFF). SFF has been a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 1986, and a member of FIFA since 1986. The team's home stadium is the 10,000 capacity Stade Linité located in Roche Caiman in the outskirts of Victoria, the capital of Seychelles.
The Réunion national football team is the regional team of the French overseas department and region of Réunion and is controlled by the Réunionese Football League, local branch of the French Football Federation. Réunion is not a member of FIFA and is only an associate member of CAF, and is therefore not eligible to enter either the World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. However, it has played numerous matches, most of them against the island nations of Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles.
Jean Éric Milazar is a Mauritian athlete competing in the 200 metres and 400 metres. He was born in Rodrigues and currently resides in Coromandel, Mauritius. He is married to Natacha Ramen-Milazar since 2006 an ex volleyball player and together they have two kids Ericson and Erica.
Indo-Mauritians are Mauritians who trace their ethnic ancestry to the Republic of India or other parts of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia.
The Mauritius national rugby union team represents Mauritius in international rugby union. Mauritius is a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB), but the national team is ranked as third tier, and Mauritius have yet to compete in either the Africa Cup or Rugby World Cup.
Kévin Bru is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for C'Chartres. Born in France, he represented France at youth international level before playing for Mauritius national football team.
Jonathan Bru is a former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Born in France, he represented France at youth international level before playing for the Mauritius national team. He works as head coach of the Red Star reserves.
Football is the most popular sport in Mauritius. The national governing body is the Mauritius Football Association. Internationally, Mauritius is represented by Club M in senior competitions, and by the U-17 and U-20 teams in youth competitions. The top domestic football league in Mauritius is the Mauritian League, and the top knockout tournament is the Mauritian Cup.
Gurty Calambé is a Mauritian footballer who currently plays as a forward for Petite Rivière Noire SC in the Mauritian League.
The 2011 Mauritian League was the sixty-seventh season of the Mauritian League since its establishment in 1935. The 2011 fixtures were released in February 2011. The season began on 26 February 2011, and concluded on 26 June 2011. ASPL 2000 won the 2011 Mauritian League, winning their 5th title, their first since 2005.
Ralph Jean-Louis is a Seychellois football manager and former player. He currently manages the Seychelles men's national team. He also used to manage St Michel United, a team in the Seychelles First Division. As a player, he played eleven years for the Seychelles national team as a midfielder and striker. At club level, he played for Bel Air FC, Anse-aux-Pins FC and St Michel United. He won two bronze medals as a player at the Indian Ocean Island Games as well as a gold as a manager.
Fabrice Pithia is a Mauritian football player who currently plays for Curepipe Starlight in the Mauritian Premier League and for the Mauritius national football team as a midfielder.
The Madagascar women's national football team is the FIFA recognised senior women's A team for Madagascar. The team played their first FIFA matches in 2015. They were runner-up to Réunion in the 2015 Indian Ocean Island Games. They have competed in the COSAFA Women's Championship, in which they won a game against Comoros in 2019. The development of a national team in the country is problematic because of issues found on the continent and on the island, specifically including the lack of popularity of women's football as a participation sport in Madagascar.
The Réunion women's national football team is the national football team of Réunion, a French island, and is not recognised by FIFA. They have played international matches against Egypt, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Mauritius. There is a two-level women's league in the country, with promotion and relegation between each division.
Sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago is disputed between Mauritius and the United Kingdom. Mauritius has repeatedly stated that the Chagos Archipelago is part of its territory and that the United Kingdom claim is a violation of United Nations resolutions banning the dismemberment of colonial territories before independence. The UK government has stated that it has "no doubt" about its sovereignty over the Chagos, yet has also said that the Chagos will be returned to Mauritius once the islands are no longer required for military purposes. Given the absence of any meaningful progress with the UK, Mauritius took up the matter at various legal and political forums. The African Union and the Non-Aligned Movement have expressed unanimous support for Mauritius.
The 2017 COSAFA Cup is the 17th edition of the COSAFA Cup, an international football competition consisting of national teams of member nations of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA). It was held in South Africa from 25 June to 9 July.
The men's association football tournament at the 2019 Indian Ocean Island Games was held in Mauritius.
Madagascar 
Tanzania 
Angola 
New Caledonia 
Mayotte 
São Tomé and Príncipe 
