Benin national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Benin

Nickname(s)	Les Guépards (The Cheetahs) Formerly: Les Ecureuils (The Squirrels)
Association	Benin Football Federation
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	94 (7 February 2019)
Highest	59 (November–December 2009, April 2010)
Lowest	165 (July 1996)
Elo ranking
Current	107 5 (3 March 2019)
Highest	56 (December 1964)
Lowest	165 (13 May 1995)
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)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	4 (first in 2004)
Best result	Quarter-finals (2019)

The Benin national football team, also known as Les Guépards (The Cheetahs), represents the country of Benin in international men's football. The Benin Football Federation manages the team. Before 1975, when Benin was known as the Republic of Dahomey, the team was called Dahomey.

Benin joined FIFA in 1962 and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 1969. They have never played in the FIFA World Cup. However, they have competed in the Africa Cup of Nations four times: in 2004, 2008, 2010, and 2019. In 2019, Benin made history by reaching the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations without winning a single match in the tournament!

History of the Cheetahs

Benin played its first official international football match on November 8, 1959. They lost 1–0 to Nigeria. This game happened before Benin became an independent country on August 1, 1960.

Early Africa Cup of Nations Appearances

Benin first qualified for the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations. They lost all three of their matches against South Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria. Their only goal was scored by Moussa Latoundji against Nigeria.

In 2008, Benin played in the tournament again. They lost to Mali, the Ivory Coast, and Nigeria. This time, Razak Omotoyossi scored their only goal in a 4–1 defeat to the Ivory Coast.

Challenges and Changes

In 2010, the president of the Benin Football Federation was arrested. Many board members resigned because they felt he was wrongly accused.

For the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Benin did very well in the second round. They won four matches in a row after an initial loss. They finished second in their group in the third round, just behind Ghana. This result meant they qualified for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

At the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, Benin earned their first ever point in the tournament by drawing with Mozambique. However, they lost their other two matches and did not move past the group stage. After this, the football federation decided to make big changes, including letting go of their coach, Michel Dussuyer.

Recent Successes

Benin did not qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. They finished third in their group during the qualifiers.

In 2016, FIFA, the world football governing body, temporarily suspended Benin for reasons that were not made public.

At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Benin, with coach Michel Dussuyer back, had a fantastic run. Even though they only just made it to the knockout stage, they reached the quarter-finals. They famously beat tournament favorites Morocco in a penalty shootout before losing to Senegal.

Recent Matches

Here are some of the Benin national football team's recent match results.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Matches

• November 18: South Africa 2–1 Benin (World Cup qualification) - Loss
• November 21: Lesotho 0–0 Benin (World Cup qualification) - Draw

2024 Matches

• March 23: Ivory Coast 2–2 Benin (Friendly) - Draw
• March 26: Senegal 1–0 Benin (Friendly) - Loss
• June 6: Benin 1–0 Rwanda (World Cup qualification) - Win
• June 10: Benin 2–1 Nigeria (World Cup qualification) - Win
• September 7: Nigeria 3–0 Benin (AFCON qualification) - Loss
• September 10: Benin 2–1 Libya (AFCON qualification) - Win
• October 11: Benin 3–0 Rwanda (AFCON qualification) - Win
• October 15: Rwanda 2–1 Benin (AFCON qualification) - Loss
• October 25: Togo 2–0 Benin (African Nations Championship qualification) - Loss
• November 2: Benin 1–1 Togo (African Nations Championship qualification) - Draw (Benin lost 1-3 on total score)
• November 10: Benin 1–1 Nigeria (AFCON qualification) - Draw
• November 18: Libya 0–0 Benin (AFCON qualification) - Draw

Coaches and Staff

Many different coaches have led the Benin national team over the years. The current head coach is Gernot Rohr from Germany.

Current Coaching Staff

Job	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

Players of the Team

Current Squad

These are the players who were recently called up for the 2025 AFCON qualification matches in October 2024.

The number of games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of October 15, 2024, after the match against Rwanda.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Saturnin Allagbé	(1993-11-22) 22 November 1993 (age 31)	46	0	Botev Vratsa
	1GK	Marcel Dandjinou	(1998-06-25) 25 June 1998 (age 26)	10	0	JDR Stars
	1GK	Mariano Tchinonvi	(2004-07-29) 29 July 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Loto-Popo
	2DF	Olivier Verdon	(1995-10-05) 5 October 1995 (age 29)	38	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
	2DF	Cédric Hountondji	(1994-01-19) 19 January 1994 (age 31)	32	2	Angers
	2DF	Rodrigue Fassinou	(1999-05-22) 22 May 1999 (age 26)	16	0	Loto-Popo
	2DF	Rachid Moumini	(2004-10-27) 27 October 2004 (age 20)	14	1	Ayema
	2DF	Yohan Roche	(1997-07-07) 7 July 1997 (age 27)	14	1	Petrolul Ploiești
	2DF	Mohamed Tijani	(1997-07-10) 10 July 1997 (age 27)	13	0	Yverdon-Sport
	2DF	Rabiou Sankamao	(2003-10-12) 12 October 2003 (age 21)	3	0	ASPAC
	2DF	Tamimou Ouorou	(2003-05-03) 3 May 2003 (age 22)	1	0	Hatta Club
	3MF	Sessi D'Almeida	(1995-11-20) 20 November 1995 (age 29)	38	1	Apollon Limassol
	3MF	Junior Olaitan	(2002-05-09) 9 May 2002 (age 23)	28	4	Troyes
	3MF	Mattéo Ahlinvi	(1999-07-02) 2 July 1999 (age 25)	24	0	Västerås SK
	3MF	Dodo Dokou	(2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 (age 21)	14	1	Smouha
	3MF	Hassane Imourane	(2003-04-08) 8 April 2003 (age 22)	13	1	Modern Future
	3MF	Mariano Ahouangbo	(2002-11-16) 16 November 2002 (age 22)	3	0	AS Soliman
	3MF	Gislain Ahoudo	(1999-07-02) 2 July 1999 (age 25)	3	0	Dadjè FC d'Aplahoué
	3MF	Romaric Amoussou	(2000-12-10) 10 December 2000 (age 24)	3	0	Coton Sport
	3MF	Samadou Attidjikou	(2004-02-02) 2 February 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Al Masry
	4FW	Jodel Dossou	(1992-03-17) 17 March 1992 (age 33)	67	10	Sochaux
	4FW	Steve Mounié	(1994-09-29) 29 September 1994 (age 30)	57	19	FC Augsburg
	4FW	Tosin Aiyegun	(1998-06-26) 26 June 1998 (age 26)	16	3	Lorient
	4FW	Andréas Hountondji	(2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 (age 22)	11	2	Burnley
	4FW	Steve Traoré	(1998-02-18) 18 February 1998 (age 27)	4	0	Lokomotiv Sofia

Player Records

Here are some records for players who have played for the Benin national football team. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for Benin.

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

Most Games Played

Top Goalscorers

Tournament History

FIFA World Cup

Benin has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. They have tried many times since 1974.

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									3	0	0	3	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	To be determined									4	2	1	1	4	3
2030										To be determined
2034
Total	−	0/15	−	−	−	−	−	−		54	18	8	28	55	96

Africa Cup of Nations

Benin has played in the Africa Cup of Nations four times. Their best result was reaching the quarter-finals in 2019.

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	Qualified
2027	To be determined
2029
Total	Quarter-finals	4/34	14	0	5	9	7	24

West African Nations Cup Benin has taken part in the West African Nations Cup a few times. 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 Benin has also competed in the WAFU Nations Cup, reaching fourth place twice. 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

Team Achievements

Regional Tournaments

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

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Benín para niños