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Benin national football team facts for kids

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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 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 59 (November–December 2009, April 2010)
Lowest 165 (July 1996)
Elo ranking
Current 107 Decrease 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 5 (first in 2004)
Best result Quarter-finals (2019)

The Benin national football team, also known as Les Guépards (The Cheetahs), plays for Benin in international men's association football games. The team is managed by the Benin Football Federation. Before 1975, when Benin was called the Republic of Dahomey, the team was known as 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 five times: in 2004, 2008, 2010, 2019, and they have qualified for the 2025 tournament. In these tournaments, they have never finished in the top two of their group stage. Benin holds a special record: they are the first team to reach the quarter-finals of an Africa Cup of Nations without winning a single match in the tournament.

Team History

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

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 the 2008 tournament, Benin again lost all their games. They played against Mali, the Ivory Coast, and Nigeria. They scored only one goal, by Razak Omotoyossi, in their 4–1 loss to the Ivory Coast.

For the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Benin did well in the second round. They lost their first game to Angola but then won four matches in a row. This helped them qualify 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. They then lost their other two matches to Nigeria and Egypt. After this, the Benin Football Federation made some changes to the team.

At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Benin had a great run. They reached the quarter-finals, even though they only advanced as one of the best third-placed teams. They had a surprising win over Morocco in a penalty shootout. In the quarter-finals, they lost to Senegal, who ended up being the runners-up of the tournament.

Recent Matches

This section shows some of the recent games Benin has played.

      Win       Draw       Loss

2024 Matches

23 March Friendly Ivory Coast  2–2  Benin Amiens, France
17:00 UTC+1
  • Gradel Goal 29'
  • O. Diakité Goal 69'
  • Olaitan Goal 8'51'
Stadium: Stade de la Licorne
26 March Friendly Senegal  1–0  Benin Amiens, France
20:30 UTC+1
Stadium: Stade de la Licorne
Referee: Jérémie Pignard (France)
6 June 2026 World Cup qualification Benin  1–0  Rwanda Abidjan, Ivory Coast
19:00 UTC±0
  • Dokou Goal 37'
Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Attendance: 3,600
Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)
10 June 2026 World Cup qualification Benin  2–1  Nigeria Abidjan, Ivory Coast
16:00 UTC±0
  • J. Dossou Goal 37'
  • Mounié Goal 45+3'
  • Onyedika Goal 27'
Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Referee: Pierre Atcho (Gabon)
7 September 2025 AFCON qualification Nigeria  3–0  Benin Uyo, Nigeria
17:00 UTC+1
  • Lookman Goal 45+2'83'
  • Osimhen Goal 78'
Stadium: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium
Referee: Alamin Alhadi Mohamed (Sudan)
10 September 2025 AFCON qualification Benin  2–1  Libya Abidjan, Ivory Coast
19:00 UTC±0
  • Mounié Goal 50'
  • Olaitan Goal 62' (pen.)
  • Al Badri Goal 9' (pen.)
Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania)
11 October 2025 AFCON qualification Benin  3–0  Rwanda Abidjan, Ivory Coast
16:00 UTC±0
  • Mounié Goal 50'
  • Hountondji Goal 67'
  • Imourane Goal 70'
Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Referee: Lyes Bekouassa (Algeria)
15 October 2025 AFCON qualification Rwanda  2–1  Benin Kigali, Rwanda
18:00 UTC+2
  • Nshuti Goal 70'
  • Bizimana Goal 75'
  • Hountondji Goal 42'
Stadium: Amahoro Stadium
Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona (Madagascar)
25 October 2024 African Nations Championship qualification Togo  2–0  Benin Lomé, Togo
16:00 UTC±0
  • Abalo Goal 11'
  • Avotor Goal 90+4'
Stadium: Stade de Kégué
2 November 2024 African Nations Championship qualification Benin  1–1
(1–3 agg.)
 Togo Abidjan, Ivory Coast
17:00 UTC±0
  • Ramzy Goal 90'
  • Kloukpo Goal 4'
Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Note: Benin lost 1–3 on aggregate.
14 November 2025 AFCON qualification Benin  1–1  Nigeria Abidjan, Ivory Coast
18:00 UTC±0
  • Tijani Goal 16'
Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal)
18 November 2025 AFCON qualification Libya  0–0  Benin Tripoli, Libya
17:00 UTC+2 Stadium: Tripoli Stadium
Referee: Patrice Milazar (Mauritius)

Upcoming Matches in 2025

20 March 2026 World Cup qualification Zimbabwe  2–2  Benin Durban, South Africa
18:00 UTC+2
  • Munetsi Goal 44'
  • Musona Goal 59'
  • Mounié Goal 12'
  • Dokou Goal 35'
Stadium: Moses Mabhida Stadium
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)
25 March 2026 World Cup qualification Benin  0–2  South Africa Abidjan, Ivory Coast
16:00 UTC±0
  • Foster Goal 53'
  • Adams Goal 84'
Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Attendance: 786
Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)
23 December 2025 AFCON GS DR Congo  v  Benin Rabat, Morocco
20:30 Stadium: Al Barid Stadium
27 December 2025 AFCON GS Benin  v  Botswana Rabat, Morocco
20:30 Stadium: Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympic Annex Stadium
30 December 2025 AFCON GS Benin  v  Senegal Tangier, Morocco
20:30 Stadium: Ibn Batouta Stadium

Team Staff

Gernot Rohr 2018
Gernot Rohr is the current manager of Benin

This table shows the people who help coach and manage the Benin national football team.

Job Name
Head coach Germany Gernot Rohr
Assistant coaches Benin Moustapha Tchawogbé
Benin Gervais Adjanohoun
Goalkeeping coach Benin Apollinaire Gbadamassi
Fitness coach Benin Ibrahim Kpadenou
Match Analyst Benin Christophe Fagbohoun
Doctors Benin Dr. Hervé Gbalazou
Benin Dr. Michel Djogbenou
Physiotherapists Benin Alain Gbenou
Benin Thomas Hounkpè
Benin Ousmane Houssou
Benin Maxime Tchouassi
Team coordinator Benin Bernard Gbedjissi
Technical director Benin Mohamed Agbassi

Past Coaches

Many coaches have led the Benin national team over the years. Here are some of them:

  • France Serge Devèze
  • Benin Wabi Gomez
  • Germany Peter Schnittger (1992)
  • Benin Moise Ekoue (1993)
  • Ghana Cecil Jones Attuquayefio (2003–2004)
  • France Hervé Revelli (2004)
  • Benin Edmé Codjo (2005–2007)
  • France Didier Notheaux (2007)
  • Germany Reinhard Fabisch (2007–2008)
  • France Michel Dussuyer (2008–2010)
  • France Jean-Marc Nobilo (2010)
  • France Denis Goavec (2010–2011)
  • Benin Edmé Codjo (2011–2012)
  • France Manuel Amoros (2012–2014)
  • France Didier Ollé-Nicolle (2014)
  • Benin Oumar Tchomogo (2015–2017)
  • France Michel Dussuyer (2018–2021)
  • Benin Moussa Latoundji (2022–2023)
  • Germany Gernot Rohr (2023–present)

Team Players

Current Players

These players were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in March 2025.

The numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of March 20, 2025, after the match against Zimbabwe.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Marcel Dandjinou (1998-06-25) 25 June 1998 (age 27) 13 0 South Africa JDR Stars
16 1GK Saturnin Allagbé (1993-11-22) 22 November 1993 (age 31) 45 0 Bulgaria Botev Vratsa
23 1GK Serge Obassa (1996-06-30) 30 June 1996 (age 29) 2 0 Nigeria Remo Stars

2 2DF Brandon Agounon (1994-10-19) 19 October 1994 (age 30) 0 0 France Châteauroux
3 2DF Tamimou Ouorou (2003-05-03) 3 May 2003 (age 22) 4 0 United Arab Emirates Hatta Club
4 2DF Moïse Adiléhou (1995-11-01) 1 November 1995 (age 29) 15 1 France Laval
5 2DF Yohan Roche (1997-07-07) 7 July 1997 (age 28) 17 1 Romania Petrolul Ploiești
11 2DF Rachid Moumini (2004-10-27) 27 October 2004 (age 20) 18 1 Benin Ayema
12 2DF David Kiki (1993-11-25) 25 November 1993 (age 31) 52 0 Romania FCSB
13 2DF Mohamed Tijani (1997-07-10) 10 July 1997 (age 28) 16 1 Switzerland Yverdon-Sport
22 2DF Rabiou Sankamao (2003-10-12) 12 October 2003 (age 21) 6 0 Morocco Wydad AC
2DF Rodrigue Fassinou (1999-05-22) 22 May 1999 (age 26) 17 0 Benin Loto-Popo

6 3MF Gislain Ahoudo (1999-07-02) 2 July 1999 (age 26) 4 0 Tunisia AS Gabès
7 3MF Samadou Attidjikou (2004-02-02) 2 February 2004 (age 21) 1 0 Egypt Al Masry
8 3MF Hassane Imourane (2003-04-08) 8 April 2003 (age 22) 18 1 Switzerland Grasshopper
14 3MF Mariano Ahouangbo (2002-11-16) 16 November 2002 (age 22) 3 0 Tunisia AS Soliman
15 3MF Sessi D'Almeida (1995-11-20) 20 November 1995 (age 29) 40 1 Cyprus Apollon Limassol
19 3MF Dodo Dokou (2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 (age 21) 17 2 Egypt Smouha
3MF Mattéo Ahlinvi (1999-07-02) 2 July 1999 (age 26) 24 0 Russia Arsenal Tula

9 4FW Steve Mounié (1994-09-29) 29 September 1994 (age 30) 60 20 Germany FC Augsburg
10 4FW Candas Fiogbé (2005-01-18) 18 January 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Italy Atalanta
17 4FW Andréas Hountondji (2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 (age 23) 14 2 Belgium Standard Liège
18 4FW Junior Olaitan (2002-05-09) 9 May 2002 (age 23) 31 4 France Grenoble
20 4FW Jodel Dossou (1992-03-17) 17 March 1992 (age 33) 67 9 Luxembourg Victoria Rosport
21 4FW Steve Traoré (1998-02-18) 18 February 1998 (age 27) 4 0 Finland FC Haka

Other Players Called Up Recently

These players have also been called to play for Benin in the last year.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Mariano Tchinonvi (2004-07-29) 29 July 2004 (age 20) 2 0 Benin Loto-Popo v.  Rwanda; 15 October 2024
GK Karim Abdoul Aziz (2005-08-13) 13 August 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Benin Dadje v.  Libya; 10 September 2024

DF Olivier Verdon (1995-10-05) 5 October 1995 (age 29) 37 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Rwanda; 15 October 2024
DF Cédric Hountondji (1994-01-19) 19 January 1994 (age 31) 31 2 France Angers v.  Rwanda; 15 October 2024
DF Youssouf Assogba (2001-08-21) 21 August 2001 (age 23) 20 0 France Bordeaux v.  Senegal; 26 March 2024

MF Romaric Amoussou (2000-12-10) 10 December 2000 (age 24) 3 0 Ivory Coast ASEC Mimosas v.  Libya; 18 November 2024
MF Ryan Adigo (2001-04-15) 15 April 2001 (age 24) 1 0 Germany 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig v.  Libya; 18 November 2024
MF Lenny Pirringuel (2004-03-02) 2 March 2004 (age 21) 1 0 France Quevilly-Rouen v.  Libya; 18 November 2024
MF Ricardo Prince Dossou (2006-07-20) 20 July 2006 (age 19) 4 0 Benin ASVO v.  Nigeria; 10 June 2024

FW Tosin Aiyegun (1998-06-26) 26 June 1998 (age 27) 18 3 France Lorient v.  Libya; 18 November 2024
FW Samson Akinyoola (2000-03-03) 3 March 2000 (age 25) 2 0 Egypt Zamalek v.  Nigeria; 10 June 2024
FW David Tchétchao (2003-09-29) 29 September 2003 (age 21) 1 0 Benin ASVO v.  Nigeria; 10 June 2024
FW Charbel Gomez (2001-01-27) 27 January 2001 (age 24) 18 0 Georgia (country) Samgurali Tsqaltubo v.  Senegal; 26 March 2024

Player Records

These tables show the players who have played the most games and scored the most goals for Benin. Players in bold are still playing for the Benin national team.

Stéphane Sessègnon
Stéphane Sessègnon is Benin's top goalscorer and their most capped player.
Most Appearances
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Stéphane Sessègnon 89 24 2004–2023
2 Khaled Adénon 86 2 2006–2023
3 Mickaël Poté 69 10 2008–2022
4 Jodel Dossou 67 10 2013–present
5 Steve Mounié 59 19 2015–present
6 Damien Chrysostome 58 0 2002–2011
7 Jocelyn Ahouéya 55 3 2003–2013
Razak Omotoyossi 55 21 2004–2016
9 Romuald Boco 52 1 2004–2013
David Kiki 52 0 2015–present
Top Goalscorers
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Stéphane Sessègnon 24 89 0.27 2004–2023
2 Razak Omotoyossi 21 55 0.38 2004–2016
3 Steve Mounié 19 59 0.32 2015–present
4 Oumar Tchomogo 15 34 0.44 1995–2008
5 Jodel Dossou 10 67 0.15 2013–present
Mickaël Poté 10 69 0.14 2008–2022
7 Moussa Latoundji 6 21 0.29 1993–2004
Mouritala Ogunbiyi 6 47 0.13 1998–2019
Séïdath Tchomogo 6 51 0.12 2003–2014
10 Léon Bessan 5 20 0.25 1995–2007
Anicet Adjamossi 5 48 0.1 2002–2013

Tournament History

This section shows how Benin has performed in major football tournaments.

FIFA World Cup

Benin has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 to Sweden 1958 Not a FIFA member; part of France Not a FIFA member; part of France
as  Dahomey as  Dahomey
Chile 1962 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
England 1966 and Mexico 1970 Did not enter Did not enter
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 10
as /  Benin as /  Benin
Argentina 1978 and Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 6
Italy 1990 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 1994 Did not qualify 6 1 0 5 3 19
France 1998 Did not enter Did not enter
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 2
Germany 2006 12 2 3 7 13 26
South Africa 2010 12 7 1 4 18 14
Brazil 2014 6 2 2 2 8 9
Russia 2018 2 1 0 1 2 3
Qatar 2022 6 3 1 2 5 4
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 6 2 2 2 6 7
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/15 56 18 10 28 57 100

Africa Cup of Nations

Benin has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations five 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
Sudan 1957 Part of  France
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962 Not affiliated to CAF
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965 Did not enter
Ethiopia 1968
Sudan 1970
Cameroon 1972 Did not qualify
Egypt 1974 Withdrew
Ethiopia 1976
Ghana 1978 Did not enter
Nigeria 1980 Did not qualify
Libya 1982 Did not enter
Ivory Coast 1984 Did not qualify
Egypt 1986
Morocco 1988
Algeria 1990
Senegal 1992
Tunisia 1994
South Africa 1996 Withdrew
Burkina Faso 1998 Did not qualify
Ghana Nigeria 2000
Mali 2002
Tunisia 2004 Group stage 16th 3 0 0 3 1 8
Egypt 2006 Did not qualify
Ghana 2008 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 1 7
Angola 2010 14th 3 0 1 2 2 5
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 Did not qualify
South Africa 2013
Equatorial Guinea 2015
Gabon 2017
Egypt 2019 Quarter-finals 8th 5 0 4 1 3 4
Cameroon 2021 Did not qualify
Ivory Coast 2023
Morocco 2025 Qualified
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined
2029
Total Quarter-finals 5/35 14 0 5 9 7 24

Team Achievements

Regional Tournaments

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

See also

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