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	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

Ivory Coast  v  Benin

23 March Friendly	Ivory Coast	2–2	Benin	Amiens, France
17:00 UTC+1	Gradel  29' O. Diakité  69'		Olaitan  8', 51'	Stadium: Stade de la Licorne

Senegal  v  Benin

26 March Friendly	Senegal	1–0	Benin	Amiens, France
20:30 UTC+1	Mané  59' (pen.)			Stadium: Stade de la Licorne Referee: Jérémie Pignard (France)

Benin  v  Rwanda

6 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Benin	1–0	Rwanda	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
19:00 UTC±0	Dokou  37'			Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Attendance: 3,600 Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)

Benin  v  Nigeria

10 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Benin	2–1	Nigeria	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
16:00 UTC±0	J. Dossou  37' Mounié  45+3'		Onyedika  27'	Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Referee: Pierre Atcho (Gabon)

Nigeria  v  Benin

7 September 2025 AFCON qualification	Nigeria	3–0	Benin	Uyo, Nigeria
17:00 UTC+1	Lookman  45+2', 83' Osimhen  78'			Stadium: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium Referee: Alamin Alhadi Mohamed (Sudan)

Benin  v  Libya

10 September 2025 AFCON qualification	Benin	2–1	Libya	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
19:00 UTC±0	Mounié  50' Olaitan  62' (pen.)		Al Badri  9' (pen.)	Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania)

Benin  v  Rwanda

11 October 2025 AFCON qualification	Benin	3–0	Rwanda	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
16:00 UTC±0	Mounié  50' Hountondji  67' Imourane  70'			Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Referee: Lyes Bekouassa (Algeria)

Rwanda  v  Benin

15 October 2025 AFCON qualification	Rwanda	2–1	Benin	Kigali, Rwanda
18:00 UTC+2	Nshuti  70' Bizimana  75'		Hountondji  42'	Stadium: Amahoro Stadium Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona (Madagascar)

Togo  v  Benin

25 October 2024 African Nations Championship qualification	Togo	2–0	Benin	Lomé, Togo
16:00 UTC±0	Abalo  11' Avotor  90+4'			Stadium: Stade de Kégué

Benin  v  Togo

2 November 2024 African Nations Championship qualification	Benin	1–1 (1–3 agg.)	Togo	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
17:00 UTC±0	Ramzy  90'		Kloukpo  4'	Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Note: Benin lost 1–3 on aggregate.

Benin  v  Nigeria

14 November 2025 AFCON qualification	Benin	1–1	Nigeria	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
18:00 UTC±0	Tijani  16'		Osimhen  81'	Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal)

Libya  v  Benin

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

Zimbabwe  v  Benin

20 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Zimbabwe	2–2	Benin	Durban, South Africa
18:00 UTC+2	Munetsi  44' Musona  59'		Mounié  12' Dokou  35'	Stadium: Moses Mabhida Stadium Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)

Benin  v  South Africa

25 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Benin	0–2	South Africa	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
16:00 UTC±0			Foster  53' Adams  84'	Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Attendance: 786 Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)

DR Congo  v  Benin

23 December 2025 AFCON GS	DR Congo	v	Benin	Rabat, Morocco
20:30				Stadium: Al Barid Stadium

Benin  v  Botswana

27 December 2025 AFCON GS	Benin	v	Botswana	Rabat, Morocco
20:30				Stadium: Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympic Annex Stadium

Benin  v  Senegal

30 December 2025 AFCON GS	Benin	v	Senegal	Tangier, Morocco
20:30				Stadium: Ibn Batouta Stadium

Team Staff

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	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

Past Coaches

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

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	JDR Stars
16	1GK	Saturnin Allagbé	(1993-11-22) 22 November 1993 (age 31)	45	0	Botev Vratsa
23	1GK	Serge Obassa	(1996-06-30) 30 June 1996 (age 29)	2	0	Remo Stars
2	2DF	Brandon Agounon	(1994-10-19) 19 October 1994 (age 30)	0	0	Châteauroux
3	2DF	Tamimou Ouorou	(2003-05-03) 3 May 2003 (age 22)	4	0	Hatta Club
4	2DF	Moïse Adiléhou	(1995-11-01) 1 November 1995 (age 29)	15	1	Laval
5	2DF	Yohan Roche	(1997-07-07) 7 July 1997 (age 28)	17	1	Petrolul Ploiești
11	2DF	Rachid Moumini	(2004-10-27) 27 October 2004 (age 20)	18	1	Ayema
12	2DF	David Kiki	(1993-11-25) 25 November 1993 (age 31)	52	0	FCSB
13	2DF	Mohamed Tijani	(1997-07-10) 10 July 1997 (age 28)	16	1	Yverdon-Sport
22	2DF	Rabiou Sankamao	(2003-10-12) 12 October 2003 (age 21)	6	0	Wydad AC
	2DF	Rodrigue Fassinou	(1999-05-22) 22 May 1999 (age 26)	17	0	Loto-Popo
6	3MF	Gislain Ahoudo	(1999-07-02) 2 July 1999 (age 26)	4	0	AS Gabès
7	3MF	Samadou Attidjikou	(2004-02-02) 2 February 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Al Masry
8	3MF	Hassane Imourane	(2003-04-08) 8 April 2003 (age 22)	18	1	Grasshopper
14	3MF	Mariano Ahouangbo	(2002-11-16) 16 November 2002 (age 22)	3	0	AS Soliman
15	3MF	Sessi D'Almeida	(1995-11-20) 20 November 1995 (age 29)	40	1	Apollon Limassol
19	3MF	Dodo Dokou	(2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 (age 21)	17	2	Smouha
	3MF	Mattéo Ahlinvi	(1999-07-02) 2 July 1999 (age 26)	24	0	Arsenal Tula
9	4FW	Steve Mounié	(1994-09-29) 29 September 1994 (age 30)	60	20	FC Augsburg
10	4FW	Candas Fiogbé	(2005-01-18) 18 January 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Atalanta
17	4FW	Andréas Hountondji	(2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 (age 23)	14	2	Standard Liège
18	4FW	Junior Olaitan	(2002-05-09) 9 May 2002 (age 23)	31	4	Grenoble
20	4FW	Jodel Dossou	(1992-03-17) 17 March 1992 (age 33)	67	9	Victoria Rosport
21	4FW	Steve Traoré	(1998-02-18) 18 February 1998 (age 27)	4	0	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	Loto-Popo	v.  Rwanda; 15 October 2024
GK	Karim Abdoul Aziz	(2005-08-13) 13 August 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Dadje	v.  Libya; 10 September 2024
DF	Olivier Verdon	(1995-10-05) 5 October 1995 (age 29)	37	0	Ludogorets Razgrad	v.  Rwanda; 15 October 2024
DF	Cédric Hountondji	(1994-01-19) 19 January 1994 (age 31)	31	2	Angers	v.  Rwanda; 15 October 2024
DF	Youssouf Assogba	(2001-08-21) 21 August 2001 (age 23)	20	0	Bordeaux	v.  Senegal; 26 March 2024
MF	Romaric Amoussou	(2000-12-10) 10 December 2000 (age 24)	3	0	ASEC Mimosas	v.  Libya; 18 November 2024
MF	Ryan Adigo	(2001-04-15) 15 April 2001 (age 24)	1	0	1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig	v.  Libya; 18 November 2024
MF	Lenny Pirringuel	(2004-03-02) 2 March 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Quevilly-Rouen	v.  Libya; 18 November 2024
MF	Ricardo Prince Dossou	(2006-07-20) 20 July 2006 (age 19)	4	0	ASVO	v.  Nigeria; 10 June 2024
FW	Tosin Aiyegun	(1998-06-26) 26 June 1998 (age 27)	18	3	Lorient	v.  Libya; 18 November 2024
FW	Samson Akinyoola	(2000-03-03) 3 March 2000 (age 25)	2	0	Zamalek	v.  Nigeria; 10 June 2024
FW	David Tchétchao	(2003-09-29) 29 September 2003 (age 21)	1	0	ASVO	v.  Nigeria; 10 June 2024
FW	Charbel Gomez	(2001-01-27) 27 January 2001 (age 24)	18	0	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 is Benin's top goalscorer and their most capped player.

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
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									2	0	0	2	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									6	2	2	2	6	7
2030										To be determined
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
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	5/35	14	0	5	9	7	24

West African Nations Cup 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 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