Chad national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Chad

Nickname(s)	Les Sao
Association	Fédération Tchadienne de Football Association (FTFA)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	UNIFFAC (Central Africa)
Head coach	Kevin Nicaise
Captain	Casimir Ninga
Most caps	Ezechiel N'Douassel (49)
Top scorer	Ezechiel N'Douassel (14)
Home stadium	Stade Idriss Mahamat Ouya
FIFA code	CHA
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	175 (7 February 2019)
Highest	97 (April 2016)
Lowest	190 (June–September 1997)
Elo ranking
Current	147 (3 March 2019)
Highest	111 (December 1977)
Lowest	159 (November 2011)
First international
Chad 2–2 Niger  (Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 25 December 1961)
Biggest win
Chad 5–0 São Tomé and Príncipe  (Libreville, Gabon; June 29, 1976)  Chad 5–0 São Tomé and Príncipe  (Libreville, Gabon; 10 November 1999)
Biggest defeat
Congo 11–0 Chad  (Congo; 28 March 1964)

The Chad national football team (Arabic: منتخب تشاد لكرة القدم, French: Équipe du Tchad de football), nicknamed Les Sao (Arabic: ساو), represents Chad in international football and is controlled by the Chadian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country. The team has never qualified for the World Cup finals or Africa Cup of Nations. Home matches are played at the Idriss Mahamat Ouya Stadium. In April 2021, FIFA banned the Chad national football team from participating in global football over the Chadian government's interference with the Chadian Football Federation.

History

The Chadian Football Federation was founded in 1962 and became affiliated to FIFA and CAF in 1988.

Chad's national football team did not play a big role in world football until the 1990s. They did not enter any qualifiers for Continental or World Cups until the early 1990s when they played their first qualifying matches for the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Senegal. Until then, they played mostly friendly matches and minor cups, mostly with African teams.

The national team had a difficult start − the first match they ever played was in the L'Amitié Tournament, which took place in Senegal in 1963, and it was a 2–1 defeat to Liberia. Soon after, they suffered a 6–2 loss to Dahomey (now Benin).

The Chad national football team never qualified for either the Africa Cup of Nations or the World Cup. Their first participation in the World Cup qualifiers was in 2000 when they were eliminated in the first round by Liberia, losing 0–1 at home, and playing 0–0 away. They were coached by Marcel Mao. Their next attempt was in 2003, under Yann Djim, but they were eliminated by Angola. They won their first home game when Francis Oumar Belonga scored a hat trick, 3–1. They lost their away match 2–0, and went no further. The qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup brought more matches because they played in a group phase together with Mali, Sudan and Congo. They finished at the bottom of the group, with six points (two wins and four losses).

In the qualifying competition for the 2014 World Cup, Chad faced Tanzania in a first-round playoff. Tanzania advanced despite shockingly losing 1–0 at home at Dar es Salaam's National Stadium. The Taifa Stars were tipped for an emphatic victory over the visitors, having won the first-leg 2–1 in N'Djamena. Chad stunned the home side three minutes after the break when Mahamat Ahmat Labo struck to silence the home crowd. But Tanzania managed to progress to the next round thanks to the away goals rule as they were tied 2–2 on aggregate.

Chad played against Malawi in the qualifiers for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Chad won the first leg match 3–2, but lost 2–0 in Blantyre to be eliminated with an aggregate score of 4–3.

In the qualifiers for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Malawi was the opponent once again. Chad lost 2–0 in the first leg at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre, but they won 3–1 in at Idriss Mahamat Ouya Stadium in N'Djamena, losing on the away goals rule. Forward Robin Ngalande turned into a savior for Malawi when he came off the bench to score a crucial late goal.

The biggest achievement for Chad so far is a CEMAC Cup (Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa) title in 2014, after beating Congo 3–2 in the final on December 14 in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. French-born Emmanuel Trégoat managed the team. Their previous best was a second place in the 2005 edition, when they lost to Cameroon in the final.

Les Sao had a disappointing start into their qualifying campaign for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, losing 2–0 to Nigeria and slumping to a 5–1 defeat at home against Egypt. But it was then that things took a turn for the better, as coach Moudou Kouta, who was in charge of the side on an interim basis, took the team to an unexpected victory against Sierra Leone in the first round of the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup. Les Sao won 1–0 at home and even though they were beaten 2–1 in the return leg, they advanced to the second round of the qualifiers on away goals. Chad sensationally defeated Egypt 1–0 at home in the second round before falling to a 4–0 defeat in Alexandria three days later.

In March 2016, the Chadian Football Federation announced they were withdrawing from the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification due to financial problems. The team was subsequently banned from entering the following edition, meaning they would play no official games for over three years until September 2019, when Chad lost 1–3 at home to Sudan in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. A month later Les Sao defeated Liberia on penalties to reach the Group Stage of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification.

In March 2021, the Chadian government dissolved the Chadian Football Federation, leaving Chad facing a likely ban under FIFA regulations that prevent governments from interfering in the running of a country's football team. In April 2021, FIFA announced an indefinite ban from global football, citing the Chadian government's interference. Due to this decision, CAF disqualified Chad from its participation in the 2021 AFCON qualifiers.

Kits

Kit provider	Period
Salamant	1974–1979
Mitre	1980–1992
Fila	1993–2000
Adidas	2001–2020
Kipsta	2020–2021
Anta	2021–2022
Macron	2022–2024
Puma	2024-Present

During the independence of Chad, the team competed in international matches and played in a blue shirt, blue shorts, and red socks. These are the national colours of the French flag. In the 1970s, Chad's home colors changed to blue-yellow-red. Their first away kit in 1960 was white shirt, red shorts, and white socks. In 1980, the away kit color changed into red shirt, blue shorts, and yellow socks.

Results and fixtures

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       Loss       Fixture

2023

2026 World Cup Qualification 17 November	Mali	3–1	Chad	Bamako, Mali
19:00 UTC±0	Doumbia  45' Niakaté  77' Sissoko  81'	https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400017625	Mouandilmadji  53'	Stadium: Stade du 26 Mars Referee: Ahmad Imtehaz Heeralall (Mauritius)

2026 World Cup Qualification 20 November	Chad	0–3	Madagascar	Oujda, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400017629	Rakotoharimalala  10', 84' Lapoussin  90+1'	Stadium: Stade municipal d'Oujda Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Tewodros Mitiku (Ethiopia)

2024

2025 AFCON qualification 22 March	Chad	1–0	Mauritius	Yaoundé, Cameroon
19:00 UTC+1	Mouandilmadji  90+3'	https://globalsportsarchive.com/match/soccer/2024-03-22/chad-vs-mauritius/3283347/		Stadium: Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium Referee: Ahmed Hassan Hussein (Somalia)

2025 AFCON qualification 26 March	Mauritius	1–2 (1–3 agg.)	Chad	Saint Pierre, Mauritius
19:00 UTC+4	Villeneuve  45+2'	https://globalsportsarchive.com/match/soccer/2024-03-26/mauritius-vs-chad/3283348/	Hiver  74' Hissein  90+10'	Stadium: Côte d'Or National Sports Complex Referee: Hassen Corneh (Liberia)
Note: Chad won 3–1 on aggregate.

2026 World Cup qualification 5 June	Central African Republic	1–0	Chad	Oujda, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1	Baboula  29'	https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400018212		Stadium: Stade Municipal d'Oujda Attendance: 1,300 Referee: Patrice Milazare (Mauritius)

2026 World Cup qualification 11 June	Chad	0–2	Comoros	Oujda, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400018213	Maolida  59' Ben  76'	Stadium: Stade Municipal d'Oujda Attendance: 400 Referee: Adalbert Diouf (Senegal)

Coaching history

Current staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Kevin Nicaise
Assistant coaches	Djaïd Soubirou Mahamat Tchamade
Goalkeeping coach	Idriss Ngaroua
Match analyst	Souleyman Djaffar
Fitness coach	Ahmadou Nagoum
Doctor	Dr. Abakar Djiourou
Physiotherapists	Boubakar Hassane Yaya Tchadé Bakari Akou Issa Ngari
Team coordinator	Kader Sougou
Technical director	Moudou Kouta

Players

Current squad

The following players have been called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against the Central African Republic and Comoros on 5 and 11 June 2024, respectively.

Caps and goals current as of 5 June 2024 after the match against Central African Republic.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Gabin Allambatnan	(2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 24)	11	0	Coton Sport
	1GK	Mathieu Adoassou	(1993-11-11) 11 November 1993 (age 31)	10	0	Renaissance
	1GK	Barka Abdramane		0	0	PSI N'Djamena
	2DF	Ahmat Abderamane	(1993-01-04) 4 January 1993 (age 31)	17	3	Renaissance
	2DF	Marcel Ninga	(1988-04-25) 25 April 1988 (age 36)	14	0	Elect-Sport
	2DF	Acyl Mbogo	(2004-11-28) 28 November 2004 (age 20)	7	1	Foullah Edifice
	2DF	Abdallah Abdelrazakh	(1994-01-01) 1 January 1994 (age 30)	5	0	Al-Fao
	2DF	Aubin Mbaïgolmem	(1994-10-22) 22 October 1994 (age 30)	5	0	Foullah Edifice
	2DF	Charles Tchouplaou	(2001-01-30) 30 January 2001 (age 23)	3	1	Colombe Sportive
	2DF	Bambara Djela	(2004-03-22) 22 March 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Elect-Sport
	2DF	Marvin Assane	(1993-07-30) 30 July 1993 (age 31)	2	0	Dietikon
	3MF	Éric Mbangossoum	(2000-05-26) 26 May 2000 (age 24)	15	0	Union de Touarga
	3MF	Yves Allarabaye	(2003-09-07) 7 September 2003 (age 21)	6	0	Santé d'Abéché
	3MF	Frederic Djoeta	(2003-09-12) 12 September 2003 (age 21)	5	0	Elect-Sport
	3MF	Mahamat Thiam	(2001-09-15) 15 September 2001 (age 23)	3	0	Kolkheti
	3MF	Brahim Azaz Goudja	(2003-04-10) 10 April 2003 (age 21)	2	0	PSI N'Djamena
	3MF	Hyacinthe Bobandi	(2002-12-23) 23 December 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Royal
	4FW	Bakhit Djibrine	(1995-04-17) 17 April 1995 (age 29)	19	0	Foullah Edifice
	4FW	Marius Mouandilmadji (captain)	(1997-01-22) 22 January 1997 (age 27)	14	2	Samsunspor
	4FW	Amine Hiver	(1998-04-11) 11 April 1998 (age 26)	8	0	Aigle Royal Menoua
	4FW	Ahmat Adam Mahamat	(2005-08-01) 1 August 2005 (age 19)	5	0	Foullah Edifice
	4FW	Ahmat Moussa Youssouf	(2003-09-18) 18 September 2003 (age 21)	5	0	Paris B
	4FW	Ousman Hissein	(2003-10-13) 13 October 2003 (age 21)	1	0	PSI N'Djamena

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Chad in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Serge Diguel	(1989-06-26) 26 June 1989 (age 35)	0	0	Aigle Royal Menoua	v.  Madagascar; 20 November 2023
GK	Christian Ramadjingaye	(2000-02-02) 2 February 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Aiglons	v.  Sudan; 20 October 2023
DF	Fabrice Djimhoue	(1996-08-31) 31 August 1996 (age 28)	3	0	PSI N'Djamena	v.  Madagascar; 20 November 2023
DF	Moral Djimhotoum	(2004-12-20) 20 December 2004 (age 19)	2	0	Elect-Sport	v.  Madagascar; 20 November 2023
DF	Gabkala Daba	(2004-02-01) 1 February 2004 (age 20)	0	0	PSI N'Djamena	v.  Madagascar; 20 November 2023
DF	Abdelaziz Issa	(1995-01-02) 2 January 1995 (age 29)	9	0	Renaissance	v.  Sudan; 20 October 2023
DF	Yann Moukhtar	(1991-04-29) 29 April 1991 (age 33)	0	0	US Le Pays du Valois	v.  Sudan; 20 October 2023
DF	Keyba Jonas	(2000-12-20) 20 December 2000 (age 23)	0	0	Aiglons	v.  Sudan; 20 October 2023
MF	Abderahim Aboubakar	(1997-10-27) 27 October 1997 (age 27)	5	0	USON Mondeville	v.  Madagascar; 20 November 2023
MF	Guiguiban Loubandem	(1991-06-03) 3 June 1991 (age 33)	4	0	JS Ouidah	v.  Madagascar; 20 November 2023
MF	David Ramadingaye	(1989-09-14) 14 September 1989 (age 35)	2	0	KTP	v.  Madagascar; 20 November 2023
MF	Joël Djingar	(2000-10-24) 24 October 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Renaissance	v.  Madagascar; 20 November 2023
MF	Issa Hassaballah	(2003-09-24) 24 September 2003 (age 21)	0	0	PSI N'Djamena	v.  Madagascar; 20 November 2023
MF	Haroun Tchaouna	(2000-05-14) 14 May 2000 (age 24)	1	0	Ferentino	v.  Sudan; 20 October 2023
FW	Brahim Mahamat	(1995-11-13) 13 November 1995 (age 29)	6	0	Olympique Alès	v.  Madagascar; 20 November 2023
FW	Adoum Adam Oumar	(1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 27)	0	0	Renaissance	v.  Madagascar; 20 November 2023
FW	Yannick Masra	(1997-10-30) 30 October 1997 (age 27)	2	0	Aiglons	v.  Sudan; 20 October 2023
DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up. INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. PRE Preliminary squad. RET Player has retired from international football. SUS Suspended from the national team.

Player records

Players in bold are still active with Chad.

Most appearances

Ezechiel N'Douassel is the national team's most capped player and top scorer in history.

Top goalscorers

Competitive record

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	Part of  France									Part of  France
1962	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1966 to 1978	Did not enter									Did not enter
1982	Withdrew									Withdrew
1986	Did not enter									Did not enter
1990
1994
1998
2002	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	0	1
2006										2	1	0	1	3	3
2010										6	2	0	4	7	11
2014										2	1	0	1	2	2
2018										4	2	0	2	3	6
2022										2	0	1	1	1	3
2026	To be determined									4	0	0	4	1	9
2030										To be determined
2034
Total	−	0/15	−	−	−	−	−	−		22	6	2	14	17	35

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of  France									Part of  France
1959
1962	Not affiliated to CAF									Not affiliated to CAF
1963
1965	Did not enter									Did not enter
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992	Did not qualify									6	2	2	2	6	7
1994	Withdrew during qualifying									2	0	0	2	0	5
1996	Did not enter									Did not enter
1998
2000	Did not qualify									2	0	2	0	1	1
2002										2	1	0	1	4	4
2004										4	1	1	2	4	6
2006										2	1	0	1	3	3
2008										6	0	2	4	3	14
2010										6	2	0	4	7	11
2012										8	0	3	5	7	20
2013										2	1	0	1	3	4
2015										2	1	0	1	3	3
2017	Withdrew during qualifying									3	0	0	3	1	8
2019	Banned									Banned for withdrawing in 2017
2021	Disqualified									6	0	1	5	2	12
2023	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	2	3
2025	To be determined									To be determined
2027
2029
Total	−	0/34	−	−	−	−	−	−		51	8	12	31	42	97

Head-to-head records against other countries

Opponent	Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Goals For	Goals Against	Goal Differential
Algeria	2	0	1	1	1	4	−3
Angola	2	1	0	1	3	3	0
Bahrain	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
Benin	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1
Botswana	2	0	0	2	0	2	−2
Cameroon	3	0	2	1	0	2	−2
Central African Republic	9	3	1	5	10	16	−6
Comoros	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2
Congo	13	3	4	6	11	20	−9
DR Congo	2	0	0	2	1	7	−6
Egypt	6	1	1	4	3	18	−15
Equatorial Guinea	10	4	4	2	14	10	+4
Ethiopia	2	1	0	1	3	3	0
Gabon	14	2	4	8	10	23	−13
Gambia	2	0	1	1	2	3	−1
Guinea	3	0	1	2	1	5	−4
Ivory Coast	2	0	0	2	0	6	–6
Jordan	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1
Niger	2	0	1	1	1	3	–2
Nigeria	1	0	0	1	0	2	–2
Liberia	5	1	1	3	2	4	−2
Libya	4	1	0	3	5	10	−5
Madagascar	2	0	0	2	1	5	−4
Malawi	6	2	1	3	10	15	−5
Mali	5	0	0	5	3	12	−9
Mauritius	2	2	0	0	3	1	+2
Namibia	4	1	0	3	4	7	–3
São Tomé and Príncipe	1	1	0	0	5	0	+5
South Africa	2	0	0	2	0	7	−7
Sierra Leone	3	1	2	0	2	1	+1
Sudan	8	1	2	5	6	15	−9
Tanzania	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1
Tunisia	4	0	1	3	2	10	−8
Uganda	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2
Tanzania	2	1	0	1	2	2	0
Togo	2	0	2	0	2	2	0
Yemen	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Zambia	4	0	2	2	1	4	−3
38 Countries	154	27	34	93	110	222	−112

Honours

• CEMAC Cup
  • Winners (1): 2014
  • Runners-up (1): 2015
• UDEAC Championship
  • Runners-up (2): 1986, 1987

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Chad para niños

• List of Chad international footballers
• Football in Chad