Comoros national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Comoros

Nickname(s)	Les Coelacantes (The Coelacanths)
Association	Fédération de Football de Comores (FFC)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach	Stefano Cusin
Captain	Mohamed Youssouf
Most caps	Youssouf M'Changama (62)
Top scorer	Ben Nabouhane (18)
Home stadium	Stade Omnisports de Malouzini
FIFA code	COM
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	142 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest	108 (October 2024)
Lowest	207 (December 2006)
Elo ranking
Current	179 7 (3 March 2019)
Highest	172 (August 1979)
Lowest	208 (September 2003)
First international
Mauritius 3–0 Comoros  (Saint-Denis, Réunion; 26 August 1979)
Biggest win
Comoros 7–1 Seychelles  (Mitsamiouli, Comoros; 1 September 2021)
Biggest defeat
Réunion 6–1 Comoros  (Saint-Denis, Réunion; 31 August 1979)  Madagascar 5–0 Comoros  (Victoria, Seychelles; 20 August 1993)  Mauritius 5–0 Comoros  (Curepipe, Mauritius; 4 September 2003)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	2 (first in 2021)
Best result	Round of 16 (2021)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances	7 (first in 2008)
Best result	Fourth place (2024)

The Comoros national football team represents the island nation of Comoros in international football games. This team is controlled by the Comoros Football Federation. It was started in 1979 and later joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2003. In 2005, it became a member of FIFA, which is the world's football governing body.

Comoros made history in 2021 when they qualified for their first big tournament, the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. They secured their spot after a 0–0 draw with Togo.

History of Comoros Football

The Comoros national football team played its very first matches in the 1979 Indian Ocean Island Games. After that, they didn't play many games until 2006. That's when they played in the qualification rounds for the 2009 Arab Nations Cup.

These two matches were their first official games recognized by FIFA. One of these games was a great 4–2 win against Djibouti. In 2007, Comoros tried to qualify for the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time. However, they lost to Madagascar with a total score of 2–10.

During the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in October 2015, Les Coelacantes (which means "The Coelacanths," their nickname) achieved a big milestone. They moved past the first round for the first time ever. They beat Lesotho because they scored more away goals after two tied games.

Since then, their results have steadily improved. They have won games at home against teams like Botswana, Mauritius, and Malawi in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

On November 14, 2019, Comoros started their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification journey with an important 1–0 win away from home against Togo. This was their first away win in a major qualifying match. They continued to play well and qualified for the final tournament. This was their first major tournament since they joined FIFA.

At the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, a player named Ahmed Mogni scored two goals for Comoros. This happened in their group match against Ghana, which Comoros won 3–2. The BBC called this win "one of the biggest shocks in Nations Cup history."

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Comoros started very strongly. They won 4–2 against Central African Republic and 1–0 against Ghana. Both of these games were played at their home stadium. Comoros then won 2-0 against Chad, but they also lost 2-1 to Madagascar.

During the 2024 COSAFA Cup, Comoros reached the semi-finals for the first time ever. They lost 2-1 against Angola. After that, they finished in fourth place after losing a penalty shootout against Mozambique.

Recent Matches

Here's a look at some of the Comoros team's recent match results.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Matches

• November 17: Comoros won 4–2 against Central African Republic in a World Cup qualifier.
• November 21: Comoros won 1–0 against Ghana in a World Cup qualifier.

2024 Matches

• March 22: Comoros won 4–0 against Uganda in a friendly match.
• March 25: Comoros drew 0–0 with Angola in a friendly match.
• June 7: Comoros lost 2–1 to Madagascar in a World Cup qualifier.
• June 11: Comoros won 2–0 against Chad in a World Cup qualifier.
• June 27: Comoros lost 1–0 to Zimbabwe in the COSAFA Cup.
• June 30: Comoros won 2–0 against Kenya in the COSAFA Cup.
• July 2: Comoros won 1–0 against Zambia in the COSAFA Cup.
• July 5: Comoros lost 2–1 to Angola in the COSAFA Cup semi-final.
• July 7: Comoros drew 2–2 with Mozambique in the COSAFA Cup 3rd place match, losing on penalties.
• September 4: Comoros drew 1–1 with Gambia in an AFCON qualifier.
• September 9: Comoros drew 1–1 with Madagascar in an AFCON qualifier.
• October 11: Comoros won 1–0 against Tunisia in an AFCON qualifier.
• October 15: Comoros drew 1–1 with Tunisia in an AFCON qualifier.
• November 15: Comoros won 2–1 against Gambia in an AFCON qualifier.
• November 18: Comoros won 1–0 against Madagascar in an AFCON qualifier.

Coaching Staff

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

Position	Name
Head coach	Stefano Cusin
Assistant coaches	Davide Cusin Aboubakar Houmadi
Goalkeeping coach	Faisal Soilihi
Fitness coach	Youssouf Omar
Match analyst	Said Hamadi
Technical director	Ali Mbaé Camara

Coaching History

Here are the coaches who have led the Comoros national football team over the years.

Players

Current Squad

These are the players who were chosen for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification games in September 2024.

The number of games played (Caps) and goals scored are correct as of June 27, 2024, after the match against  Zimbabwe.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Salim Ben Boina	(1991-07-19) 19 July 1991 (age 33)	24	0	Épinal
	1GK	Yannick Pandor	(2001-05-01) 1 May 2001 (age 24)	5	0	Martigues
	1GK	Adel Anzimati-Aboudou	(2001-11-05) 5 November 2001 (age 23)	2	0	Boulogne
	2DF	Saïd Bakari	(1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 (age 30)	38	0	Sparta Rotterdam
	2DF	Kassim M'Dahoma	(1997-01-26) 26 January 1997 (age 28)	29	1	Aubagne
	2DF	Younn Zahary	(1998-10-08) 8 October 1998 (age 26)	20	0	Žalgiris Vilnius
	2DF	Ahmed Soilihi	(1996-07-01) 1 July 1996 (age 28)	12	0	Quevilly-Rouen
	2DF	Abdel-Hakim Abdallah	(1997-08-18) 18 August 1997 (age 27)	11	0	Rodez
	2DF	Akim Djaha	(1998-09-14) 14 September 1998 (age 26)	3	0	Martigues
	2DF	Ismaël Boura	(2000-08-14) 14 August 2000 (age 24)	1	0	Troyes
	2DF	Warmed Omari	(2000-04-23) 23 April 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Lyon
	3MF	Youssouf M'Changama	(1990-08-29) 29 August 1990 (age 34)	63	12	Troyes
	3MF	Yacine Bourhane	(1998-09-30) 30 September 1998 (age 26)	21	0	Esbjerg
	3MF	Iyad Mohamed	(2001-03-05) 5 March 2001 (age 24)	13	0	Pau
	3MF	Aymeric Ahmed	(2003-11-08) 8 November 2003 (age 21)	6	0	Strasbourg B
	3MF	Raïmane Daou	(2004-11-20) 20 November 2004 (age 20)	4	0	Marseille B
	3MF	Rayan Lutin	(2003-01-16) 16 January 2003 (age 22)	0	0	Amiens
	4FW	Benjaloud Youssouf	(1994-02-11) 11 February 1994 (age 31)	46	4	Dunkerque
	4FW	Ibroihim Youssouf	(1994-05-06) 6 May 1994 (age 31)	42	8	African Stars
	4FW	El Fardou Ben Nabouhane	(1989-06-10) 10 June 1989 (age 36)	39	19	Železničar Pančevo
	4FW	Faïz Selemani	(1993-11-14) 14 November 1993 (age 31)	32	6	Al-Hazem
	4FW	Faiz Mattoir	(2000-07-12) 12 July 2000 (age 24)	10	1	Almere City
	4FW	Myziane Maolida	(1999-02-14) 14 February 1999 (age 26)	5	3	Al-Kholood
	4FW	Rafiki Saïd	(2000-03-15) 15 March 2000 (age 25)	4	3	Troyes

Player Records

These tables show some of the best players in Comoros' football history, based on how many games they've played and how many goals they've scored.

Players whose names are in bold are still playing for the Comoros national team.

Most Appearances

Youssouf M'Changama is Comoros' most capped player with 63 appearances.

This table lists the players who have played the most games for the Comoros national team.

Top Goalscorers

Ben Nabouhane is Comoros' top scorer with 19 goals.

This table shows the players who have scored the most goals for the Comoros national team.

Competitive Records

This section shows how the Comoros national football team has performed in major football tournaments.

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest football tournament in the world. Here's how Comoros has done in trying to qualify.

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1974	Part of  France									Part of  France
1978 to 2006	Not affiliated with FIFA									Not affiliated with FIFA
2010	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	2	10
2014										2	0	0	2	1	5
2018										4	0	3	1	1	3
2022										2	0	1	1	1	3
2026	To be determined									4	3	0	1	8	4
2030										To be determined
2034
Total		0/4								14	3	4	7	13	25

Africa Cup of Nations

The Africa Cup of Nations is the main football competition in Africa. Comoros has qualified for this tournament once.

Africa Cup of Nations record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of  France										Part of  France
1959
1962
1963
1965
1968
1970
1974
1976	Not a member of CAF										Not a member of CAF
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004	Did not enter										Did not enter
2006
2008
2010	Did not qualify										2	0	0	2	2	10
2012											6	0	1	5	2	14
2013	Did not enter										Did not enter
2015	Did not qualify										2	0	1	1	1	2
2017											6	1	0	5	2	7
2019											8	2	3	3	8	10
2021	Round of 16	16th	4	1	0	3	4	7	Squad		6	2	3	1	4	6
2023	Did not qualify										6	2	1	3	6	8
2025	Qualified										6	3	3	0	7	4
2027	To be determined
2029
Total	Round of 16	1/34	4	1	0	3	4	7	—		42	10	12	20	32	61

COSAFA Cup

The COSAFA Cup is a football tournament for teams in Southern Africa. Comoros has participated in it several times.

COSAFA Cup record
Appearances: 7
Year	Round	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1997 to 2007	Not affiliated with COSAFA
2008	Group stage	11th	3	0	0	3	0	5
2009		5th	3	1	1	1	2	4
2010	Cancelled
2013	Did not enter
2015
2016
2017
2018	Group stage	12th	3	0	1	2	1	5
2019	Quarter-finals	8th	3	1	1	1	4	5
2020	Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021	Withdrew
2022	Group stage	12th	3	1	0	2	3	5
2023		8th	3	1	0	2	4	4
2024	Fourth place	4th	5	2	1	2	6	4
Total	Fourth place	7/22	23	6	3	13	20	32

Indian Ocean Island Games

The Indian Ocean Island Games is a multi-sport event for islands in the Indian Ocean. Comoros has won bronze medals twice in football.

Indian Ocean Island Games record
Appearances: 10
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1979	Bronze medalists	3rd	4	1	0	3	4	12
1985	Bronze medalists	3rd	3	1	1	1	4	3
1990	Fourth place	4th	4	1	0	3	2	8
1993	Group Stage	5th	2	0	0	2	0	8
1998		5th	2	0	0	2	0	6
2003	Fourth place	4th	4	0	0	4	0	12
2007	Group stage	6th	2	0	1	1	1	4
2011		5th	3	0	2	1	2	4
2015		7th	2	0	0	2	0	6
2019		5th	3	2	0	1	4	2
2023	Fourth place	4th	4	0	2	2	3	7
Total	Bronze medalists	11/11	33	5	6	22	20	72

Honours

Regional

• Indian Ocean Island Games
  • Bronze Medal (2): 1979, 1985

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Comoras para niños