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Djibouti national football team facts for kids

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This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Djibouti women's national football team.
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Djibouti
Nickname(s) Riverains de la Mer Rouge (Shoremen of the Red Sea)
Association Djiboutian Football Federation
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation CECAFA
(East & Central Africa)
Head coach Abdourahman Okie Hadi
Captain Mahdi Houssein Mahabeh
Most caps Ali Youssouf Farada
Daoud Wais (34)
Top scorer Samuel Akinbinu (8)
Home stadium El Hadj Hassan Gouled Aptidon Stadium
FIFA code DJI
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 197 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 169 (December 1994)
Lowest 203 (April–July 2015, November 2015)
Elo ranking
Current 210 Increase 1 (3 March 2019)
Highest 94 (1947)
Lowest 214 (2016)
First international
 French Somaliland 0–5 Ethiopia 
(French Somaliland; 5 December 1947)
Post-independence
 Ethiopia 8–1 Djibouti 
(Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 27 March 1983)
Biggest win
 Djibouti 4–1 South Yemen 
(Djibouti City, Djibouti; 26 February 1988)
 Djibouti 3–0 Mauritius 
(Djibouti City, Djibouti; 23 November 2019)
Biggest defeat
 Uganda 10–1 Djibouti 
(Kigali, Rwanda; 9 December 2001)
 Rwanda 9–0 Djibouti 
(Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; 13 December 2007)
CECAFA Cup
Appearances 12 (first in 1994)
Best result Group stage (1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2019)

The Djibouti national football team, also known as the "Riverains de la Mer Rouge" (which means "Shoremen of the Red Sea"), is the official football team for Djibouti. It is managed by the Djiboutian Football Federation. The team is part of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA). Djibouti's first win in a game approved by FIFA was a 1–0 victory against Somalia. This happened during the first round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.

History of Djibouti Football

Early Years as French Somaliland (1947–1960)

Djibouti's football journey began when it was known as French Somaliland. Their very first international match was at home against their neighbor, Ethiopia, on December 5, 1947. They lost that game 5–0. Ethiopia was also playing its first game that day!

The two teams played again in 1948, and Ethiopia won 2–1. In 1949, they competed for the Emperor Cup in Ethiopia, where the home team won 6–0. French Somaliland played Ethiopia three more times in 1954, losing all matches. Their last game as French Somaliland was in 1960, during a tournament in Madagascar for French-speaking countries. They lost 9–2 to Cameroon.

Becoming Djibouti (1977–Present)

After Djibouti became an independent country in 1977, the team played its first game under the new name on March 27, 1983. They faced Ethiopia again and lost 8–1. Two days later, Ethiopia won again, 4–2. In 1984, Djibouti played in a tournament in Ethiopia, losing to both Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.

Djibouti first joined the CECAFA Cup in 1994. This is a competition for teams in East and Central Africa. They lost all their matches in that tournament. After 1994, Djibouti didn't play much until the qualifiers for the 1998 African Cup of Nations. They lost both games to Kenya, with a total score of 12–1.

In 1998, Djibouti joined the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA). Since then, they have taken part in the Arab Games, which is a sports event for Arab countries.

Djibouti tried to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup for the first time. They played against the DR Congo. The first game in Djibouti ended in a 1–1 draw. But in the second game, DR Congo won 9–1, so Djibouti didn't qualify.

The team has often not played in the African Cup of Nations because of money problems.

However, things started to get better in late 2019! Djibouti had only won 2 games out of 60 before this. But with new players, they improved. They beat Eswatini 2–1 at home and drew 0–0 away in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. This allowed them to move to the second round, which was a big step forward! They also drew twice against Gambia in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round, only losing on penalties.

Recent Matches and Schedule

Main article: Djibouti national football team results

Here are the results from the last year and upcoming games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Matches

2024 Matches

Coaches of the Djibouti Team

This table shows the coaches who have led the Djibouti national football team over the years.

Name Nat Period Matches Wins Draws Losses Win %
Mohamed Bader Djibouti 1998? – Dec 2001 15 0 2 13 0.00%
Ahmed Hussein Djibouti Oct 2007 – Dec 2007 4 1 0 3 25.00%
Mohamed Abar Djibouti Jan 2008 – Jun 2008 4 0 0 4 0.00%
Ahmed Abdelmonem Egypt Jul 2008 – Jul 2010 11 0 1 10 0.00%
Noureddine Gharsalli Tunisia Oct 2011 – Jul 2016 5 0 0 5 0.00%
Michael Gibson England Jul 2016 – Apr 2017 4 1 0 3 25.00%
Moussa Ghassoum Mauritania Dec 2017 – Apr 2019 5 0 0 5 0.00%
Julien Mette France Apr 2019 – Oct 2021 13 3 3 7 23.08%
Mohamed Meraneh Hassan Djibouti Oct 2021 – Jan 2022 6 1 0 5 25.00%
Abdourahman Okie Hadi Djibouti Jan 2022 - present 2 2 2 0 20.00%

Players of the Djibouti Team

Current Squad

These are the players chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in June 2024.

The numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of June 9, 2024, after the match against Ethiopia.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Sulait Luyima (1993-11-04) 4 November 1993 (age 31) 6 0 Djibouti Arta Solar 7
1GK Moktar Youssouf Said (2004-10-12) 12 October 2004 (age 20) 1 0 Djibouti Dikhil
1GK Aboubaker Guedi (1987-10-02) 2 October 1987 (age 37) 0 0 Djibouti SDC Group
2DF Ali Youssouf Farada (1995-08-25) 25 August 1995 (age 29) 34 1 Djibouti AS Port
2DF Yabe Siad (1998-03-12) 12 March 1998 (age 27) 25 1 Djibouti Arta Solar 7
2DF Warsama Ibrahim Aden (1998-05-12) 12 May 1998 (age 27) 22 1 Djibouti AS Port
2DF Moussa Araita (1997-07-24) 24 July 1997 (age 27) 19 0 Djibouti AS Port
2DF Fouad Moussa Robleh (1993-04-28) 28 April 1993 (age 32) 15 1 Djibouti Arta Solar 7
2DF Moustapha Abdi Osman (1992-01-08) 8 January 1992 (age 33) 8 0 Djibouti Garde Républicaine FC
2DF Ibrahim Idriss Mohamed (2002-11-14) 14 November 2002 (age 22) 5 0 Djibouti ASAS Djibouti Télécom
2DF Abdillahi Elmi (2003-03-19) 19 March 2003 (age 22) 4 0 Djibouti ASAS Djibouti Télécom
2DF Djimaleh Awaleh Kayad (1995-10-20) 20 October 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Djibouti Gendarmerie
3MF Doualeh Mahamoud Elabeh (1991-11-11) 11 November 1991 (age 33) 30 1 Djibouti Arta Solar 7
3MF Hamza Abdi Idleh (1991-12-16) 16 December 1991 (age 33) 27 2 Djibouti Dikhil
3MF Ahmed Mohamed Aden (1990-12-04) 4 December 1990 (age 34) 8 0 Djibouti Arta Solar 7
3MF Ramadan Abdi Abdillahi (1998-01-18) 18 January 1998 (age 27) 2 0 Djibouti ASAS Djibouti Télécom
3MF Awaleh Hoch Gedo (2001-10-18) 18 October 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Djibouti Garde Républicaine FC
4FW Samuel Akinbinu (1999-06-06) 6 June 1999 (age 26) 21 8 Djibouti Arta Solar 7
4FW Ahmed Youssouf Omar (1998-09-01) 1 September 1998 (age 26) 12 0 Djibouti AS Port
4FW Gabriel Dadzie (1997-03-06) 6 March 1997 (age 28) 13 5 Djibouti Arta Solar 7
4FW Mahad Abdi (1999-07-11) 11 July 1999 (age 25) 7 0 Djibouti Garde Républicaine FC
4FW Moktar Hassan (1998-04-15) 15 April 1998 (age 27) 1 0 Djibouti ASAS Djibouti Télécom
3MF Zakaria Abdi Mouhoumed (2000-04-23) 23 April 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Djibouti SDC Group

Players Recently Called Up

These players were part of the national team in the last year but are not in the current squad.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Innocent Mbonihankuye (1996-11-05) 5 November 1996 (age 28) 25 0 Djibouti Espereance v.  Guinea-Bissau; 20 November 2023
DF Idriss Houmed Bilha (1997-08-27) 27 August 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Djibouti Arta Solar 7 v.  Equatorial Guinea; 9 January 2024
MF Warsama Hassan (1999-03-17) 17 March 1999 (age 26) 25 2 Djibouti Arta Solar 7 v.  Equatorial Guinea; 9 January 2024
FW Mahdi Houssein Mahabeh (1995-12-20) 20 December 1995 (age 29) 29 7 Djibouti Arta Solar 7 v.  Equatorial Guinea; 9 January 2024
FW Mohamed Fouad Mohamed (2000-02-25) 25 February 2000 (age 25) 18 1 Djibouti Arta Solar 7 v.  Equatorial Guinea; 9 January 2024
FW Omar Abdallah (2002-10-30) 30 October 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Djibouti Garde Républicaine v.  Equatorial Guinea; 9 January 2024

Player Records

These tables show the players who have played the most games and scored the most goals for Djibouti.

Players in bold are still playing for Djibouti.

Most Games Played

Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Ali Youssouf Farada 34 1 2017–present
Daoud Wais 34 1 2008–2021
3 Daher Mohamed Kadar [it] 33 1 2006–2017
4 Doualeh Mahamoud Elabeh 30 1 2016–present
5 Mahdi Houssein Mahabeh 29 7 2016–present
6 Hamza Abdi Idleh 27 2 2016–present
7 Warsama Hassan 25 2 2019–present
Innocent Mbonihankuye 25 0 2019–present
Yabe Siad 25 1 2019–present
10 Guedi Hassan 23 0 2007–2016

Top Goal Scorers

Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Samuel Akinbinu 8 21 0.38 2021–present
2 Mahdi Houssein Mahabeh 7 29 0.24 2016–present
3 Gabriel Dadzie 5 13 0.38 2022–present
4 Ahmed Daher 3 13 0.23 2007–2009
5 Ahmed Daoud 2 3 0.67 2011
Abdourahman Okieh Hadi 2 3 0.67 2005–2006
Arid Ahmed Mohamed 2 5 0.4 1999–2000
Mohamed Liban 2 17 0.12 2008–2015
Warsama Hassan 2 25 0.08 2019–present
Hamza Abdi Idleh 2 27 0.07 2016–present

Tournament History

Djibouti has taken part in various football tournaments. Here's how they've done in some of the major ones.

FIFA World Cup

Djibouti has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Appearances: 0 Appearances: 6
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 1994 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
France 1998 Did not enter Declined participation
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 10
Germany 2006 Did not enter Declined participation
South Africa 2010 Did not qualify 7 1 0 6 3 30
Brazil 2014 2 0 0 2 0 8
Russia 2018 2 0 0 2 1 8
Qatar 2022 8 1 1 6 6 30
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 4 0 1 3 2 10
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/7 25 2 3 20 14 96

Africa Cup of Nations

Djibouti has never qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Africa Cup of Nations record
Appearances: 0
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Sudan 1957 to Ethiopia 1976 Part of  France
Ghana 1978 to Senegal 1992 Not affiliated to CAF
Tunisia 1994 Did not enter
South Africa 1996
Burkina Faso 1998
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Did not qualify
Mali 2002
Tunisia 2004 Withdrew
Egypt 2006 Did not enter
Ghana 2008 Withdrew
Angola 2010 Did not qualify
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 Did not enter
South Africa 2013
Equatorial Guinea 2015
Gabon 2017 Did not qualify
Egypt 2019
Cameroon 2021
Ivory Coast 2023
Morocco 2025
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined
Total 0/35

CECAFA Cup

Main article: CECAFA Cup

Djibouti has participated in the CECAFA Cup 12 times.

CECAFA Cup record
Appearances: 10
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Uganda 1973 Part of  France
Tanzania 1974
Zambia 1975
Zanzibar 1976
Somalia 1977 Did not enter
Malawi 1978
Kenya 1979
Sudan 1980
Tanzania 1981
Uganda 1982
Kenya 1983
Uganda 1984
Zimbabwe 1985
Ethiopia 1987
Malawi 1988
Kenya 1989
Zanzibar 1990
Uganda 1991
Tanzania 1992
Kenya 1994 Group Stage 8th 3 0 0 3 2 9
Uganda 1995 Did not enter
Sudan 1996
Rwanda 1999 Group Stage 11th 2 0 0 2 2 6
Uganda 2000 8th 4 0 1 3 4 15
Rwanda 2001 11th 3 0 0 3 3 17
Tanzania 2002 Did not enter
Sudan 2003
Ethiopia 2004
Rwanda 2005 Group Stage 10th 4 0 0 4 2 18
Ethiopia 2006 11th 3 0 0 3 0 10
Tanzania 2007 8th 3 0 0 3 2 19
Uganda 2008 10th 4 0 1 3 2 13
Kenya 2009 12th 3 0 0 3 0 13
Tanzania 2010 Did not enter
Tanzania 2011 Group Stage 11th 3 0 0 3 2 10
Uganda 2012 did not enter
Kenya 2013
Rwanda 2015 Group Stage 11th 3 0 0 3 0 9
Kenya 2017 Did not enter
Uganda 2019 Group Stage 6th 4 1 1 2 3 8
Total 0 Titles 12/39 35 1 3 35 22 147

Other Competitions

FIFA Arab Cup

Djibouti has not qualified for the main FIFA Arab Cup tournament.

FIFA Arab Cup record Arab Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Lebanon 1963 Part of  France Part of  France
Kuwait 1964
Iraq 1966
Saudi Arabia 1985 Did not enter Did not enter
Jordan 1988
Syria 1992
Qatar 1998
Kuwait 2002
2009 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 3 8
Saudi Arabia 2012 Did not enter Did not enter
Qatar 2021 Did not qualify 1 0 0 1 0 1
Total 0/9 3 0 0 3 3 9

The 2009 edition was cancelled during qualification.

African Nations Championship

This tournament is for players who play in their own country's league. Djibouti has not qualified for it.

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 0
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009 Did not enter
Sudan 2011 Did not qualify
South Africa 2014 Did not enter
Rwanda 2016 Did not qualify
Morocco 2018 Withdrew during qualifying
Cameroon 2020 Banned
Algeria 2022 Did not qualify
Total 0/7

More About Djibouti Football

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Yibuti para niños

  • French Somaliland national football team
  • Djibouti national football team results
  • Football in Djibouti
  • Djiboutian Football Federation
  • Djibouti Premier League
  • Djibouti Cup
  • Stade du Ville
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