Djibouti national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
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 (9)
Home stadium	El Hadj Hassan Gouled Aptidon Stadium
FIFA code	DJI
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	197 (7 February 2019)
Highest	169 (December 1994)
Lowest	203 (April–July 2015, November 2015)
Elo ranking
Current	210 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 represents the country of Djibouti in football games. They are often called the "Riverains de la Mer Rouge," which means "Shoremen of the Red Sea." The team is managed by the Djiboutian Football Federation. They are 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 qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Team History and Milestones

Early Years as French Somaliland (1947–1960)

Before Djibouti became an independent country, its football team played under the name 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 international match that day.

The teams played again in Djibouti on June 1, 1948, with Ethiopia winning 2–1. In 1949, they played for the Emperor Cup in Ethiopia, and the home team won 6–0. French Somaliland played Ethiopia three more times in 1954, losing all matches. The team did not play another game until 1960. In 1960, they joined a tournament for French-speaking countries in Madagascar. They lost 9–2 to Cameroon on April 13. This was their last game as French Somaliland.

Playing as Djibouti (1977–Present)

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

Djibouti first played in 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 did not play again until the qualifying games for the 1998 African Cup of Nations. They lost both games against Kenya.

In 1998, Djibouti joined the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA). Since then, the team has taken part in the Arab Games. This is a sports event for countries in the Arab World.

World Cup and Recent Progress

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. However, they lost the second game 9–1, so DR Congo moved forward.

The Djibouti team has never played in the main African Cup of Nations tournament. They often do not enter or withdraw because of money problems.

Before late 2019, Djibouti had only won 2 games, drawn 3, and lost 55 out of 60 competitive matches. But things started to get better with new players. In the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, Djibouti beat Eswatini 2–1 at home and drew 0–0 away. This allowed them to move to the second round for the first time since 2010. A month later, they drew 1–1 twice against Gambia in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round. They only lost that match on penalties.

Recent Matches and Schedule

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

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

Djibouti  v  Liberia

20 March 2025 AFCON qualification	Djibouti	0–2	Liberia	Marrakech, Morocco
22:00 UTC±0			Sangare  23' (pen.) Dorley  35'	Stadium: Stade de Marrakech Referee: Mehrez Melki (Tunisia)

Liberia  v  Djibouti

26 March 2025 AFCON qualification	Liberia	0–0 (2–0 agg.)	Djibouti	Monrovia, Liberia
16:00 UTC±0				Stadium: Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex Referee: Karim Sabry (Morocco)
Note: Liberia won 2–0 on aggregate.

Sierra Leone  v  Djibouti

5 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Sierra Leone	2–1	Djibouti	El Jadida, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1	Davies  12' Kargbo  51'		Dadzie  35' (pen.)	Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)

Djibouti  v  Ethiopia

9 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Djibouti	1–1	Ethiopia	El Jadida, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1	Dadzie  29'		Wondimu  31'	Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Chelanget Sabila (Uganda)

Djibouti  v  Rwanda

27 October 2024 CHAN qualification	Djibouti	1–0	Rwanda	Kigali (Rwanda)
15:00 UTC+2	Dadzie  79'			Stadium: Amahoro Stadium

Rwanda  v  Djibouti

31 October 2024 CHAN qualification	Rwanda	3–0	Djibouti	Kigali
18:00 UTC+2				Stadium: Amahoro Stadium

Upcoming 2025 Matches

Burkina Faso  v  Djibouti

21 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Burkina Faso	4–1	Djibouti	El Jadida, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1				Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium

Ethiopia  v  Djibouti

24 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Ethiopia	6–1	Djibouti	El Jadida, Morocco
22:00 UTC+1				Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium

Djibouti  v  Burkina Faso

September 2026 World Cup qualification

Djibouti

v

Burkina Faso

Guinea-Bissau  v  Djibouti

September 2026 World Cup qualification

Guinea-Bissau

v

Djibouti

Djibouti  v  Egypt

October 2026 World Cup qualification

Djibouti

v

Egypt

Djibouti  v  Sierra Leone

October 2026 World Cup qualification

Djibouti

v

Sierra Leone

Bahrain  v  Djibouti

November 2025 FIFA Arab Cup	Bahrain	v	Djibouti	Doha, Qatar
--:-- UTC+3				Stadium: TBD

Team Coaches

Many coaches have led the Djibouti national football team over the years. Here is a list of some of them:

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

Team Players

Current Squad Members

These players were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group A matches in March 2025. The number of games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of March 24, 2025.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Sulait Luyima	(1993-11-04) 4 November 1993 (age 31)	10	0	Arta Solar 7
	1GK	Moktar Youssouf Said	(2004-10-12) 12 October 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Dikhil
	1GK	Omar Mahamoud	(2001-10-19) 19 October 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Arta Solar 7
	2DF	Ali Youssouf Farada	(1995-08-25) 25 August 1995 (age 29)	38	1	AS Port
	2DF	Yabe Siad	(1998-03-12) 12 March 1998 (age 27)	29	1	Arta Solar 7
	2DF	Moussa Hamadou Araita	(1997-07-24) 24 July 1997 (age 28)	20	0	AS Port
	2DF	Moustapha Abdi Osman	(1992-01-08) 8 January 1992 (age 33)	12	0	Garde Républicaine
	2DF	Ibrahim Idriss Mohamed	(2002-11-14) 14 November 2002 (age 22)	9	0	ASAS Djibouti Télécom
	2DF	Yonis Kireh	(2002-05-10) 10 May 2002 (age 23)	2	0	Virginia Tech
	2DF	Ahmed Zakaria	(1998-11-12) 12 November 1998 (age 26)	2	0	Gendarmerie Nationale
	2DF	Aboubaker Liban Abdi		0	0	Unknown
	3MF	Doualeh Mahamoud Elabeh	(1991-11-11) 11 November 1991 (age 33)	34	1	Arta Solar 7
	3MF	Hamza Abdi Idleh	(1991-12-16) 16 December 1991 (age 33)	30	2	Dikhil
	3MF	Warsama Hassan	(1999-03-17) 17 March 1999 (age 26)	28	2	Arta Solar 7
	3MF	Maarouf Abass Abaneh		0	0	Unknown
	3MF	Sadik Aden		0	0	Unknown
	3MF	Ahemdini Ali Gohar		0	0	Unknown
	4FW	Mahdi Houssein Mahabeh	(1995-12-20) 20 December 1995 (age 29)	32	7	Arta Solar 7
	4FW	Samuel Akinbinu	(1999-06-06) 6 June 1999 (age 26)	23	10	Arta Solar 7
	4FW	Gabriel Dadzie	(1997-03-06) 6 March 1997 (age 28)	17	6	Al Bashayer
	4FW	Ahmed Youssouf Omar	(1998-09-01) 1 September 1998 (age 26)	16	0	AS Port
	4FW	Moussa Amoud Wais		1	0	Unknown
	4FW	Mouad Amir Mahamed		0	0	Unknown

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	Aboubaker Guedi	(1987-10-02) 2 October 1987 (age 37)	0	0	SDC Group	v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024
DF	Warsama Ibrahim Aden	(1998-05-12) 12 May 1998 (age 27)	23	1	AS Port	v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024
DF	Fouad Moussa Robleh	(1993-04-28) 28 April 1993 (age 32)	15	1	Arta Solar 7	v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024
DF	Abdillahi Elmi	(2003-03-19) 19 March 2003 (age 22)	5	0	ASAS Djibouti Télécom	v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024
DF	Djimaleh Awaleh Kayad	(1995-10-20) 20 October 1995 (age 29)	0	0	Gendarmerie	v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024
MF	Ahmed Mohamed Aden	(1990-12-04) 4 December 1990 (age 34)	9	0	Arta Solar 7	v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024
MF	Awaleh Hoch Gedo	(2001-10-18) 18 October 2001 (age 23)	3	0	Garde Républicaine FC	v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024
MF	Ramadan Abdi Abdillahi	(1998-01-18) 18 January 1998 (age 27)	2	0	ASAS Djibouti Télécom	v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024
MF	Zakaria Abdi Mouhoumed	(2000-04-23) 23 April 2000 (age 25)	0	0	SDC Group	v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024
FW	Mahad Abdi	(1999-07-11) 11 July 1999 (age 26)	9	0	Garde Républicaine FC	v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024
FW	Moktar Hassan	(1998-04-15) 15 April 1998 (age 27)	1	0	ASAS Djibouti Télécom	v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024

Player Records and Achievements

Players in bold are still active with Djibouti.

Most Games Played (Appearances)

Top Goal Scorers

Samuel Akinbinu is Djibouti's top scorer with 8 goals.

Tournament Records

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

FIFA World Cup History

Djibouti has tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup several times.

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
1998	Did not enter									Declined participation
2002	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	2	10
2006	Did not enter									Declined participation
2010	Did not qualify									7	1	0	6	3	30
2014										2	0	0	2	0	8
2018										2	0	0	2	1	8
2022										8	1	1	6	6	30
2026	To be determined									6	0	1	5	4	20
2030										To be determined
2034
Total		0/7								27	2	3	22	16	106

Africa Cup of Nations History

Djibouti has not yet qualified for the main Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

Africa Cup of Nations record
Appearances: 0
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957 to 1976	Part of  France
1978 to 1992	Not affiliated to CAF
1994	Did not enter
1996
1998
2000	Did not qualify
2002
2004	Withdrew
2006	Did not enter
2008	Withdrew
2010	Did not qualify
2012	Did not enter
2013
2015
2017	Did not qualify
2019
2021
2023
2025
2027	To be determined
Total		0/35

CECAFA Cup History

The CECAFA Cup is a regional tournament for East and Central African nations.

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

More About Djibouti Football

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

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Yibuti para niños