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Dominican Republic national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Dominican Republic women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Dominican Republic
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Los Quisqueyanos
(The Quisqueyanos)
Association Federación Dominicana de Fútbol
Confederation CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation CFU (Caribbean)
Head coach Marcelo Neveleff
Captain Jean Carlos López
Most caps Jean Carlos López (60)
Top scorer Jonathan Faña & Dorny Romero (24)
Home stadium Various
FIFA code DOM
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 154 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 76 (October 2013)
Lowest 189 (December 2009)
Elo ranking
Current 143 Increase 7 (3 March 2019)
Highest 139 (7 December 2012)
Lowest 188 (early 1993)
First international
 Dominican Republic 0–8 Haiti 
(Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; 21 May 1967)
Biggest win
 Dominican Republic 17–0 British Virgin Islands 
(San Cristobal, Dominican Republic; 14 October 2010)
Biggest defeat
 Trinidad and Tobago 9–0 Dominican Republic 
(Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; 8 October 2008)

The Dominican Republic national football team (also known as Spanish: Selección de fútbol de República Dominicana) is the official men's football team for the Dominican Republic. It is managed by the Dominican Football Federation. The team is part of CONCACAF, which is the main football group for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. They are also members of the Caribbean Football Union.

As of October 2023, the Dominican Republic team is ranked 146th in the world by FIFA. In the Dominican Republic, baseball is usually more popular than football. This means football hasn't always been the top sport there. Even so, the team made history in 2024 by qualifying for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. This was their first time reaching a major tournament! They have not yet qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

Home Stadiums for the Team

The Dominican Republic national football team plays its home games at a few different stadiums. These include:

  • Cibao FC Stadium
  • Felix Sanchez Stadium
  • Estadio Panamericano, San Cristóbal

History of Dominican Football

The Dominican Football Federation started in 1953. They joined FIFA in 1959. The national team played its very first matches in May 1967. These were qualification games against Haiti for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico. Haiti won both games, 8–0 at home and 6–0 away, winning 14–0 overall.

The team didn't play again until March 1970. They joined the 1970 Central American and Caribbean Games in Panama. They lost 5–0 to Venezuela. But then, on March 6, they got their first ever win! They beat Puerto Rico 5–0. Even with this win, they didn't move on to the next round.

In 1971, the Dominican Republic played in the 1971 Pan American Games in Colombia. They lost to the Bahamas and Canada and were knocked out. In 1974, the Dominican Republic hosted the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games. They played against teams like Bermuda and Mexico. They beat the Bahamas 2–0 but didn't make it past the group stage. Their best result in these games was finishing 3rd in 1986.

In 2012, the team qualified for the 2012 Caribbean Cup. They won one game against Antigua and Barbuda (2–1). However, they lost to Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago, so they didn't advance further.

Team Gear and Sponsors

Kit Sponsorship

Kit supplier Period
Italy Macron 2019–present
Mexico Silver Sport 2024–2024 (Only for 2024 CONCACAF U-20 Championship)

Recent Games and Upcoming Matches

Here are the results from the last year and any games planned for the future.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

2025 Matches

Coaching Staff

This table shows the current coaches and staff for the team.

Role Name Nationality
Head coach Marcelo Neveleff  Argentina
Assistant coach Inaki Goikoetxea  Spain
Assistant coach Juan Francisco Roldán  Guatemala
Goalkeeper trainer Dani Gimenez  Spain
Fitness trainer Juan Manuel Alcedo  Spain
Athletic trainer Juanma Alcedo  Spain

Coaching History

Many different coaches have led the Dominican Republic national football team over the years. Here is a list of them:

  • Bolivia Fortunato Quispe Mendoza (1967–1974)
  • Argentina Carlos Cabañés (1975)
  • Brazil Décio Leite Leal (1986–1989)
  • Germany Bernhard Zgoll (1991–1992)
  • Germany Manfred Höner (1993–1994)
  • Dominican Republic Juan Carretero (1995–1999)
  • Dominican Republic Juan Emilio Mojica (2000–2002)
  • Spain Carmelo Oliva (2003)
  • Cuba William Bennett (2004–2005)
  • Serbia Ljubomir Crnokrak (2005–2007)
  • Dominican Republic Juan Emilio Mojica (2008–2009)
  • Cuba Clemente Domingo Hernández (2010–2014)
  • Colombia José Eugenio Hernández (2015)
  • Dominican Republic Juan Emilio Mojica (2015)
  • Spain Roberto Díaz Bernabé (2015–2016)
  • Uruguay Orlando Capellino (2017–2019)
  • Spain David González (2019–2020)
  • Mexico Jacques Passy (2020–2021)
  • Spain Iñaki Bea (2022)
  • Cuba Walter Benítez (2022–2023)
  • Argentina Marcelo Neveleff (2023–present)

Current Players in the Squad

These are the players who were chosen for the 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League games in November 2024.

The numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of November 19, 2024, after the match against Bermuda.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Miguel Lloyd (1982-10-23) 23 October 1982 (age 42) 52 0 Dominican Republic Cibao
1GK Xavier Valdez (2003-11-23) 23 November 2003 (age 21) 11 0 United States Houston Dynamo FC
1GK Pascual Ramírez (1997-10-20) 20 October 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Dominican Republic Moca
2DF Brian López (1999-11-20) 20 November 1999 (age 25) 10 0 Bolivia Real Santa Cruz
2DF Alex Ciriaco (2004-03-21) 21 March 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Finland JJK Jyväskylä
2DF Luiyi de Lucas (1994-08-31) 31 August 1994 (age 30) 22 1 Israel F.C. Ashdod
2DF Christian Schoissengeyr (1994-10-18) 18 October 1994 (age 30) 10 0 Unattached
2DF Michael Sambataro (2002-12-04) 4 December 2002 (age 22) 13 1 Dominican Republic Cibao
2DF Miguel Ángel Beltré (2003-07-12) 12 July 2003 (age 21) 5 1 Spain CD Azuqueca
2DF Joao Urbáez (2002-07-24) 24 July 2002 (age 22) 7 0 Spain Leganes B
2DF Guillermo de Peña (2003-07-22) 22 July 2003 (age 21) 4 0 Dominican Republic Moca
3MF Jean Carlos López (captain) (1993-11-09) 9 November 1993 (age 31) 60 7 Dominican Republic Cibao
3MF Ronaldo Vásquez (1999-06-30) 30 June 1999 (age 25) 41 6 Bolivia Guabirá
3MF Heinz Mörschel (1997-08-24) 24 August 1997 (age 27) 15 7 Portugal F.C. Vizela
3MF Lucas Bretón (2006-11-20) 20 November 2006 (age 18) 6 0 Dominican Republic Cibao
3MF Ángel Montes de Oca (2003-02-18) 18 February 2003 (age 22) 4 0 Dominican Republic Cibao
3MF Juanca Pineda (2000-01-12) 12 January 2000 (age 25) 9 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora
3MF Junior Firpo (1996-08-22) 22 August 1996 (age 28) 10 3 England Leeds United
3MF Rafael Núñez (2002-01-25) 25 January 2002 (age 23) 10 3 Spain Elche Ilicitano
4FW Dorny Romero (1998-01-24) 24 January 1998 (age 27) 38 24 Kazakhstan Aktobe
4FW Edarlyn Reyes (1997-09-30) 30 September 1997 (age 27) 33 4 Kazakhstan Elimai
4FW Edison Azcona (2003-11-21) 21 November 2003 (age 21) 13 0 United States Las Vegas Lights
4FW Erick Japa (1999-04-06) 6 April 1999 (age 26) 15 2 Bolivia Guabirá

Other Players Called Up Recently

These players have been called to play for the team in the last 12 months. They are still available to be chosen for future games.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Johan Guzmán (1997-07-03) 3 July 1997 (age 27) 6 0 Spain Guijuelo vs.  British Virgin Islands, 11 June 2024
GK Noam Baumann (1996-04-10) 10 April 1996 (age 29) 2 0 Greece OFI Crete vs.  Peru, 27 March 2024
DF Jeremy Báez (1999-11-21) 21 November 1999 (age 25) 6 0 Dominican Republic Atlético Pantoja vs.  Dominica, 10 September 2024
DF César García (1993-03-13) 13 March 1993 (age 32) 57 4 Bolivia Oriente Petrolero vs. Antigua and Barbuda, 15 October 2024
DF Brayan Ademán (2002-09-22) 22 September 2002 (age 22) 5 0 Spain Rayo Cantabria vs.  Dominica, 10 September 2024
DF Yoan Melo (1995-03-28) 28 March 1995 (age 30) 8 0 Dominican Republic O&M vs.  British Virgin Islands, 11 June 2024
DF Charbel Wehbe (2004-05-08) 8 May 2004 (age 21) 4 0 Spain Mérida vs.  British Virgin Islands, 11 June 2024
DF Nelson Lemaire (2001-10-19) 19 October 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Belgium Union SG B vs.  British Virgin Islands, 11 June 2024
DF Luismi Quezada (1996-02-11) 11 February 1996 (age 29) 2 0 Dominican Republic Cibao vs.  Jamaica, 5 June 2024 PRE
DF Kleffer Martes (2003-01-13) 13 January 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Dominican Republic Atlético Pantoja vs.  Peru, 27 March 2024
DF Alexander Romero (2002-09-04) 4 September 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Dominican Republic O&M vs.  Aruba, 22 March 2024
DF Ismael Díaz (1990-08-21) 21 August 1990 (age 34) 32 1 Dominican Republic Atlético Pantoja vs.  Nicaragua, 21 November 2023
DF Carlos Rossell (1993-06-13) 13 June 1993 (age 32) 3 0 Dominican Republic Moca vs.  Nicaragua, 21 November 2023
MF Isaac Báez (2002-05-23) 23 May 2002 (age 23) 1 0 Dominican Republic O&M vs.  Dominica, 10 September 2024
MF Daniel Leonardo Flores (2000-11-11) 11 November 2000 (age 24) 11 0 Bolivia Royal Pari vs.  British Virgin Islands, 11 June 2024
MF Omar de la Cruz (2000-07-05) 5 July 2000 (age 24) 2 0 Colombia Patriotas vs.  British Virgin Islands, 11 June 2024
MF Jason Joseph Yambatis (2003-03-21) 21 March 2003 (age 22) 1 0 Dominican Republic Atlético Vega Real vs.  British Virgin Islands, 11 June 2024
MF Jesús Rosa (2001-04-22) 22 April 2001 (age 24) 1 0 Dominican Republic Cibao vs.  Jamaica, 5 June 2024 PRE
MF Javier Roces (2005-09-10) 10 September 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Dominican Republic Cibao vs.  Jamaica, 5 June 2024 PRE
MF Fabian Messina (2002-09-16) 16 September 2002 (age 22) 6 0 Unattached vs.  Nicaragua, 21 November 2023
FW Cristian Ortiz (2007-04-23) 23 April 2007 (age 18) 1 0 United States Tampa Bay Rowdies vs.  Dominica, 10 September 2024
FW Riki Alba (1995-03-02) 2 March 1995 (age 30) 5 2 United States Las Vegas Lights FC vs.  Jamaica, 5 June 2024 PRE
FW Ányelo Gómez (2003-01-02) 2 January 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Dominican Republic O&M vs.  Jamaica, 5 June 2024 PRE
FW Julio Rosario (2002-08-23) 23 August 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Dominican Republic Atlético Vega Real vs.  Jamaica, 5 June 2024 PRE
FW Luis Espinal (1994-02-20) 20 February 1994 (age 31) 12 5 Dominican Republic Atlético Pantoja vs.  Aruba, 22 March 2024
FW Nowend Lorenzo (2002-11-02) 2 November 2002 (age 22) 18 4 Spain Osasuna B vs.  Nicaragua, 21 November 2023
FW Carlos Ventura (1997-08-24) 24 August 1997 (age 27) 12 0 Kuwait Al-Nasr vs. Antigua and Barbuda, 15 October 2024
Notes
  • INJ = Player is injured
  • PRE = Player was in the preliminary squad
  • RET = Player has retired from the national team
  • SUS = Player is suspended
  • WD = Player left the squad for reasons other than injury.

Team Records

Here are some interesting records for the Dominican Republic national football team.

Players whose names are in bold are still playing for the Dominican Republic team.

Most Games Played (Most Appearances)

This table shows the players who have played the most games for the team.

Rank Player Caps Goals Years Played
1 Jean Carlos López 60 7 2013–present
2 César García 57 4 2010–present
3 Miguel Lloyd 52 0 2004–present
4 Rafael Flores 48 0 2008–2021
5 Jonathan Faña 47 24 2006–2022
6 Domingo Peralta 44 14 2010–2021
7 Ronaldo Vásquez 41 6 2017–present
8 Kerbi Rodríguez 38 10 2006–2015
Dorny Romero 38 24 2017–present
10 Hansley Martínez 35 0 2011–2021

Top Goal Scorers

These players have scored the most goals for the Dominican Republic team.

Jonathan Faña
Jonathan Faña is one of the Dominican Republic's top goal scorers with 24 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Years Played
1 Dorny Romero 24 38 0.63 2019–present
Jonathan Faña 24 47 0.51 2006–2022
3 Domingo Peralta 14 44 0.32 2010–2021
4 Kerbi Rodríguez 10 38 0.26 2006–2015
5 Darly Batista 9 18 0.5 2006–2019
Erick Ozuna 9 30 0.3 2010–2019
7 Heinz Mörschel 7 15 0.47 2023–present
Inoel Navarro 7 16 0.44 2010–2015
Omar Zapata 7 18 0.39 1992–2004
Jean Carlos López 7 60 0.12 2013–present
9 Dinardo Rodríguez 6 11 0.55 1992–2001
Edipo Rodríguez 6 29 0.21 2014–2019
Ronaldo Vásquez 6 41 0.15 2017–present

Tournament History

The Dominican Republic team has played in many different football tournaments. Here's how they've done in some of the major ones.

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest football tournament in the world. The Dominican Republic has tried to qualify many times but has not yet made it to the main event.

FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1958 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1962 to 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 6
1982 to 1990 Did not enter Declined participation
United States 1994 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 3
France 1998 6 3 1 2 9 16
South Korea Japan 2002 4 2 0 2 6 5
Germany 2006 4 1 1 2 6 6
South Africa 2010 1 0 0 1 0 1
Brazil 2014 8 4 2 2 18 8
Russia 2018 2 0 0 2 1 5
Qatar 2022 4 2 1 1 8 4
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 2 1 0 1 4 1
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/16 35 13 6 16 54 55

CONCACAF Gold Cup

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main football tournament for teams in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic qualified for the first time in 2024 for the 2025 tournament!

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
El Salvador 1963 Did not enter Did not enter
Guatemala 1965
Honduras 1967
Costa Rica 1969
Trinidad and Tobago 1971
Haiti 1973
Mexico 1977 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 6
Honduras 1981 Did not enter Did not enter
1985
1989
United States 1991 Did not qualify 5 1 2 2 5 13
Mexico United States 1993 2 1 0 1 5 4
United States 1996 3 1 0 2 4 6
United States 1998 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 2000 Did not qualify 3 1 1 1 2 4
United States 2002 2 1 0 1 4 4
Mexico United States 2003 5 2 0 3 12 9
United States 2005 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 2007
United States 2009
United States 2011 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 17 1
United States 2013 9 4 3 2 14 10
Canada United States 2015 6 2 1 3 15 11
United States 2017 6 3 0 3 7 9
Costa Rica Jamaica 2019 4 2 0 2 9 4
United States 2021 6 2 1 3 5 5
Canada United States 2023 6 2 2 2 8 7
Canada United States 2025 Qualified To Be Determined
Total 0/27 61 23 10 28 107 93

CONCACAF Nations League

The CONCACAF Nations League is a newer competition for CONCACAF teams. The Dominican Republic has been playing in League B.

CONCACAF Nations League record
League Finals
Season Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R Finals Result Pld W D L GF GA Squad
2019–20 B B 6 2 1 3 5 5 Same position United States 2021 Ineligible
2022–23 B D 6 2 2 2 8 7 Same position United States 2023
2023–24 B B 6 3 1 2 14 6 Same position United States 2024
2024–25 B D 6 6 0 0 27 4 P United States 2025
Total — — 24 13 4 7 54 22 — Total 0 Titles — — — — — — —

CFU Caribbean Cup

The Caribbean Cup was a football tournament for teams in the Caribbean.

CFU Championship & Caribbean Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Trinidad and Tobago 1978 Did not enter Did not enter
Suriname 1979
Puerto Rico 1981
French Guiana 1983
Barbados 1985
Martinique 1988
Barbados 1989
Trinidad and Tobago 1990
Jamaica 1991 Group stage 6th 3 0 1 2 1 11 2 1 1 0 4 2
Trinidad and Tobago 1992 Did not enter Did not enter
Jamaica 1993 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 5 4
Trinidad and Tobago 1994 1 0 0 1 0 1
Cayman Islands Jamaica 1995 3 1 0 2 4 6
Trinidad and Tobago 1996 2 0 1 1 1 7
Antigua and Barbuda Saint Kitts and Nevis 1997 Withdrew Withdrew
Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago 1998 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 3 6
Trinidad and Tobago 1999 3 1 1 1 2 4
Trinidad and Tobago 2001 2 1 0 1 4 4
Barbados 2005 Withdrew Withdrew
Trinidad and Tobago 2007 6 3 0 3 12 11
Jamaica 2008 Did not enter Did not enter
Martinique 2010 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 17 1
Antigua and Barbuda 2012 Group stage 5th 3 1 0 2 3 4 6 4 2 0 11 5
Jamaica 2014 Did not qualify 6 2 1 3 15 11
Martinique 2017 6 3 0 3 7 9
Total Group stage 2/25 6 1 1 4 4 16 43 19 6 18 85 71

Pan American Games

The Pan American Games are a major sports event for countries in the Americas. Football is one of the sports played.

Pan American Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Argentina 1951 Did not enter
Mexico 1955
United States 1959
Brazil 1963
Canada 1967
Colombia 1971 Preliminary round 12th 3 0 0 3 2 12
Mexico 1975 Did not enter
Puerto Rico 1979 Preliminary round 12th 2 0 0 2 0 7
Venezuela 1983 Did not enter
United States 1987
Cuba 1991
Argentina 1995
Canada 1999
Dominican Republic 2003 Preliminary round 6th 3 0 1 2 2 10
Brazil 2007 Did not enter
Mexico 2011 Did not qualify
Canada 2015
Peru 2019
Chile 2023 Group Stages 7th 3 0 1 2 0 6
Total Preliminary round 4/19 11 0 2 9 5 35

Images for kids

  • Jonathan Faña

    Jonathan Faña is one of the Dominican Republic's top goal scorers with 24 goals.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de la República Dominicana para niños

  • Dominican Republic national under-23 football team
  • Dominican Republic national under-20 football team
  • Dominican Republic national under-17 football team
  • Football in the Dominican Republic
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