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Gambia national football team facts for kids

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This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Gambia women's national football team.
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Gambia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) The Scorpions
Association Gambia Football Federation
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach Tom Saintfiet
Captain Omar Colley
Most caps Pa Modou Jagne (42)
Top scorer Assan Ceesay (13)
Home stadium Independence Stadium
FIFA code GAM
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 166 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 65 (June 2009)
Lowest 179 (March 2017)
Elo ranking
Current 135 Increase 3 (3 March 2019)
Highest 93 (January 1984)
Lowest 145 (22 November 1993)
First international
 British Gambia 2–1 Sierra Leone
(Gambia; 9 February 1953)
Biggest win
 Gambia 6–0 Lesotho 
(Bakau, Gambia; 13 October 2002)
Biggest defeat
 Guinea 8–0 Gambia 
(Guinea; 14 May 1972)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances 1 (first in 2021)
Best result Quarter-finals (2021)

The Gambia national football team represents The Gambia in men's international football and is controlled by the Gambia Football Federation. Until 1965, the team and the country were known as British Gambia. The team has never qualified for the World Cup. In 2021, Gambia qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time in history. The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

History

Under the name British Gambia, the team played their first ever game on 9 February 1953 against Sierra Leone, winning 2–1 at home in a friendly. In April 1963, the team entered the L'Amitié tournament in Senegal, a competition mainly for French-speaking nations. They were drawn in a group with France's amateur team, the Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and Gabon. Their first match was lost 5–1 to the French amateurs on 11 April. The Gambia drew 2–2 with the Upper Volta on 13 April, and had the same result the very next day versus Gabon. The Gambia did not advance to the next round.

After the tournament in Senegal, the Gambia did not play another match until 16 November 1968, when they travelled to Sierra Leone to play its team in a friendly and lost 2–1. They played again in Sierra Leone in The Gambia's next match on 24 April 1971, and the hosts won 3–1. On 2 May 1971, The Gambia travelled to Guinea for a friendly and lost 4–2. On 14 May 1972, The Gambia returned to Guinea for their first African Games qualifier and lost 8–0 and were knocked out.

In 1975, the Gambia entered its first qualification campaign for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Canada. They were drawn in a qualifier against Guinea, and lost the first leg 1–0 at home on 27 April 1975. The second leg was lost 6–0 in Guinea on 1 June as Guinea advanced 7–0 on aggregate.

In August of that same year, the Gambia entered their first qualification for the African Cup of Nations, with the aim of reaching the 1976 finals in Ethiopia. They were drawn in a two-legged qualifier against Morocco and lost the first leg 3–0 away on 10 August. They lost by the same score in their home leg on 24 August and Morocco advanced 6–0 on aggregate.

After the qualification campaign for the 1976 finals, The Gambia played their first match against a full European side, losing a home friendly 4–1 to Denmark on 30 January 1977.

On 12 October 2002, the team got their biggest ever victory in international competition, a 6–0 victory against Lesotho.

In May 2014, the Gambia was banned from all CAF competitions for two years after deliberately falsifying players' ages.

The nation's fortunes improved in qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Although they failed to qualify, they took it to the final round of games, including drawing twice with African giants Algeria.

On 13 November, in their first Group D match of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Gambia defeated Angola 1–3 in Luanda. This was the Scorpions' first away win in an AFCON or FIFA World Cup qualifier ever, at their 40th attempt. An impressive campaign saw them qualify for their first ever major tournament that year. As the lowest-ranked team in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, the Gambia defied the odds by defeating favourites Tunisia in the group stage, finishing unbeaten in 2nd place in the group. A further win against Guinea in the Round of 16 saw them reach the quarter-finals at their first attempt, eventually going out to tournament hosts Cameroon.

Home stadium

Gambia v guinea
Football fans watching Gambia v Guinea

Independence Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Bakau, Gambia. It is currently used mostly for football matches, although it is also used for music concerts, political events, trade fairs and national celebrations. The stadium holds 30,000 people.

Recent schedule and results

Main page: Gambia national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results from the previous 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss

2022

2023

Coaching staff

In July 2018, former Togo and Zimbabwe coach Tom Saintfiet, was appointed as head coach. Saintfiet took over from former international Sang Ndong who is now technical director of the Gambia Football Federation (GFF) following the end of his contract in January.

Head Coach Belgium Tom Saintfiet
Team Manager The Gambia Ousman Drammeh
Assistant Coach The Gambia Alagie Sarr
Physical Coach Italy Daniele Caleca
Goalkeeper Coach The Gambia Alhagie Marong
Goalkeeper Coach Germany Jo Stock
Team Doctor The Gambia Pa Landing
Physiotherapist Belgium Tom Mertens
Physiotherapist Belgium Joppe Vermeulen
Equipment Manager The Gambia Mustapha Kassama
Technical Assistant Germany Robby Echelmeyer
Video Analyst Finland Jani Sarajärvi
International Scout Italy Alessandro Soli

Coaching history

  • Switzerland Hans Heiniger (1987–1992)
  • The Gambia Sang Ndong (1994–2003)
  • Germany Antoine Hey (2006–2007)
  • Spain José Martínez (2007–2008)
  • Belgium Paul Put (2008–2011)
  • The Gambia Peter Bonu Johnson (2011–2012)
  • Italy Luciano Mancini (2012–2013)
  • The Gambia Peter Bonu Johnson (2013–2015)
  • Spain Switzerland Raoul Savoy (2015)
  • The Gambia Sang Ndong (2016–2018)
  • Belgium Tom Saintfiet (2018–present)

Players

Current squad

  • The following players were called up for the friendly matches.
  • Match dates: 17 and 20 November 2022
  • Opposition:  Congo DR and  Liberia
  • Caps and goals correct as of: 8 June 2022, after the match against  Congo.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Baboucarr Gaye (1998-02-24) 24 February 1998 (age 25) 13 0 Germany SV Rödinghausen
1GK Ebrima Jarju (1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 25) 0 0 Estonia Paide Linnameeskond
1GK Modou Jobe (1988-10-27) 27 October 1988 (age 35) 29 0 South Africa Black Leopards
2DF Omar Colley (1992-10-24) 24 October 1992 (age 31) 41 0 Italy Sampdoria
2DF James Gomez (2001-11-14) 14 November 2001 (age 22) 12 1 Denmark Horsens
2DF Maudo Jarjué (1997-09-30) 30 September 1997 (age 26) 2 0 Sweden Elfsborg
2DF Ismaila Jome (1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 (age 29) 0 0 United States Portland Timbers
2DF Muhammed Sanneh (2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 23) 6 0 Czech Republic Baník Ostrava
2DF Noah Sonko Sundberg (1996-06-06) 6 June 1996 (age 27) 11 0 Bulgaria Levski Sofia
3MF Hamza Barry (1994-05-03) 3 May 1994 (age 29) 17 0 Denmark Vejle
3MF Sulayman Bojang (1997-09-03) 3 September 1997 (age 26) 8 0 Norway Skeid
3MF Jesper Ceesay (2001-10-20) 20 October 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Sweden AIK
3MF Sulayman Marreh (1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 27) 32 1 Belgium Gent
3MF Sainey Njie (2001-08-30) 30 August 2001 (age 22) 3 0 Slovakia Zemplín Michalovce
3MF Saikou Touray (2000-06-06) 6 June 2000 (age 23) 0 0 France Grenoble
4FW Muhammed Badamosi (1998-12-27) 27 December 1998 (age 24) 15 1 Serbia Čukarički
4FW Musa Barrow (1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 25) 28 5 Italy Bologna
4FW Assan Ceesay (1994-03-17) 17 March 1994 (age 29) 32 13 Italy Lecce
4FW Alieu Fadera (2001-11-03) 3 November 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Belgium Zulte Waregem
4FW Ablie Jallow (1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 25) 24 6 France Metz
4FW Lamin Jallow (1994-07-22) 22 July 1994 (age 29) 19 1 Turkey Adanaspor
4FW Yankuba Minteh (2004-07-22) 22 July 2004 (age 19) 0 0 Denmark OB
4FW Abdoulie Sanyang (1999-05-08) 8 May 1999 (age 24) 8 0 France Grenoble

Recent call ups

The following players have also been called up to the Gambia squad within the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Lamin Sarr (2001-03-11) 11 March 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Sweden Umeå v.  Congo, 8 June 2022
GK Sheikh Sibi (1998-02-21) 21 February 1998 (age 25) 3 0 Italy Virtus Verona v.  Chad; 29 March, 2022
DF Bubacarr Sanneh (1994-11-14) 14 November 1994 (age 29) 35 1 Free agent v.  Congo, 8 June 2022
DF Ibou Touray (1994-12-24) 24 December 1994 (age 28) 16 0 England Salford City v.  Congo, 8 June 2022
DF Pa Modou Jagne (captain) (1989-12-26) 26 December 1989 (age 33) 43 2 Switzerland Dietikon v.  Chad; 29 March, 2022
DF Mohammed Mbye (1989-06-18) 18 June 1989 (age 34) 15 0 Sweden Hässleholm v.  Chad; 29 March, 2022
DF Saidy Janko (1995-10-22) 22 October 1995 (age 28) 6 0 Germany VfL Bochum v.  Chad; 29 March, 2022
MF Yusupha Bobb (1996-06-22) 22 June 1996 (age 27) 19 0 Free agent v.  Congo, 8 June 2022
MF Ebrima Darboe (2001-06-06) 6 June 2001 (age 22) 13 0 Italy Roma v.  Congo, 8 June 2022
MF Matarr Ceesay (2000-01-19) 19 January 2000 (age 23) 2 0 South Africa AmaZulu v.  Congo, 8 June 2022
MF Dawda Ngum (1990-09-02) 2 September 1990 (age 33) 19 0 Sweden Ariana v.  Chad; 29 March, 2022
MF Ebrima Sohna (1988-12-14) 14 December 1988 (age 34) 38 3 The Gambia Fortune v.  Chad; 29 March, 2022
MF Ebou Adams (1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 27) 11 0 Wales Cardiff City v.  Chad; 29 March, 2022
FW Modou Barrow (1992-10-13) 13 October 1992 (age 31) 18 2 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors v.  Congo, 8 June 2022
FW Bubacarr Jobe (1994-11-21) 21 November 1994 (age 29) 17 3 Sweden Oskarshamns v.  Congo, 8 June 2022
FW Dembo Darboe (1998-08-17) 17 August 1998 (age 25) 5 0 United Arab Emirates Al-Nasr v.  Congo, 8 June 2022
FW Kalifa Manneh (1998-09-02) 2 September 1998 (age 25) 2 0 Italy Perugia v.  Congo, 8 June 2022
FW Ebrima Colley (2000-02-01) 1 February 2000 (age 23) 16 0 Turkey Fatih Karagümrük v.  Chad; 29 March, 2022
FW Bubacarr Trawally (1994-11-10) 10 November 1994 (age 29) 16 1 Sweden Hammarby v.  Chad; 29 March, 2022
FW Yusupha Njie (1994-01-03) 3 January 1994 (age 29) 6 0 Portugal Boavista v.  Chad; 29 March, 2022

WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.
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.

Records

Players in bold are still active with Gambia.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970 Did not enter Did not enter
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 1
Mexico 1986 2 1 0 1 3 6
Italy 1990 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 1994 Withdrew Withdrew
France 1998 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 5
South Korea Japan 2002 2 0 0 2 0 3
Germany 2006 2 1 0 1 2 3
South Africa 2010 6 2 3 1 6 3
Brazil 2014 6 1 1 4 4 11
Russia 2018 2 0 1 1 2 3
Qatar 2022 2 0 0 2 1 3
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Total – 0/22 – – – – – – 26 6 6 14 22 38

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Sudan 1957 to Ghana 1963 Part of United Kingdom
Tunisia 1965 Not affiliated to CAF
Ethiopia 1968 to Egypt 1974 Did not enter
Ethiopia 1976 Did not qualify
Ghana 1978 Did not enter
Nigeria 1980 to Morocco 1988 Did not qualify
Algeria 1990 Withdrew
Senegal 1992 Did not qualify
Tunisia 1994 Did not enter
South Africa 1996 Withdrew during qualifying
Burkina Faso 1998 Banned for withdrawing in 1996
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Withdrew
Mali 2002 to South Africa 2013 Did not qualify
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Banned
Gabon 2017 Did not qualify
Egypt 2019
Cameroon 2021 Quarter-finals 6th 5 3 1 1 4 3
Côte d'Ivoire 2023 TBD
Guinea 2025
Total Quarter-finals 1/33 5 3 1 1 4 3

Honours

Amilcar Cabral Cup :
  • Runners-up (3)

See also

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

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