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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.
Quick facts for kids
Gambia
Nickname(s) The Scorpions
Association Gambia Football Federation (GFF)
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach Johnny McKinstry
Captain Omar Colley
Most caps Omar Colley (55)
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 2 (first in 2021)
Best result Quarter-finals (2021)

The Gambia national football team, also known as The Scorpions, plays for The Gambia in international men's football matches. The team is managed by the Gambia Football Federation. Before 1965, the team and country were called British Gambia.

The Scorpions have never played in the FIFA World Cup. However, in 2021, they made history by qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the very first time. The team is part of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Gambia's Football Journey

Early Matches and Tournaments

The Gambia played its first game on February 9, 1953, when it was known as British Gambia. They won 2–1 against Sierra Leone in a friendly match at home. In April 1963, the team joined the L'Amitié tournament in Senegal. They played against France's amateur team, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), and Gabon. They lost their first match 5–1 to the French amateurs. The Gambia then drew 2–2 with both Upper Volta and Gabon. They did not move on to the next round.

After this tournament, The Gambia did not play again until November 16, 1968. They lost 2–1 to Sierra Leone in an away friendly. In 1972, they played their first African Games qualifier against Guinea and lost 8–0, which knocked them out of the competition.

First Qualification Attempts

In 1975, The Gambia tried to qualify for the 1976 Summer Olympics. They lost 1–0 at home to Guinea and then 6–0 away, losing 7–0 overall.

Later that year, they aimed for the 1976 African Cup of Nations finals. They played against Morocco and lost both games 3–0, making the total score 6–0. On January 30, 1977, The Gambia played its first match against a European team, losing 4–1 to Denmark at home.

Big Wins and Challenges

On October 13, 2002, The Gambia achieved its biggest win ever, beating Lesotho 6–0.

In May 2014, the team faced a challenge. They were banned from all CAF competitions for two years. This happened because they had changed players' ages on purpose.

Recent Success and AFCON Debut

Things started to look up for The Gambia during the qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Even though they didn't qualify, they played well, including two draws against strong team Algeria.

On November 13, 2019, in a qualifier for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, The Gambia beat Angola 3–1 away from home. This was their first ever away win in an AFCON or FIFA World Cup qualifier, after 40 attempts!

Their amazing journey continued, and they qualified for their first major tournament in 2021. As the lowest-ranked team in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, The Gambia surprised everyone. They beat favorites Tunisia in the group stage and finished second without losing a game. They then won against Guinea in the Round of 16, reaching the quarter-finals on their first try. They were eventually knocked out by the host team, Cameroon.

Home Stadium

The team plays its home matches at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, Gambia. This stadium is used for football games, concerts, and other big events. It can hold 30,000 people.

Recent Results

The Gambia national football team has played several matches recently. Here's a summary of their performance in 2024 and early 2025:

2024 Matches

In January 2024, The Gambia played in the 2023 AFCON group stage. They lost all three matches: 3–0 to Senegal, 1–0 to Guinea, and 3–2 to Cameroon.

In June 2024, for the 2026 World Cup qualification, they had a big 5–1 win against Seychelles. However, they then lost 3–2 to Gabon.

In September 2024, during 2025 AFCON qualification, they drew 1–1 with Comoros and lost 2–1 to Tunisia.

In October 2024, they drew 1–1 with Madagascar and then won 1–0 against them in the AFCON qualifiers.

In November 2024, they lost 2–1 to Comoros but then secured a 1–0 away win against Tunisia in the AFCON qualifiers.

2025 Matches

In March 2025, The Gambia played two World Cup qualifiers. They drew 3–3 with Kenya and lost 1–0 to Ivory Coast.

In June 2025, they played two friendly matches. They won 2–1 against Equatorial Guinea and drew 1–1 with Uganda.

Coaching History

Johnathan-McKinstry FK-Kauno-Zalgiris 2017
Johnathan McKinstry became the manager of the national football team of the Gambia in 2024
  • The Gambia Ousmane Saho (1961)
  • The Gambia Abdoulie Ngum and Moses Trinn (1970-1971)
  • The Gambia Kebba Njie (1977)
  • The Gambia Cherno Touray (1975-1978)
  • The Gambia Mass Axi Gai (1978)
  • The Gambia Kabba Jallow (1978-1983)
  • The Gambia Saihou Sarr (1983)
  • Germany Holger Obermann (1985)
  • Switzerland Hans Heiniger (1987–1992)
  • The Gambia Sang Ndong (1992-1994)
  • 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 (2018–2024)
  • Northern Ireland Johnny McKinstry (2024–)

Team Management

The team has a full staff to help the players.

Position Name
Head Coach Northern Ireland Johnny McKinstry
Assistant Coaches The Gambia Sulayman Ceesay
The Gambia Omar Barrow
Goalkeeping Coach The Gambia Musa Touray
Fitness Coach The Gambia Edrissa Jatta
Match Analyst The Gambia Alieu Drammeh
Doctors The Gambia Dr. Ousman Colley
The Gambia Dr. Alhagie Jawara
Physiotherapists The Gambia Ebrima Jallow
The Gambia Modou Jarra
The Gambia Alassan Fofanah
The Gambia Hassan Darboe
Team Coordinator The Gambia Adama Sanyang
Technical Director The Gambia Sang Ndong

Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the friendly matches against Equatorial Guinea and Uganda in June 2025. Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of June 9, 2025, after the match against Uganda.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Ebrima Jarju (1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 27) 9 0 Estonia Paide
22 1GK Baboucarr Gaye (1998-02-24) 24 February 1998 (age 27) 17 0 North Macedonia Voska Sport
16 1GK Jordi Bilali Danso (2007-04-23) 23 April 2007 (age 18) 0 0 Spain Girona B
3 2DF Sainey Sanyang (2003-04-18) 18 April 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia
2 2DF Momodou Lion Njie (2001-12-10) 10 December 2001 (age 23) 4 0 Norway KFUM Oslo
13 2DF Baboucarr Njie (1995-06-05) 5 June 1995 (age 30) 3 0 United States Oakland Roots
14 2DF Sheriff Sinyan (1996-07-19) 19 July 1996 (age 29) 8 0 Romania CFR Cluj
15 2DF Musa Jatta (2004-12-20) 20 December 2004 (age 20) 1 0 Finland Oulu
21 2DF Muhammed Sanneh (2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 25) 13 0 Kyrgyzstan Abdysh-Ata
12 2DF Alagie Saine (2003-01-20) 20 January 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Denmark Horsens
23 2DF Omar Gaye (1998-09-18) 18 September 1998 (age 26) 6 0 Italy Francavilla
24 2DF Dembo Saidykhan (2004-01-20) 20 January 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Canada Vancouver Whitecaps 2
5 3MF Saikou Touray (2000-06-06) 6 June 2000 (age 25) 1 0 France Grenoble
6 3MF Mouhamadou Drammeh (1999-05-15) 15 May 1999 (age 26) 1 0 France Sochaux
11 3MF Alasana Manneh (1998-04-08) 8 April 1998 (age 27) 20 1 Scotland Hibernian
18 3MF Francis Gomez (2006-02-28) 28 February 2006 (age 19) 0 0 England Everton
17 3MF Mahmudu Bajo (2004-08-15) 15 August 2004 (age 20) 6 0 Slovakia FC DAC 1904
4 3MF Jesper Ceesay (2003-03-04) 4 March 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Sweden IFK Norrköping
7 4FW Gibril Sillah (1998-09-07) 7 September 1998 (age 26) 1 0 Tanzania Azam
8 4FW Youssoupha Sanyang (2005-08-31) 31 August 2005 (age 19) 1 0 Sweden Öster
19 4FW Abdoulie Manneh (2004-09-29) 29 September 2004 (age 20) 1 0 Sweden Mjällby
10 4FW Adama Sidibeh (1998-06-25) 25 June 1998 (age 27) 4 1 Scotland St Johnstone
20 4FW Zakaria Sawo (2000-01-11) 11 January 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Sweden Djurgården
9 4FW Alagie Seidou Trawally (2001-03-01) 1 March 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Italy Cimitile

Recent Call-ups

These players have also been called to the Gambia squad in the last year.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Sheikh Sibi (1998-02-21) 21 February 1998 (age 27) 5 0 Italy Virtus Verona v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
GK Musa Dibaga (2000-04-27) 27 April 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Scotland Inverness v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
GK Lamin Saidy (2001-06-17) 17 June 2001 (age 24) 2 0 The Gambia Real de Banjul v.  Tunisia, 18 November 2024
DF Omar Colley (captain) (1992-10-24) 24 October 1992 (age 32) 60 1 Greece PAOK v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
DF Joseph Ceesay (1998-06-03) 3 June 1998 (age 27) 7 0 Italy Cesena v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
DF Dadi Gaye (1995-03-21) 21 March 1995 (age 30) 2 0 Norway Tromsø v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
DF Ibou Touray (1994-12-24) 24 December 1994 (age 30) 27 0 England Stockport County v.  Tunisia, 18 November 2024
DF James Gomez (2001-11-14) 14 November 2001 (age 23) 24 1 Denmark Odense v.  Tunisia, 18 November 2024
DF Jacob Mendy (1996-12-27) 27 December 1996 (age 28) 3 0 Wales Wrexham v.  Tunisia, 18 November 2024
DF Edrissa Ceesay (2001-04-16) 16 April 2001 (age 24) 3 0 Serbia Jedinstvo Ub v.  Tunisia, 8 September 2024
MF Ablie Jallow (1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 26) 38 8 France Metz v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
MF Ebou Adams (1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 29) 26 1 England Derby County v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
MF Ebrima Darboe (2001-06-06) 6 June 2001 (age 24) 19 0 Italy Frosinone v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
MF Abubakr Barry (2000-07-02) 2 July 2000 (age 25) 3 0 Austria Austria Wien v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
MF Saidou Khan (1995-12-05) 5 December 1995 (age 29) 1 0 England Swindon Town v.  Madagascar, 14 October 2024
MF Hamza Barry (1994-05-03) 3 May 1994 (age 31) 28 1 Denmark Vejle v.  Tunisia, 8 September 2024
FW Musa Barrow (1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 26) 48 11 Saudi Arabia Al Taawoun v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
FW Abdoulie Sanyang (1999-05-08) 8 May 1999 (age 26) 19 0 Croatia Hajduk Split v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
FW Ali Sowe (1994-06-14) 14 June 1994 (age 31) 19 1 Turkey Çaykur Rizespor v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
FW Alieu Fadera (2001-11-03) 3 November 2001 (age 23) 15 0 Italy Como v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
FW Yankuba Minteh (2004-07-22) 22 July 2004 (age 21) 15 5 England Brighton & Hove Albion v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
FW Abdoulie Ceesay (2004-01-05) 5 January 2004 (age 21) 5 1 Germany St. Pauli v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
FW Alassana Jatta (1999-01-12) 12 January 1999 (age 26) 3 1 England Notts County v.  Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
FW Suleiman Camara (2001-12-07) 7 December 2001 (age 23) 2 0 Spain Racing de Santander v.  Tunisia, 18 November 2024
FW Muhammed Badamosi (1998-12-27) 27 December 1998 (age 26) 26 4 Serbia Čukarički v.  Madagascar, 14 October 2024
FW Ebrima Colley (2000-02-01) 1 February 2000 (age 25) 28 2 Switzerland Young Boys v.  Tunisia, 8 September 2024
FW Musa Juwara (2001-12-26) 26 December 2001 (age 23) 5 0 Denmark Vejle v.  Tunisia, 8 September 2024

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.

Team Records

Players in bold are still active with Gambia.

Most Games Played

Omar Colley (cropped)
Omar Colley is Gambia's most capped player with 56 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Omar Colley 56 1 2012–present
2 Musa Barrow 44 9 2018-present
3 Pa Modou Jagne 43 2 2006–2022
4 Assan Ceesay 41 13 2013–present
5 Bubacarr Sanneh 40 1 2012–present
6 Ebrima Sohna 38 3 2007–2022
7 Sulayman Marreh 35 1 2011–present
8 Abdou Jammeh 33 2 2006–2015
9 Ablie Jallow 32 8 2015–present
10 Modou Jobe 31 0 2007–present

Top Goal Scorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Assan Ceesay 13 41 0.32 2013–present
2 Musa Barrow 9 44 0.2 2018–present
3 Ablie Jallow 8 32 0.25 2015–present
4 Momoudou Ceesay 6 16 0.38 2010–2015
5 Omar Samba 5 11 0.45 1995–2002
Jatto Ceesay 5 17 0.29 1994–2007
Mustapha Jarju 5 26 0.19 2006–2013
8 Yankuba Minteh 4 10 0.4 2022–present
Muhammed Badamosi 4 24 0.17 2018–present
10 Samuel Kargbo 3 9 0.33 1994–1996
Njogu Demba-Nyrén 3 15 0.2 2006–2011
Edrissa Sonko 3 16 0.19 1996–2008
Aziz Corr Nyang 3 17 0.18 2002–2011
Bubacarr Jobe 3 17 0.18 2018–present
Mamadou Danso 3 20 0.15 2011–2019
Ebrima Ebou Sillah 3 24 0.13 1996–2008
Ebrima Sohna 3 38 0.08 2007–2022

Tournament History

FIFA World Cup

The Gambia has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1950 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
1954 to 1966 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1970 to 1978 Did not enter Did not enter
Spain 1982 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 2
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 6 1 1 4 12 13
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total – 0/14 – – – – – – 32 7 7 18 33 52

Africa Cup of Nations

The Gambia has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations twice.

Main article: Gambia at the 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
Ivory Coast 2023 Group stage 23rd 3 0 0 3 2 7
Morocco 2025 Did not qualify
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined
2029
Total Quarter-finals 2/35 8 3 1 4 6 10

Honours

Regional Competitions

  • Amilcar Cabral Cup
    • Runners-up (3 times): 1980, 1985, 2001
    • Third place (1 time): 1993

See also

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

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