Guinea national football team facts for kids

The Guinea national football team, often called Syli National (which means "National Elephants" in French), represents the country of Guinea in international men's football. This team is managed by the Guinean Football Federation. While they have never played in the FIFA World Cup finals, they came very close to winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 1976, finishing as runners-up. They have also reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations several times, including in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2015.

Quick facts for kids
Guinea

Nickname(s)	Syli National (National Elephants)
Association	Guinean Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach	Michel Dussuyer
Captain	Issiaga Sylla
Most caps	Issiaga Sylla (87)
Top scorer	Pascal Feindouno (31)
Home stadium	Stade du 28 Septembre Stade Général Lansana Conté
FIFA code	GUI
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	68 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest	22 (August 2006, January 2007)
Lowest	123 (May 2003)
Elo ranking
Current	91 3 (3 March 2019)
Highest	23 (1977)
Lowest	125 (June 1996)
First international
Ghana 6–1 Guinea  (Ghana; 6 December 1958)
Biggest win
Guinea 14–0 Mauritania  (Guinea; 20 May 1972)
Biggest defeat
Zaire 6–0 Guinea  (Zaire; 2 July 1972)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	14 (first in 1970)
Best result	Runners-up (1976)
African Nations Championship
Appearances	3 (first in 2016)
Best result	Third place (2020)
Amílcar Cabral Cup
Appearances	18 (first in 1979)
Best result	Champions (1981, 1982, 1987, 1988, 2005)

Team History and Achievements

Guinea played its first football match on December 6, 1958, losing 6–1 to Ghana. In 1963, they tried to qualify for the 1963 Africa Cup of Nations. They won their qualifier against Nigeria but were later disqualified.

Their best performance came in the 1976 African Cup of Nations, where they finished second, just one point behind the champions, Morocco.

In 2001, FIFA, the world football body, temporarily banned Guinea from competitions. This was because of government interference in football. They returned to playing international matches in September 2002.

Guinea has often reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. They did so in 2004, 2006, and 2008. In 2012, they made history by scoring six goals in a single Africa Cup of Nations game, beating Botswana 6–1.

In 2016, the CAF allowed Guinea to play home games in their own country again. This happened after the World Health Organization declared Guinea free of the Ebola virus.

Team Uniforms

The Guinea national football team has had different companies make their uniforms over the years.

Kit provider	Period
Kappa	2002
Adidas	2004
Airness	2014–2016
Sindio	2017
Macron	2018–2020
Masita	2021–2022
Puma	2022–present

Recent Match Results

Here are some of Guinea's recent match results from the last year.       Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

Matches in 2024

Guinea  v  Vanuatu

21 March 2024 FIFA Series	Guinea	6–0	Vanuatu	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 SAST (UTC+3)	Sylla  9' (pen.), 63' Diawara  10' O. Camara  18' Kané  39' (pen.), 58'			Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Referee: Ahmed Faisal Al-Ali (Jordan)

Guinea  v  Bermuda

25 March 2024 FIFA Series	Guinea	5–1	Bermuda	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3	Sylla  11' M. Bangoura  48' Diawara  51' J. Keita  61' Kané  70'		Bean  15'	Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Referee: Sami Ahmed Al-Jurays (Saudi Arabia)

Algeria  v  Guinea

6 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Algeria	1–2	Guinea	Algiers, Algeria
20:00 UTC+1	Baldé  52' (o.g.)		M. Sylla  50' A. Camara  63'	Stadium: Nelson Mandela Stadium Attendance: 32,000 Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)

Guinea  v  Mozambique

10 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Guinea	0–1	Mozambique	El Jadida, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1			Catamo  90+3' (pen.)	Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (Burundi)

DR Congo  v  Guinea

6 September 2025 AFCON QF	DR Congo	1–0	Guinea	Kinshasa, DR Congo
17:00 UTC+1	Kayembe  27'			Stadium: Stade des Martyrs Referee: Mohamed Adel (Egypt)

Guinea  v  Tanzania

10 September 2025 AFCON QF	Guinea	1–2	Tanzania	Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
16:00 UTC±0	Bayo  57'		Salum  61' Yahya  88'	Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium Referee: Jean Ouattara (Burkina Faso)

Guinea  v  Ethiopia

12 October 2025 AFCON QF	Guinea	4–1	Ethiopia	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
16:00 UTC±0	Guirassy  18' (pen.), 37', 45+2' Cissé  48'		Markneh  53'	Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium Referee: Clément Kpan (Ivory Coast)

Ethiopia  v  Guinea

15 October 2025 AFCON QF	Ethiopia	0–3	Guinea	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
19:00 UTC±0			Guirassy  16', 23' (pen.) Touré  19'	Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)

Guinea  v  DR Congo

16 November 2025 AFCON QF	Guinea	1–0	DR Congo	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
18:00 UTC±0	Guirassy  90+2'			Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium Referee: Amin Omar (Egypt)

Tanzania  v  Guinea

19 November 2025 AFCON QF	Tanzania	1–0	Guinea	Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
16:00 UTC+3	Msuva  61'			Stadium: Benjamin Mkapa Stadium Referee: Brighton Chimene (Zimbabwe)

Matches in 2025

Guinea  v  Somalia

21 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Guinea	0–0	Somalia	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
21:00 UTC±0				Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona (Madagascar)

Uganda  v  Guinea

25 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Uganda	1–0	Guinea	Kampala, Uganda
19:00 UTC+3	Okello  36'			Stadium: Mandela National Stadium Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Somalia  v  Guinea

September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Somalia

v

Guinea

Guinea  v  Algeria

September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Guinea

v

Algeria

Mozambique  v  Guinea

October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Mozambique

v

Guinea

Guinea  v  Botswana

October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Guinea

v

Botswana

Team Coaches

Here is a list of the current coaching staff for the Guinea national football team.

Position	Name
Head Coach	Kaba Diawara
Assistant Coach	Birama Diarra
Team Coordinator	Ousmane Decazi Camara
Technical Director	Sadio Nansoko
Physiotherapist	Abdoulaye Soumaré
Physiotherapist II	Oumarou Sow
Media Officer	Brahima Sy
Security Officer	Idrissa Wagué
Goalkeeping Coach	Boubakary Konaté
Intendant	Alassane Diaw
Team Docter	Mahamadou Coulibaly
Team Docter II	Youssoufou Fofana
Physical Trainer	Sékou Idrissou

Coaching History

Many different coaches have led the Guinea national football team over the years.

Mykhaylo Fomenko became the manager of Guinea in 1994

Current Players

These are the players who were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in March 2025. The number of games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of March 21, 2025, after the match against Somalia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Soumaïla Sylla	(2004-03-15) 15 March 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Reims
16	1GK	Moussa Camara	(1998-11-27) 27 November 1998 (age 26)	26	0	Simba
22	1GK	Mory Keita	(2005-07-13) 13 July 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Hafia
2	2DF	Antoine Conte	(1994-01-29) 29 January 1994 (age 31)	20	0	Iğdır
3	2DF	Issiaga Sylla	(1994-01-01) 1 January 1994 (age 31)	84	3	Asteras Tripolis
4	2DF	Ibrahima Conté	(1995-04-03) 3 April 1995 (age 30)	31	0	UTA Arad
5	2DF	Mouctar Diakhaby	(1996-12-19) 19 December 1996 (age 28)	15	1	Valencia
12	2DF	Ibrahim Diakité	(2003-08-31) 31 August 2003 (age 21)	15	0	Cercle Brugge
13	2DF	Mohamed Ali Camara	(1997-08-28) 28 August 1997 (age 27)	25	0	Young Boys
17	2DF	Dembo Sylla	(2002-11-10) 10 November 2002 (age 22)	10	0	Dender
21	2DF	Sekou Sylla	(1999-01-09) 9 January 1999 (age 26)	14	0	ADO Den Haag
6	3MF	Cheick Condé	(2000-07-26) 26 July 2000 (age 25)	9	0	Venezia
7	3MF	Mady Camara	(1997-02-28) 28 February 1997 (age 28)	28	1	PAOK
14	3MF	Morlaye Sylla	(1998-07-23) 23 July 1998 (age 27)	37	8	Arouca
15	3MF	Seydouba Cissé	(2001-02-10) 10 February 2001 (age 24)	20	2	Leganés
18	3MF	Aguibou Camara	(2001-05-20) 20 May 2001 (age 24)	37	6	Ludogorets Razgrad
23	3MF	Abdoulaye Touré	(1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 31)	15	1	Le Havre
8	4FW	Algassime Bah	(2002-11-12) 12 November 2002 (age 22)	0	0	APOEL
9	4FW	Serhou Guirassy	(1996-03-12) 12 March 1996 (age 29)	23	9	Borussia Dortmund
10	4FW	Aliou Baldé	(2002-12-12) 12 December 2002 (age 22)	8	0	Lausanne-Sport
11	4FW	Yadaly Diaby	(2000-08-09) 9 August 2000 (age 25)	6	0	Grenoble
19	4FW	François Kamano	(1996-05-02) 2 May 1996 (age 29)	56	8	Damac
20	4FW	Kandet Diawara	(2000-02-10) 10 February 2000 (age 25)	5	2	Pau

Other Players Called Up Recently

These players have also been called to play for Guinea in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Ousmane Camara		2	0	Flamme Olympique	v.  Tanzania, 19 November 2024
GK	Kémo Touré	(1998-10-01) 1 October 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Milo	v.  Ethiopia, 12 October 2024
GK	Ibrahim Koné	(1989-12-05) 5 December 1989 (age 35)	29	0	Dunkerque	v. Tanzania; 10 September 2024
GK	Aly Keita	(1986-12-08) 8 December 1986 (age 38)	24	0	Östersund	v. Bermuda; 25 March 2024
GK	Lassana Diakhaby	(2004-05-01) 1 May 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Valenciennes	v. Bermuda; 25 March 2024
DF	Saïdou Sow	(2002-07-04) 4 July 2002 (age 23)	28	1	Nantes	v.  Tanzania, 19 November 2024
DF	Naby Oularé	(2002-08-06) 6 August 2002 (age 23)	1	0	Boluspor	v.  Tanzania, 19 November 2024
DF	Julian Jeanvier	(1992-03-31) 31 March 1992 (age 33)	16	0	Kayserispor	v.  DR Congo, 16 November 2024 INJ
DF	Abdoulaye Sylla	(2000-04-10) 10 April 2000 (age 25)	4	0	Sigma Olomouc	v. Bermuda; 25 March 2024
MF	Ibrahima Sory Bangoura	(2004-01-05) 5 January 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Genk	v.  Somalia, 21 March 2025 INJ
MF	Ibrahima Breze Fofana	(2002-08-15) 15 August 2002 (age 23)	0	0	Hammarby	v.  Tanzania, 19 November 2024
MF	Mohamed Soumah	(2003-03-13) 13 March 2003 (age 22)	0	0	Gent	v.  Tanzania, 19 November 2024
MF	Ilaix Moriba	(2003-01-19) 19 January 2003 (age 22)	25	1	Celta Vigo	v.  Tanzania, 10 September 2024
MF	Amadou Diawara	(1997-07-17) 17 July 1997 (age 28)	43	0	Anderlecht	v.  Mozambique, 10 June 2024
MF	Mory Konaté	(1993-11-15) 15 November 1993 (age 31)	12	0	Mechelen	v. Bermuda, 25 March 2024
FW	Mohamed Bayo	(1998-06-04) 4 June 1998 (age 27)	30	8	Antwerp	v.  DR Congo, 16 November 2024 INJ
FW	Facinet Conte	(2005-03-24) 24 March 2005 (age 20)	6	1	Young Boys	v.  Mozambique, 10 June 2024
FW	Ousmane Camara	(2001-11-03) 3 November 2001 (age 23)	1	0	CD Castellón	v.  Mozambique, 10 June 2024
FW	Morgan Guilavogui	(1998-03-10) 10 March 1998 (age 27)	21	2	St. Pauli	v. Bermuda, 25 March 2024
FW	Thierno Barry	(2000-01-12) 12 January 2000 (age 25)	9	0	Akritas Chlorakas	v. Bermuda, 25 March 2024
FW	Bafodé Dansoko	(1995-12-29) 29 December 1995 (age 29)	4	0	Patro Eisden	v. Bermuda, 25 March 2024
Notes DEC = Player refused to join the team after the call-up. 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. WD = Player withdrew from the squad for non-injury related reasons.

Team Records

These tables show the players with the most appearances and the top goal scorers for Guinea. Players in bold are still active with Guinea.

Most Games Played

Issiaga Sylla has played the most games for Guinea with 86 appearances.

Top Goal Scorers

Pascal Feindouno is Guinea's second highest goal scorer with 30 goals.

Tournament History

Guinea has competed in many football tournaments. Here's how they've done in some of the major ones.

FIFA World Cup

Guinea has never qualified for the 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
1930	Part of  France									Part of  France
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962	Did not enter									Declined participation
1966	Withdrew									Withdrew
1970	Did not enter									Declined participation
1974	Did not qualify									4	1	1	2	6	5
1978										7	5	0	2	11	7
1982										6	2	3	1	6	4
1986										2	1	0	1	1	2
1990										2	1	0	1	3	5
1994										6	2	0	4	8	7
1998										8	5	0	3	15	9
2002	Disqualified									2	1	1	0	7	4
2006	Did not qualify									12	7	2	3	20	13
2010										12	4	2	6	16	19
2014										6	3	1	2	12	8
2018										8	3	0	5	9	14
2022										6	0	4	2	5	11
2026	Qualifications in progress									6	2	1	3	4	5
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034
Total	—	0/16	–	–	–	–	–	–		87	37	15	35	123	113

Africa Cup of Nations

Guinea has played in the Africa Cup of Nations many times, with their best finish being runners-up in 1976.

Africa Cup of Nations record										Africa Cup of Nations qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of  France									Part of  France
1959	Not affiliated to CAF									Not affiliated to CAF
1962
1963	Disqualified									Disqualified
1965	Did not qualify									4	2	0	2	6	6
1968										4	2	1	1	9	6
1970	Group stage	6th	3	0	2	1	4	7		4	2	2	0	10	5
1972	Did not qualify									4	1	2	1	2	3
1974	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	4	4		2	0	2	0	3	3
1976	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	3	0	11	7		4	3	1	0	11	6
1978	Did not qualify									4	3	0	1	8	5
1980	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	3	5		4	2	0	2	8	7
1982	Did not qualify									2	0	2	0	3	3
1984										2	0	0	2	0	3
1986										2	0	1	1	2	5
1988										4	2	1	1	3	5
1990										2	0	1	1	1	4
1992										6	2	2	2	5	5
1994	Group stage	11th	2	0	0	2	1	3		4	1	3	0	5	4
1996	Did not qualify									10	5	2	3	17	9
1998	Group stage	9th	3	1	1	1	3	3		3	2	0	1	2	1
2000	Did not qualify									4	1	1	2	3	5
2002	Disqualified									Disqualified
2004	Quarter-finals	7th	4	1	2	1	5	5		6	4	0	2	10	3
2006	Quarter-finals	6th	4	3	0	1	9	4		10	5	2	3	15	10
2008	Quarter-finals	8th	4	1	1	2	5	10		6	3	2	1	10	3
2010	Did not qualify									6	3	2	1	9	5
2012	Group stage	9th	3	1	1	1	7	3		6	4	2	0	13	5
2013	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	1	2
2015	Quarter-finals	8th	4	0	3	1	3	6		6	3	1	2	10	8
2017	Did not qualify									6	2	2	2	5	5
2019	Round of 16	16th	4	1	1	2	4	6		6	3	3	0	8	4
2021	Round of 16	14th	4	1	1	2	2	3		6	3	2	1	8	5
2023	Quarter-finals	8th	5	2	1	2	4	6		6	3	1	2	9	7
2025	Did not qualify									6	3	0	3	9	5
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2029
Total	Runners-up	14/35	52	15	18	19	65	72		141	65	38	38	205	147

African Nations Championship

This tournament is for players who play in their home country's league. Guinea has done well here too.

African Nations Championship record										African Nations Championship qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not qualify									2	0	2	0	3	3
2011										2	0	1	1	1	3
2014										4	1	2	1	3	4
2016	Fourth place	4th	6	1	4	1	7	7		4	2	1	1	7	5
2018	Group stage	10th	3	1	0	2	3	5		4	3	1	0	16	4
2020	Third place	3rd	6	3	3	0	9	3		2	1	0	1	1	1
2022	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	1	1
Total	Third place	3/7	15	5	7	3	19	15		20	8	7	5	32	21

African Games

The African Games is a big sports event for African countries.

African Games record										African Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1965	Did not qualify									3	0	3	0	7	7
1973	Runners-up	2nd	5	4	0	1	14	7	4	4	0	0	29	5
1978	Did not qualify									Withdrew
1987
1991–present	See Guinea national under-23 football team									See Guinea national under-23 football team
Total	Runners-up	1/4	5	4	0	1	14	7	7	4	3	0	36	12

Amílcar Cabral Cup

This is a regional tournament for West African nations. Guinea has won it five times!

Amílcar Cabral Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1979	Third place	3rd	5	1	2	2	8	8
1980	Third place	3rd	4	2	1	1	5	3
1981	Champions	1st	5	2	3	0	5	3
1982	Champions	1st	5	3	2	0	6	1
1983	Group stage		3	0	1	2	3	7
1984	Group stage		3	1	1	1	3	3
1985	Group stage		3	1	0	2	2	5
1986	Semi-finals	4th	3	0	1	2	3	5
1987	Champions	1st	5	3	2	0	3	0
1988	Champions	1st	5	2	3	0	6	2
1989	Runners-up	2nd	4	3	0	1	5	4
1991	Group stage		3	0	1	2	0	3
1993	Group stage		2	0	1	1	2	3
1995	Group stage		3	0	0	3	1	7
1997	Third place	3rd	5	2	2	1	8	4
2000	Third place	3rd	5	3	1	1	8	5
2001	Did not enter
2005	Champions	1st	4	2	2	0	4	2
2007	Group stage		3	0	1	2	1	5
Total	Champions	18/19	70	25	24	21	73	70

Other Tournament Records

Guinea has also competed in other smaller tournaments.

Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1985 CEDEAO Cup	Third place	3rd	4	0	2	2	3	6
2024 FIFA Series	Champions	1st	2	2	0	0	11	1
Total	2 Titles	2/2	6	2	2	2	14	7

Team Honours

Here are the awards and titles the Guinea national football team has won.

Guinea squad at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

1. This competition is organized by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa. FIFA does not officially recognize it.

Summary of Senior Competitions

Senior Competitions				Total
CAF African Cup of Nations	0	1	0	1
Total	0	1	0	1

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Guinea para niños