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Guinea national football team facts for kids

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This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Guinea women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Guinea
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Syli National
(National Elephants)
Association Guinean Football Federation
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach Stéphane Moulin
Captain Issiaga Sylla
Most caps Issiaga Sylla (86)
Top scorer Ibrahima Kandia Diallo (33)
Home stadium Stade du 28 Septembre
Stade Général Lansana Conté
FIFA code GUI
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 68 Decrease 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest 22 (August 2006, January 2007)
Lowest 123 (May 2003)
Elo ranking
Current 91 Decrease 3 (3 March 2019)
Highest 23 (1977)
Lowest 125 (June 1996)
First international
 Togo 2–1 Guinea 
(Togo; 9 May 1962)
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)

The Guinea national football team, also known as Syli National (which means "National Elephants" in French), represents the country of Guinea in international men's football games. The team is managed by the Guinean Football Federation. They are part of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Guinea has never played in the FIFA World Cup finals. Their best result in the Africa Cup of Nations was finishing second in 1976. They have also reached the quarter-finals of this tournament four times recently: in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2015.

History of Guinea's Football Team

Guinea played its first football match on May 9, 1962. They lost 2–1 to Togo in a friendly game. In 1963, Guinea tried to qualify for the 1963 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana. They won their qualifying match against Nigeria 3–2 overall. However, they were later disqualified because they used Guinean officials in the second game. Nigeria took their place in the finals.

In the 1976 African Cup of Nations, Guinea almost won the championship. They finished second, just one point behind Morocco. This was their best performance in the tournament.

In 2001, FIFA, the world football governing body, removed Guinea from the qualifiers for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2002 African Cup of Nations. This happened because the government was interfering with how football was run in the country. After a two-year ban, they started playing international matches again in September 2002.

Guinea reached the quarter-finals of the 2004 African Cup of Nations. They scored first against Mali but lost 2–1 in the last minute. They made it to the quarter-finals again in the 2006 tournament. This time, they led against Senegal but lost 3–2. In 2008, Guinea reached the quarter-finals for the third time in a row. However, they lost badly, 5–0, to Côte d'Ivoire.

In 2012, Guinea had a big win at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. They beat Botswana 6–1 in the group stage. This made them the first team to score six goals in an Africa Cup of Nations game since Côte d'Ivoire in 1970. Despite this, they left the tournament after the group stage following a draw with Ghana.

On January 4, 2016, the CAF allowed Guinea to play home international games in Guinea again. This was after the U.N. World Health Organization declared the country free of Ebola in December 2015.

Team Kit Providers

The Guinea national football team has worked with different companies to make their uniforms over the years.

Kit provider Period
France Airness 2014–2016
Belgium Sindio 2017
Italy Macron 2018–2020
Netherlands Masita 2021–2022
Germany Puma 2022–present

Recent Match Results

Here are some of the recent match results for the Guinea national football team.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

Matches in 2023

Matches in 2024

Team Coaches and Staff

The Guinea national football team has a full team of coaches and staff to help the players.

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

Past Coaches of the Team

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

  • Romania Petre Moldoveanu (1975–77)
  • France Serge Devèze (1992–93)
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina Boro Primorac (1994)
  • Ukraine Mykhaylo Fomenko (1994)
  • Ukraine Volodymyr Muntyan (1995–98)
  • France Henri Stambouli (1998–99)
  • France Bruno Metsu (2000)
  • France Bernard Simondi (2000–01)
  • France Michel Dussuyer (2002–04)
  • France Patrice Neveu (2004–06)
  • France Robert Nouzaret (2006–09)
  • Guinea Titi Camara (2009)
  • Guinea Mamadi Souaré (2009–10)
  • France Michel Dussuyer (2010–15)
  • France Luis Fernández (2015–16)
  • Guinea Lappé Bangoura (2016–18)
  • Belgium Paul Put (2018–19)
  • France Didier Six (2019–2021)
  • Guinea Kaba Diawara (2021–)

Team Players

This section lists the players who are currently part of the Guinea national football team.

Current Squad Members

These players were chosen for the 2025 AFCON qualification matches in October 2024. The numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of September 10, 2024.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Moussa Camara (1998-11-27) 27 November 1998 (age 26) 22 0 Guinea Horoya
1GK Mory Keita (2005-07-13) 13 July 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Guinea Hafia
1GK Kémo Touré (1998-10-01) 1 October 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Guinea Milo
2DF Issiaga Sylla (1994-01-01) 1 January 1994 (age 31) 82 3 France Montpellier
2DF Ibrahima Conté (1995-04-03) 3 April 1995 (age 30) 26 0 Romania UTA Arad
2DF Mohamed Ali Camara (1997-08-28) 28 August 1997 (age 27) 24 0 Switzerland Young Boys
2DF Saïdou Sow (2002-07-04) 4 July 2002 (age 22) 24 1 France Strasbourg
2DF Antoine Conte (1994-01-29) 29 January 1994 (age 31) 17 0 Bulgaria Botev Plovdiv
2DF Sekou Sylla (1999-01-09) 9 January 1999 (age 26) 14 0 Netherlands ADO Den Haag
2DF Ibrahim Diakité (2003-08-31) 31 August 2003 (age 21) 11 0 Belgium Cercle Brugge
2DF Naby Oularé (2002-08-06) 6 August 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Turkey Boluspor
3MF Aguibou Camara (2001-05-20) 20 May 2001 (age 24) 33 6 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
4FW Morlaye Sylla (1998-07-23) 23 July 1998 (age 26) 32 8 Portugal Arouca
3MF Mady Camara (1997-02-28) 28 February 1997 (age 28) 23 1 Greece PAOK
3MF Seydouba Cissé (2001-02-10) 10 February 2001 (age 24) 15 1 Spain Leganés
3MF Abdoulaye Touré (1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 31) 10 0 France Le Havre
3MF Cheick Condé (2000-07-26) 26 July 2000 (age 24) 5 0 Switzerland Zürich
4FW François Kamano (1996-05-02) 2 May 1996 (age 29) 53 8 Saudi Arabia Abha
4FW Mohamed Bayo (1998-06-04) 4 June 1998 (age 27) 28 8 France Lille
4FW Serhou Guirassy (1996-03-12) 12 March 1996 (age 29) 18 3 Germany Borussia Dortmund
4FW Aliou Baldé (2002-12-12) 12 December 2002 (age 22) 3 0 Germany VfL Bochum
4FW Kandet Diawara (2000-02-10) 10 February 2000 (age 25) 2 2 France Le Havre
4FW Algassime Bah (2002-11-12) 12 November 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Cyprus APOEL

Players Recently Called Up

These players have also been part of the Guinea squad in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Ibrahim Koné (1989-12-05) 5 December 1989 (age 35) 29 0 France Dunkerque v. Tanzania; 10 September 2024
GK Aly Keita (1986-12-08) 8 December 1986 (age 38) 24 0 Sweden Östersund v. Bermuda; 25 March 2024
GK Lassana Diakhaby (2004-05-01) 1 May 2004 (age 21) 0 0 France Valenciennes v. Bermuda; 25 March 2024
DF Julian Jeanvier (1992-03-31) 31 March 1992 (age 33) 16 0 Turkey Kayserispor v.  Tanzania; 10 September 2024
DF Dembo Sylla (2002-11-10) 10 November 2002 (age 22) 9 0 Belgium Dender v.  Mozambique; 10 June 2024
DF Mouctar Diakhaby (1996-12-19) 19 December 1996 (age 28) 14 1 Spain Valencia v. Bermuda; 25 March 2024
DF Abdoulaye Sylla (2000-04-10) 10 April 2000 (age 25) 4 0 Czech Republic Vyškov v. Bermuda; 25 March 2024
DF Mohamed Soumah (2003-03-15) 15 March 2003 (age 22) 3 0 Belgium Gent 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Abdourahmane Barry (2000-02-21) 21 February 2000 (age 25) 1 0 France Amiens 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Madiou Keita (2004-08-29) 29 August 2004 (age 20) 0 0 France Auxerre 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Ilaix Moriba (2003-01-19) 19 January 2003 (age 22) 25 1 Spain Celta Vigo v.  Tanzania; 10 September 2024
MF Amadou Diawara (1997-07-17) 17 July 1997 (age 27) 43 0 Belgium Anderlecht v.  Mozambique; 10 June 2024
MF Mory Konaté (1993-11-15) 15 November 1993 (age 31) 12 0 Belgium Mechelen v. Bermuda; 25 March 2024
MF Naby Keïta (captain) (1995-02-10) 10 February 1995 (age 30) 56 11 Germany Werder Bremen 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Karim Cissé (2004-11-14) 14 November 2004 (age 20) 4 0 France Saint-Étienne 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Mamadou Kané (1997-01-22) 22 January 1997 (age 28) 19 5 Russia Rodina Moscow 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Yadaly Diaby (2000-08-09) 9 August 2000 (age 24) 3 0 Austria Austria Lustenau 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Amadou Keita (2001-10-21) 21 October 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Belgium Eupen 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Facinet Conte (2005-03-24) 24 March 2005 (age 20) 6 1 Switzerland Young Boys v.  Mozambique; 10 June 2024
FW Ousmane Camara (2001-11-03) 3 November 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Spain CD Castellón v.  Mozambique; 10 June 2024
FW Morgan Guilavogui (1998-03-10) 10 March 1998 (age 27) 21 2 Germany St. Pauli v. Bermuda; 25 March 2024
FW Thierno Barry (2000-01-12) 12 January 2000 (age 25) 9 0 Cyprus Akritas Chlorakas v. Bermuda; 25 March 2024
FW Bafodé Dansoko (1995-12-29) 29 December 1995 (age 29) 4 0 Belgium Patro Eisden v. Bermuda; 25 March 2024
FW José KantéRET (1990-09-27) 27 September 1990 (age 34) 30 4 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Ibrahim Cissoko (2003-03-26) 26 March 2003 (age 22) 0 0 France Toulouse 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
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 and Top Players

This section shows which players have played the most games and scored the most goals for Guinea.

Most Games Played (Appearances)

Pascal Feindouno 2006
Pascal Feindouno is Guinea's second most capped player with 85 appearances.

The player with the most appearances is the one who has played in the most matches for the national team. Players in bold are still playing for Guinea.

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Issiaga Sylla 86 3 2011–present
2 Pascal Feindouno 85 30 1998–2012
3 Ousmane N'Gom Camara 73 2 1992–2005
4 Kémoko Camara 71 0 1994–2013
5 Morlaye Soumah 69 2 1988–2004
6 Chérif Souleymane 68 20 1964–1977
7 Dianbobo Baldé 67 2 2000–2012
8 Naby Yattara 61 0 2007–2019
9 Fodé Mansaré 60 8 2002–2010
10 Titi Camara 59 27 1991–2004

Top Goal Scorers

These players have scored the most goals for the Guinea national football team.

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Ibrahima Kandia Diallo 33 56 0.59 1960–1973
2 Pascal Feindouno 30 85 0.35 1998–2012
3 Titi Camara 27 59 0.46 1991–2004
4 Mamadou Aliou Keïta 22 31 0.71 1970–1981
5 Chérif Souleymane 20 68 0.29 1964–1977
6 Souleymane Youla 19 40 0.48 1999–2009
7 Fodé Camara 14 42 0.33 1988–2002
8 Ismaël Bangoura 13 52 0.25 2006–2015
9 Ibrahima Sory Keita 12 36 0.33 1967–1977
Mohamed Yattara 12 38 0.32 2009–2019

Tournament Performance Records

This section shows how Guinea has performed in major football tournaments.

FIFA World Cup History

Guinea has never qualified for the main FIFA World Cup tournament.

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  France Part of  France
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962 Did not enter Declined participation
England 1966 Withdrew Withdrew
Mexico 1970 Did not enter Declined participation
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 6 5
Argentina 1978 7 5 0 2 11 7
Spain 1982 6 2 3 1 6 4
Mexico 1986 2 1 0 1 1 2
Italy 1990 2 1 0 1 3 5
United States 1994 6 2 0 4 8 7
France 1998 8 5 0 3 15 9
South Korea Japan 2002 Disqualified 2 1 1 0 7 4
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 12 7 2 3 20 13
South Africa 2010 12 4 2 6 16 19
Brazil 2014 6 3 1 2 12 8
Russia 2018 8 3 0 5 9 14
Qatar 2022 6 0 4 2 5 11
Canada Mexico United States 2026 Qualifications in progress 4 2 0 2 4 4
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total — 0/16 – – – – – – 85 37 14 34 123 112

Africa Cup of Nations History

Guinea has played in the Africa Cup of Nations many times. Their best result was finishing as 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
Sudan 1957 Part of  France Part of  France
United Arab Republic 1959 Not affiliated to CAF Not affiliated to CAF
Ethiopia 1962
Ghana 1963 Disqualified Disqualified
Tunisia 1965 Did not qualify 4 2 0 2 6 6
Ethiopia 1968 4 2 1 1 9 6
Sudan 1970 Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 4 7 4 2 2 0 10 5
Cameroon 1972 Did not qualify 4 1 2 1 2 3
Egypt 1974 Group stage 5th 3 1 1 1 4 4 2 0 2 0 3 3
Ethiopia 1976 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 3 0 11 7 4 3 1 0 11 6
Ghana 1978 Did not qualify 4 3 0 1 8 5
Nigeria 1980 Group stage 7th 3 0 1 2 3 5 4 2 0 2 8 7
Libya 1982 Did not qualify 2 0 2 0 3 3
Ivory Coast 1984 2 0 0 2 0 3
Egypt 1986 2 0 1 1 2 5
Morocco 1988 4 2 1 1 3 5
Algeria 1990 2 0 1 1 1 4
Senegal 1992 6 2 2 2 5 5
Tunisia 1994 Group stage 11th 2 0 0 2 1 3 4 1 3 0 5 4
South Africa 1996 Did not qualify 10 5 2 3 17 9
Burkina Faso 1998 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 3 3 3 2 0 1 2 1
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 3 5
Mali 2002 Disqualified Disqualified
Tunisia 2004 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 2 1 5 5 6 4 0 2 10 3
Egypt 2006 Quarter-finals 6th 4 3 0 1 9 4 10 5 2 3 15 10
Ghana 2008 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 5 10 6 3 2 1 10 3
Angola 2010 Did not qualify 6 3 2 1 9 5
Gabon Equatorial Guinea 2012 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 7 3 6 4 2 0 13 5
South Africa 2013 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 1 2
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Quarter-finals 8th 4 0 3 1 3 6 6 3 1 2 10 8
Gabon 2017 Did not qualify 6 2 2 2 5 5
Egypt 2019 Round of 16 16th 4 1 1 2 4 6 6 3 3 0 8 4
Cameroon 2021 Round of 16 14th 4 1 1 2 2 3 6 3 2 1 8 5
Ivory Coast 2023 Quarter-finals 8th 5 2 1 2 4 6 6 3 1 2 9 7
Morocco 2025 Qualifications in progress Qualifications in progress
KenyaTanzaniaUganda 2027 To be determined To be determined
2029
Total Runners-up 14/34 52 15 18 19 65 72 135 62 38 35 196 142

African Nations Championship History

This tournament is for players who play in their home country's league. Guinea has finished third in this competition.

African Nations Championship record African Nations Championship qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009 Did not qualify 2 0 2 0 3 3
Sudan 2011 2 0 1 1 1 3
South Africa 2014 4 1 2 1 3 4
Rwanda 2016 Fourth place 4th 6 1 4 1 7 7 4 2 1 1 7 5
Morocco 2018 Group stage 10th 3 1 0 2 3 5 4 3 1 0 16 4
Cameroon 2020 Third place 3rd 6 3 3 0 9 3 2 1 0 1 1 1
Algeria 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 History

Guinea won a silver medal at the African Games in 1973.

African Games record African Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Republic of the Congo 1965 Did not qualify 3 0 3 0 7 7
Nigeria 1973 Runners-up 2nd 5 4 0 1 14 7 4 4 0 0 29 5
Algeria 1978 Did not qualify Withdrew
Kenya 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 History

Guinea has won the Amílcar Cabral Cup five times, showing their strength in regional competitions.

Amílcar Cabral Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Guinea-Bissau 1979 Third place 3rd 5 1 2 2 8 8
The Gambia 1980 Third place 3rd 4 2 1 1 5 3
Mali 1981 Champions 1st 5 2 3 0 5 3
Cape Verde 1982 Champions 1st 5 3 2 0 6 1
Mauritania 1983 Group stage 3 0 1 2 3 7
Sierra Leone 1984 Group stage 3 1 1 1 3 3
The Gambia 1985 Group stage 3 1 0 2 2 5
Senegal 1986 Semi-finals 4th 3 0 1 2 3 5
Guinea 1987 Champions 1st 5 3 2 0 3 0
Guinea-Bissau 1988 Champions 1st 5 2 3 0 6 2
Mali 1989 Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 5 4
Senegal 1991 Group stage 3 0 1 2 0 3
Sierra Leone 1993 Group stage 2 0 1 1 2 3
Mauritania 1995 Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 7
The Gambia 1997 Third place 3rd 5 2 2 1 8 4
Cape Verde 2000 Third place 3rd 5 3 1 1 8 5
Mali 2001 Did not enter
Guinea 2005 Champions 1st 4 2 2 0 4 2
Guinea-Bissau 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 tournaments, including the CEDEAO Cup and the FIFA Series.

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

Team Achievements and Trophies

24A2DL (53494653775)
Guinea squad at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Guinea national football team has won several awards and titles throughout its history.

Images for kids

  • Fgf guinee logo shirt

    Guinea national football team logo.

See also

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

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