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List of men's national association football teams facts for kids

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This article is about the many different national football (soccer) teams around the world! The International Association Football Federation (FIFA) is the main group that organizes football globally. Most national football teams are part of FIFA or one of its big regional groups, called continental confederations.

Many of these teams represent independent countries that are recognized by most of the world. For example, 188 out of 195 countries in the United Nations (UN) are members of FIFA. A special case is the United Kingdom. It's not a single FIFA member. Instead, its four parts – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales – each have their own team in FIFA. Some other UN countries have been FIFA members before but aren't now, or have never joined.

FIFA and its regional groups also include teams from places that are not fully independent countries. These can be states that are not widely recognized, associated states, territories that belong to another country, or areas that govern themselves. However, most states with limited recognition are not part of FIFA.

This list of teams is split into three main groups:

  • Teams that are members of FIFA (211 teams). This also includes 11 teams that are part of a FIFA-linked regional group but not FIFA itself.
  • Teams that are not in FIFA or any regional group, but represent UN member countries or observer states (5 teams).
  • Teams that represent states with limited international recognition and are not in FIFA (6 teams). This also includes one associated state not in FIFA.

This list does not include other teams that call themselves 'national' but represent special groups. These might be ethnic groups, cultural regions, groups wanting independence, or even tiny "nations". These teams often play in games and tournaments outside of FIFA's rules. However, some have played friendly matches against FIFA teams.

Some national teams that were once FIFA members have disappeared. This happens when a country or territory splits into new ones (like the Soviet Union or Yugoslavia). Or, a part of a territory might become independent (like the old Ireland team). Teams can also disappear if their country joins another (like Tanganyika and Malaya forming Tanzania and Malaysia). Or, if a country becomes part of an existing one (like East Germany joining West Germany to become Germany). FIFA sometimes says that the records of these old teams belong to the new teams that replaced them (for example, the Russia team carries on the records of the Soviet Union team). Old teams are listed here for history.

Even if we only count teams in FIFA and its regional groups, there are more national football teams than in any other sport!

Teams in FIFA and Confederations

World Map FIFA
Map of the World with the six confederations:      Asian Football Confederation (AFC)      Confederation of African Football (CAF)      Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)      South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL)      Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)      Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)

This part lists the current football teams:

  • 211 men's national football teams that are part of FIFA.
  • 11 men's national football teams that are part of a FIFA-linked regional group, but not FIFA itself.

FIFA members can play in the FIFA World Cup, which is the biggest football tournament. Games between FIFA members are considered official international matches. FIFA also publishes the FIFA Men's World Rankings every month. These rankings compare how strong national teams are based on their game results over the past four years.

Some national teams are members of a regional group but not FIFA. They can play in their regional tournaments. However, these teams cannot play in the World Cup.

The Six Big Football Regions

The six main regional football groups are:

FIFA organizes the World Cup to find the best national team in the world. Each regional group also has its own championship to find the best team from its members:

The Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) organizes games for countries in the Arab League. All 22 UAFA members are also part of FIFA and either the AFC or CAF. The Arab Cup is their main tournament.

The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (ConIFA) is a group for teams that are not recognized by FIFA. These teams might represent unrecognised states, regions, or groups of people without a country. ConIFA is like a newer version of the Nouvelle Fédération-Board (N.F.-Board). No ConIFA members are also FIFA members. However, a few are associate members of a FIFA-linked regional group. The ConIFA World Football Cup is the top tournament for ConIFA teams.

Asia's Football Teams (AFC)

Asia is very large, so the AFC is divided into five smaller groups:

  • West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) – for countries in Western Asia, except Israel.
  • East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) – for countries in East Asia, plus Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
  • Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) – for countries in Central Asia, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, and most of Soviet Central Asia (but not Kazakhstan).
  • South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) – for countries in South Asia.
  • ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) – for countries in Southeast Asia, plus Australia.
  1. This team used to be a member of the OFC (1966–2006).
  2. This team is a member of the UAFA.
  3. This is the official name FIFA and AFC use for People's Republic of China.
  4. This is the official name FIFA and AFC use for Republic of China (Taiwan). This team was an OFC member from 1975 to 1989.
  5. This is the official name FIFA and AFC use for Hong Kong.
  6. This is the official name FIFA and AFC use for Islamic Republic of Iran.
  7. This is the official name FIFA uses for Democratic People's Republic of Korea. AFC uses DPR Korea.
  8. This is the official name FIFA and AFC use for Republic of Korea.
  9. This is the official name FIFA and AFC use for Kyrgyzstan.
  10. This team is a full member of AFC but not a FIFA member.
  11. This team used to be a member of the OFC (2005–2009).
  12. This is the official name FIFA and AFC use for the team representing the Palestinian Territories.

Africa's Football Teams (CAF)

Africa is also very large, so CAF is divided into five regional groups:

  • Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) – for countries in East Africa and some in Central Africa.
  • Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) – for countries in Southern Africa and islands near its coast.
  • West African Football Union/Union du Football de l'Ouest Afrique (WAFU/UFOA) – for countries in West Africa.
  • Union of North African Federations (UNAF) – for countries in North Africa.
  • Union des Fédérations du Football de l'Afrique Centrale (UNIFFAC) – for some countries in Central Africa.
  1. This team is a member of the UAFA.
  2. This is the official name FIFA uses for Democratic Republic of the Congo. CAF uses DR Congo.
  3. This team is an associate member of CAF but not a FIFA member.
  4. This team was a full member of CAF for a short time in 2017.

North & Central America's Teams (CONCACAF)

The CONCACAF group is divided into three regional groups:

  • Caribbean Football Union (CFU) – for all 27 countries in the Caribbean, plus Bermuda and three countries in South America.
  • North American Football Union (NAFU) – for the three countries in North America (not including Central America).
  • Union Centroamericana de Fútbol (UNCAF) – for the seven countries in Central America.
  1. This team is a full member of CONCACAF but not a FIFA member.

South America's Football Teams (CONMEBOL)

Oceania's Football Teams (OFC)

  1. This team is an associate member of the OFC but not a FIFA member.
  2. This team used to be a member of the AFC (1964–1966).
  3. This is the official name FIFA and the OFC use for French Polynesia.

Europe's Football Teams (UEFA)

  1. This team used to be a member of the AFC (1954–1974). It joined UEFA in 1994.
  2. This team used to be a member of the AFC (1993–2002).
  3. This team is currently not allowed to play in FIFA and UEFA games because of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Teams Not in FIFA

The national football teams in this section are not members of FIFA or any of its regional groups. This means they cannot play in the FIFA World Cup or any regional championships. FIFA's rules usually don't allow its member teams to play against these teams without special permission. Some of these teams are members of ConIFA, which is noted below.

This section lists:

  • 5 teams representing independent countries that are members of the United Nations or observer states.
  • 8 teams representing states that are not members of the United Nations.

Countries Not in FIFA

Three UN member countries and one UN observer state do not belong to FIFA or any regional group. However, they have had national football teams that played in unofficial friendly games or tournaments outside of FIFA. Another UN member country, the United Kingdom, has its parts (England, Scotland, etc.) in FIFA. But it has also had a team representing the whole UK in special exhibition games. The teams from these five places are listed below.

  1. This team's football group was previously a member of the N.F.-Board and ConIFA.
  2. This team's football group was an associate member of the OFC in the past. It does not seem to be part of the group now.
  3. The United Kingdom (UK) is not a member of FIFA or UEFA by itself. Instead, its four parts (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) represent it. However, a special UK team has played a few friendly matches. The UK has also had its own national teams in the Summer Olympic and Summer Universiade football competitions.

Two UN member countries, the Marshall Islands and Nauru, have never had an organized national football team.

Other Teams Not in FIFA

Three states that are not widely recognized and are not UN members are part of FIFA and a regional group. These are the Republic of China (as Chinese Taipei), Kosovo, and Palestine. The Cook Islands is an associated state that is not a UN member, but it is in FIFA and the OFC. These teams are all listed above.

Seven other associated, de facto, or partly recognized states that are not UN members have played football games that are not approved by FIFA. None of these states are currently members of FIFA or its regional groups. The teams representing these states are listed below.

  • Abkhazia1
  •  Niue2
  •  Northern Cyprus1,3
  •  Somaliland1
  •  South Ossetia1
  •  Transnistria4
  • Western Sahara1,3
  1. This team's football group is currently a member of ConIFA.
  2. This team's football group was an associate member of the OFC before (membership was removed in March 2021).
  3. This team's football group was previously a member of the N.F.-Board.
  4. This team's football group is a former member of ConIFA.

Why Some Teams Aren't in FIFA

Most FIFA and regional group members have historically been independent countries that are widely recognized. But there have been exceptions. For example, the British Home Nations (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) were included because they helped create football. Palestine was accepted after the Palestinian National Authority was created. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is not widely recognized but is accepted. Also, some dependent territories, self-governing areas, and protectorates have been allowed to join FIFA or its groups. This is because they have some political independence or are far from their main country.

Currently, FIFA has 23 teams from regions that are not independent countries. It also has three teams from states that are not widely recognized. A further nine overseas territories or self-governing areas are members of a FIFA-linked group but not FIFA itself.

In 2016, FIFA changed its rules. It now defines 'country' as "an independent state recognized by the international community." UEFA had already made a similar change in 2011. CAF even took away Zanzibar's full membership in 2017. This was because Zanzibar is not considered a country by the African Union and the United Nations. These rules have made it harder for new teams to join FIFA or its groups. For example, Jersey (UEFA application rejected in 2018), Bonaire (FIFA application rejected in 2019), and Sint Maarten (FIFA application rejected in 2022) were all turned down. Greenland applied to CONCACAF in 2022 because it was unlikely to be accepted into UEFA.

Teams Playing Football Outside FIFA

Football games have been played internationally without FIFA's approval for a long time. Some national teams that are now in FIFA or a regional group played against FIFA members before they were accepted (like Croatia, Kosovo, and Palestine). Some teams have even played in big international games against FIFA members without ever being part of FIFA (like the North Vietnam national football team or Northern Cyprus national football team). There were also unofficial national teams created to support independence movements, like the FLN football team.

Since the early 1900s, teams representing dependent territories or cultural regions have played games and tournaments against club teams and FIFA-approved national teams. These games were not approved by FIFA. Examples include teams from Jersey, Gibraltar, Catalonia, and Greenland.

More recently, many new "national" teams have been created. These teams represent states that are not widely recognized, former states, dependent territories, self-governing areas, or different ethnic, cultural, or language groups. These teams play friendly games and international tournaments against each other. These games are not recognized by FIFA. Several groups not linked to FIFA organize these tournaments. They offer an alternative for teams and regions that cannot join FIFA. Sometimes, these groups even help teams become part of FIFA later (like the Kosovo and Gibraltar teams).

A notable group that organizes non-FIFA football is the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (ConIFA). Another was the now-closed N.F.-Board. As of August 2021, ConIFA has 59 member teams from all over the world.

Some non-FIFA tournaments include teams from around the world (like the Island Games, UNPO Cup, VIVA World Cup, and ConIFA World Football Cup). Others are only for a specific area (like ConIFA regional tournaments or the Europeada).

Football Teams That No Longer Exist

These national teams no longer exist because the country or territory they represented broke up. This table only includes teams that were FIFA members at some point. Teams from former states that were never FIFA members (like Manchukuo) are not included.

Old Team New Team
(took over records)		 Other New Team(s) Notes
 Czechoslovakia
(Representation of Czechs and Slovaks in 1993)		  Czech Republic
 Slovakia		 This team represented Czechoslovakia until it split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. It represented both new nations during the rest of their 1994 World Cup qualifying games.
 Saar  West Germany This team represented the Saarland Protectorate from 1950 to 1956 before it joined West Germany.
 East Germany
(officially German Democratic Republic)		  Germany This team represented East Germany between 1952 and 1990, before it joined West Germany to form a united Germany.
 Ireland  Northern Ireland  Republic of Ireland This team represented Ireland starting in 1882. From 1922, when the Irish Free State (later Republic of Ireland) left the United Kingdom, until 1953, it picked players from all over the Island of Ireland. Then, under pressure from FIFA, it only picked players from Northern Ireland.
 Malaya  Malaysia This team represented the Federation of Malaya from 1953 until it joined with other former colonies to form Malaysia in 1963. Singapore, which became independent in 1965, kept its old national team.
 Tanganyika  Tanzania This team represented Tanganyika until it joined with Zanzibar to form Tanzania in 1964. The Zanzibar team is an associate member of CAF, so it is not a FIFA member.
 South Vietnam  Vietnam This team represented South Vietnam from 1949 until 1975. A separate team for North Vietnam never joined FIFA or AFC. When Vietnam became one country again, both the North and South teams stopped existing. A united Vietnam national football team took the South's place in FIFA and the AFC.
 North Yemen
(officially Yemen Arab Republic)		  Yemen This team represented North Yemen from 1965 until it joined with South Yemen in 1990.
 South Yemen
(officially People's Democratic Republic of Yemen)		  Yemen This team represented South Yemen from 1965 until it joined with North Yemen in 1990.
 United Arab Republic  Egypt  Syria This team represented the United Arab Republic from 1958 to 1961 until Syria left. It was seen as a continuation of the old Egypt national football team, which became its successor. The team was still called the United Arab Republic until 1970.
 Russian Empire  Soviet Union This team represented the Russian Empire from 1912 to 1923 until it became the Soviet Union.
 Soviet Union
(officially Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)		  CIS  Estonia
 Latvia
 Lithuania		 This team represented the Soviet Union from 1940 until it broke up in 1991. This was seen as a continuation of the team that had represented the Russian Empire. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania had their own active football teams before they became part of the Soviet Union in 1940, and they did not play in the CIS team.
 CIS  Russia  Armenia
 Azerbaijan
 Belarus
 Georgia
 Kazakhstan
 Kyrgyzstan
 Moldova
 Tajikistan
 Turkmenistan
 Ukraine
 Uzbekistan		 This team represented the Commonwealth of Independent States from January 1992 until the end of the Euro 1992 tournament.
 Yugoslavia  Yugoslavia  Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Croatia
 North Macedonia
 Slovenia		 This team represented Yugoslavia between 1920 and 1992. Then the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia broke up into Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, North Macedonia, and Slovenia.
 Serbia and Montenegro  Serbia  Montenegro
 Kosovo		 This team represented the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which was called Serbia and Montenegro after 2003. It existed from 1992 until it split into Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, and its national team was accepted into UEFA and FIFA in 2016.
 Netherlands Antilles  Curaçao  Aruba
 Bonaire
 Sint Maarten		 Aruba became a separate self-governing territory in 1986 and joined FIFA in 1988. The old team represented the Netherlands Antilles until the country broke up in 2010. It was once called "Curaçao." This name was used again in March 2011 when the new country of Curaçao took the Netherlands Antilles' place in FIFA and CONCACAF. The teams for the former Netherlands Antilles territories of Bonaire and Sint Maarten are full members of CONCACAF but not FIFA. Two other former Netherlands Antilles territories (Saba and Sint Eustatius) have played unofficial friendly games before. But neither is a member of FIFA or a regional group.

Teams with New Names

Some other teams have simply changed their names:

Non-FIFA Teams Representing Former States

Some ConIFA members represent regions that were once independent states. However, they were never members of FIFA or its regional groups. Examples include the Artsakh, Biafra, and East Turkestan national football teams.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Asociaciones nacionales afiliadas a la FIFA para niños

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List of men's national association football teams Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.