Madagascar national football team facts for kids
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| Nickname(s) | Barea | |||||||||||||
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| Association | Fédération Malagasy de Football | |||||||||||||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||||||||||||
| Sub-confederation | COSAFA (Southern Africa) |
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| Head coach | Romuald Rakotondrabe | |||||||||||||
| Captain | Ibrahim Amada | |||||||||||||
| Most caps | Paulin Voavy (67) | |||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Paulin Voavy (15) | |||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Mahamasina Stadium Rabemananjara Stadium |
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| FIFA code | MAD | |||||||||||||
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| FIFA ranking | ||||||||||||||
| Current | 107  1 (7 February 2019) |
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| Highest | 74 (December 1992) | |||||||||||||
| Lowest | 190 (March 2014) | |||||||||||||
| Elo ranking | ||||||||||||||
| Current | 121 2 (3 March 2019) |
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| Highest | 64 (December 1964) | |||||||||||||
| Lowest | 167 (April 2007) | |||||||||||||
| First international | ||||||||||||||
 Madagascar 1–2 Mauritius  (Madagascar; Date Unknown 1947) |
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| Biggest win | ||||||||||||||
 Madagascar 8–1 Congo  (Antananarivo, Madagascar; 19 April 1960) |
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| Biggest defeat | ||||||||||||||
Mauritius 7–0 Madagascar  (Réunion; 31 July 1952)  Congo-Léopoldville 7–0 Madagascar (Congo; 18 July 1965) |
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| Africa Cup of Nations | ||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2019) | |||||||||||||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2019) | |||||||||||||
| African Nations Championship | ||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2022) | |||||||||||||
| Best result | Third place (2022) | |||||||||||||
| COSAFA Cup | ||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 12 (first in 2002) | |||||||||||||
| Best result | Third place (2015) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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The Madagascar national football team, also known as the Barea, represents the country of Madagascar in international football. The team gets its nickname from the barea, a type of zebu (a kind of cattle) found on the island. The Malagasy Football Federation controls the team.
Madagascar has never played in the FIFA World Cup. However, they made their first appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019. One of their most famous wins was a 1–0 victory over Egypt in 2004. Even more impressive was their 2–0 win against Nigeria during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Between 1958 and 1975, the team was known as the Malagasy Republic national football team.
Contents
Team History: The Journey of the Barea
The Madagascar national football team played its first game in 1947 against Mauritius. They lost that match 2–1. This game was part of a tournament called Triangulaire, which also included Reunion. Madagascar won their second match, beating Reunion 4–2. This tournament happened every year until 1958. Their biggest win in this period was a 6–4 victory over Reunion in 1953. Their toughest loss was 7–0 against Mauritius in 1952.
In 1960, Madagascar played against teams other than Mauritius or Reunion for the first time. This was during a tournament for French-speaking countries held in Madagascar. On April 15, 1960, they beat Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) 6–1. They then lost to France's amateur team. But in the third-place match, Madagascar defeated the Congo 8–1, which is still one of their biggest wins!
In April 1963, Madagascar joined another French-speaking countries' competition in Senegal. They won all their group matches against Dahomey (now Benin), Chad, and Liberia. They reached the semi-finals but were beaten by Tunisia.
A big moment for the team came on October 16, 2018. They qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations for the very first time! They earned their spot by winning 1–0 against Equatorial Guinea. In their first AFCON match on June 22, 2019, Anicet Abel scored Madagascar's first-ever goal in the tournament, helping them get a 2–2 draw against Guinea.
The team continued to surprise everyone. They beat Burundi and then famously won 2–0 against the Super Eagles of Nigeria. This meant they finished at the top of their group! Madagascar then moved on to the quarter-finals after beating DR Congo. Many experts compared their amazing performance to Iceland's surprising success in UEFA Euro 2016. However, Madagascar's journey ended when they lost 3–0 to Tunisia in the quarter-finals.
Recent Matches and Upcoming Games
Here's a look at some of Madagascar's recent football matches and what's coming up.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
2023 Matches
- November 17: Ghana 1–0 Madagascar (World Cup Qualification) - Loss
- November 20: Chad 0–3 Madagascar (World Cup Qualification) - Win
2024 Matches
- March 22: Madagascar 1–0 Burundi (Friendly) - Win
- March 25: Madagascar 0–2 Rwanda (Friendly) - Loss
- June 7: Madagascar 2–1 Comoros (World Cup Qualification) - Win
- June 11: Madagascar 0–0 Mali (World Cup Qualification) - Draw
- September 5: Tunisia 1–0 Madagascar (AFCON Qualification) - Loss
- September 9: Madagascar 1–1 Comoros (AFCON Qualification) - Draw
2025 Upcoming Matches
- March: Central African Republic vs Madagascar (World Cup Qualification)
- March: Madagascar vs Ghana (World Cup Qualification)
- September: Madagascar vs Central African Republic (World Cup Qualification)
- September: Madagascar vs Chad (World Cup Qualification)
- October: Comoros vs Madagascar (World Cup Qualification)
- October: Mali vs Madagascar (World Cup Qualification)
Team Records: Top Players
These tables show the players who have played the most games and scored the most goals for Madagascar.
Players with Most Games Played
| Rank | Player | Games | Goals | Years Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paulin Voavy | 67 | 15 | 2007–present |
| 2 | Mamisoa Razafindrakoto | 63 | 0 | 1998–2011 |
| 3 | Gervais Randrianarisoa | 52 | 0 | 2005–2022 |
| 4 | Njiva Rakotoharimalala | 50 | 14 | 2014–present |
| 5 | Jimmy Radafison | 49 | 0 | 2000–2011 |
| Carolus Andriamatsinoro | 49 | 12 | 2009–present | |
| 7 | Faneva Imà Andriatsima | 47 | 14 | 2003–2019 |
| Lalaina Nomenjanahary | 47 | 5 | 2006–2021 | |
| Eric-Julien Rakotondrabe | 47 | 0 | 1999–2011 | |
| 10 | Ibrahim Amada | 44 | 3 | 2008–present |
Players with Most Goals Scored
| Rank | Player | Goals | Games | Goals per Game | Years Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paulin Voavy | 15 | 67 | 0.22 | 2007–present |
| 2 | Faneva Imà Andriatsima | 14 | 47 | 0.3 | 2005–2019 |
| Njiva Rakotoharimalala | 14 | 50 | 0.28 | 2014–present | |
| 4 | Carolus Andriamatsinoro | 12 | 49 | 0.24 | 2009–present |
| 5 | Harry Randrianaivo | 11 | 21 | 0.52 | 1990–2003 |
| 6 | Ruphin Menakely | 10 | 25 | 0.4 | 1998–2003 |
| 7 | Sarivahy Vombola | 8 | 30 | 0.27 | 2011–2017 |
| Rado Rasoanaivo | 8 | 40 | 0.2 | 1992–2003 | |
| 9 | Tsiry Randriatsiferana | 6 | 27 | 0.22 | 2022–present |
| Rayan Raveloson | 6 | 33 | 0.18 | 2019–present |
Tournament Achievements
Madagascar has competed in several important football tournaments.
FIFA World Cup
Madagascar has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. They have tried many times since 1982.
Africa Cup of Nations
Madagascar qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 2019. They had an amazing run, reaching the quarter-finals!
African Nations Championship
The team finished in third place at the 2022 African Nations Championship. This is one of their best results in a major African tournament.
African Games
Madagascar has played in the African Games a few times, reaching the competition in 1965 and 1987.
Indian Ocean Island Games
Madagascar has been very successful in the Indian Ocean Island Games. They have won the gold medal three times: in 1990, 1993, and most recently in 2023! They also won silver medals twice, in 1998 and 2007.
COSAFA Cup
In the COSAFA Cup, a tournament for Southern African teams, Madagascar has achieved third place once, in 2015. They also reached fourth place in 2008 and 2018.
Honours and Trophies
Here are the awards and titles the Madagascar national football team has won:
Continental Awards
- African Nations Championship
Third Place (1): 2022
Regional Awards
- COSAFA Cup
- Third Place (1): 2015
- Indian Ocean Island Games
Gold medal (3): 1990, 1993, 2023
Silver medal (2): 1998, 2007
- Triangulaire
- Champions (3): 1955, 1958, 1963
- Runners-up (7): 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956
- Third Place (3): 1950, 1954, 1957
See also
In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Madagascar para niños
