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Mauritania national football team facts for kids

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This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Mauritania women's national football team.
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Mauritania
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Al-Murabitun (الْمُرَابِطُون)
Lions of Chinguetti
Association Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach Amir Abdou
Captain Aly Abeid
Most caps Souleymane Diallo (76)
Top scorer Bessam (13)
Home stadium Stade Olympique de Nouakchott
FIFA code MTN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 101 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 81 (July 2017)
Lowest 206 (November 2012 – January 2013)
Elo ranking
Current 116 Increase 15 (3 March 2019)
Highest 116 (29 January 2019)
Lowest 182 (bef. 22 November 1993)
First international
 Malagasy Republic 5–1 Mauritania 
(Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 25 December 1961)
Biggest win
 Somalia 2–8 Mauritania 
(Beirut, Lebanon; 27 December 2006)
Biggest defeat
 Guinea 14–0 Mauritania 
(Guinea; 20 May 1972)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances 3 (first in 2019)
Best result Round of 16 (2023)
FIFA Arab Cup
Appearances 2 (first in 1985)
Best result Group stage (1985, 2021)

The Mauritania national football team, also known as Al-Murabitun or the Lions of Chinguetti, represents the country of Mauritania in men's international football games. The team is managed by the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. They are a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which is the main football organization in Africa.

Mauritania has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. However, they have done well in regional tournaments. In the Amílcar Cabral Cup, a competition for West African teams, Mauritania finished fourth in 1980 when they hosted it. They were also runners-up in 1995, losing to Sierra Leone in a penalty shootout after the final ended in a 0–0 draw.

A big moment for the team was on November 18, 2018. Mauritania qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the very first time! They won 2–1 against Botswana to secure their spot in the 2019 tournament.

Team History

Early Days: 1963–1980

Mauritania played its first official football match on April 11, 1963. They faced Congo Kinshasa in Dakar, Senegal, as part of a friendly tournament. Mauritania lost that first game 6–0. They also played against Ivory Coast, Tunisia, and Congo Brazzaville in the same tournament, losing all of them.

Four years later, in 1967, Mauritania scored their first goal and managed to avoid a loss, drawing 1–1 against Tanzania. This was their first match since the 1963 tournament.

In 1972, Mauritania tried to qualify for the 1973 All-Africa Games in Nigeria. They played against Mali and Guinea. They lost 11–0 to Mali and 14–0 to Guinea, so they did not qualify.

Mauritania also tried to qualify for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Canada. They played against Mali in two matches, losing both.

Their first attempt to qualify for the FIFA World Cup was for the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina. They played against Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso). They drew the first match 1–1 away from home, which was their first time avoiding a loss in a competitive game. However, they lost the second match 2–0 at home and did not advance.

A historic moment came on October 12, 1980, seventeen years after their first game. Mauritania won their first-ever match by beating Mali 2–1 at home in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

World Cup Qualifiers: Key Moments

1998 World Cup Qualification

Mauritania tried to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. They played against Burkina Faso again. The first match in Mauritania ended in a 0–0 draw. In the second match, Burkina Faso won 2–0, and Mauritania did not qualify.

2002 World Cup Qualification

For the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Mauritania faced Tunisia. Tunisia won the first game 2–1 in Mauritania and the second game 3–0 in Tunisia, winning 5–1 overall. Tunisia later went on to play in the World Cup.

2006 World Cup Qualification

In the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Mauritania played against Zimbabwe. They lost the first match 3–0 away. In the home game, Mauritania won 2–1, scoring two goals early on. This was their first victory in a World Cup qualification match! However, Zimbabwe still advanced with a 4–2 total score.

2010 World Cup Qualification

For the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Mauritania was in a group with Rwanda, Morocco, and Ethiopia. They lost their first match 3–0 to Rwanda. Their first home game was a 4–1 loss to Morocco.

They also lost 1–0 to Ethiopia at home. Later, Ethiopia was removed from the tournament, and their results were cancelled. Mauritania finished their group stage with another loss to Rwanda and a 4–1 loss to Morocco away from home.

2015 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification

Mauritania started their journey to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations by beating Mauritius 1–0 at home. Adama Ba scored the only goal. In the return match, Mauritania won 2–0, with goals from Demba Sow and Moulaye Ahmed Bessam.

In the next round, Mauritania won 1–0 against Equatorial Guinea at home. Ismaël Diakité scored the winning goal. However, Equatorial Guinea won the return match 3–0, winning 3–1 on total score. But later, Equatorial Guinea was disqualified for using a player who wasn't allowed to play. This meant Mauritania advanced to the next round! Equatorial Guinea still got to play in the main tournament as they became the host country.

2019 Africa Cup of Nations: A Historic Qualification

On November 18, 2018, Mauritania made history! They qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations for the very first time. They achieved this by winning 2–1 against Botswana, finishing second in their qualification group.

Team Colors

The Mauritania national team's home kit is all green with yellow and red details. Their away kit is all white with green details.

Recent Matches and Schedule

Main article: Mauritania national football team results (2020–present)

Here are the results of Mauritania's matches in the last year, along with any upcoming games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Matches

2024 Matches

Team Coaches

  • Mauritania Mohamed Harouna (1982–1983)
  • West Germany Gerhard Schmidt (1985)
  • Mauritania Birama Gaye (2000)
  • France Noël Tosi (2003–2004)
  • Mauritania Moustapha Sall (2006–2007)
  • Mauritania Birama Gaye (2007)
  • France Alain Moizan (2008)
  • Mauritania Mohamed Harouna (2008)
  • Mauritania Omar Hassan (2010)
  • Mauritania Moustapha Sall (2010–2012)
  • France Patrice Neveu (2012–2014)
  • France Corentin Martins (2014–2021)
  • France Gérard Buscher (2021)
  • France Didier Gomes Da Rosa (2021–2022)
  • Comoros Amir Abdou (2022–present)

Team Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in June 2024.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of June 9, 2024, after the match against Senegal.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Namori Diaw (1994-12-30) 30 December 1994 (age 30) 24 0 Mauritania Tevragh-Zeina
1GK Babacar Niasse (1996-12-20) 20 December 1996 (age 28) 22 0 France Guingamp
1GK Mamadou Diop (2000-01-03) 3 January 2000 (age 25) 0 0 France Grenoble
2DF Mohamed Dellahi Yali (1997-11-01) 1 November 1997 (age 27) 73 3 Iraq Al-Hudood
2DF Aly Abeid (captain) (1997-12-11) 11 December 1997 (age 27) 65 3 Romania UTA Arad
2DF El Hassan Houeibib (1993-10-31) 31 October 1993 (age 31) 24 1 Morocco AS FAR
2DF Ibrahima Keita (2001-11-08) 8 November 2001 (age 23) 22 0 Democratic Republic of the Congo Mazembe
2DF Lamine Ba (1997-08-24) 24 August 1997 (age 27) 14 1 Croatia Varaždin
2DF Khadim Diaw (1998-07-07) 7 July 1998 (age 26) 14 0 Sudan Al-Hilal
2DF Nouh Mohamed El Abd (2000-12-24) 24 December 2000 (age 24) 14 1 Mauritania Nouadhibou
2DF Houssen Abderrahmane (1995-02-03) 3 February 1995 (age 30) 4 0 France Marignane Gignac
3MF Mouhsine Bodda (1997-07-18) 18 July 1997 (age 27) 37 1 Morocco Raja
3MF Abdallahi Mahmoud (2000-05-04) 4 May 2000 (age 25) 34 1 Kuwait Al-Arabi
3MF Guessouma Fofana (1992-12-17) 17 December 1992 (age 32) 27 0 Cyprus Doxa Katokopias
3MF Sidi Bouna Amar (1998-12-31) 31 December 1998 (age 26) 17 1 Morocco Wydad
3MF Bakari Camara (1994-01-04) 4 January 1994 (age 31) 7 0 France Villefranche
3MF Oumar Ngom (2004-03-09) 9 March 2004 (age 21) 4 0 France Pau
4FW Hemeya Tanjy (1998-05-01) 1 May 1998 (age 27) 46 7 Mauritania Nouadhibou
4FW Mouhamed Soueid (1991-12-31) 31 December 1991 (age 33) 28 3 Iraq Al-Talaba
4FW Idrissa Thiam (2000-09-02) 2 September 2000 (age 24) 28 1 Qatar Mesaimeer
4FW Aboubakar Kamara (1995-03-07) 7 March 1995 (age 30) 26 8 Iran Sepahan
4FW Pape Ibnou Ba (1993-01-05) 5 January 1993 (age 32) 24 2 France Troyes
4FW Aboubakary Koïta (1998-09-20) 20 September 1998 (age 26) 9 1 Greece AEK Athens
4FW Pape Ndiaga Yade (2000-01-05) 5 January 2000 (age 25) 3 0 France Quevilly-Rouen

Recent Players Called Up

These players have been called up for Mauritania in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK M'Backé N'Diaye (1994-12-19) 19 December 1994 (age 30) 5 0 Mauritania Nouakchott Kings 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
GK Babacar Diop (1995-09-17) 17 September 1995 (age 29) 13 0 Mauritania Nouadhibou 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
GK Abderrahmane Sarr (2005-04-01) 1 April 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Mauritania ASAC Concorde 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Bakary N'Diaye (1998-11-26) 26 November 1998 (age 26) 43 1 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Abdoulkader Thiam (1998-10-03) 3 October 1998 (age 26) 12 0 France Cholet 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Lemrabott El Hacen (1997-03-24) 24 March 1997 (age 28) 9 0 Mauritania Nouadhibou 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Soukrana Mheimid (1999-06-19) 19 June 1999 (age 26) 8 0 Mauritania Nouadhibou 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Demine Saleck (1994-11-30) 30 November 1994 (age 30) 5 0 Mauritania Nouadhibou 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Lassana Diakhaby (1996-01-01) 1 January 1996 (age 29) 2 0 France Versailles 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Omaré Gassama (1995-10-01) 1 October 1995 (age 29) 8 0 France Chateauroux 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF El Hadji Ba (1993-03-05) 5 March 1993 (age 32) 6 0 Cyprus Apollon Limassol 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Sidi Ahmed El Abd (2001-05-05) 5 May 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Mauritania Nouakchott Kings 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Moctar Sidi El Hacen (1997-12-31) 31 December 1997 (age 27) 54 9 Qatar Mesaimeer 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Yacoub Sidi Ethmane (1995-12-10) 10 December 1995 (age 29) 5 1 Libya Al Khoms 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Mohamed Lemine (2002-01-06) 6 January 2002 (age 23) 3 0 Albania Egnatia 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Mohamed Saïd (2000-02-25) 25 February 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Mauritania Nouadhibou 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Souleymane Anne (1997-12-05) 5 December 1997 (age 27) 14 1 Belgium Deinze v.  Morocco, 26 March 2024
FW Souleymane Doukara (1991-09-29) 29 September 1991 (age 33) 9 0 Turkey Mağusa Türk Gücü 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Yassine Cheikh El Welly (1998-10-10) 10 October 1998 (age 26) 6 0 Tunisia Union Monastirienne 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW El Mami Tetah (2001-11-12) 12 November 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Bulgaria Arda 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE

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.

Team Records

Players in bold are still active with Mauritania.

Most Games Played

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Souleymane Diallo 76 0 2006–2019
2 Mohamed Dellahi Yali 75 3 2015–present
3 Ismaël Diakité 68 9 2008–2022
4 Aly Abeid 67 3 2015–present
5 Bessam 66 13 2013–2023
6 Abdoulaye Gaye 58 2 2012–2020
7 Hacen El Ide 54 9 2013–present
8 Abdoul Ba 52 0 2013–2022
9 Moustapha Diaw 50 1 2015–2021
10 Adama Ba 48 6 2013–2022
Hemeya Tanjy 48 7 2018–present

Top Goal Scorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Bessam 13 66 0.2 2013–2023
2 Hacen El Ide 9 54 0.17 2013–present
Ismaël Diakité 9 68 0.13 2008–2022
4 Aboubakar Kamara 8 28 0.29 2021–present
5 Hemeya Tanjy 7 48 0.15 2018–present
6 Boubacar Bagili 6 35 0.17 2015–2019
Adama Ba 6 48 0.13 2013–2022
8 Ahmed Sidibé 5 19 0.26 1994–2008
Brahim Ould Malha 5 23 0.22 1994–2002
Mamadou Niass 5 45 0.11 2013–present

Tournament History

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

FIFA World Cup

Mauritania 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 1958 Part of France Part of France
1962 to 1970 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
West Germany 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 3
Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994 Withdrew Withdrew
France 1998 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 2
South Korea Japan 2002 2 0 0 2 1 5
Germany 2006 2 1 0 1 2 4
South Africa 2010 4 0 0 4 2 12
Brazil 2014 Did not enter Did not enter
Russia 2018 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 7 5
Qatar 2022 6 0 2 4 2 11
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 4 0 1 3 0 5
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/13 26 2 6 18 15 47

Olympic Games Football

Football at the Summer Olympics has been a tournament for players under 23 years old since 1992.

Olympic Games record
Appearances: 0
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
1896 – 1960 Part of France
Japan 1964 Did not enter
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976 Did not qualify
Soviet Union 1980 Did not enter
United States 1984 Did not qualify
South Korea 1988 Did not enter
Spain 1992 Did not qualify
United States 1996 Did not enter
Australia 2000
Greece 2004
China 2008
United Kingdom 2012
Brazil 2016 Did not qualify
Japan 2020
France 2024
Total 0/28

Team Achievements

Regional Titles

  • Amílcar Cabral Cup
    • Runners-up (1): 1995

See also

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

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