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Mozambique national football team facts for kids

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This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Mozambique women's national football team.
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Mozambique
Nickname(s) Os Mambas (The Mambas)
Association Federação Moçambicana de Futebol (FMF)
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach Chiquinho Conde
Captain Mexer
Most caps Domingues (116)
Top scorer Tico-Tico (30)
Home stadium Estádio do Zimpeto
FIFA code MOZ
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 116 Increase 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 66 (November 1997)
Lowest 134 (July 2005, September 2006)
Elo ranking
Current 137 Decrease 11 (3 March 2019)
Highest 85 (September 1985)
Lowest 151 (March 2003)
First international
 Mozambique 2–1 Zambia 
(Mozambique; 25 June 1975)
Biggest win
 Mozambique 6–1 Lesotho 
(Mozambique; 10 August 1980)
 Mozambique 5–0 South Sudan 
(Maputo, Mozambique; 18 May 2014)
 Mozambique 5–0 Lesotho 
(Maputo, Mozambique; 2 June 2021)
Biggest defeat
 Zimbabwe 6–0 Mozambique 
(Salisbury, Zimbabwe; 20 April 1980)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances 5 (first in 1986)
Best result Group stage (1986, 1996, 1998, 2010, 2023)
African Nations Championship
Appearances 2 (first in 2014)
Best result Quarter finals (2022)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances 19 (first in 1997)
Best result Runners-up (2008, 2015)
Medal record
COSAFA Cup
Silver 2008 South Africa
Silver 2015 South Africa
Bronze 1997 Southern Africa
Bronze 2009 Zimbabwe
Bronze 2024 South Africa

The Mozambique national football team, also known as Os Mambas (The Mambas), represents Mozambique in international men's football games. This team is controlled by the Mozambican Football Federation.

Mozambique has never played in a FIFA World Cup. However, they have qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations five times. These tournaments were in 1986, 1996, 1998, 2010, and most recently 2023. In all five appearances, they were eliminated in the first round. In 1997, the Mozambican Football Federation helped start COSAFA, a football group for Southern Africa.

The team's home stadium is Estádio do Zimpeto in Maputo, the capital city. It can hold 42,000 fans. The current head coach is Chiquinho Conde.

History of the Mambas

How it Started

Mozambique played its first football match on the day it became independent in 1975. They played a friendly game against Zambia and won 2–1. Two years later, Cuba was their first opponent from outside Africa. Cuba won that game 2–0.

Mozambique first tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 1982. They played against Zaire but lost 7–3 over two games.

First Africa Cup of Nations in 1986

Mozambique qualified for their first Africa Cup of Nations in 1986. To get there, they beat Mauritius, then Malawi (after a penalty shootout), and finally Libya (also on penalties).

At the tournament in Egypt, Mozambique was in Group A. They played against Senegal, Ivory Coast, and the host country, Egypt. They lost all their games, not scoring any goals.

Return to AFCON in 1996

Mozambique had to wait 10 years to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations again. They made it to the 1996 tournament in South Africa. They were in Group D with Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Tunisia.

Their first game was a 1–1 draw against Tunisia. Tico-Tico scored for Mozambique very early in the game. After that, they lost 1–0 to Ivory Coast and 2–0 to Ghana, which meant they were out of the tournament.

AFCON 1998 and a Long Break

Just two years later, Mozambique qualified for their third Africa Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso. They were in Group D again, playing against Morocco, Egypt, and Zambia.

They lost their first game 2–0 to Egypt. Then they lost 3–0 to Morocco, which meant they were out of the tournament before their last game. In their final match against Zambia, they drew 1–1, scoring their first goal of the tournament. This was their last Africa Cup of Nations game for 12 years.

World Cup Qualifiers and AFCON 2010

Mozambique started their journey to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the second round. They were in a tough group with Botswana, Madagascar, and the strong team of Ivory Coast. They had a difficult start, losing to Ivory Coast and Botswana, and drawing with Madagascar.

However, they improved and beat Madagascar 3–0. They also drew with Ivory Coast and beat Botswana 1–0. These results helped them move to the third round of qualifiers.

In the third round, Mozambique was in Group B with Nigeria, Tunisia, and Kenya. They started well with a 0–0 draw against Nigeria. But then they lost to Tunisia and Kenya. They managed to beat Kenya 1–0, but a loss to Nigeria meant they couldn't qualify for the World Cup. Even though they didn't make it to the World Cup, their win against Tunisia (which stopped Tunisia from qualifying) helped them finish third in their group. This spot was enough to qualify for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.

After a 12-year break, Mozambique was back in the Africa Cup of Nations. They were in Group C with Egypt, Nigeria, and Benin. In their first game, they drew 2–2 with Benin, coming back from being 2–0 down. Goals were scored by Miro and Fumo. They then lost 2–0 to Egypt and 3–0 to Nigeria, which meant they were out of the tournament. After this tournament, their all-time top scorer and captain, Tico-Tico, retired from playing for the national team.

Recent Years

Mozambique has come close to qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations several times since 2010. In the 2013 qualifiers, they beat Morocco 2–0 at home. But they lost the next game 4–0 and didn't qualify. In the 2019 qualifiers, they were very close. They only missed out because Guinea-Bissau scored a goal in the last moments of their final group match.

Recent Matches and Upcoming Games

Here are the results of Mozambique's matches in the last year, and any games planned for the future.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023

2024

Team Coaches Over the Years

  • Mozambique Cremildo Loforte (1980)
  • Mozambique Manaca (1986)
  • Mozambique José Geneto (1986)
  • Russia Viktor Bondarenko (1993–1995)
  • Portugal Rui Caçador (1996)
  • Mozambique Arnaldo Salvado (1996–1998)
  • Mozambique Euroflim da Graça (1999)
  • Mozambique Arnaldo Salvado (1999–2000)
  • Portugal Augusto Matine (2001–2002)
  • Russia Viktor Bondarenko (2003)
  • Mozambique Artur Semedo (2003–2006)
  • Netherlands Mart Nooij (2007–2011)
  • Germany Gert Engels (2011–2013)
  • Mozambique João Chissano (2013–2015)
  • Mozambique Hélder Muianga (2015)
  • Croatia Boris Pušić (2015)
  • Portugal Abel Xavier (2016–2019)
  • Mozambique Victor Matine (2019)
  • Mozambique Luís Gonçalves (2019–2021)
  • Portugal Horácio Gonçalves (2021)
  • Mozambique Chiquinho Conde (2021–present)

Players of the Team

Current Squad

These are the players who were chosen for the 2025 AFCON qualification games in October 2024.

The numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of October 11, 2024, after the match against Eswatini.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Ernani (1998-07-09) 9 July 1998 (age 26) 33 0 Mozambique Songo
1GK Ivane Urrubal (1997-03-01) 1 March 1997 (age 28) 11 0 Mozambique Black Bulls
1GK Fazito (2003-06-09) 9 June 2003 (age 22) 3 0 Mozambique Ferroviário de Nampula
2DF Reinildo Mandava (1994-01-21) 21 January 1994 (age 31) 46 4 Spain Atlético Madrid
2DF Nené (1996-11-15) 15 November 1996 (age 28) 35 1 Mozambique Black Bulls
2DF Nanani (1996-02-08) 8 February 1996 (age 29) 30 0 Mozambique Songo
2DF Martinho Thauzene (1999-09-27) 27 September 1999 (age 25) 29 1 Portugal AVS
2DF Bruno Langa (1997-10-31) 31 October 1997 (age 27) 29 1 Spain Almería
2DF Domingos Macandza (1998-06-17) 17 June 1998 (age 27) 24 0 Mozambique Costa do Sol
2DF David Malembana (1995-10-11) 11 October 1995 (age 29) 10 0 Armenia Noah
2DF Chamboco (1998-06-15) 15 June 1998 (age 27) 3 0 Mozambique Black Bulls
3MF Shaquille (1997-11-24) 24 November 1997 (age 27) 41 0 Mozambique Ferroviário Maputo
3MF Amadú (1996-03-12) 12 March 1996 (age 29) 32 0 Tanzania Namungo
3MF João Bonde (1997-01-09) 9 January 1997 (age 28) 15 0 Mozambique Ferroviário Beira
3MF Alfons Amade (1999-11-12) 12 November 1999 (age 25) 8 2 Belgium Oostende
3MF Ali Abudo (1999-02-03) 3 February 1999 (age 26) 5 1 Mozambique Costa do Sol
3MF Pepo Santos (1994-03-24) 24 March 1994 (age 31) 5 0 Portugal Caldas
3MF Jonathan Muiomo (1999-01-28) 28 January 1999 (age 26) 5 1 Germany SSVg Velbert
4FW Domingues (1983-11-13) 13 November 1983 (age 41) 115 16 Mozambique Songo
4FW Clésio (1994-10-11) 11 October 1994 (age 30) 54 10 Azerbaijan Gabala
4FW Witi (1996-08-26) 26 August 1996 (age 28) 44 4 Portugal Nacional
4FW Gildo (1995-01-31) 31 January 1995 (age 30) 44 3 Portugal Covilhã
4FW Stanley Ratifo (1994-12-05) 5 December 1994 (age 30) 38 7 Germany 1. CfR Pforzheim
4FW Geny Catamo (2001-01-26) 26 January 2001 (age 24) 30 9 Portugal Sporting CP
4FW Elias Macamo (1994-01-14) 14 January 1994 (age 31) 8 1 Mozambique Nacala

Recently Called-Up Players

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

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Armando Doutor (2002-04-20) 20 April 2002 (age 23) 4 0 Mozambique Costa do Sol 2024 COSAFA Cup
GK Acácio Muendane 1 0 Mozambique Costa do Sol 2024 COSAFA Cup
GK Ananias Tembe (2003-12-13) 13 December 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Mozambique LD Maputo 2024 COSAFA Cup
GK Kimiss Zavala (2004-05-08) 8 May 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Portugal Marítimo v.  Guinea; 10 June 2024
GK Víctor Guambe (1998-10-08) 8 October 1998 (age 26) 8 0 Mozambique Costa do Sol 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Mexer (1987-09-08) 8 September 1987 (age 37) 67 3 Turkey Bandırmaspor v.  Eswatini; 11 October 2024 INJ
DF Edmilson Dove (1994-07-18) 18 July 1994 (age 30) 43 0 South Africa Kaizer Chiefs 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Bonera (1997-04-07) 7 April 1997 (age 28) 14 1 Bahrain Al-Hala 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Valter Daúce (2002-05-12) 12 May 2002 (age 23) 5 0 Mozambique Ferroviário Beira 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Osama Pedro (2002-08-18) 18 August 2002 (age 22) 5 0 Mozambique CD de Nacala 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Zé Pedro Valipavai (2003-10-09) 9 October 2003 (age 21) 4 0 Portugal Sintrense 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Dias Fumo (2002-03-01) 1 March 2002 (age 23) 4 0 Portugal Farense 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Celton Jamisse (2002-01-23) 23 January 2002 (age 23) 3 0 Mozambique Brera Tchumene 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Jeremias Nhambire (2000-01-08) 8 January 2000 (age 25) 1 0 Portugal Marítimo B 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Francisco Muchanga (1991-11-05) 5 November 1991 (age 33) 29 0 Mozambique Costa do Sol 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Jeremias Nhambire (2000-01-08) 8 January 2000 (age 25) 3 0 Portugal Marítimo 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Foia (2001-04-15) 15 April 2001 (age 24) 2 0 Mozambique Ferroviário da Beira 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Guima (1995-11-14) 14 November 1995 (age 29) 14 2 Portugal Chaves v.  Eswatini; 11 October 2024 INJ
MF Dário Melo (1996-01-20) 20 January 1996 (age 29) 18 1 Mozambique Songo 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Abel Maestro (2000-07-12) 12 July 2000 (age 24) 9 0 Portugal Oriental de Lisboa 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Gianluca Lorenzoni (2001-02-22) 22 February 2001 (age 24) 6 0 Malta Gudja United 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Júlio Carrelo (2003-01-08) 8 January 2003 (age 22) 5 0 Mozambique Brera Tchumene 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Fernandinho (2005-07-17) 17 July 2005 (age 19) 4 0 Mozambique Black Bulls 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Momed Ferreira (2003-10-02) 2 October 2003 (age 21) 4 1 United Arab Emirates Al Dhaid 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Mumu (2004-08-22) 22 August 2004 (age 20) 4 1 Mozambique LD Maputo 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Ussene Simango 3 0 Mozambique Brera Tchumene 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Zukhuyumane (2003-03-18) 18 March 2003 (age 22) 2 0 Mozambique Costa do Sol 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Orlando Tembe (2001-09-06) 6 September 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Mozambique Black Bulls 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Manuel Kambala (1991-08-21) 21 August 1991 (age 33) 38 0 South Africa Magesi 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Telinho (1988-10-15) 15 October 1988 (age 36) 34 1 Mozambique Costa do Sol 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Kamo-Kamo (1999-07-19) 19 July 1999 (age 25) 7 0 Portugal União de Santarém 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Ezequiel Machava (2003-01-03) 3 January 2003 (age 22) 1 0 Mozambique Ferroviário Maputo 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Keyns Abdala (2000-03-15) 15 March 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Portugal Chaves 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Chamito Alfândega (2004-01-14) 14 January 2004 (age 21) 5 3 Mozambique Black Bulls 2024 COSAFA Cup
FW Gaby Pinho (2001-03-07) 7 March 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Portugal Fabril 2024 COSAFA Cup
FW Lau King (1995-09-04) 4 September 1995 (age 29) 25 4 Angola Sagrada Esperança v.  Guinea; 10 June 2024
FW Isac de Carvalho (1989-07-26) 26 July 1989 (age 35) 48 6 Mozambique Costa do Sol 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Luís Miquissone (1995-07-25) 25 July 1995 (age 29) 48 9 Tanzania Simba 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Melque (1997-06-26) 26 June 1997 (age 28) 24 4 Mozambique Black Bulls 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Nelson Divrassone (1994-06-20) 20 June 1994 (age 31) 21 3 Mozambique Songo 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Dayo António (1995-08-20) 20 August 1995 (age 29) 13 3 Mozambique Songo 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Estevão (1995-12-01) 1 December 1995 (age 29) 11 3 Mozambique Ferroviário da Beira 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Melven Choi (2001-10-15) 15 October 2001 (age 23) 2 0 Mozambique Ferroviário da Beira 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 playing for Mozambique.

Most Games Played

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1. Domingues Pelembé 116 17 2004–present
2. Tico-Tico 94 30 1992–2010
3. Miró Lobo 84 8 2004–2015
4. Sérgio Faife 67 5 1992–2008
5. João Kapango 66 0 1996–2012
Nana Matola 66 5 1988–1999
7. Mexer 65 3 2007–present
8. Zainadine Júnior 64 1 2008–present
9. Momed Hagi 62 3 2005–2015
10. Telinho 61 4 2011–present

Top Goal Scorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1. Tico-Tico 30 94 0.32 1992–2010
2 Domingues Pelembé 17 116 0.15 2004–present
3. Dário Monteiro 16 48 0.33 1996–2011
4. Chiquinho Conde 12 43 0.28 1985–2001
5. Gil Guiamba 11 22 0.5 1980–1983
6. Arnaldo Ouana 10 37 0.27 1987–1999
7 Geny Catamo 9 29 0.31 2019–present
Luís Miquissone 9 48 0.19 2015–present
Clésio 9 52 0.17 2011–present
10 Miró Lobo 8 84 0.1 2004–2015

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup Record

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1974 Part of  Portugal Part of  Portugal
Argentina 1978 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Spain 1982 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 3 7
1986 and 1990 Did not enter Declined participation
United States 1994 Did not qualify 4 0 1 3 3 11
France 1998 2 0 1 1 1 3
South Korea Japan 2002 2 1 0 1 2 2
Germany 2006 2 0 0 2 3 5
South Africa 2010 12 4 3 5 10 10
Brazil 2014 8 2 3 3 7 11
Russia 2018 2 1 0 1 1 1
Qatar 2022 8 3 1 4 5 8
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 4 3 0 1 6 5
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total – 0/11 – – – – – – 46 14 9 23 41 63

Africa Cup of Nations Record

African Cup of Nations record Qualification record
Appearances:5 Appearances: 21
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Sudan 1957 Part of  Portugal Part of  Portugal
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965
Ethiopia 1968
Sudan 1970
Cameroon 1972
Egypt 1974
Ethiopia 1976 Not affiliated to CAF Not affiliated to CAF
Ghana 1978
Nigeria 1980 Did not enter Did not enter
Libya 1982 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 11 8
Ivory Coast 1984 2 1 0 1 3 4
Egypt 1986 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 0 7 Squad 6 2 3 1 8 5
Morocco 1988 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 3 4
Algeria 1990 2 0 0 2 0 4
Senegal 1992 4 2 0 2 3 3
Tunisia 1994 6 1 3 2 5 7
South Africa 1996 Group stage 14th 3 0 1 2 1 4 Squad 10 6 2 2 16 8
Burkina Faso 1998 16th 3 0 0 3 1 8 Squad 6 3 1 2 10 7
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Did not qualify 6 2 1 3 6 10
Mali 2002 2 1 0 1 1 1
Tunisia 2004 6 2 2 2 3 8
Egypt 2006 2 0 0 0 3 5
Ghana 2008 6 2 3 1 5 4
Angola 2010 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 2 7 Squad 12 4 3 5 10 10
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 Did not qualify 6 2 1 3 4 6
South Africa 2013 4 1 2 1 4 6
Equatorial Guinea 2015 10 3 5 2 13 7
Gabon 2017 6 2 1 3 5 7
Egypt 2019 6 2 2 2 7 7
Cameroon 2021 6 1 1 4 5 10
Ivory Coast 2023 Group stage 21st 3 0 2 1 4 7 Squad 6 3 1 2 8 9
Morocco 2025 to be determined to be determined
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027
2029
Total Group stage 5/36 15 0 4 11 8 33 — 114 41 33 40 130 140

African Nations Championship Record

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 2
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009 Did not qualify
Sudan 2011
South Africa 2014 Group stage 16th 3 0 0 3 4 9
Rwanda 2016 Did not qualify
Morocco 2018
Cameroon 2020
Algeria 2022 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 4 6
Total Quarter-finals 2/7 6 1 1 5 8 15

COSAFA Cup Record

Main article: COSAFA Cup

Team Achievements

Regional Titles

  • COSAFA Cup
    • Runners-up (2): 2008, 2015
    • Third place (3): 1997, 2009, 2024

See also

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