Niger national football team facts for kids
| Nickname(s) | Ménas | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Fédération Nigerienne de Football (FENIFOOT) | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Ezzaki Badou | ||
| Captain | Abdoulaye Katkoré | ||
| Most caps | Kassaly Daouda (89) | ||
| Top scorer | Victorien Adebayor (21) | ||
| Home stadium | Stade Général Seyni Kountché | ||
| FIFA code | NIG | ||
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| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 109  1 (7 February 2019) |
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| Highest | 68 (November 1994) | ||
| Lowest | 196 (August 2002) | ||
| Elo ranking | |||
| Current | 134  (3 March 2019) |
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| Highest | 103 (July 1991) | ||
| Lowest | 146 (December 1980) | ||
| First international | |||
 Chad 2–2 Niger  (Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 25 December 1961) |
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| Biggest win | |||
Niger 7–1 Mauritania  (Niamey, Niger; 12 October 1990) Niger 6–0 Bonaire  (Casablanca, Morocco; 25 March 2025) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||
 Congo 10–0 Niger (Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 27 December 1961) |
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| Africa Cup of Nations | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2012) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (2012, 2013) | ||
| African Nations Championship | |||
| Appearances | 4 (first in 2011) | ||
| Best result | Fourth place (2022) | ||
The Niger national football team (also known as Equipe de football du Niger in French) represents the country of Niger in international football games. They are part of the Nigerien Football Federation, which is a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Niger's team plays in the colors of the flag of Niger: white, green, orange, and purple. Their nickname is Ménas, which comes from the Dama gazelle. This gazelle is native to Niger, and its name in the Hausa is Meyna or Ménas. You can even see the Dama gazelle on their team badge, in the national flag's colors!
Contents
History of the Ménas
Niger is in a strong football region in West Africa. Even though they are not always the most successful, they have had some exciting moments in qualifying tournaments.
Early Achievements
One of their best performances was during the qualifiers for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Niger managed to beat Somalia and Togo. They won these matches because of the "away goals rule," which means they scored more goals in their opponents' stadiums. However, they were later defeated by Algeria in the third round. At that point, only eight teams were left in the competition. Some important players from this time were Jacques Komlan, Hassane Adamou, and Moussa Kanfideni.
In 1990, the team made a record for themselves. They won a game against Mauritania with a huge score of 7–1 in a continental qualifier. This was their biggest win ever!
Recent Successes
In the qualifiers for the 2004 African Nations Cup, Niger won all their home games. This included a victory over Guinea. They finished with nine points, just three points short of qualifying for the main tournament.
Sometimes, the Niger team faces money problems. These issues have caused them to pull out of international tournaments more than once. For example, if they had qualified for the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola, the Nigerien Football Federation would have needed to raise money to pay for their trip.
On October 10, 2010, Niger achieved a surprising 1–0 win against Egypt at home. This was during the qualifiers for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.
Even though they didn't qualify for the AFCON 2010, Niger hosted and won the UEMOA Tournament in November 2010. After that, they qualified for the African Nations Championship for the very first time in February 2011.
First Africa Cup of Nations Qualification
On October 8, 2011, Niger made history! They qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time ever. This happened after they won home games against South Africa and Sierra Leone. Even though they lost 3–0 to Egypt in their final game, Niger, South Africa, and Sierra Leone all ended up with nine points. Niger qualified because they had a better head-to-head record against their rivals.
At the 2012 African Cup of Nations, Niger was in Group C with Gabon, Tunisia, and Morocco. They lost their first match 2–0 to Gabon. Against Tunisia, Youssef Msakni scored an early goal for Tunisia. But then, William N'Gounou scored Niger's first-ever goal at the African Cup of Nations! It looked like it might be a 1–1 draw, but Tunisia scored again, and Niger was out of the tournament. In their last match, Niger played Morocco, and both teams had already been eliminated. Morocco won 1–0.
Later in 2012, Niger qualified for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations by beating Guinea. Guinea won the first game 1–0, but Niger won the second game 2–0. Goals from Mohamed Chikoto and Issoufou Boubacar sent Niger to another African Cup of Nations.
At the 2013 tournament, Niger lost 1–0 to Mali. They then earned their first-ever point at the African Cup of Nations by drawing 0–0 with DR Congo. In their third match, Ghana beat Niger 3–0. Niger finished last in their group.
On May 22, 2014, Niger played a friendly match against Ukraine. This was their first game ever against a European country. Oumarou Bale scored for Niger, but Ukraine won the match 2–1.
Recent Matches
Niger continues to play in important tournaments and friendly games. Here are some of their recent results from 2024 and 2025:
- On March 22, 2024, Niger played a friendly match against Togo and lost 1–2.
- On March 26, 2024, they had another friendly game, drawing 1–1 with Burkina Faso.
- In June 2024, Niger was awarded a 3–0 victory against Congo in a World Cup qualifier because Congo did not travel for the match.
- On September 4, 2024, Niger lost 1–0 to Sudan in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
- On September 9, 2024, they drew 1–1 with Ghana in another qualifier.
- In October 2024, Niger played two matches against Angola in qualifiers, losing both (2–0 and 0–1).
- On November 14, 2024, Niger had a big 4–0 win against Sudan in a qualifier.
- On November 18, 2024, they won 2–1 against Ghana in a qualifier.
- On March 21, 2025, Niger lost 1–2 to Morocco in a World Cup qualifier.
- On March 25, 2025, they had a large 6–0 friendly win against Bonaire.
- On May 20, 2025, Niger lost 4–1 to Oman in a friendly match.
Coaching History
Many different coaches have led the Niger national football team over the years. These coaches come from various countries, including Niger itself, France, Germany, Ivory Coast, Romania, and Morocco. The current coach is Ezzaki Badou, who started in 2023.
Players
The team's roster changes over time as new players join and others leave. Players are chosen from different clubs, both within Niger and from other countries around the world.
Current Squad
The players listed here were called up for recent matches in March 2025.
- Goalkeepers: Mahamadou Tanja, Yahaya Babari
- Defenders: Abdoulaye Boureima Katkoré, Abdoul Garba, Rahim Alhassane, David Lebne, Oumar Sako, Abraham Adamou Gora, Mohamed Abdourahmane, Aboubacar Camara, Abdoul Jalil Mamane
- Midfielders: Youssouf Oumarou, Ali Mohamed, Abdoul Madjid Moumouni, Ousseini Badamassi, Hassane Harouna Moussa, Abdoul Latif Djibril, Zakariyaou Ibrahim
- Forwards: Daniel Sosah, Issa Djibrilla, Kairou Amoustapha, Chamsoudine Loukoumane
Players Called Up Recently
These players have also been part of the national team in the last 12 months:
- Goalkeepers: Naim Van Attenhoven, Younoussa Abiboulaye, Abdoul Kahar Issoufou
- Defenders: Moumouni Darankoum, Najeeb Yakubu, Alhabib Hassane Abdou, Amadou Salissou, Abdel Rahim Bonkano, Abdoulaye Karim Doudou, Philippe Boueye, Abdoul Kader Kassali, Inoussa Amadou, Boubacar Hama Hainikoye, Mohamed Idrissa Karimou
- Midfielders: Yussif Moussa, Salim Abubakar, Moussa Kassa Moudou, Maarouf Salissou, Salifou Danja, Ousmane Diabaté, Abdel Nasser Chaibou
- Forwards: Boubacar Haïnikoye, Zakari Junior Lambo, Victorien Adebayor, Boubacar Djibril Goumey
Team Records
Here are some interesting records for the Niger national football team.
Most Games Played
These players have played the most matches for Niger:
- Kassaly Daouda: 89 games
- Koffi Dan Kowa: 67 games
- Abdoulaye Katkoré: 64 games (still playing!)
- Youssouf Oumarou: 63 games (still playing!)
- Victorien Adebayor: 55 games (still playing!)
Top Goal Scorers
These players have scored the most goals for Niger:
- Victorien Adebayor: 20 goals (still playing!)
- Moussa Maâzou: 13 goals
- Kamilou Daouda: 10 goals
- Daniel Sosah: 8 goals (still playing!)
- Mounkaila Ide Barkire: 7 goals
Tournament Performance
FIFA World Cup
Niger has not yet qualified for the FIFA World Cup. They have participated in the qualification rounds many times.
Africa Cup of Nations
Niger has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations twice: in 2012 and 2013. In both tournaments, they played in the group stage but did not advance further.
African Nations Championship
Niger has played in the African Nations Championship four times. Their best performance was in 2022, when they reached the fourth place!
UEMOA Tournament
Niger has won the UEMOA Tournament once, in 2010. They were also runners-up in 2007 and 2009.
Images for kids
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Niger national team against Morocco, 9 February 2011
See also
In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Níger para niños
