Niger national football team facts for kids
Nickname(s) | Ménas | |||
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Association | Nigerien Football Federation | |||
Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||
Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | |||
Head coach | Jean-Michel Cavalli | |||
Captain | Kassaly Daouda | |||
Most caps | Kassaly Daouda (89) | |||
Top scorer | Victorien Adebayor (17) | |||
Home stadium | Stade Seyni Kountché | |||
FIFA code | NIG | |||
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FIFA ranking | ||||
Current | 109 1 (7 February 2019) | |||
Highest | 68 (November 1994) | |||
Lowest | 196 (August 2002) | |||
Elo ranking | ||||
Current | 134 (3 March 2019) | |||
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) |
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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) |
The Niger national football team represents Niger in international football through the Nigerien Football Federation, a member of Confederation of African Football (CAF). Niger plays in the colors of the flag of Niger, white, green and orange. Their nickname comes from the Dama gazelle, native to Niger, the Hausa name of which is Meyna or Ménas The Dama appears on their badge in the colors of the national flag.
Contents
History
Although one of the less successful sides in the strong West Africa region, Niger has produced a couple of noteworthy runs in qualifying tournaments.
One of their best performances was in the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in which Niger eliminated Somalia and Togo on the away goals rule, but were beaten by Algeria in the third round where only eight teams were left. Notable players in this run included Jacques Komlan, Hassane Adamou and Moussa Kanfideni.
In 1990, they set a record by thrashing Mauritania 7–1 in continental qualifiers, the highest positive score margin for the Mena.
In the 2004 African Nations Cup qualifiers, Niger won all their home games (including a win over Guinea) to finish on nine points, just three short of qualification.
The Niger squad is also plagued by financial concerns, which have caused them to withdraw from international tournaments on more than one occasion. The Nigerien Football Federation would have turned to fundraising to pay for their trip to the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola, had they qualified.
On 10 October 2010, Niger earned a shock 1–0 win over Egypt at home in the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualification.
Despite a failed run for AFCON 2010, Niger hosted and won the UEMOA Tournament in November 2010, and followed up with their first ever qualification for the African Nations Championship in February 2011.
After home wins over South Africa and Sierra Leone, on 8 October 2011 Niger qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in its history, despite losing 3–0 in Egypt. Niger, South Africa and Sierra Leone all ended with nine points, but Niger qualified thanks to their superior head-to-head record against their rivals.
At the 2012 African Cup of Nations, Niger was placed in Group C alongside co-hosts Gabon, Tunisia and Morocco. In their opening match, Niger lost 2–0 to Gabon, while against Tunisia in Libreville, Niger trailed 1–0 on an early goal from Youssef Msakni in which he dribbled his way through for a fine goal after just four minutes. William N'Gounou, however, then made history by scoring Niger's first ever goal at the African Cup of Nations. A 1–1 draw looked likely, but Issam Jemâa's goal would eliminate Niger from the tournament. In the final match, Niger faced Morocco in a match featuring two sides already eliminated from the tournament. Younès Belhanda scored on an assist from Marouane Chamakh just 11 minutes from time to give Morocco a 1–0 victory.
Later in 2012, Niger repeated its success in African Nations Cup qualifiers by beating Guinea in a two-legged series to qualify for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Guinea won the first match 1–0, but Niger won 2–0 in the second leg. Goalscorers Mohamed Chikoto and Issoufou Boubacar had sent Niger to another African Cup of Nations tournament.
In their first match at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Niger lost 1–0 to Mali at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. Mali captain Seydou Keita handed his nation the hard-fought victory five minutes before the end of the encounter. Niger then earned their first point ever at the African Cup of nations after holding DR Congo to a 0–0 draw. In the third match, Ghana outclassed Niger 3–0 to reach the quarter-finals as Group B winners. Niger finished bottom of the group.
On 22 May 2014, Niger played a friendly match against Ukraine, marking the first ever match against a European nation. Oumarou Bale scored in the 56th minute, cancelling out a 20th-minute goal from Ivan Ordets before Ukraine won on a goal from Taras Stepanenko as the match finished 2–1.
Results and fixtures
Win Draw Loss
2022
Friendly 23 March | Niger | 1–1 | Mozambique | Nouakchott, Mauritania | ||
https://globalsportsarchive.com/match/soccer/2022-03-23/mozambique-vs-niger/2662703/ | Stadium: Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Referee: Babacar Sarr (Mauritania) |
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Friendly 26 March | Libya | 2–1 | Niger | Nouakchott, Mauritania | ||
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https://globalsportsarchive.com/match/soccer/2022-03-26/niger-vs-libya/2662704/ |
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Stadium: Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Referee: Abdel Aziz Mohamed Bouh (Mauritania) |
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2023 AFCON qualification 4 June | Niger | 1–1 | Tanzania | Cotonou, Benin | ||
17:00 | https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2022/06/04/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/niger/tanzania/3783021/ | Stadium: Stade de l'Amitié Referee: Komlanvi Aklassou (Togo) |
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2023 AFCON qualification 8 June | Uganda | 1–1 | Niger | Entebbe, Uganda | ||
16:00 UTC+3 | https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2022/06/08/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/uganda/niger/3783022/ | Stadium: St. Mary's Stadium-Kitende Referee: Tsegay Mogos Teklu (Eritrea) |
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Friendly 23 September | Egypt | 3–0 | Niger | Alexandria, Egypt | ||
Stadium: Borg El Arab Stadium |
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Friendly 2 November | Algeria | 2–0 | Niger | |||
Friendly 20 November | Gabon | 3–1 | Niger | Antalya, Turkey | ||
Stadium: Atilla Vehbi Konuk Tesisleri Referee: Zorbay Küçük (Turkey) |
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Friendly 21 December | Ajaccio | 2–0 | Niger | Ajaccio, France | ||
15:00 UTC+1 |
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Stadium: Stade François Coty |
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2023
2023 AFCON qualification March | Tanzania | v | Niger | |||
https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/03/20/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/tanzania/niger/3783029/ | ||||||
2023 AFCON qualification March | Niger | v | Uganda | |||
https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/03/28/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/niger/uganda/3783030/ | ||||||
2023 AFCON qualification September | Algeria | v | Niger | Algeria | ||
https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2022/09/19/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/algeria/niger/3783024/ | ||||||
2023 AFCON qualification September | Niger | v | Algeria | |||
https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2022/09/27/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/niger/algeria/3783026/ | ||||||
Coaching history
- Patrice Neveu (1999–2000)
- Jean-Yves Chay (2000)
- Yeo Martial (2002–2003)
- Bana Tchanile (2006–2007)
- Hamey Amadou (2007–2008)
- Dan Anghelescu (2008)
- Frederic Costa (2008–2009)
- Harouna Doula Gabde (2009–2012)
- Rolland Courbis (2012)
- Gernot Rohr (2012–2014)
- Cheick Omar Diabate (2014–2015)
- François Zahoui (2015–2019)
- Jean-Guy Wallemme (2019–2020)
- Jean-Michel Cavalli (2020–present)
Players
Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Tanzania and Uganda on 4 and 8 June 2022.
Caps and goals are correct as of 8 June 2022, after the match against Uganda.
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
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GK | Kassaly Daouda | 19 August 1983 | 89 | 0 | Katsina United | |
GK | Naim Van Attenhoven | 31 January 2003 | 7 | 0 | Ninove | |
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DF | Abdoulaye Katakoré | 26 March 1993 | 40 | 0 | AS Douanes | |
DF | Ousmane Diabaté | 9 July 1994 | 29 | 0 | Al-Minaa | |
DF | Abdoul Razak Seyni | 1 January 1990 | 19 | 1 | Nigelec | |
DF | Abdoul Aziz Ibrahim | 15 March 1996 | 18 | 1 | AS Douanes | |
DF | Abdoulaye Karim Doudou | 25 September 1998 | 6 | 0 | Dakkada | |
DF | Rahim Alhassane | 1 January 2002 | 4 | 0 | Rayo Majadahonda | |
DF | Djibrilla Ibrahim Mossi | 2 March 2002 | 4 | 0 | Rijeka | |
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MF | Youssouf Oumarou | 16 February 1993 | 50 | 4 | US Monastir | |
MF | Mohamed Wonkoye | 19 May 1994 | 41 | 5 | Horoya | |
MF | Abdoul Madjid Moumouni | 10 May 1994 | 21 | 0 | Al-Shorta | |
MF | Amadou Sabo | 30 May 2000 | 13 | 2 | Club Africain | |
MF | Abdoul Moumouni | 7 August 2002 | 9 | 0 | Sheriff Tiraspol | |
MF | Boubacar Goumey | 14 July 2000 | 4 | 0 | Nigelec | |
MF | Hassane Adamou | 26 June 2000 | 3 | 0 | Burgos Promesas | |
MF | Moussa Kassa Moudou | 11 November 1999 | 0 | 0 | US GN | |
MF | Moustapha Sabo | 14 September 2004 | 0 | 0 | AS SONIDEP | |
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FW | Amadou Moutari | 19 January 1994 | 48 | 2 | Al-Qadsiah | |
FW | Victorien Adebayor | 12 November 1996 | 46 | 17 | RS Berkane | |
FW | Mahamane Cissé | 27 December 1993 | 36 | 5 | AS Otôho | |
FW | Issa Djibrilla | 1 January 1996 | 18 | 4 | Zira | |
FW | Daniel Sosah | 21 September 1998 | 9 | 3 | Isloch | |
FW | Ibrahim Marou | 1 January 2000 | 5 | 0 | AS FAN | |
FW | Salam Boulhassan | 18 January 2001 | 2 | 0 | Nigelec |
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for Niger in the last 12 months.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
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GK | Oumarou Issaka | 12 February 1990 | 0 | 0 | AS FAN | vs. Djibouti, 15 November 2021 |
GK | Abdoul Boubacar | 7 September 1999 | 0 | 0 | AS FAN | vs. Algeria, 12 October 2021 |
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DF | Abdoul Garba | 23 December 1991 | 26 | 0 | AS Douanes | vs. Djibouti, 15 November 2021 |
DF | Yacouba Diori | 8 September 1997 | 10 | 0 | CD Castellón | vs. Djibouti, 15 November 2021 |
DF | Abdoul Aziz Hourba | 1 January 1995 | 1 | 0 | AS Douanes | vs. Djibouti, 15 November 2021 |
DF | Farouk Idrissa | 12 February 2000 | 0 | 0 | US GN | vs. Djibouti, 15 November 2021 |
DF | Boubacar Hama | 17 May 2002 | 0 | 0 | AS SONIDEP | vs. Djibouti, 15 November 2021 |
DF | Salifou Massoudi | 11 July 2004 | 0 | 0 | AS FAN | vs. Djibouti, 15 November 2021 |
DF | Abdoulaye Boureima Katakoré | 26 March 1993 | 34 | 0 | AS FAN | vs. Algeria, 12 October 2021 |
DF | Hervé Lybohy | 24 July 1983 | 10 | 0 | Thonon Evian | vs. Algeria, 12 October 2021 |
DF | Zakariya Souleymane | 29 December 1994 | 2 | 0 | Lyon Duchère | vs. Algeria, 12 October 2021 |
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MF | Ousseini Badamassi | 21 April 1997 | 5 | 0 | AS GNN | vs. Libya, 26 March 2022 |
MF | Ali Mohamed | 7 October 1995 | 39 | 0 | Maccabi Haifa | vs. Djibouti, 15 November 2021 |
MF | Yussif Moussa | 4 September 1998 | 15 | 1 | Ilves | vs. Djibouti, 15 November 2021 |
MF | Abdoul Kader Djibo | 11 July 1991 | 2 | 0 | AS Douanes | vs. Djibouti, 15 November 2021 |
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FW | Seybou Koita | 15 April 1994 | 7 | 0 | Andrézieux-Bouthéon | vs. Libya, 26 March 2022 |
FW | Fabrice Yao | 29 December 1995 | 4 | 0 | US Mondorf-les-Bains | vs. Libya, 26 March 2022 |
FW | Zakari Junior Lambo | 19 January 1999 | 9 | 1 | Royal Knokke | vs. Djibouti, 15 November 2021 |
DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up. |
Records
- Players in bold are still active with Niger.
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Competitive record
FIFA World Cup record
FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup qualification | ||||||||||||||
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Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
1930 | Part of France | Part of France | |||||||||||||
1934 | |||||||||||||||
1938 | |||||||||||||||
1950 | |||||||||||||||
1954 | |||||||||||||||
1958 | |||||||||||||||
1962 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
1966 | |||||||||||||||
1970 | |||||||||||||||
1974 | |||||||||||||||
1978 | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||
1982 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | |||||||||
1986 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
1990 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
1994 | Did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||
1998 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
2002 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
2006 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||||||||
2010 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 11 | |||||||||
2014 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | |||||||||
2018 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | |||||||||
2022 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 17 | |||||||||
2026 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
Total | 0/22 | 36 | 11 | 6 | 19 | 40 | 65 |
Africa Cup of Nations record
Africa Cup of Nations record | ||||||||
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Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
1957 | Part of France | |||||||
1959 | ||||||||
1962 | Not affiliated to CAF | |||||||
1963 | ||||||||
1965 | ||||||||
1968 | Did not enter | |||||||
1970 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1972 | ||||||||
1974 | Withdrew | |||||||
1976 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1978 | Withdrew | |||||||
1980 | ||||||||
1982 | Did not enter | |||||||
1984 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1986 | Did not enter | |||||||
1988 | ||||||||
1990 | ||||||||
1992 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1994 | ||||||||
1996 | Withdrew during qualifying | |||||||
1998 | Disqualified for withdrawing in 1996 | |||||||
2000 to 2010 |
Did not qualify | |||||||
2012 | Group stage | 15th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
2013 | 15th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
2015 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2017 | ||||||||
2019 | ||||||||
2021 | ||||||||
2023 | To be determined | |||||||
2025 | ||||||||
Total | Group stage | 2/33 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
African Nations Championship record
Head-to-head record
Opponent | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Differential |
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Algeria | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 14 | −13 |
Angola | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 |
Benin | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 17 | 24 | −7 |
Botswana | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
Burundi | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
Burkina Faso | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 22 | −9 |
Cameroon | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
Central African Republic | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 |
Chad | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Congo | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 10 | −7 |
DR Congo | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ivory Coast | 13 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 29 | −20 |
Egypt | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 16 | −14 |
Equatorial Guinea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Ethiopia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 |
Swaziland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
Gabon | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 13 | −8 |
Gambia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Ghana | 11 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 38 | −34 |
Guinea | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 11 | −3 |
Lesotho | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Liberia | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −3 |
Libya | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | −4 |
Madagascar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | −4 |
Mali | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 10 | −6 |
Mauritania | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 |
Morocco | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 16 | −14 |
Namibia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
Nigeria | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 |
Senegal | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 |
Sierra Leone | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 15 | −4 |
Somalia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
South Africa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 |
Togo | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 14 | −1 |
Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | −2 |
Uganda | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
Ukraine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 |
United Arab Emirates | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
38 Countries | 174 | 37 | 38 | 99 | 156 | 320 | −164 |
See also
In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Níger para niños