Niger national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Niger

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 (20)
Home stadium	Stade Général Seyni Kountché
FIFA code	NIG
First colours Second colours
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)
Biggest win
Niger 7–1 Mauritania  (Niamey, Niger; 12 October 1990)
Biggest defeat
Congo 10–0 Niger  (Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 27 December 1961)
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 (French: Equipe de football du Niger) 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.

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

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 18 November	Niger	0–1	Tanzania	Marrakesh, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1		https://www.flashscore.com/match/Ec7PHcvN/#/match-summary	M'Mombwa  56'	Stadium: Stade de Marrakech Attendance: 178 Referee: Lotfi Bekouassa (Algeria)

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 21 November	Niger	2–1	Zambia	Marrakesh, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1	Moutari  6' Goumey  28'	https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400017601	Daka  50'	Stadium: Stade de Marrakech Attendance: 200 Referee: Abdulrazg Ahmed (Libya)

2024

Friendly 8 January	Senegal	1–0	Niger	Diamniadio, Senegal
18:00 UTC±0	F. Mendy  90+9'	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2024/01/08/world/friendlies/senegal/niger/4294653/		Stadium: Diamniadio Olympic Stadium

Friendly 22 March	Niger	1–2	Togo	Mohammedia, Morocco
22:00 UTC±0	Sosah  55'	https://www.vavel.com/en-us/live/2024/03/22/1176850-niger-vs-togo-livescore-updates-in-international-friendly-match.html	Dermane  60, 65'	Stadium: El Bachir Stadium

Friendly 26 March	Niger	1–1	Burkina Faso	Berrechid, Morocco
22:00 UTC±0	Sosah  53'	https://www.scorebat.com/burkina-faso-vs-niger-live-stream/	Djiga  30'	Stadium: Berrechid Municipal Stadium

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification June	Congo	0–3 Awarded	Niger

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification June	Eritrea	Cancelled	Niger
Note: Eritrea withdrew from the qualifiers before the first matches were played.

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Congo on 6 June 2024.

Caps and goals are correct as of 26 March 2024, after the match against  Burkina Faso.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
16	1GK	Younoussa Abiboulaye	(2004-09-03) 3 September 2004 (age 20)	2	0	US GN
22	1GK	Mahamadou Tanja	(1996-07-05) 5 July 1996 (age 28)	17	0	AS FAN
1	1GK	Yahaya Babari	(1993-09-22) 22 September 1993 (age 31)	2	0	SONIDEP
2	2DF	Rahim Alhassane	(2002-01-01) 1 January 2002 (age 23)	13	0	Real Oviedo
5	2DF	Abdoul Garba	(2000-07-18) 18 July 2000 (age 24)	37	1	Douanes
7	2DF	Najeeb Yakubu	(2000-05-01) 1 May 2000 (age 25)	10	0	Vorskla Poltava
13	2DF	Abraham Adamou	(2002-09-14) 14 September 2002 (age 22)	1	0	US GN
15	2DF	Abdoulaye Boureima Katkoré	(1993-03-26) 26 March 1993 (age 32)	61	0	Al-Minaa
19	2DF	Boubacar Hama Hainikoye	(2002-05-17) 17 May 2002 (age 23)	0	0	US GN
21	2DF	Alhabib Hassane Abdou	(2003-08-24) 24 August 2003 (age 21)	3	0	Al Ittihad
	2DF	Abdoulaye Karim Doudou	(1998-09-25) 25 September 1998 (age 26)	13	0	Al-Minaa
	2DF	Mohamed Idrissa Karimou	(1993-04-06) 6 April 1993 (age 32)	4	0	US GN
	2DF	Oumar Sako	(1996-05-04) 4 May 1996 (age 29)	0	0	Rostov
6	3MF	Youssouf Oumarou	(1993-02-16) 16 February 1993 (age 32)	58	4	Stade Tunisien
8	3MF	Yussif Moussa	(1998-09-04) 4 September 1998 (age 26)	19	1	Al-Talaba
12	3MF	Moumouni Darankoum	(2002-08-07) 7 August 2002 (age 22)	18	0	Al-Mesaimeer
18	3MF	Ousmane Diabaté	(1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 (age 30)	40	0	Najran
	3MF	Ali Mohamed	(1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 29)	43	0	Maccabi Haifa
	3MF	Abdoul Madjid Moumouni	(1994-05-10) 10 May 1994 (age 31)	31	0	Al-Shorta
3	4FW	Daniel Sosah	(1998-09-21) 21 September 1998 (age 26)	18	6	Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
10	4FW	Victorien Adebayor	(1996-11-12) 12 November 1996 (age 28)	54	20	GNN
11	4FW	Boubacar Hainikoye	(1998-10-07) 7 October 1998 (age 26)	26	3	TP Mazembe
17	4FW	Boubacar Djibril Goumey	(2000-07-14) 14 July 2000 (age 24)	12	2	Zakho
	4FW	Issa Djibrilla	(1996-01-01) 1 January 1996 (age 29)	26	4	Zira

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
GK	Naim Van Attenhoven	(2003-01-31) 31 January 2003 (age 22)	9	0	Valenciennes	v.  Burkina Faso, 26 March 2024
GK	Oumarou Issaka	(1990-12-02) 2 December 1990 (age 34)	0	0	Douanes	v.  Senegal, 8 January 2024
GK	Oumarou Soumaila	(1987-10-24) 24 October 1987 (age 37)	3	0	US GN	v.  Tanzania, 18 June 2023
DF	Massoudi Salifou	(2004-07-11) 11 July 2004 (age 20)	7	0	Douanes	v.  Senegal, 8 January 2024
DF	Ousmane Oumarou Mansour		1	0		v.  Senegal, 8 January 2024
DF	Yacouba Diori Hamani Magagi	(1997-09-08) 8 September 1997 (age 27)	12	0	Castellón	v.  Zambia, 21 November 2023
DF	Laurent Chamssidine	(2001-03-04) 4 March 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Sahel	v.  Zambia, 21 November 2023
DF	Adamou Djibo	(1998-08-13) 13 August 1998 (age 26)	14	0	Sheriff Tiraspol	v.  Libya, 17 October 2023
MF	Amadou Moutari	(1994-01-19) 19 January 1994 (age 31)	54	3	Al-Faisaly	v.  Burkina Faso, 26 March 2024
MF	Salim Abubakar	(2003-04-06) 6 April 2003 (age 22)	6	0	Sassuolo	v.  Senegal, 8 January 2024
MF	Issah Salou	(1999-02-04) 4 February 1999 (age 26)	4	0	Skive IK	v.  Senegal, 8 January 2024
MF	Amadou Sabo	(2000-05-30) 30 May 2000 (age 25)	20	3	Club Africain	v.  Zambia, 21 November 2023
MF	Ousseini Badamassi	(1997-04-21) 21 April 1997 (age 28)	11	1	Mazembe	v.  Libya, 17 October 2023
FW	Kairou Amoustapha	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 24)	8	1	Cancún	v.  Burkina Faso, 26 March 2024
FW	Zakari Junior Lambo	(1999-01-19) 19 January 1999 (age 26)	11	1	La Louvière	v.  Senegal, 8 January 2024
FW	Mohamed Wonkoye	(1994-05-19) 19 May 1994 (age 31)	48	6	Horoya	v.  Senegal, 8 January 2024
FW	Seybou Koita	(1994-04-15) 15 April 1994 (age 31)	10	0	Oman Club	v.  Libya, 17 October 2023
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.

Records

Players in bold are still active with Niger.

Most appearances

Top goalscorers

Competitive record

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	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1966 to 1974	Did not enter									Did not enter
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									2	1	0	1	2	2
2030										To be determined
2034
Total		0/15								37	11	6	20	40	66

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
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
2025
2027	To be determined
2029
Total	Group stage	2/34	6	0	1	5	1	9

Niger national team against Morocco, 9 February 2011

African Nations Championship

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 4
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not qualify
2011	Quarter-finals	7th	4	2	1	1	3	3
2014	Did not qualify
2016	Group stage	16th	3	0	1	2	3	11
2018	Did not qualify
2020	Group stage	12th	3	0	2	1	2	3
2022	Fourth place	4th	5	2	1	2	3	6
Total	Fourth place	4/7	15	4	5	6	11	23

Head-to-head record

Opponent	Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Goals For	Goals Against	Goal Differential
Algeria	9	1	0	8	3	27	−24
Angola	4	0	0	4	2	8	−6
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	18	3	8	8	15	26	−11
Cameroon	3	0	1	2	0	4	−4
Central African Republic	2	0	1	1	3	5	−2
Chad	2	1	1	0	2	1	+1
Congo	6	0	2	4	4	12	−8
Djibouti	2	2	0	0	11	4	+7
DR Congo	3	1	1	1	4	2	+2
Egypt	7	1	1	5	2	19	−17
Equatorial Guinea	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
Ethiopia	5	2	0	3	4	7	−3
Swaziland	2	1	1	0	2	1	+1
Gabon	7	1	0	6	6	16	−10
Gambia	2	0	1	1	1	3	-2
Ghana	13	1	2	10	7	40	−33
Guinea	7	3	0	5	9	13	−4
Ivory Coast	13	0	2	11	9	29	−20
Lesotho	2	1	0	1	3	3	0
Liberia	8	3	2	3	7	10	−3
Libya	7	0	4	3	7	13	−6
Madagascar	2	0	1	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
Mozambique	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
Namibia	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1
Nigeria	3	0	0	3	1	7	−6
Senegal	7	1	2	4	3	7	−4
Sierra Leone	7	4	0	3	12	15	−3
Somalia	3	1	2	0	4	1	+1
South Africa	2	1	0	1	2	3	−1
Sudan	2	1	0	1	4	1	+3
Tanzania	3	0	1	2	1	3	-2
Togo	11	4	3	4	17	17	0
Tunisia	3	0	0	3	2	4	−2
Uganda	7	2	2	3	7	9	-2
Ukraine	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1
United Arab Emirates	1	0	0	1	0	4	−4
Zambia	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1
43 Countries	218	48	48	121	204	381	−177

Honours

Regional

• West African Nations Cup
  • Third place (1): 1986
• UEMOA Tournament
  • Champions (1): 2010
  • Runners-up (2): 2007, 2009

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Níger para niños