Réunion national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Réunion

Nickname(s)	Club R
Association	Ligue Réunionnaise de Football
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach	Jean-Pierre Bade
Captain	Bertrand Bador
Most caps	Jean-Michel Fontaine (29)
Top scorer	Jean-Michel Fontaine (15)
Home stadium	Stade Jean-Ivoula
FIFA code	REU
First colours Second colours
Elo ranking
Current	110 3 (3 March 2019)
Highest	105 (2017)
Lowest	154 (13 July 1983)
First international
Madagascar 4–2 Réunion (Madagascar; Date Unknown, 1947)
Biggest win
Unofficial  Réunion 11–0 Saint Pierre and Miquelon  (Saint-Gratien, France; 22 September 2010) Official Réunion 9–0 Maldives  (Saint-Denis, Réunion; 28 August 1979) Réunion 9–0 Maldives  (Curepipe, Mauritius; 30 August 1985)
Biggest defeat
Mauritius 15–2 Réunion (Madagascar; Date Unknown, 1950)

The Réunion national football team is the official football team for the French island of Réunion. It is controlled by the Réunionese Football League. This team is often called Club R.

Réunion is not a full member of FIFA, which is the world football governing body. Because of this, they cannot play in big tournaments like the World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. However, they are an associate member of the CAF. They play many matches, mostly against other island nations like Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles.

Team History: Réunion Football Journey

Réunion played its first international match in 1947. They lost to Mauritius and Madagascar. In 1950, they won their first game, beating Madagascar 3–2.

Indian Ocean Island Games Success

The team has done very well in the Indian Ocean Island Games.

• 1979 Games: Réunion won their group easily. They beat Seychelles 3–0 and Maldives 9–0. They then won against Comoros 6–1 in the semi-finals. In the final, they beat Seychelles 2–1 to become champions!

• 1985 Games: Réunion reached the final again. They drew 4–4 with Mauritius but lost in a penalty shootout.

• 1993 Games: They made it to the semi-finals and beat Mauritius 1–0. However, they lost 1–0 to Madagascar in the final.

• 1998 Games: Réunion got their revenge against Madagascar in the final. They drew 3–3 and then won 7–6 on penalties. This made them champions for the second time!

• 2003 Games: They reached the final but lost 2–1 to the host team, Mauritius.

• 2007 Games: Réunion won the competition again, even though they only scored two goals in total! This shows how strong their defense was.

• 2011 Games: They reached the knockout stage but lost to Seychelles in extra time. They finished in third place by beating Mayotte 1–0.

• 2015 Games: Réunion won the final 3–1 against Mayotte.

• 2019 Games: They won the competition by beating Mauritius in a penalty shootout. Their goalkeeper, Mathieu Pélops, saved all five penalties!

Coupe de l'Outre-Mer Victories

Réunion has also done well in the Coupe de l'Outre-Mer tournament.

• 2008: They won their group and beat Martinique 1–0 in the final to become champions.

• 2010: They reached the final again, playing against Martinique, but lost on penalties this time.

• 2012: Réunion won the tournament for the second time. They beat French Guiana 2–0, Saint Pierre and Miquelon 10–0, and Guadeloupe 2–1. In the final, they faced Martinique for the third time and won 10–9 in a penalty shootout!

Team Records: Top Players

Here are some of the players who have played the most games or scored the most goals for Réunion.

Most Games Played

Top Goal Scorers

Team Achievements: Trophies and Medals

Réunion has won several honors in regional football tournaments.

Indian Ocean Island Games Medals

• Gold Medal (5 times): 1979, 1998, 2007, 2015, 2019
• Silver Medal (4 times): 1985, 1993, 2003, 2023
• Bronze Medal (1 time): 2011

Coupe de l'Outre-Mer Trophies

• Champions (2 times): 2008, 2012
• Runners-up (1 time): 2010

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Reunión para niños