São Tomé and Príncipe national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
São Tomé and Príncipe

Nickname(s)	Seleção dos Falcões e Papagaios (Falcons and True Parrots Team) Guerreiros do Equador (Warriors of the Equator)
Association	Federação Santomense de Futebol (FSF)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	UNIFFAC (Central Africa)
Head coach	Ricardo Monsanto
Captain	Luís Leal
Most caps	Joazhifel Soares (36)
Top scorer	Luís Leal (11)
Home stadium	Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho
FIFA code	STP
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	185 (7 February 2019)
Highest	115 (March 2012)
Lowest	200 (September – October 2007)
Elo ranking
Current	181 2 (3 March 2019)
Highest	166 (June 1976)
Lowest	194 (August 1998)
First international
Gabon 6–1 São Tomé and Príncipe  (Libreville, Gabon; 2 May 1976)
Biggest win
São Tomé and Príncipe 2–0 Equatorial Guinea  (Libreville, Gabon; 14 November 1999)  São Tomé and Príncipe 2–0 Sierra Leone  (São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe; 8 April 2000)  Mauritius 1–3 São Tomé and Príncipe  (Belle Vue Harel, Mauritius; 9 October 2019)
Biggest defeat
Congo 11–0 São Tomé and Príncipe  (Libreville, Gabon; 7 July 1976)

The São Tomé and Príncipe national football team is the official football team for the country of São Tomé and Príncipe. It is managed by the São Toméan Football Federation. This team is a part of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA.

History of the Falcons and True Parrots

São Tomé and Príncipe played their first football match in May 1976. They faced Gabon and lost 6–1. Their next game was a big loss, 11–0, against Congo. This is still their biggest loss ever.

A year later, São Tomé got their first win. They beat Rwanda in a friendly game. They also managed to draw against Angola twice, in 1978 and 1987.

After an eleven-year break, the team started playing again. In 1999, they won 2–0 against Equatorial Guinea. They also beat Sierra Leone 2–0. These wins helped them reach their highest FIFA ranking at the time, 179th.

In 2003, São Tomé had some tough losses against Libya. They did not play in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. This meant they were not ranked by FIFA for four years.

On November 11, 2011, São Tomé returned to World Cup qualifiers. They played against Congo, losing 5–0 and then drawing 1–1. This brought them back into the FIFA rankings at number 192.

In 2012, São Tomé won their first ever two-game series. They beat Lesotho 1–0 at home. Then they held them to a 0–0 draw away. They almost beat Sierra Leone in the next round, losing by just one goal. The team continued to show promise with wins at home. However, poor results in away games stopped them from moving forward.

On October 9, 2019, São Tomé made history. They won an away game for the first time in a competitive match. They beat Mauritius 3–1. A few days later, they won 2–1 at home. This meant they moved on to the next stage of the 2021 AFCON Qualifiers. They faced tough teams like Ghana and South Africa. They finished last in their group.

In the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, São Tomé played Mauritius again. They won the first game 1–0 and drew the second 3–3. This seemed to put them through. However, they were later removed from the competition. This was because of a rule about COVID protocols for player Luis Leal. São Tomé appealed this decision. After some back and forth, they were put back into the competition.

Recent Matches

Here are some of the matches São Tomé and Príncipe has played recently.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

Matches in 2023

• November 17: São Tomé and Príncipe lost 4–0 to Tunisia in a World Cup qualifier.
• November 21: São Tomé and Príncipe lost 0–2 to Namibia in a World Cup qualifier.

Matches in 2024

• March 22: São Tomé and Príncipe drew 1–1 with South Sudan in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
• March 26: São Tomé and Príncipe drew 0–0 with South Sudan. South Sudan advanced because of the away goals rule.
• June 6: São Tomé and Príncipe lost 3–1 to Malawi in a World Cup qualifier.
• June 9: São Tomé and Príncipe lost 0–1 to Liberia in a World Cup qualifier.

Team Coaches

Here is a list of the coaches who have led the São Tomé and Príncipe national football team:

Team Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in June 2024.

Numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of June 9, 2024.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Pedro Mateus	(1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 28)	4	0	Feirense
	1GK	Fehér	(2004-01-27) 27 January 2004 (age 21)	2	0	Marinhais
	2DF	Adjakson	(2002-10-08) 8 October 2002 (age 22)	10	0	Real Queluz
	2DF	Rogério Fernandes	(2002-08-28) 28 August 2002 (age 22)	7	0	Real Queluz
	2DF	Gilberto	(2000-12-02) 2 December 2000 (age 24)	5	0	6 de Setembro
	2DF	Ricardo Fernandes	(2002-08-28) 28 August 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Estoril Praia
	2DF	Elias Varela	(2000-05-19) 19 May 2000 (age 25)	3	0	GD Bragança
	2DF	Nuno Malheiro	(1994-02-01) 1 February 1994 (age 31)	2	0	UMF Grindavík
	3MF	Marcos Barbeiro	(1995-07-29) 29 July 1995 (age 29)	16	1	Pontevedra
	3MF	Aldair	(1989-09-04) 4 September 1989 (age 35)	14	0	RSD Jette
	3MF	Iniesta	(1992-10-21) 21 October 1992 (age 32)	13	2	Rei Amador
	3MF	Joel Neves	(1994-05-01) 1 May 1994 (age 31)	12	0	Interoeste
	3MF	Denilson	(1998-07-02) 2 July 1998 (age 26)	8	1	Omladinac Gornja Vrba
	3MF	Mauro Vilhete	(1993-05-10) 10 May 1993 (age 32)	4	0	Hornchurch
	3MF	João Silva	(2005-06-15) 15 June 2005 (age 20)	2	0	Stocksbridge Park Steels
	4FW	Luís Leal	(1987-05-29) 29 May 1987 (age 38)	29	11	Almagro
	4FW	Eba Viegas	(1999-10-08) 8 October 1999 (age 25)	16	0	Amora
	4FW	Mimi	(1996-10-07) 7 October 1996 (age 28)	13	0	Chernomorets Balchik
	4FW	Ronaldo Afonso	(2000-07-11) 11 July 2000 (age 24)	12	0	Vitória de Guimarães B
	4FW	Edmílson Viegas	(1996-10-29) 29 October 1996 (age 28)	9	1	Íþróttafélagið Höttur
	4FW	Gué	(2001-09-23) 23 September 2001 (age 23)	8	2	KPV
	4FW	Sérgio Malé	(2004-05-08) 8 May 2004 (age 21)	2	0	Sacavenense

Other Players Called Up Recently

These players were also part of the team in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
DF	Lúcio Oliveira	(1992-11-26) 26 November 1992 (age 32)	9	0	Lagoa	v.  Namibia; 21 November 2023
DF	Auleocárcio	(1998-07-10) 10 July 1998 (age 26)	2	0	Imortal	v.  Namibia; 21 November 2023
FW	Kelve Semedo	(2004-05-09) 9 May 2004 (age 21)	5	0	Académico de Viseu U23	v.  Namibia; 21 November 2023
FW	Álvaro	(1998-04-23) 23 April 1998 (age 27)	2	0	Barreirense	v.  Namibia; 21 November 2023

Player Records

Players in bold are still playing for São Tomé and Príncipe.

Most Games Played

Top Goal Scorers

Luís Leal is São Tomé and Príncipe's top scorer with 11 goals.

Tournament History

FIFA World Cup

São Tomé and Príncipe has not yet qualified for the FIFA World Cup. They have tried to qualify several times.

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
1978 to 1986	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1990	Did not enter									Declined participation
1994	Withdrew									Withdrew
1998	Did not enter									Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	4
2006										2	0	0	2	0	9
2010	Withdrew									Withdrew
2014	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	1	6
2018										2	1	0	1	1	3
2022										2	0	0	2	1	3
2026	To be determined									4	0	0	4	1	10
2030										To be determined
2034
Total	-	0/9	-	-	-	-	-	-		14	2	1	11	6	35

Africa Cup of Nations

São Tomé and Príncipe has also not yet qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Africa Cup of Nations Record										Qualification Record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of  Portugal									Part of  Portugal
1959
1962
1963
1965
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976	Not affiliated to CAF									Not affiliated to CAF
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988	Did not enter									Did not enter
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	0	6
2002										2	0	1	1	2	5
2004	Withdrew									Withdrew
2006	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	0	9
2008	Did not enter									Did not enter
2010	Withdrew									Withdrew
2012	Did not enter									Did not enter
2013	Did not qualify									4	2	1	1	5	5
2015										2	0	0	2	0	4
2017										6	1	0	5	4	19
2019										2	0	0	2	2	4
2021										8	2	0	6	8	18
2023										6	1	2	3	7	22
2025										2	0	2	0	1	1
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2029
Total	0 titles	0/35	—	—	—	—	—	—		36	6	6	24	29	93

Head-to-Head Record

São Tomé and Príncipe national football team results

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Santo Tomé y Príncipe para niños