Seychelles national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Seychelles

Nickname(s)	The Pirates
Association	Seychelles Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach	Ralph Jean-Louis
Captain	Benoit Marie
Most caps	Benoit Marie (64)
Top scorer	Philip Zialor (14)
Home stadium	Stade Linité
FIFA code	SEY
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	189 (7 February 2019)
Highest	129 (October 2006)
Lowest	203 (3 April 2025-)
Elo ranking
Current	195 2 (3 March 2019)
Highest	168 (July 2008)
Lowest	199 (January 2020)
First international
Réunion 2–0 Seychelles  (Saint-Denis, Réunion; 13 February 1974)
Biggest win
Seychelles 9–0 Maldives  (Saint-Pierre, Réunion; 27 August 1979)
Biggest defeat
Ivory Coast 9–0 Seychelles  (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 17 November 2023)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances	14 (first in 2005)
Best result	Group stage (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024)

The Seychelles national football team, also known as the Pirates, represents the island nation of Seychelles in international football matches. The team is managed by the Seychelles Football Federation (SFF). The SFF joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA in 1986. Their home games are played at the Stade Linité in Roche Caiman, near the capital city of Victoria. This stadium can hold up to 10,000 fans.

The Story of Seychelles Football

Early Days of Football

Football first came to Seychelles in the 1930s. The very first official competition, called the Challenge Cup, was held in 1936. In 1941, a championship started with five teams. Players competed in 60-minute matches, often without shoes.

Building the National Team

In 1969, the president of the Seychelles Football Federation decided to create a national team. Adrian Fisher, a coach from England, arrived in September to help organize football on the island. He made sure all players had shoes and introduced modern training methods. He also extended match times to 90 minutes.

The new national team played its first friendly matches in Kenya in April 1970. They drew 2–2 against Feisal F.C. and lost 1–2 to Mwengi at Mombasa Municipal Stadium. By the time Fisher left in 1973, the team had played six games against different clubs.

First International Matches

Seychelles played its first game against another national team on March 13, 1974. They faced Réunion in a friendly match and lost 0–2. Two years later, after Seychelles became an independent nation, they played Réunion again and lost 1–4.

In September 1977, the team played its first match against a team recognized by FIFA. They lost 1–2 to Mauritius during a tournament in Réunion. The Pirates celebrated their first victory the next year, beating Réunion 1–0 at home.

Seychelles playing against Ethiopia at Stade Linité in 2015.

Competing in Tournaments

In 1979, Seychelles took part in their first tournament, the 1979 Indian Ocean Games. They lost their first game 3–0 to Réunion but then had a huge 9–0 win against Maldives. In the semi-final, they beat Mauritius 4–2 in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw. However, they lost 2–1 to Réunion in the final.

Seychelles did not get past the group stage at the 1985 Indian Ocean Games. On August 31, 1986, they played their first official competitive match recognized by FIFA and CAF. This was a qualification match for the 1987 All-Africa Games against Mauritius, which they lost 1–2. They also played in the 1988 African Cup of Nations qualifiers for the first time but lost 1–3 over two games to Mauritius.

At the 1990 Indian Ocean Games, the team suffered its biggest defeat ever, losing 0–6 to Madagascar in the semi-final. But they bounced back to win the bronze medal match against Comoros 3–1. Even though they hosted the next games in 1993, they lost all four matches and finished last.

New Coaches and Big Wins

After losing to Mauritius in the 1996 African Cup of Nations preliminary phase, Vojo Gardašević became the new coach. The Pirates then won third place again at the 1998 Indian Ocean Games. Two years later, they played in the World Cup qualifiers for the first time. They drew 1–1 against Namibia at Stade Linité, with a goal from Philip Zialor, but lost the second game 0–3.

Seychelles also lost 0–6 to Zimbabwe in the preliminary round of the 2000 African Cup of Nations. However, they did much better in the qualifiers for the 2004 African Cup of Nations. Under coaches Dominique Bathenay and then Michael Nees, they finished third in their group. They achieved two impressive home wins: 1–0 against Eritrea (goal by Roddy Victor) and 2–1 against a strong Zimbabwe team (goals by Alpha Baldé and Philip Zialor).

After this, they won a bronze medal at the 2003 Indian Ocean Games. They were later knocked out of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers by Zambia, losing 1–5 over two games.

Historic Win in 2011

In 2011, Seychelles hosted the 2011 Indian Ocean Island Games. They made history by winning the tournament for the first time, beating Mauritius in the final through a penalty shootout.

The rest of the 2010s were not as successful for The Pirates. A highlight was during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, where they won 2–0 against Lesotho and drew 1–1 with Ethiopia. This helped them finish third in their four-team group.

FIFA Goal Programme Support

In 2006, a new technical center was opened in Mahé. This project received help from the FIFA Goal programme, costing about 750,000 USD. The president of Seychelles, James Michel, attended the opening. This center is home to the SFF headquarters, an auditorium, 20 bedrooms, massage rooms, changing rooms, and a restaurant. It is located next to the turf pitches that were also built with the Goal programme's help in 2003.

Recent Matches and Upcoming Games

Here are the results from the last year and some upcoming matches.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

Gambia  v  Seychelles

8 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Gambia	5–1	Seychelles	Berkane, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1	Badamosi  10', 66' Barrow  52' (pen.) Minteh  55' Sidibeh  78'		Henriette  14'	Stadium: Berkane Municipal Stadium Attendance: 700 Referee: Joseph Odey Ogabor (Nigeria)

Seychelles  v  Burundi

11 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Seychelles	1–3	Burundi	Berkane, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1	Hoareau  78'		Abdallah  34' Kanakimana  62', 69'	Stadium: Berkane Municipal Stadium Referee: Mohamed Ali Moussa (Niger)

Lesotho  v  Seychelles

28 June 2024 COSAFA Cup	Lesotho	1–1	Seychelles	Gqeberha, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2	Thabantso  19'		Hoareau  67'	Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

Angola  v  Seychelles

1 July 2024 COSAFA Cup	Angola	3–2	Seychelles	Gqeberha, South Africa
12:00 UTC+2	Depú  9', 58' Munza  79'		Gamatice  26' Labrosse  46'	Stadium: Isaac Wolfson Stadium

Namibia  v  Seychelles

3 July 2024 COSAFA Cup	Namibia	3–1	Seychelles	Gqeberha, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2	Muzeu  11' (pen.), 81' Kulala  48'		Labrosse  87'	Stadium: Isaac Wolfson Stadium

Upcoming 2025 Matches

Gabon  v  Seychelles

20 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Gabon	3–0	Seychelles	Franceville, Gabon
20:00 UTC+1	Allevinah  3' Bouanga  30', 63'			Stadium: Stade de Franceville Referee: Mehrez Melki (Tunisia)

Burundi  v  Seychelles

25 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Burundi	5–0	Seychelles	Meknes, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1	Nduwarugira  22' Bimenyimana  24', 31' Kanakimana  50' Girumugisha  56'			Stadium: Honneur Stadium Referee: Youcef Gamouh (Algeria)

Seychelles  v  Gabon

1 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Seychelles

v

Gabon

Kenya  v  Seychelles

8 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Kenya

v

Seychelles

Seychelles  v  Ivory Coast

6 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Seychelles

v

Ivory Coast

Seychelles  v  Gambia

13 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Seychelles

v

Gambia

Team Coaches

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Team Management and Staff

Position	Name
Head Coach	Ralph Jean-Louis (caretaker)
Assistant Coaches	Ernest Vivien Lesley Guichard
Goalkeeping Coach	Frantz Boulle
Fitness Coach	James Fontaine
Match Analyst	Alexis Lafleur
Doctors	Dr. Daniel François Dr. Justine Valmont
Physiotherapists	Michael Payet Jules Hervé Richard Lemoine Thomas Hoareau
Team Coordinator	Gavin Jeanne
Technical Director	Vivian Bothe

Current Players

Team Squad

The players listed below were chosen for the 2024 COSAFA Cup.

The number of games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of June 28, 2024, after the match against Lesotho.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Ian Ah-Kong	(1995-11-02) 2 November 1995 (age 29)	16	0	La Passe
	1GK	Romeo Padayachy	(1993-02-18) 18 February 1993 (age 32)	3	0	Light Stars
	1GK	Liam Esther		0	0	Northern Dynamo
	2DF	Warren Mellie	(1994-10-01) 1 October 1994 (age 30)	38	3	Foresters Mont Fleuri
	2DF	Don Fanchette	(1997-12-03) 3 December 1997 (age 27)	29	0	La Passe
	2DF	Makhan Bristol-Cissoko	(2006-06-26) 26 June 2006 (age 19)	5	0	Foresters Mont Fleuri
	2DF	Markus Payet	(2005-06-13) 13 June 2005 (age 20)	5	0	La Passe
	2DF	Anil Dijoux	(2006-07-20) 20 July 2006 (age 19)	1	0	Northern Dynamo nat fs break}}
	3MF	Gervais Waye-Hive	(1988-06-11) 11 June 1988 (age 37)	50	6	Saint Louis Suns United
	3MF	Dean Mothé	(2000-08-01) 1 August 2000 (age 25)	21	0	Saint Louis Suns United
	3MF	Elie Sopha	(2004-11-03) 3 November 2004 (age 20)	8	0	St Michel United
	3MF	Imra Raheriniaina	(2004-11-19) 19 November 2004 (age 20)	7	0	St Michel United
	3MF	Lorenzo Hoareau	(2007-06-01) 1 June 2007 (age 18)	5	3	Foresters Mont Fleuri
	3MF	Lucas Panayi	(1997-03-06) 6 March 1997 (age 28)	4	0	Northern Dynamo
	3MF	Tyrone Cadeau	(2004-06-14) 14 June 2004 (age 21)	3	0	Newcastle Town
	3MF	Johan Gamatice	(1998-09-07) 7 September 1998 (age 26)	3	0	Saint Louis Suns United
	3MF	Vince Fred	(2005-10-16) 16 October 2005 (age 19)	2	0	Light Stars
	3MF	Nick Labiche	(1999-07-08) 8 July 1999 (age 26)	2	0	Rovers
	3MF	Stephan Ladouce	(2005-06-14) 14 June 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Saint Louis Suns United
	3MF	Laurence Leon	(1996-03-11) 11 March 1996 (age 29)	0	0
	3MF	Saverio Tsiahoua	(2004-06-16) 16 June 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Anse Réunion
	4FW	Brandon Labrosse	(1999-03-11) 11 March 1999 (age 26)	30	4	Foresters Mont Fleuri
	4FW	Justin Riaz		0	0

Other Players Called Up Recently

The following players have also been called to the Seychelles squad in the last year.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Alvin Michel	(1990-01-05) 5 January 1990 (age 35)	24	0	St Michel United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
GK	Jean-Paul Lesperance	(1990-06-29) 29 June 1990 (age 35)	1	0	Côte d'Or	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Benoit Marie	(1992-12-28) 28 December 1992 (age 32)	64	0	Côte d'Or	v.  Burundi; 11 June 2024
DF	Charmaine Häusl	(1996-01-27) 27 January 1996 (age 29)	4	0	SV Babelsberg 03	v.  Burundi; 11 June 2024
DF	Julio Brown	(1996-08-30) 30 August 1996 (age 28)	8	0	St Michel United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Daryl Louise	(1998-08-12) 12 August 1998 (age 27)	4	0	Abingdon United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Juninho Mathiot	(2000-02-09) 9 February 2000 (age 25)	23	0	Saint Louis Suns United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Dean Ballette	(1995-06-09) 9 June 1995 (age 30)	11	0	St John Bosco	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Brandon Molle	(2000-04-17) 17 April 2000 (age 25)	4	0	Foresters Mont Fleuri	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Ramlee Pascal	(1991-09-19) 19 September 1991 (age 33)	5	0	St Michel United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Michael Mancienne	(1988-01-08) 8 January 1988 (age 37)	5	1	Retired	2023 Indian Ocean Island GamesRET
MF	Ryan Henriette	(2001-01-23) 23 January 2001 (age 24)	20	2	Foresters Mont Fleuri	v.  Burundi; 11 June 2024
MF	Kenner Nourrice	(1995-06-10) 10 June 1995 (age 30)	17	0	St Michel United	v.  Kenya; 20 November 2023
MF	Colin Bibi	(1995-06-05) 5 June 1995 (age 30)	23	1	Saint Louis Suns United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
MF	Neil Confiance	(1997-08-12) 12 August 1997 (age 28)	4	0	St Michel United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
MF	Thierry Camille	(2001-12-11) 11 December 2001 (age 23)	4	0	Saint John Bosco	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
MF	Gerrick Vidot	(1994-06-30) 30 June 1994 (age 31)	8	0	St John Bosco	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
FW	Josip Ravignia	(2001-01-19) 19 January 2001 (age 24)	18	0	St Michel United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
FW	Hubert Jean	(1996-07-26) 26 July 1996 (age 29)	13	1	Saint Louis Suns United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary/Standby squad RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension WD Withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue COV Tested positive for COVID-19

Player Records

Players in bold are still active with Seychelles.

Most Games Played

Top Goal Scorers

Tournament History

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup										Qualification
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1974	Part of  United Kingdom									Part of  United Kingdom
1978 to 1986	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1990 to 1998	Did not enter									Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	1	4
2006										2	0	1	1	1	5
2010										6	0	0	6	4	17
2014										2	0	0	2	0	7
2018										2	0	0	2	0	3
2022										2	0	0	2	0	10
2026										6	0	0	6	2	30
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034
Total	–	0/9	–	–	–	–	–	–		22	0	2	20	8	76

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record										Africa Cup of Nations Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957 to 1976	Part of  United Kingdom									Part of  United Kingdom
1978 to 1986	Not affiliated to CAF									Not affiliated to CAF
1988	Did not enter									Did not enter
1990	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	1	3
1992	Withdrew									Withdrew
1994	Did not enter									Did not enter
1996	Withdrew									Withdrew
1998	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	1	2
2000	Did not enter									Did not enter
2002
2004	Did not qualify									6	2	0	4	4	10
2006										2	0	1	1	1	5
2008										6	1	1	4	3	14
2010										6	0	0	6	4	17
2012	Did not enter									Did not enter
2013	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	0	7
2015	Withdrew									Withdrew
2017	Did not qualify									6	1	1	4	5	11
2019										6	0	1	5	3	25
2021										2	0	0	2	1	3
2023										2	0	1	1	1	3
2025	Excluded									Excluded
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2029
Total	–	0/35	–	–	–	–	–	–		42	5	6	31	24	100

Indian Ocean Island Games

Indian Ocean Island Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1979	Runners-up	2nd	4	1	1	2	11	6
1985	Group stage	6th	2	0	0	2	1	4
1990	Third place	3rd	3	1	0	2	3	9
1993	Fourth place	4th	4	0	0	4	3	12
1998	Third place	3rd	4	2	0	2	9	10
2003	Third place	3rd	4	1	2	1	3	6
2007	Group stage	5th	2	1	0	1	2	4
2011	Champions	1st	5	3	2	0	10	4
2015	Group stage	5th	3	1	0	2	4	3
2019	Fourth place	4th	4	0	2	2	2	8
2023	Group Stage	6th	2	0	0	2	0	2
Total	1 Title	11/11	36	10	7	20	48	68

COSAFA Cup

Year	COSAFA Cup
	Round	Result	M	W	D	L	GF	GA
2000	Excluded
2001
2002	Did not enter
2003
2004
2005	Round 1	11th	1	0	0	1	0	3
2006	Round 1	7th	2	0	1	1	1	3
2007	Round 1	13th	2	0	0	2	0	7
2008	Group stage	11th	3	1	1	1	8	2
2009	Group stage	13th	3	0	0	3	2	6
2013	Group stage	13th	2	0	0	2	2	8
2015	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	0	2
2016	Group stage	14th	3	0	0	3	0	10
2017	Group stage	14th	3	0	0	3	1	10
2018	Group stage	12th	3	0	2	1	2	3
2019	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	0	6
2021	Did not enter
2022	Group Stage	13th	3	0	0	3	1	6
2023	Group Stage	12th	3	0	0	3	2	9
Total	Group stage	11/19	34	1	6	27	19	75

Head-to-Head Records

Against FIFA Members

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Algeria	2	0	0	2	0	6	–6
Angola	2	0	0	2	2	6	–4
Bangladesh	3	1	1	1	2	2	0
Botswana	2	0	0	2	0	3	–3
Burkina Faso	2	0	0	2	3	7	–4
Burundi	7	0	0	7	3	22	–19
Comoros	9	3	2	4	12	16	–4
Congo	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
DR Congo	2	0	0	2	0	7	–7
Eritrea	3	1	0	2	1	2	–1
Swaziland	4	0	1	3	1	7	–6
Ethiopia	2	0	1	1	2	3	–1
Gabon	1	0	0	1	0	3	–3
Gambia	1	0	0	1	1	5	–4
Ivory Coast	1	0	0	1	0	9	–9
Kenya	6	0	1	5	2	21	–19
Lesotho	5	1	2	2	5	6	–1
Libya	2	0	0	2	2	13	–11
Madagascar	13	0	4	9	6	28	–22
Malawi	2	0	0	2	0	5	–5
Maldives	8	4	1	3	21	10	+11
Mali	2	0	0	2	0	5	–5
Mauritius	31	6	8	17	32	51	–19
Mozambique	4	0	1	3	2	6	–4
Namibia	7	0	3	4	5	15	–10
Nigeria	2	0	0	2	1	6	–5
[[Palestinian National Authority {{{altlink}}}|Palestinian National Authority]]	1	0	0	1	0	1	–1
Rwanda	2	0	0	2	0	10	–10
San Marino	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Sierra Leone	1	0	0	1	0	2	–2
South Africa	3	0	1	2	0	9	–9
South Sudan	2	0	0	2	1	3	–2
Sri Lanka	4	2	1	1	8	5	+3
Sudan	2	0	0	2	0	5	–5
Tanzania	2	1	1	0	3	2	+1
Tunisia	4	0	0	4	0	14	–14
Uganda	3	0	0	3	2	8	–6
Zambia	4	0	1	3	3	11	–8
Zimbabwe	7	1	0	6	3	22	–19
Total	161	20	31	109	124	357	–233

Against Non-FIFA Members

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Mayotte	3	1	0	2	3	5	–2
Réunion	16	2	1	13	9	33	–24
Total	19	3	1	15	12	38	–26

Team Achievements

Regional Competitions

• Indian Ocean Island Games
  • Gold medal (1): 2011
  • Silver medal (1): 1979
  • Bronze medal (3): 1990, 1998, 2003

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Seychelles para niños