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Togo national football team facts for kids

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Togo
Nickname(s) Les Éperviers
(The Sparrowhawks)
Association Fédération Togolaise de Football (FTF)
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach Daré Nibombé
Captain Djené
Most caps Alaixys Romao (94)
Top scorer Emmanuel Adebayor (32)
Home stadium Stade de Kégué
FIFA code TOG
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 122 Increase 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 46 (August 2006)
Lowest 136 (April 2021)
Elo ranking
Current 114 Decrease 3 (3 March 2019)
Highest 56 (November 2005, January 2006)
Lowest 128 (4 September 1994)
First international
France French Togoland 1–1 Gold Coast and Trans-Volta Togoland 
(French Togoland; 13 October 1956)
Biggest win
 Togo 6–0 Swaziland 
(Accra, Ghana; 11 November 2008)
 Togo 6–0 Mauritius 
(Lomé, Togo; 12 November 2017)
Biggest defeat
 Morocco 7–0 Togo 
(Morocco; 28 October 1979)
 Tunisia 7–0 Togo 
(Tunis, Tunisia; 7 January 2000)
World Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2006)
Best result Group stage (2006)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances 8 (first in 1972)
Best result Quarter-finals (2013)
Togo-nationalmannschaft
Members of the Togolese national football team before a warm-up match in Biberach/Riss a few days before the 2006 World Cup

The Togo national football team (in French: Équipe nationale de football du Togo) represents the country of Togo in international football games. The team is controlled by the Togolese Football Federation. They are known as Les Éperviers, which means "The Sparrowhawks."

The Togo national football team played in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2006. In 2010, their team bus was attacked before the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. This led to them leaving the tournament. Later, they were not allowed to play in the next two tournaments by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). In 2013, Togo reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time ever. The team is part of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Team History

Togo's national team was known as French Togoland before Togo became an independent country in 1960. They made their first appearance in the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Stephen Keshi was their coach during the qualifying games. However, German coach Otto Pfister led the team at the World Cup finals. He almost quit just before their first match due to a disagreement over player bonuses, but the players convinced him to stay.

Playing in the 2006 World Cup

Togo played their first World Cup game against South Korea. They scored first with a goal from Mohamed Kader. But in the second half, Jean-Paul Abalo was sent off. South Korea then scored two goals, and Togo lost 2–1.

Their next game was against Switzerland. Before this match, the Togo team and coach Pfister considered not playing. They were asking for payments from the Togolese Football Federation. FIFA stepped in and helped solve the issue. Togo played the game but lost 2–0 to Switzerland. FIFA later fined the Togolese federation for their actions.

Togo's final group game was against France, which they lost 2–0.

Sierra Leone Air Accident

On June 3, 2007, after a game in Sierra Leone, 20 sports officials from Togo were killed. Their helicopter crashed at Lungi International Airport. No players from the Togo national team were on that helicopter. The team players and other officials were waiting for the next flight.

Bus Attack and Tournament Ban in 2010

On January 8, 2010, the Togo team bus was attacked by gunmen. This happened as they were traveling to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament. Three people were killed, and several others were injured. A group called FLEC said they were responsible for the attack.

After the attack, the Togolese Football Federation decided to pull out of the tournament. Even though some players wanted to keep playing, the government ordered the team to return home.

Because the team withdrew, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) banned Togo from playing in the next two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. They also fined the team US$50,000. CAF said that Togo had forfeited, meaning they left the competition too close to the start. Togo's government said they would sue CAF, calling the decision "insulting." Togo player Thomas Dossevi said it was unfair that they couldn't play after being attacked. The team captain, Emmanuel Adebayor, called the decision "outrageous." Later, FIFA helped to lift the ban.

After these events, Emmanuel Adebayor announced he was leaving international football in April 2010. However, he returned to play for the national team in March 2011.

Fake Togo Team Incident

In September 2010, a team claiming to be Togo played a friendly match against Bahrain and lost 3–0. However, the Togo Football Association later said that a fake team had played the game. Togo's Sports Minister said that no one in Togo knew about such a match. It was found that a former Togo manager, Bana Tchanilé, was involved. He received a three-year ban for this incident. This fake match was linked to a scam involving match-fixing.

2014 World Cup Qualifiers

Togo started their journey to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in November 2011. They played against Guinea-Bissau, drawing 1–1 in the first game and winning 1–0 in the second. They had mixed results in other matches, including draws and losses against teams like Libya and Congo DR. They also played Cameroon twice, losing one game and winning the other. In the end, Togo did not qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Recent Matches

This section shows how the Togo national team has performed in their recent games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

Matches in 2024

  • March 22: Niger 1–2 Togo (Friendly) - Win
  • March 26: Togo 1–1 Libya (Friendly) - Draw
  • June 5: Togo 1–1 South Sudan (2026 World Cup qualification) - Draw
  • June 9: DR Congo 1–0 Togo (2026 World Cup qualification) - Loss
  • September 6: Togo 1–1 Liberia (2025 AFCON qualification) - Draw
  • September 9: Equatorial Guinea 2–2 Togo (2025 AFCON qualification) - Draw
  • October 10: Algeria 5–1 Togo (2025 AFCON qualification) - Loss
  • October 14: Togo 0–1 Algeria (2025 AFCON qualification) - Loss
  • October 25: Togo 2–0 Benin (2024 African Nations Championship qualification) - Win
  • November 2: Benin 1–1 Togo (2024 African Nations Championship qualification) - Draw (Togo won 3–1 on aggregate)
  • November 13: Liberia 1–0 Togo (2025 AFCON qualification) - Loss
  • November 18: Togo 3–0 Equatorial Guinea (2025 AFCON qualification) - Win

Upcoming Matches in 2025

  • March 22: Togo 2–2 Mauritania (2026 World Cup qualification) - Draw
  • March 25: Senegal 2–0 Togo (2026 World Cup qualification) - Loss
  • September: Mauritania vs. Togo (2026 World Cup qualification)
  • September: Togo vs. Sudan (2026 World Cup qualification)
  • October: Togo vs. DR Congo (2026 World Cup qualification)
  • October: South Sudan vs. Togo (2026 World Cup qualification)

Team Coaches

Claude Le Roy, Le360 - Jun 29, 2019
Claude Le Roy was the manager of Togo from 2016 to 2021.

Many coaches have led the Togo national football team over the years. Some have been from Togo, while others have come from different countries.

  • Stephen Keshi (Nigeria) coached the team multiple times.
  • Otto Pfister (Germany) led them in the 2006 World Cup.
  • Currently, Dare Nibombe (Togo) is the coach.

Team Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in March 2025. Player information is correct as of March 25, 2025, after the match against Senegal.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Malcolm Barcola (1999-05-14) 14 May 1999 (age 26) 25 0 Portugal Paços de Ferreira
1GK Youssouf Morou (2000-12-31) 31 December 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Togo Gomido
1GK Achirafou Yaya (2004-07-26) 26 July 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Ivory Coast LYS Sassandra

2DF Djené (1991-12-31) 31 December 1991 (age 33) 86 0 Spain Getafe
2DF Youssifou Atté (1996-05-16) 16 May 1996 (age 29) 19 0 Ivory Coast ASEC Mimosas
2DF Mawouna Amevor (1991-12-16) 16 December 1991 (age 33) 13 0 Netherlands Volendam
2DF Kennedy Boateng (1996-11-29) 29 November 1996 (age 28) 12 0 Romania Dinamo București
2DF Kévin Boma (2002-11-20) 20 November 2002 (age 22) 6 0 Portugal Estoril Praia
2DF Sadik Fofana (2003-05-16) 16 May 2003 (age 22) 5 0 Austria Grazer AK
2DF Josué Homawoo (1997-11-12) 12 November 1997 (age 27) 3 0 Romania Dinamo București
2DF Amoudane Ouro-Ayeva (1997-04-29) 29 April 1997 (age 28) 0 0 Togo ASC Kara

3MF Alaixys Romao (1984-01-18) 18 January 1984 (age 41) 94 0 Greece Ionikos
3MF Karim Dermane (2003-12-26) 26 December 2003 (age 21) 23 3 Belgium Lommel
3MF Abdoul-Sabourh Bode (1995-01-22) 22 January 1995 (age 30) 12 0 Togo ASC Kara
3MF Yawo Agbagno (2000-05-25) 25 May 2000 (age 25) 10 1 Algeria ASO Chlef
3MF Samsondin Ouro (2000-03-02) 2 March 2000 (age 25) 7 0 Hungary Győri ETO
3MF Jules Aziamale (1999-04-08) 8 April 1999 (age 26) 1 0 Togo CDF Haknour Bafilo
3MF Dikeni Salifou (2003-06-08) 8 June 2003 (age 22) 1 0 Austria Austria Klagenfurt

4FW Kévin Denkey (2000-11-30) 30 November 2000 (age 24) 40 10 United States Cincinnati
4FW Yaw Annor (1997-12-03) 3 December 1997 (age 27) 10 2 Egypt National Bank of Egypt
4FW Thibault Klidjé (2001-07-10) 10 July 2001 (age 24) 18 2 Scotland Hibernian
4FW Franck Mawuena (1992-11-21) 21 November 1992 (age 32) 8 0 Nigeria Remo Stars
4FW Etienne Amenyido (1998-03-01) 1 March 1998 (age 27) 4 0 Germany Preußen Münster
4FW Kokou Avotor (2001-11-17) 17 November 2001 (age 23) 4 1 Togo AS OTR Lomé
4FW Bassitou Madougou Unknown 0 0 Togo AS Binah

Players Called Up Recently

These players have been called to play for Togo in the last year.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Wassiou Ouro-Gneni (1997-02-14) 14 February 1997 (age 28) 10 0 Benin Dynamo Abomey FC v.  Algeria, 14 October 2024
GK Geoffrey Agbolossou (2000-02-25) 25 February 2000 (age 25) 2 0 France FC Balagne v.  Algeria, 14 October 2024
GK Steven Mensah (2003-05-22) 22 May 2003 (age 22) 6 0 Germany Hamburger SV II v.  DR Congo, 9 June 2024
GK Fabrice Kagbatawouli (2002-12-28) 28 December 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Togo ASC Kara v.  DR Congo, 9 June 2024

DF Gustave Akueson (1995-12-20) 20 December 1995 (age 29) 5 0 France Bastia v.  Equatorial Guinea, 18 November 2024
DF Koffi Benjamin Holete (2003-01-17) 17 January 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Togo ASC Kara v.  Equatorial Guinea, 18 November 2024
DF Klousseh Agbozo (1994-06-26) 26 June 1994 (age 31) 16 0 Tunisia Stade Tunisien v.  Algeria, 14 October 2024
DF Loïc Bessilé (1999-02-19) 19 February 1999 (age 26) 17 0 France Dunkerque v.  Equatorial Guinea, 9 September 2024

MF Roger Aholou (1993-12-30) 30 December 1993 (age 31) 20 1 Tunisia Espérance Sportive de Tunis v.  Equatorial Guinea, 18 November 2024
MF Kodjo Aziangbe (2003-12-14) 14 December 2003 (age 21) 14 0 Japan Yokohama F. Marinos v.  Equatorial Guinea, 18 November 2024
MF Marouf Tchakei (1995-12-15) 15 December 1995 (age 29) 33 3 Tanzania Singida Fountain Gate v.  Algeria, 14 October 2024
MF Khaled Narey (1994-07-23) 23 July 1994 (age 31) 8 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Khaleej v.  Algeria, 14 October 2024
MF Adil Titi (1999-08-20) 20 August 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Sweden IK Brage v.  Equatorial Guinea, 9 September 2024
MF Samuel Asamoah (1994-03-23) 23 March 1994 (age 31) 5 0 China Guangxi Pingguo v.  DR Congo, 9 June 2024

FW Euloge Placca Fessou (1994-12-31) 31 December 1994 (age 30) 36 9 South Korea Jeonnam Dragons v.  Equatorial Guinea, 18 November 2024
FW Abdou Ouattara (1995-04-06) 6 April 1995 (age 30) 6 1 Ethiopia Defence Force v.  Algeria, 14 October 2024
FW Mansour Ouro-Tagba (2004-12-17) 17 December 2004 (age 20) 4 0 Germany Jahn Regensburg v.  Algeria, 14 October 2024
FW Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba (1992-01-27) 27 January 1992 (age 33) 53 20 United Arab Emirates Al Ain v.  Equatorial Guinea, 9 September 2024
FW Ihlas Bebou (1994-04-23) 23 April 1994 (age 31) 37 1 Germany 1899 Hoffenheim v.  DR Congo, 9 June 2024

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.

Team Records

Most Games Played

Alaixromao
Alaixys Romao has played the most games for Togo, with 94 appearances.

The players listed below have played the most games for the Togo national team. Players in bold are still active with the team.

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Alaixys Romao 94 0 2005–present
2 Abdoul-Gafar Mamah 93 0 2000–2016
3 Emmanuel Adebayor 88 32 2000–2019
4 Djené Dakonam 86 0 2012–present
5 Kossi Agassa 84 0 1998–2017
6 Moustapha Salifou 77 8 2000–2013
7 Jean-Paul Abalo 74 1 1992–2008
8 Komlan Améwou 69 5 2000–2015
9 Tadjou Salou 62 12 1992–2004
10 Serge Akakpo 61 2 2008–2017
Mohamed Kader 61 13 1995–2009

Top Goal Scorers

Adebayor
Emmanuel Adebayor is Togo's top scorer with 32 goals.

These players have scored the most goals for the Togo national team. Players in bold are still active with the team.

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Emmanuel Adebayor (list) 32 88 0.36 2000–2019
2 Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba 20 53 0.38 2016–present
3 Kossi Noutsoudje 13 40 0.33 1994–2002
Mohamed Kader 13 61 0.21 1995–2009
5 Tadjou Salou 12 62 0.19 1992–2004
6 Floyd Ayité 11 48 0.23 2007–2022
7 Kévin Denkey 10 40 0.25 2018–present
8 Euloge Placca Fessou 9 36 0.25 2012–present
Adékambi Olufadé 9 41 0.22 1998–2010
10 Moustapha Salifou 8 77 0.1 2000–2013

Tournament History

FIFA World Cup Appearances

Togo has played in the FIFA World Cup once. This was in 2006.

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1958 Part of  France Part of  France
Chile 1962 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
England 1966 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 4
Argentina 1978 4 1 1 2 3 5
Spain 1982 2 1 0 1 2 2
Mexico 1986 Withdrew Withdrew
Italy 1990
United States 1994 Did not qualify 5 0 0 5 2 11
France 1998 8 2 2 4 9 16
South Korea Japan 2002 10 3 4 3 13 13
Germany 2006 Group stage 30th 3 0 0 3 1 6 Squad 12 8 2 2 22 9
South Africa 2010 Did not qualify 10 4 2 4 11 10
Brazil 2014 8 2 2 4 6 12
Russia 2018 2 0 0 2 0 4
Qatar 2022 8 3 3 2 8 7
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 6 0 4 2 4 7
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Group stage 1/15 3 0 0 3 1 6 77 24 21 32 80 100

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Agassa
Abalo (c)
Nibombé
Tchangai
Amevou
Romao
Sènaya
Salifou
Kader
Touré
2006 FIFA World Cup starting lineup

Africa Cup of Nations Appearances

Togo has played in the Africa Cup of Nations several times. Their best result was reaching the quarter-finals in 2013.

Africa Cup of Nations record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D* L GF GA
Sudan 1957 Part of  France Part of  France
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962 Not affiliated to CAF Not affiliated to CAF
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965 Did not enter Did not enter
Ethiopia 1968 Did not qualify 4 1 0 3 3 9
Sudan 1970 2 0 1 1 1 5
Cameroon 1972 Group stage 7th 3 0 2 1 4 6 Squad 4 2 2 0 3 1
Egypt 1974 Withdrew Withdrew
Ethiopia 1976 Did not qualify 6 3 0 3 9 7
Ghana 1978 2 1 0 1 1 2
Nigeria 1980 4 3 0 1 3 9
Libya 1982 2 0 1 1 2 6
Ivory Coast 1984 Group stage 8th 3 0 1 2 1 7 Squad 8 8 0 0 11 2
Egypt 1986 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 2
Morocco 1988 2 0 1 1 1 3
Algeria 1990 Withdrew Withdrew
Senegal 1992 Did not qualify 8 2 2 4 4 9
Tunisia 1994 Withdrew during qualifying Withdrew
South Africa 1996 Did not qualify 8 1 3 4 5 10
Burkina Faso 1998 Group stage 12th 3 1 0 2 4 6 Squad 8 4 2 2 10 5
Ghana Nigeria 2000 10th 3 1 1 1 2 3 Squad 6 3 1 2 12 6
Mali 2002 12th 3 0 2 1 0 3 Squad 6 3 2 1 8 6
Tunisia 2004 Did not qualify 6 3 1 2 9 7
Egypt 2006 Group stage 16th 3 0 0 3 2 7 Squad 12 9 1 2 22 4
Ghana 2008 Did not qualify 6 3 0 3 9 7
Angola 2010 Withdrew due to rebel attack Withdrew
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 Did not qualify 8 1 3 4 6 10
South Africa 2013 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 4 4 Squad 4 1 1 2 5 3
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Did not qualify 6 2 0 4 7 12
Gabon 2017 Group stage 16th 3 0 1 2 2 6 Squad 6 3 2 1 11 4
Egypt 2019 Did not qualify 6 1 2 3 4 8
Cameroon 2021 6 0 2 4 3 8
Ivory Coast 2023 6 2 2 2 8 8
Morocco 2025 6 1 2 3 7 10
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined To be determined
2029
Total Quarter-finals 8/35 25 3 8 14 19 42 144 57 32 55 165 163

African Nations Championship Appearances

Togo has played in the African Nations Championship once, reaching the group stage in 2020.

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 1
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009 Did not qualify
Sudan 2011
South Africa 2014
Rwanda 2016
Morocco 2018
Cameroon 2020 Group stage 11th 3 1 0 2 4 5
Algeria 2022 Did not qualify
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2024
Total Group stage 1/8 3 1 0 2 4 5

African Games Appearances

Togo has played in the African Games once, in 1965.

African Games record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
Republic of the Congo 1965 Group stage 3 1 1 1 5 9
Kenya 1987 Did not qualify
Total 1/4 3 1 1 1 5 9

Team Achievements

Togo has achieved some success in regional football tournaments.

Regional Titles

  • West African Nations Cup
    • Runners-up (4 times): 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986
  • WAFU Nations Cup
    • Third place (1 time): 2013

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Togo para niños

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