Niger national football team
Nickname(s) | Ménas | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Nigerien Football Federation | ||
Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | ||
Head coach | Jean-Guy Wallemme | ||
Captain | Souleymane Sacko | ||
Most caps | Kassaly Daouda (70) | ||
Top scorer | Moussa Maâzou (13) | ||
Home stadium | Stade Seyni Kountché | ||
FIFA code | NIG | ||
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FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 129 1 (4 April 2024)[1] | ||
Highest | 68 (November 1994) | ||
Lowest | 196 (August 2002) | ||
First international | |||
Niger 2–2 Chad (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 25 December 1961) | |||
Biggest win | |||
Niger 7–1 Mauritania (Niamey, Niger; 12 October 1990) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Congo 10–0 Niger (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 27 December 1961) | |||
Africa Cup of Nations | |||
Appearances | 2 (first in 2012) | ||
Best result | Group stage, 2012 and 2013 |
The Niger national football team[3][4] represents Niger in international association 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[5] The Dama appears on their badge in the colors of the national flag. [6][7]
History
Although one of the weaker 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.[8]
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.[9]
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.[10][11] 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.[12]
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.[13]
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.[14] 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.[15][16]
Competitive record
World Cup record
Africa Cup of Nations record
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African Nations Championship record
African Nations Championship | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances: 3 | ||||||||
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 | Qualified | |||||||
2022 | To be determined | |||||||
Total | Quarter-finals | 3/6 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 14 |
Head-to-head record against other nations
- As of 19 November 2019
Opponent | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Differential |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Algeria | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 14 | −13 |
Angola | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 |
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 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 22 | −9 |
Cameroon | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
Central African Republic | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 |
Chad | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Congo | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 10 | −7 |
DR Congo | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ivory Coast | 13 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 29 | −20 |
Egypt | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 16 | −14 |
Equatorial Guinea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Ethiopia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 |
Eswatini | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
Gabon | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 13 | −8 |
Gambia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Ghana | 11 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 38 | −34 |
Guinea | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 11 | −3 |
Lesotho | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Liberia | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −3 |
Libya | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | −4 |
Madagascar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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 |
Namibia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
Nigeria | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 |
Senegal | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 |
Sierra Leone | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 15 | −4 |
Somalia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
South Africa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 |
Togo | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 14 | −1 |
Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | −2 |
Uganda | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
Ukraine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 |
United Arab Emirates | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
38 Countries | 174 | 37 | 38 | 99 | 156 | 320 | −164 |
Results and fixtures
Win Draw Loss
2018
13 October 2018 2019 AFCONQ | Tunisia | 1–0 | Niger | Radès, Tunisia |
19:15 CET | Meriah 17' | Report | Stadium: Stade Olympique de Radès Referee: Eric Otogo-Castane (Gabon) |
16 October 2018 2019 AFCONQ | Niger | 1–2 | Tunisia | Niamey, Niger |
16:00 WAT | Oumarou 36' | Report | Chaouat 28', 32' | Stadium: Stade Général Seyni Kountché Referee: Noureddine El Jaafari (Morocco) |
18 November 2018 2019 AFCONQ | Eswatini | 1–2 | Niger | Manzini, Eswatini |
15:30 SAST | Nkambule 19' | Report | Adebayor 55', 77' | Stadium: Mavuso Sports Centre Referee: Ahmad Imtehaz Heeralall (Mauritius) |
2019
23 March 2019 2019 AFCONQ | Niger | 1–1 | Egypt | Niamey, Niger |
16:30 WAT | Moutari 82' | Report | Trézéguet 47' | Stadium: Stade Général Seyni Kountché Referee: Ring Nyier Akech Malong (South Sudan) |
10 September 2019 Friendly | Morocco | 1–0 | Niger | Marrakech, Morocco |
20:00 UTC+1 | El Karti 21' | Report | Stadium: Stade de Marrakech Attendance: 4,200 |
13 October 2019 Friendly | Niger | 0–2 | Central African Republic | Niamey, Niger |
19:00 | Report | Stadium: Stade Général Seyni Kountché |
16 November 2019 2021 AFCONQ | Ivory Coast | 1–0 | Niger | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
19:00 UTC±0 | Kessié 68' (pen.) | Stadium: Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny |
19 November 2019 2021 AFCONQ | Niger | 2–6 | Madagascar | Niamey, Niger |
17:00 UTC+1 |
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Stadium: Stade Général Seyni Kountché |
Players
Current squad
The following players have been selected for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Ivory Coast on 16 November 2019 and against Madagascar on 19 November 2019.[17]
Caps and goals updated as of 23 March 2019 after the game against Egypt.[18]
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Daouda Kassaly | 19 August 1983 | 70 | 0 | Katsina United | |
GK | Mainassara Babari | 22 September 1993 | 0 | 0 | SONIDEP | |
DF | Hervé Lybohy | 24 July 1983 | 1 | 0 | Nancy | |
DF | Yacouba Diori | 8 September 1997 | 3 | 0 | Ponferradina | |
DF | Abdoul Razak Seyni | 1 January 1990 | 3 | 0 | SONIDEP | |
DF | Zakariya Souleymane | 29 December 1994 | 1 | 0 | Lorient | |
DF | Kourouma Fatoukouma | 7 November 1986 | 22 | 1 | Jazz | |
DF | Mouhamadou Hamidou Ali | 7 May 1989 | 1 | 0 | SONIDEP | |
MF | Ali Mohamed | 7 October 1996 | 29 | 0 | Beitar Jerusalem | |
MF | Mahamane Cissé | 27 December 1993 | 27 | 4 | Otohô Oyo | |
MF | Yussif Moussa | 4 September 1998 | 3 | 0 | Ilves | |
MF | Djibo Wonkoye | 19 May 1994 | 21 | 1 | Horoya | |
MF | Daniel Soungole | 26 February 1995 | 1 | 0 | Teplice | |
FW | Kamilou Daouda | 29 December 1987 | 35 | 10 | Coton Sport | |
FW | Modibo Sidibé | 3 June 1992 | 23 | 4 | Michalovce | |
FW | Fabrice Yao | 29 December 1995 | 0 | Swift Hesperange | ||
FW | Victorien Adebayor | 12 November 1996 | 27 | 9 | Inter Allies | |
FW | Amadou Moutari | 19 January 1994 | 23 | 1 | Budapest Honvéd | |
FW | Seybou Koita | 15 April 1994 | 3 | 0 | Red Star | |
FW | Moussa Maâzou | 25 August 1988 | 50 | 13 | Sektzia Nes Tziona |
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DF | Khaido Assadeh | 28 June 1997 | 3 | 0 | AS Douanes | v. Eswatini, 18 November 2018 |
MF | Lawali Abdourahamane | 8 March 1997 | 0 | 0 | JS Tahoua | v. Eswatini, 18 November 2018 |
MF | Ousmane Diabaté | 9 July 1994 | 4 | 0 | Al-Taqadom | v. Tunisia, October 2018 |
MF | Boubacar Magid | 10 May 1994 | 4 | 0 | Al-Minaa | v. Tunisia, October 2018 |
MF | Abdoul Soumana | 22 May 2000 | 0 | 0 | Al-Merrikh | v. Tunisia, October 2018 |
FW | Youssouf Oumarou | 16 February 1993 | 27 | 2 | FAN | v. Tunisia, October 2018 |
FW | Boubacar Hainikoye | 7 October 1989 | 5 | 1 | US GN | v. Tunisia, October 2018 |
DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up. |
Records
- As of 30 March 2019
- Players in bold text are still active with Niger.
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List of coaches
- Patrice Neveu (1999–2000)
- Jean-Yves Chay (2000)
- Yeo Martial (2002–2003)[19]
- Bana Tchanile (2006–2007)
- Hamey Amadou (2007–2008)
- Dan Anghelescu (2008)
- Frederic Costa (2008–2009)
- Harouna Doula Gabde (2009–2012)
- Rolland Courbis (2012)
- Gernot Rohr (2012–2014)
- Cheick Omar Diabate (2014–2015)
- François Zahoui (2015–2019)
- Jean-Guy Wallemme (2019–present)
References
- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Orange 2012 Afcon qualifiers :130 Million FCFA for the Menas Archived 2011-11-09 at the Wayback Machine. 22/05/2011 StarAfrica sports.
- ^ Menas to test Pharaohs form. Confederation of African Football. 10-09-2010
- ^ Dama Gazelle Nanger dama. Sahara Conservation Fund, 2007, 2011.
- ^ http://www.afrik-foot.com/can-2019-la-liste-du-niger-contre-l-egypte-sans-maazou
- ^ "Niger team of 2019". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams.
- ^ "Project MENA is dedicated to assisting MENA, the Niger national soccer team. The project aimed to raise enough money to send the team to compete for the 2010 African Cup in Angola". Archived from the original on 2008-04-26.
- ^ CHAN 2011 : Un Niger héroïque mais éliminé par le Soudan – Football/CHAN 2011 – RFI 2011-02-19
- ^ "Niger in historic qualification despite Cairo loss". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
- ^ Fixtures, results and tables for the qualifiers for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. BBC Sport.
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16803984
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=263428
- ^ http://shakhtar.com/en/news/31806
- ^ http://www.uefa.com/friendlies/season=2014/matches/round=2000374/match=2014301/index.html
- ^ https://www.afrik-foot.com/can-2021-q-a-j-4-jean-guy-wallemme-nomme-selectionneur-du-niger
- ^ "Niger team of 2019". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams.
- ^ "Martial named Niger coach". BBC News. 26 November 2002.