Gambia national football team

Gambia
Nickname	The Scorpions
Association	Gambia Football Federation (GFF)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach	Johnny McKinstry
Captain	Omar Colley
Most caps	Omar Colley (62)
Top scorer	Musa Barrow (14)
Home stadium	Independence Stadium
FIFA code	GAM
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	116 (19 January 2026)
Highest	65 (June 2009)
Lowest	179 (March 2017)
First international
	British Gambia 2–1 Sierra Leone ; (Gambia; 9 February 1953)
Biggest win
	Seychelles 0–7 Gambia ; (Saint-Pierre, Mauritius; 14 October 2025)
Biggest defeat
	Guinea 8–0 Gambia ; (Guinea; 14 May 1972)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	2 (first in 2021)
Best result	Quarter-finals (2021)

The Gambia national football team (recognized as The Gambia by FIFA)^[3] represents The Gambia in men's international football and is controlled by the Gambia Football Federation. Until 1965, the team and the country were known as British Gambia.The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).^{[citation needed]}

History

Under the name British Gambia, the team played their first ever game on 9 February 1953 against Sierra Leone, winning 2–1 at home in a friendly.^[4] In April 1963, the team entered the L'Amitié tournament in Senegal, a competition mainly for French-speaking nations. They were drawn in a group with France's amateur team, the Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and Gabon. Their first match was lost 5–1 to the French amateurs on 11 April. The Gambia drew 2–2 with the Upper Volta on 13 April, and had the same result the very next day versus Gabon. The Gambia did not advance to the next round.

After the tournament in Senegal, the Gambia did not play another match until 16 November 1968, when they travelled to Sierra Leone to play its team in a friendly and lost 2–1. They played again in Sierra Leone in The Gambia's next match on 24 April 1971, and the hosts won 3–1. On 2 May 1971, The Gambia travelled to Guinea for a friendly and lost 4–2. On 14 May 1972, The Gambia returned to Guinea for their first African Games qualifier and lost 8–0 and were knocked out.

In 1975, the Gambia entered its first qualification campaign for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Canada. They were drawn in a qualifier against Guinea, and lost the first leg 1–0 at home on 27 April 1975. The second leg was lost 6–0 in Guinea on 1 June as Guinea advanced 7–0 on aggregate.

In August of that same year, the Gambia entered their first qualification for the African Cup of Nations, with the aim of reaching the 1976 finals in Ethiopia. They were drawn in a two-legged qualifier against Morocco and lost the first leg 3–0 away on 10 August. They lost by the same score in their home leg on 24 August and Morocco advanced 6–0 on aggregate.

After the qualification campaign for the 1976 finals, The Gambia played their first match against a full European side, losing a home friendly 4–1 to Denmark on 30 January 1977.^[5]

On 13 October 2002, the team got their biggest ever victory in international competition, a 6–0 victory against Lesotho.^[6]

In May 2014, the Gambia was banned from all CAF competitions for two years after deliberately falsifying players' ages.^[7]

The nation's fortunes improved in qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Although they failed to qualify, they took it to the final round of games, including drawing twice with African giants Algeria.

On 13 November, in their first Group D match of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Gambia defeated Angola 1–3 in Luanda. This was the Scorpions' first away win in an AFCON or FIFA World Cup qualifier ever, at their 40th attempt. An impressive campaign saw them qualify for their first ever major tournament that year. As the lowest-ranked team in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, the Gambia defied the odds by defeating favourites Tunisia in the group stage, finishing unbeaten in 2nd place in the group. A further win against Guinea in the Round of 16 saw them reach the quarter-finals at their first attempt, eventually going out to tournament hosts Cameroon.

Home stadium

The Independence Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Bakau, Gambia. It is currently used mostly for football matches, although it is also used for music concerts, political events, trade fairs and national celebrations. The stadium holds 30,000 people.^[8]

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Win Draw Loss Fixture

2024

18 November 2024 (2024-11-18) 2025 AFCON qualification	Tunisia	0–1	Gambia	Tunis, Tunisia
20:00 UTC+1		Report	Ceesay 17'	Stadium: Hammadi Agrebi Stadium Referee: Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea (Ghana)

2025

20 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Gambia	3–3	Kenya	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:00	Barrow 55', 84' Minteh 61'	Report	Olunga 69' (pen.) Bajaber 75' Wilson 90+6'	Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium Referee: Abdou Abdel Mefire (Cameroon)

24 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Ivory Coast	1–0	Gambia	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:00	Haller 15'	Report		Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Attendance: 19,471 Referee: Ring Nyier Akech Malong (South Sudan)

6 June Friendly	Gambia	2–1	Equatorial Guinea	Marrakesh, Morocco
16:00 UTC+1	Sidibeh 7', 45+1'		45+4' Masogo	Stadium: Marrakesh Stadium

9 June Friendly	Uganda	1–1	Gambia	Marrakesh, Morocco
	Mato 27'	Report	Manneh 45+1' (pen.)	Stadium: Marrakesh Stadium

5 September 2026 World Cup qualification	Kenya	1–3	Gambia	Nairobi, Kenya
16:00 UTC+3	Ogam 81'	Report	Sinyan 12' Minteh 26' Barrow 38'	Stadium: Moi International Centre Referee: Amin Omar (Egypt)

9 September 2026 World Cup qualification	Gambia	2–0	Burundi	Nairobi, Kenya
22:00 UTC+3	Fadera 34' (pen.) Adams 76'	Report		Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium Referee: Mohamed Maarouf Eid Mansour (Egypt)

10 October 2026 World Cup qualification	Gambia	3–4	Gabon	Nairobi, Kenya
16:00 UTC+3	Minteh 23' Sidibeh 45+2', 47'	Report	Aubameyang 20', 42', 62', 76'	Stadium: Moi International Sports Centre Referee: Joseph Ogabor (Nigeria)

14 October 2026 World Cup qualification	Seychelles	0–7	Gambia	Saint Pierre, Mauritius
17:00 UTC+4		Report	Sidibeh 2', 46' Manneh 24', 67', 75' Barrow 47', 52'	Stadium: Côte d'Or National Sports Complex Attendance: 300 Referee: Washington N'Dolo (Liberia)

18 November Friendly	Kuwait	2–2	Gambia	Cairo, Egypt
	Nasser 65' (pen.) Al-Sharifi 90+2'	Report	A. Ceesay 42', 57'	Stadium: Al Salam Stadium Referee: Mahmoud El Banna (Egypt)

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Head Coach	Johnny McKinstry
Assistant Coaches	Alagie Sarr Abdou Jammeh
Goalkeeping Coach	Alhagie Marong
Fitness Coach	Mikael Igendia
Match Analyst	Milad Samadi
Doctors	Dr. Ousman Colley Dr. Alhagie Jawara
Physiotherapists	Ebrima Jallow Modou Jarra Alassan Fofanah Hassan Darboe
Team Coordinator	Ousman Drammeh
Technical Director	Sang Ndong

Coaching history

Ousmane Saho (1961)
Abdoulie Ngum and Moses Trinn (1970-1971)
Kebba Njie (1977)
Cherno Touray (1975-1978)
Mass Axi Gai (1978)
Kabba Jallow (1978-1983)
Saihou Sarr (1983)
Holger Obermann (1985)
Hans Heiniger (1987–1992)
Sang Ndong (1992-1994)
Sang Ndong (1994–2003)
Antoine Hey (2006–2007)
José Martínez (2007–2008)
Paul Put (2008–2011)
Peter Bonu Johnson (2011–2012)
Luciano Mancini (2012–2013)
Peter Bonu Johnson (2013–2015)
Raoul Savoy (2015)
Sang Ndong (2016–2018)
Tom Saintfiet (2018–2024)
Johnny McKinstry (2024–)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Kuwait on 18 November 2025.^[9]

Caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2025, after the match against Kuwait.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Ebrima Jarju	(1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 27)	10	0	Paide
1GK	Sheikh Sibi	(1998-02-21) 21 February 1998 (age 28)	6	0	Virtus Verona
1GK	Jordi Bilali Danso	(2007-04-23) 23 April 2007 (age 18)	0	0	Girona B

2DF	Omar Colley (captain)	(1992-10-24) 24 October 1992 (age 33)	63	1	Al-Diriyah
2DF	Muhammed Sanneh	(2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 26)	19	0	Abdysh-Ata
2DF	Sheriff Sinyan	(1996-07-19) 19 July 1996 (age 29)	12	1	CFR Cluj
2DF	Joseph Ceesay	(1998-06-03) 3 June 1998 (age 27)	9	0	Empoli
2DF	Sainey Sanyang	(2003-04-18) 18 April 2003 (age 22)	9	0	CSKA Sofia
2DF	Alagie Saine	(2003-01-20) 20 January 2003 (age 23)	7	0	Horsens
2DF	Yaya Bojang	(2004-09-10) 10 September 2004 (age 21)	2	0	Odense
2DF	Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh	(2006-11-30) 30 November 2006 (age 19)	1	0	Tromsø
2DF	Tijan Sonha	(2001-07-31) 31 July 2001 (age 24)	1	0	Beroe Stara Zagora

3MF	Ebou Adams	(1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 30)	30	2	Derby County
3MF	Alasana Manneh	(1998-04-08) 8 April 1998 (age 27)	21	1	Hibernian
3MF	Mahmudu Bajo	(2004-08-15) 15 August 2004 (age 21)	10	0	Red Star Belgrade
3MF	Abubakr Barry	(2000-07-02) 2 July 2000 (age 25)	7	0	Austria Wien

4FW	Abdoulie Sanyang	(1999-05-08) 8 May 1999 (age 26)	22	0	Hajduk Split
4FW	Adama Sidibeh	(1998-06-25) 25 June 1998 (age 27)	9	7	St Johnstone
4FW	Abdoulie Ceesay	(2004-01-05) 5 January 2004 (age 22)	7	3	FC St. Pauli
4FW	Musa Juwara	(2001-12-26) 26 December 2001 (age 24)	6	0	Pogoń Szczecin
4FW	Gibril Sillah	(1998-09-07) 7 September 1998 (age 27)	1	0	Azam

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Gambia squad within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Baboucarr Gaye	(1998-02-24) 24 February 1998 (age 28)	25	0	Shkëndija	v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025
GK	Musa Dibaga	(2000-04-27) 27 April 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Inverness	v. Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025

DF	James Gomez	(2001-11-14) 14 November 2001 (age 24)	26	1	Odense	v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025
DF	Momodou Lion Njie	(2001-12-10) 10 December 2001 (age 24)	6	0	KFUM Oslo	v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025
DF	Sheriff Sinyan	(1996-07-19) 19 July 1996 (age 29)	11	1	CFR Cluj	v. Burundi, 9 September 2025
DF	Omar Gaye	(1998-09-18) 18 September 1998 (age 27)	6	0	Francavilla	v. Uganda, 9 June 2025
DF	Baboucarr Njie	(1995-06-05) 5 June 1995 (age 30)	3	0	Hartford Athletic	v. Uganda, 9 June 2025
DF	Musa Jatta	(2004-12-20) 20 December 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Oulu	v. Uganda, 9 June 2025
DF	Dembo Saidykhan	(2004-01-20) 20 January 2004 (age 22)	0	0	Vancouver Whitecaps 2	v. Uganda, 9 June 2025
DF	Dadi Gaye	(1995-03-21) 21 March 1995 (age 30)	2	0	Tromsø	v. Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025

MF	Mouhamadou Drammeh	(1999-05-15) 15 May 1999 (age 26)	5	0	Universitatea Cluj	v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025
MF	Jesper Ceesay	(2003-03-04) 4 March 2003 (age 23)	3	0	IFK Norrköping	v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025
MF	Saikou Touray	(2000-06-06) 6 June 2000 (age 25)	1	0	Grenoble	v. Uganda, 9 June 2025
MF	Francis Gomez	(2006-02-28) 28 February 2006 (age 20)	0	0	Everton	v. Uganda, 9 June 2025
MF	Ablie Jallow	(1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 27)	38	8	Metz	v. Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
MF	Ebrima Darboe	(2001-06-06) 6 June 2001 (age 24)	19	0	Frosinone	v. Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025

FW	Musa Barrow	(1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 27)	53	14	Al Taawoun	v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025
FW	Ali Sowe	(1994-06-14) 14 June 1994 (age 31)	21	1	Çaykur Rizespor	v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025
FW	Yankuba Minteh	(2004-07-22) 22 July 2004 (age 21)	19	7	Brighton & Hove Albion	v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025
FW	Alieu Fadera	(2001-11-03) 3 November 2001 (age 24)	17	1	Sassuolo	v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025
FW	Abdoulie Manneh	(2004-09-29) 29 September 2004 (age 21)	5	3	Mjällby	v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025
FW	Adama Bojang	(2004-05-28) 28 May 2004 (age 21)	3	0	Reims	v. Burundi, 9 September 2025
FW	Youssoupha Sanyang	(2005-08-31) 31 August 2005 (age 20)	1	0	Öster	v. Uganda, 9 June 2025
FW	Zakaria Sawo	(2000-01-11) 11 January 2000 (age 26)	0	0	Djurgården	v. Uganda, 9 June 2025
FW	Alagie Seidou Trawally	(2001-03-01) 1 March 2001 (age 25)	0	0	Cimitile	v. Uganda, 9 June 2025
FW	Alassana Jatta	(1999-01-12) 12 January 1999 (age 27)	3	1	Notts County	v. Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025
^WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue. ^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.

Records

As of 14 October 2025^[10]

Players in bold are still active with Gambia.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Omar Colley	62	1	2012–present
2	Musa Barrow	52	14	2018-present
3	Pa Modou Jagne	43	2	2006–2022
4	Assan Ceesay	41	13	2013–present
5	Bubacarr Sanneh	40	1	2012–present
6	Ablie Jallow	38	8	2015–present
6	Ebrima Sohna	38	3	2007–2022
8	Sulayman Marreh	35	1	2011–present
9	Abdou Jammeh	33	2	2006–2015
10	Modou Jobe	31	0	2007–present

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Musa Barrow	14	52	0.27	2018–present
2	Assan Ceesay	13	41	0.32	2013–present
3	Ablie Jallow	8	38	0.21	2015–present
4	Adama Sidibeh	7	9	0.78	2024–present
4	Yankuba Minteh	7	19	0.37	2022–present
6	Momoudou Ceesay	6	16	0.38	2010–2015
7	Omar Samba	5	12	0.42	1994–2002
	Jatto Ceesay	5	17	0.29	1994–2007
	Mustapha Jarju	5	26	0.19	2006–2013
10	Muhammed Badamosi	4	26	0.15	2018–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record									Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1950	Part of United Kingdom								Part of United Kingdom
1954 to 1966	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1970 to 1978	Did not enter								Did not enter
1982	Did not qualify								2	0	1	1	1	2
1986	Did not qualify								2	1	0	1	3	6
1990	Did not enter								Did not enter
1994	Withdrew								Withdrew
1998	Did not qualify								2	1	0	1	2	5
2002									2	0	0	2	0	3
2006									2	1	0	1	2	3
2010									6	2	3	1	6	3
2014									6	1	1	4	4	11
2018									2	0	1	1	2	3
2022									2	0	0	2	1	3
2026									10	4	1	5	27	18
2030	To be determined								To be determined
2034	To be determined								To be determined
Total	–	0/14	–	–	–	–	–	–	36	10	7	19	48	57

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957 to 1963	Part of United Kingdom
1965	Not affiliated to CAF
1968 to 1974	Did not enter
1976	Did not qualify
1978	Did not enter
1980 to 1988	Did not qualify
1990	Withdrew
1992	Did not qualify
1994	Did not enter
1996	Withdrew during qualifying
1998	Banned for withdrawing in 1996
2000	Withdrew
2002 to 2013	Did not qualify
2015	Banned
2017	Did not qualify
2019	Did not qualify
2021	Quarter-finals	6th	5	3	1	1	4	3
2023	Group stage	23rd	3	0	0	3	2	7
2025	Did not qualify
2027	To be determined
2029	To be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	2/35	8	3	1	4	6	10

Head-to-head record

As of match played 14 October 2025 after the match against Seychelles

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	W%
Seychelles	2	2	0	0	12	1	100.00
Total	2	2	0	0	12	1	100.00

Honours

Regional

Amilcar Cabral Cup
- Runners-up (3): 1980, 1985, 2001
- Third place (1): 1993

Notes

References

^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
^ "The Gambia". FIFA. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Gambia". World Football Elo Rankings. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
^ "Gambia – List of International Matches". Rsssf.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
^ "Gambia v Lesotho, 13 October 2002". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
^ "The Gambia disqualified from all Caf competitions". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
^ "Gambia National Stadium". Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
^ "SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT". Facebook. Gambia Football Federation. 5 November 2025.
^ "Gambia". National Football Teams.

External links

Official website of the Gambian Football Federation
Gambia at CAF
Gambia at FIFA

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.

[World_Football_Elo_Ratings-2] Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.

[3] "The Gambia". FIFA. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

[4] "World Football Elo Ratings: Gambia". World Football Elo Rankings. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2019.

[5] "Gambia – List of International Matches". Rsssf.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2012.

[11v11-6] "Gambia v Lesotho, 13 October 2002". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2020.

[7] "The Gambia disqualified from all Caf competitions". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.

[8] "Gambia National Stadium". Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.

[9] "SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT". Facebook. Gambia Football Federation. 5 November 2025.

[10] "Gambia". National Football Teams.

[1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

v t e Gambia national football team
General	Gambia Football Federation History Managers Honours
Stadium	Independence Box Bar
Players	Squad
Records and statistics	Results 2020–present
Africa Cup of Nations	Summary 2021 2023
Other teams	U23 U20 U17 Women

v t e National football teams of Africa (CAF)
North Africa (UNAF)	Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Tunisia
West Africa (WAFU)	Benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Liberia Mali Niger Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Togo
East Africa (CECAFA)	Burundi Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Rwanda Somalia South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zanzibar¹
Central Africa (UNIFFAC)	Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Congo DR Congo Equatorial Guinea Gabon São Tomé and Príncipe
Southern Africa (COSAFA)	Angola Botswana Comoros Eswatini Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Zambia Zimbabwe
Non-regional Members	Réunion¹
¹ Regional team, an associate member of CAF but not a member of FIFA Football in Africa portal