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Mauritania national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Mauritania women's national football team.

Mauritania
Nickname(s)Al-Murabitun (الْمُرَابِطُون)
Lions of Chinguetti
AssociationFédération de Football de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (FFRIM)
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationUNAF (North Africa)
Head coachAritz López Garai
CaptainAly Abeid
Most capsSouleymane Diallo (76)
Top scorerBessam (13)
Home stadiumStade Olympique de Nouakchott
FIFA codeMTN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 115 Steady (19 January 2026)[1]
Highest81 (July 2017)
Lowest206 (November 2012 – January 2013)
First international
 Madagascar 5–1 Mauritania 
(Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 25 December 1961)
Biggest win
 Somalia 2–8 Mauritania 
(Beirut, Lebanon; 27 December 2006)
Biggest defeat
 Guinea 14–0 Mauritania 
(Guinea; 20 May 1972)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances3 (first in 2019)
Best resultRound of 16 (2023)
FIFA Arab Cup
Appearances2 (first in 1985)
Best resultGroup stage (1985, 2021)

The Mauritania national football team (Arabic: منتخب مُورِيتَانْيَا لِكُرَةِ الْقَدَم), nicknamed Al-Murabitun represents Mauritania in men's international football. It is controlled by the Féderation de Football de la République Islamique de Mauritanie, and is a member of the Confederation of African Football. They have not qualified for the FIFA World Cup. However, in the Amílcar Cabral Cup, a regional tournament for West Africa, Mauritania came fourth in 1980 on hosting the competition. The national football team of Mauritania was later runners-up in 1995, losing on penalties to Sierra Leone after the final finished 0–0.

On 18 November 2018, Mauritania qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in history, after they won 2–1 against Botswana to seal a spot in the 2019 tournament.

History

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1963–1980

[edit]

Mauritania played its first match after independence from France on 11 April 1963, against Congo Kinshasa (also making their debut) and lost 6–0.[3] The match was held in Dakar, Senegal as part of the L'Amitié tournament between African sides. It also saw the debuts of Chad, Liberia and Niger. Mauritania lost its three other matches in the tournament: 2–0 to the Ivory Coast, 4–0 to Tunisia and 7–0 to Congo Brazzaville.

Mauritania's first goal and avoidance of defeat came four years after their debut, in 1967 with a 1–1 draw away in Tanzania. This was their first match since the L'Amitié tournament in 1963.

Mauritania entered their first African Games qualification campaign, in an aim to reach the 1973 finals in Nigeria. They were drawn in a group against Mali and Guinea in Guinea. The first game was lost 11–0 to Mali, and on 20 May Mauritania lost 14–0 to Guinea. Mauritania did not qualify.

In May 1976 Mauritania entered qualification for the football at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Canada. They were drawn against neighbouring Mali in a two-legged qualifier. The first leg was lost 6–0 away on 1 May, and the second leg was lost 1–0 at home on 18 May. Mali did not qualify for the finals.

Mauritania's first entrance into World Cup qualification was an attempt to reach the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina. In March 1976 they were one of four countries put into two preliminary matches at the start of the African qualification campaign. Mauritania's preliminary was a two-legged match against the Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and they drew the first match 1–1 away in Ouagadougou on 13 March. This was their first competitive avoidance of defeat, and their first avoidance of defeat since 1967. On 28 March, Mauritania lost their home leg in Nouakchott 2–0 and the Upper Volta advanced 3–1 on aggregate.

On 12 October 1980, seventeen years after their first game, Mauritania won for the first time by beating Mali 2–1 at home in a qualifier for the African Cup of Nations.[4] Mali won 3–2 on aggregate having won the first leg 2–0.

1998 FIFA World Cup qualification

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Mauritania entered qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, which was their first entry in twenty years and second overall. Again, they were drawn to face Burkina Faso in a two-legged preliminary. The first leg was played at home in Nouakchott in front of 15,000 people on 31 May 1996, one day before any other matches in the round. The match finished 0–0.[5] The second leg was played at the Stade du 4-Aout in Ouagadougou on 16 June 1996 in front of 13,000 people. Burkina Faso won 2–0 to advance to the final group phase.

2002 FIFA World Cup qualification

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Mauritania entered the qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and were placed in a preliminary against Tunisia, who had qualified for the previous tournament. On 7 April 2000 they hosted Tunisia at the Stade Olympique in Nouakchott. A crowd of 10,000 saw Tunisia win 2–1 with second-half goals from Radhi Jaidi and Hassen Gabsi.[6] In the second leg on 22 April 2000, Mauritania were beaten 3–0 at the Stade El Menzah in Tunis. The match was watched by only 3,000, despite a capacity of 45,000 in the ground.[7] Tunisia won 5–1 on aggregate and later qualified for the finals in South Korea and Japan.

2006 FIFA World Cup qualification

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Mauritania were drawn with Zimbabwe in the preliminary of the African section of the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification. On 12 October 2003 they lost the away leg 3–0 at the National Sports Stadium in Harare in front of 55,000 people.[8] In the home return at the Stade Olympique on 14 November 2003, Mauritania scored twice in the opening ten minutes to win 2–1, their first victory in a World Cup match. However, Zimbabwe advanced 4–2 on aggregate.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

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The African qualification process was altered for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Only the six lowest-ranked nations played a preliminary, a selection which for the first time did not include Mauritania. Mauritania played in Group 8 of the second qualifying round against Rwanda, Morocco and Ethiopia, and started with an away match at the Stade Regional Nyamirambo in Kigali, Rwanda on 31 May 2008. They lost 3–0 in front of 12,000 people.[9] The first home match was on 7 June at the Stade Nacional in Nouakchott against Morocco. The Moroccans scored two in each half before a late penalty by Dominique da Silva of Mauritania made the game 4–1.

On 13 June 2008 Mauritania hosted Ethiopia at the Stade Nacional and lost 1–0 after an injury-time winner from Saladin Said. On 22 June Mauritania lost 6–1 in the away match versus Ethiopia at the Addis Ababa Stadium. The Ethiopian forwards Fikru Tefera and Andualem Nigussie scored two goals each in a match which also saw Ba Yaoub of Mauritania sent off after 37 minutes, conceding a penalty to Fikru. The game was 1–1 at half time.[10] In September 2008 Ethiopia were expelled from the tournament due to government interferences in their football association and all of their results annulled.

Only 1,000 people saw Mauritania's next game at the Stade Nacional as they were beaten 1–0 by Rwanda on 6 September with a late goal by Bobo Bola. Mauritania finished their group campaign at the Stade Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, Morocco. Like the home game against the Moroccans, Mauritania were 4–0 down but scored the last goal, this time by Dahmed Ould Teguedi. Although the Moroccan stadium had a capacity of 52,000, only 1,472 saw the match.[11]

2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

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Mauritania beat Mauritius 1–0 in the first leg of a preliminary round qualifier for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Nouakchott. SC Bastia's midfielder Adama Ba scored the only goal midway through the first half.[12] The return leg in Curepipe ended 2–0 in favour of Mauritania. Scorers were Demba Sow and Moulaye Ahmed Bessam.[13]

In the first round, first leg match, Mauritania beat visitors Equatorial Guinea 1–0 in Nouakchott. The two sides headed into the break scoreless in their match played at Office du Complexe Olympique de Nouakchott. Hosts Mauritania broke the deadlock in the 76th minute through their Tunisian-based striker Ismaël Diakité. In the return match Equatorial Guinea beat Mauritania 3–0 in Malabo.[14] Equatorial Guinea won 3–1 on aggregate. However, on 3 July 2014, the CAF announced that Equatorial Guinea were disqualified for fielding the ineligible player Thierry Fidjeu in the tie, and as a result, Mauritania advanced to the second round.[15] Equatorial Guinea later qualified for the final tournament as replacement hosts.

2019 Africa Cup of Nations

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On 18 November 2018, Mauritania qualified to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in their history, after they won 2–1 against Botswana, coming second in qualification Group I.

Team image

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mauritania national football team kits.

The Mauritania national team home kit is all green yellow red trim, and the away kit is all white with green trim.

Results and fixtures

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Main article: Mauritania national football team results (2020–present)

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

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19 November 2025 AFCON qualification Mauritania  1–0  Cape Verde Nouakchott, Mauritania
15:00 UTC+0
  • Soueid 45+4'
 Report Stadium: Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium
Referee: Lahlou Benbraham (Algeria)

2025

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22 March 2026 World Cup qualification Togo  2–2  Mauritania Lomé, Togo
16:00 UTC+0
Report
Stadium: Stade de Kégué
Referee: Amin Omar (Egypt)
25 March 2026 World Cup qualification Mauritania  0–2  DR Congo Nouadhibou, Mauritania
21:00 UTC+0 Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Stadium: Nouadhibou Municipal Stadium
Referee: Mohamed Athoumani (Comoros)
6 June Friendly Central African Republic  2–1  Mauritania Casablanca, Morocco
Report Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium
10 June Friendly Burundi  0–0  Mauritania Casablanca, Morocco
Report Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium
5 September 2026 World Cup qualification Mauritania  2–0  Togo Nouadhibou, Mauritania
19:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Nouadhibou Municipal Stadium
Referee: Lucky Kasalirwe (Uganda)
9 September 2026 World Cup qualification Mauritania  0–0  South Sudan Nouadhibou, Mauritania
19:00 UTC+0 Report Stadium: Nouadhibou Municipal Stadium
Referee: Mehrez Malki (Tunisia)
10 October 2026 World Cup qualification Sudan  0–0  Mauritania Miburani, Tanzania
16:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Benjamin Mkapa Stadium
Referee: Jean Ouattara (Burkina Faso)
14 October 2026 World Cup qualification Senegal  4–0  Mauritania Diamniadio, Senegal
19:00 UTC+0
Report Stadium: Diamniadio Olympic Stadium
Referee: Mohamed Ali Moussa (Niger)
12 November Friendly Tunisia  1–1  Mauritania Tunis, Tunisia
17:45 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Hammadi Agrebi Stadium
Referee: Mohamed Rafiq Aouina (Algeria)
15 November Friendly Libya  1–0  Mauritania Benina, Libya
16:00 UTC+2 Mahmoud Al-Shalwi 31' Report Stadium: Benina Martyrs Stadium
25 November 2025 FIFA Arab Cup qualification Mauritania  0–2  Kuwait Al-Rayyan, Qatar
16:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
Referee: Ma Ning (China)

2026

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27 March Friendly Mauritania  –  Liberia TBD, Morocco
--:-- UTC+1 Stadium: TBD
31 March Friendly Palestine  –  Mauritania TBD, Morocco
--:-- UTC+1 Stadium: TBD

Coaches

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Aritz López Garai is the current manager of the national football team of Mauritania

Players

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Current squad

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The following players were called up for the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup qualification match against Kuwait on 25 November 2025.[16]

Caps and goals correct as of 5 September 2025, after the match against Togo.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Abderrahmane Sarr (2005-04-01) 1 April 2005 (age 20) 5 0 Norwegian Football Federation Tromsø
16 1GK Babacar Niasse (1996-12-20) 20 December 1996 (age 29) 26 0 Royal Moroccan Football Federation Difaâ El Jadidi
22 1GK Babacar Diop (1995-09-17) 17 September 1995 (age 30) 13 0 Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania Nouadhibou
2 2DF Khadim Diaw (1998-07-07) 7 July 1998 (age 27) 19 0 Sudan Football Association Al-Hilal
3 2DF Mohamed Zweide (2001-03-25) 25 March 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania Nouadhibou
4 2DF Demine Saleck (1994-11-30) 30 November 1994 (age 31) 12 0 Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania Nouadhibou
5 2DF Lamine Ba (1997-08-24) 24 August 1997 (age 28) 22 1 Polish Football Association Śląsk Wrocław
13 2DF Nouh Mohamed El Abd (2000-12-24) 24 December 2000 (age 25) 22 1 Royal Moroccan Football Federation AS FAR
17 2DF Abdellahi El Id (2001-05-07) 7 May 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania AS Douanes
20 2DF Mohamed Sarr (2002-10-28) 28 October 2002 (age 23) 0 0 Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania Nouadhibou
6 3MF Guessouma Fofana (1992-12-17) 17 December 1992 (age 33) 28 0 Sudan Football Association Al Hilal
8 3MF Amar Haïdara (2003-11-28) 28 November 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Lithuanian Football Federation Sūduva
11 3MF Maata Magassa (2003-10-31) 31 October 2003 (age 22) 3 0 Egyptian Football Association ZED
12 3MF Bakari Camara (1994-01-04) 4 January 1994 (age 32) 13 0 French Football Federation Nancy
14 3MF Mohamed Saïd (2000-02-25) 25 February 2000 (age 26) 0 0 Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania Nouadhibou
18 3MF Moctar Sidi El Hacen (1995-12-10) 10 December 1995 (age 30) 46 8 Royal Moroccan Football Federation Difaâ El Jadidi
21 3MF Yacoub Sidi (1995-12-10) 10 December 1995 (age 30) 16 1 Libyan Football Federation Al-Tahaddy
7 4FW Mamadou Sy (2000-12-31) 31 December 2000 (age 25) 10 1 Rwanda Football Federation APR
9 4FW El Mami Tetah (2001-11-12) 12 November 2001 (age 24) 5 0 Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania AS Douanes
10 4FW Idrissa Thiam (2000-09-02) 2 September 2000 (age 25) 36 1 Qatar Football Association Al-Mesaimeer
15 4FW Ahmed El Moctar (2003-11-15) 15 November 2003 (age 22) 6 1 Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania Tevragh-Zeina
19 4FW Sidi Bouna Amar (1998-12-31) 31 December 1998 (age 27) 28 2 Libyan Football Federation Al-Ittihad
23 4FW Ahmed Salem M’Barek (2002-03-06) 6 March 2002 (age 24) 2 0 Sudan Football Association Al Hilal

Recent call-ups

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The following players have been called up for Mauritania in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Mamadou Diop (2000-01-03) 3 January 2000 (age 26) 4 0 France Grenoble v.  South Sudan, 9 September 2025
DF Ibrahima Keita (captain) (2001-11-08) 8 November 2001 (age 24) 25 0 Tunisia Espérance de Tunis v.  Libya, 15 November 2025
DF Aly Abeid (captain) (1997-12-11) 11 December 1997 (age 28) 68 4 Romania CFR Cluj v.  Senegal, 14 October 2025
DF Saïd Imigene (2005-01-16) 16 January 2005 (age 21) 0 0 Spain Leganés v.  Senegal, 14 October 2025
MF Abderrahmane Soumaré (2006-11-11) 11 November 2006 (age 19) 0 0 Portugal Alverca v.  Libya, 15 November 2025
MF Mouhsine Bodda (1997-07-18) 18 July 1997 (age 28) 45 1 Mauritania AS Douanes v.  Senegal, 14 October 2025
MF Alassane Diop (1997-09-22) 22 September 1997 (age 28) 15 1 Mauritania AS Douanes v.  Senegal, 14 October 2025
MF Oumar Ngom (2004-03-09) 9 March 2004 (age 22) 3 0 Portugal Estrela da Amadora v.  Senegal, 14 October 2025
MF Beyatt Lekweiry (2005-04-11) 11 April 2005 (age 20) 10 0 Switzerland Lausanne-Sport v.  South Sudan, 9 September 2025
MF Abdallahi Mahmoud (2000-05-04) 4 May 2000 (age 25) 40 2 Kuwait Al-Arabi v.  South Sudan, 9 September 2025
MF Alassane Diop (1997-09-22) 22 September 1997 (age 28) 15 1 Iraq Zakho SC v.  South Sudan, 9 September 2025
FW Aboubakary Koïta (1998-09-20) 20 September 1998 (age 27) 20 3 Greece AEK Athens v.  Senegal, 14 October 2025
FW Pape Ndiaga Yade (2000-01-05) 5 January 2000 (age 26) 13 1 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol v.  Senegal, 14 October 2025
FW Beyatt Lekweiry (2005-04-11) 11 April 2005 (age 20) 10 0 Switzerland Lausanne-Sport v.  Senegal, 14 October 2025
FW Mamadou Diallo (1996-12-03) 3 December 1996 (age 29) 2 0 Bulgaria CSKA 1948 v.  Senegal, 14 October 2025

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.

Records

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As of 9 September 2025[17]
Players in bold are still active with Mauritania.

Most appearances

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Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Souleymane Diallo 76 0 2006–2019
2 Mohamed Dellahi Yali 75 3 2015–present
3 Aly Abeid 71 4 2015–present
4 Ismaël Diakité 68 9 2008–2022
5 Bessam 66 13 2013–2023
6 Abdoulaye Gaye 58 2 2012–2020
7 Hacen El Ide 56 9 2013–present
8 Abdoul Ba 52 0 2013–2022
Hemeya Tanjy 52 8 2018–present
10 Moustapha Diaw 50 1 2015–2021

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Bessam 13 66 0.2 2013–2023
2 Hacen El Ide 9 56 0.16 2013–present
Ismaël Diakité 9 68 0.13 2008–2022
4 Aboubakar Kamara 8 29 0.28 2021–present
Hemeya Tanjy 8 52 0.15 2018–present
6 Boubacar Bagili 6 35 0.17 2015–2019
Adama Ba 6 48 0.13 2013–2022
8 Ahmed Sidibé 5 19 0.26 1994–2008
Brahim Ould Malha 5 23 0.22 1994–2002
Mamadou Niass 5 45 0.11 2013–2023

Competitive record

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FIFA World Cup

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FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1958 Part of France Part of France
1962 to 1970 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
West Germany 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 3
Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994 Withdrew Withdrew
France 1998 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 2
South Korea Japan 2002 2 0 0 2 1 5
Germany 2006 2 1 0 1 2 4
South Africa 2010 4 0 0 4 2 12
Brazil 2014 Did not enter Did not enter
Russia 2018 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 7 5
Qatar 2022 6 0 2 4 2 11
Canada Mexico United States 2026 10 1 4 5 4 13
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/13 32 3 9 20 19 55

Olympic Games

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Olympic Games record
Appearances: 0
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
1896 – 1960 Part of France
Japan 1964 Did not enter
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976 Did not qualify
Soviet Union 1980 Did not enter
United States 1984 Did not qualify
South Korea 1988 Did not enter
Spain 1992 Did not qualify
United States 1996 Did not enter
Australia 2000
Greece 2004
China 2008
United Kingdom 2012
Brazil 2016 Did not qualify
Japan 2020
France 2024
Total 0/28
  • Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since the 1992 edition.

Other records

[edit]
Year Stage Position
Tunisia 7th November Cup 1995 Group stage 3rd
Senegal Jeux de l’Amitié 1963 Group stage 16th
Total 0 titles

Honours

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Regional

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Awards

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  3. ^ "DR Congo (Zaire, Congo-Kinshasa) – List of International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  4. ^ "Mauritania – List of International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  5. ^ "CAF – 1998 FIFA WORLD CUP PRELIMINARIES". Allworldcup.narod.ru. 31 May 1996. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  6. ^ "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan ™". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  7. ^ "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan ™". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  8. ^ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  9. ^ "2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  10. ^ "2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  11. ^ "2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa". FIFA.com. FIFA. 11 October 2008. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  12. ^ "Mauritania beat Mauritius in first leg of 2015 qualifier". bbc.com. BBC. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Mauritania pass Mauritius' test". starafrica.com. Star Africa. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Equatorial Guinea eject Mauritania". africanfootball.com. African Football. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  15. ^ "Equatorial Guinea disqualified from Orange Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2015". cafonline.com. Confédération Africaine de Football. 3 July 2014.
  16. ^ "الأرقـَـــام الــــرّســــمــــيـــة لــقـــائــمــة المنتخب الوطني 🇲🇷 الــمُــرابـــطـــون، في ملحق كأس العرب 2025" (in French). Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. 24 November 2025 – via Facebook.
  17. ^ "Mauritania". National Football Teams.
[edit]
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