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Niger national football team

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Niger
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameMénas
AssociationFédération Nigerienne de Football (FENIFOOT)
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationWAFU (West Africa)
Head coachVacant
CaptainOusmane Diabaté
Most capsKassaly Daouda (89)
Top scorerVictorien Adebayor (22)
Home stadiumStade Général Seyni Kountché
FIFA codeNIG
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 114 Steady (20 July 2026)[1]
Highest68 (November 1994)
Lowest196 (August 2002)
First international
 Chad 2–2 Niger 
(Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 25 December 1961)
Biggest win
 Niger 7–1 Mauritania 
(Niamey, Niger; 12 October 1990)
 Niger 6–0 Bonaire 
(Casablanca, Morocco; 25 March 2025)
Biggest defeat
 Congo 10–0 Niger 
(Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 27 December 1961)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances2 (first in 2012)
Best resultGroup stage (2012, 2013)
African Nations Championship
Appearances4 (first in 2011)
Best resultFourth place (2022)

The Niger national football team (French: Équipe de football du Niger)[2][3] represents Niger in international 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, orange and purple. Their nickname comes from the Dama gazelle, native to Niger, the Hausa name of which is Meyna or Ménas[4] The Dama appears on their badge in the colors of the national flag.[5][6]

History

[edit]

Although one of the less successful 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.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9][10] 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.[11]

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.[12]

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.[13] 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.[14][15]

Results and fixtures

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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

2025

[edit]
5 September 2026 World Cup qualification Morocco  5–0  Niger Rabat, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium
Attendance: 63,000
Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo (DR Congo)
8 October 2026 World Cup qualification Niger  3–1  Congo Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
19:00 UTC+0
Report
Stadium: Stade du 4 Août
Referee: Boubou Traoré (Mali)
12 October 2026 World Cup qualification Zambia  0–1  Niger Ndola, Zambia
15:00 UTC+2 Report
Stadium: Levy Mwanawasa Stadium
Attendance: 49,800
Referee: Lucky Kasalirwe (Uganda)
14 November Friendly Burkina Faso  3–2  Niger Mohammedia, Morocco
Report Stadium: El Bechir Stadium
18 November Friendly Guinea  1–1  Niger Berrechid, Morocco
16:30 UTC+1
Report
Attendance: Berrechid Municipal Stadium

2026

[edit]
27 March Friendly Libya  0–0  Niger Casablanca, Morocco
19:00 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium
Referee: Mustapha Kech Chaf (Morocco)
31 March Friendly Niger  0–1  Togo Casablanca, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1 Report
Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium
Referee: Mohamed El Baroudi (Morocco)
5 June Friendly Benin  1–1  Niger Casablanca, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium
Referee: Naoufal Nachite (Morocco)
8 June Friendly Mauritania  1–0  Niger Casablanca, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium
Referee: Mustapha Kechchaf (Morocco)
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Niger  v  Morocco TBD, Niger
TBD Stadium: TBD
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Morocco  v  Niger TBD, Morocco
TBD Stadium: TBD
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Gabon  v  Niger TBD, Gabon
TBD Stadium: TBD
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Niger  v  Gabon TBD, Niger
TBD Stadium: TBD
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Niger  v  Lesotho TBD, Niger
TBD Stadium: TBD
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Lesotho  v  Niger TBD, Lesotho
TBD Stadium: TBD

Coaching history

[edit]
Rolland Courbis became the manager of the national football team of Niger in 2012

Players

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group E match against Morocco and the friendly against Bonaire on 21 and 25 March 2025.[17]

Caps and goals are correct as of 21 March 2025, after the match against Morocco.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Mahamadou Tanja (1996-07-05) 5 July 1996 (age 30) 17 0 Nigerien Football Federation AS FAN
1GK Yahaya Babari (1993-09-22) 22 September 1993 (age 32) 2 0 Nigerien Football Federation AS GNN
2DF Abdoulaye Boureima Katkoré (1993-03-26) 26 March 1993 (age 33) 53 0 Saudi Arabian Football Federation Al-Entesar Club
2DF Abdoul Garba (2000-07-18) 18 July 2000 (age 26) 34 1 Nigerien Football Federation AS GNN
2DF Rahim Alhassane (2002-01-01) 1 January 2002 (age 24) 18 0 Royal Spanish Football Federation Oviedo
2DF David Lebne (1989-04-15) 15 April 1989 (age 37) 6 0 Nigerien Football Federation AS FAN
2DF Oumar Sako (1996-05-04) 4 May 1996 (age 30) 4 2 Russian Football Union Rostov
2DF Abraham Adamou Gora (2002-09-14) 14 September 2002 (age 23) 3 0 Nigerien Football Federation US GN
2DF Mohamed Abdourahmane (2002-03-11) 11 March 2002 (age 24) 2 0 Free agent
2DF Aboubacar Camara (2002-01-04) 4 January 2002 (age 24) 1 0 Albanian Football Federation Bylis
2DF Abdoul Jalil Mamane (1996-04-17) 17 April 1996 (age 30) 0 0 Nigerien Football Federation Douanes
3MF Youssouf Oumarou (1993-02-16) 16 February 1993 (age 33) 54 5 Iraq Football Association Al-Karma
3MF Ali Mohamed (1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 30) 45 0 Israel Football Association Maccabi Haifa
3MF Abdoul Madjid Moumouni (1994-05-10) 10 May 1994 (age 32) 28 0 Iraq Football Association Al-Shorta
3MF Ousseini Badamassi (1997-04-21) 21 April 1997 (age 29) 15 3 Congolese Association Football Federation Mazembe
3MF Hassane Harouna Moussa (2005-01-01) 1 January 2005 (age 21) 1 0 Nigerien Football Federation AS FAN
3MF Abdoul Latif Djibril (2005-07-23) 23 July 2005 (age 21) 0 0 Free agent
3MF Zakariyaou Ibrahim (2005-07-30) 30 July 2005 (age 21) 0 0 Cameroonian Football Federation Gazelle
4FW Daniel Sosah (1998-09-21) 21 September 1998 (age 27) 22 8 Kazakhstan Football Federation Aktobe
4FW Issa Djibrilla (1996-01-01) 1 January 1996 (age 30) 22 4 Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan Zira
4FW Kairou Amoustapha (2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 25) 8 0 Malta Football Association Hamrun Spartans
4FW Chamsoudine Loukoumane (1998-01-10) 10 January 1998 (age 28) 0 0 Free agent

Recent call-ups

[edit]

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
GK Naim Van Attenhoven (2003-01-31) 31 January 2003 (age 23) 9 0 Belgium Crossing Schaerbeek v.  Ghana, 18 November 2024
GK Younoussa Abiboulaye (2004-09-03) 3 September 2004 (age 21) 6 0 Niger US GN v.  Angola, 15 October 2024
GK Abdoul Kahar Issoufou (1999-09-07) 7 September 1999 (age 26) 2 0 Niger AS Police v.  Angola, 15 October 2024
DF Moumouni Darankoum (2002-08-07) 7 August 2002 (age 24) 20 0 Qatar Al-Mesaimeer v.  Ghana, 18 November 2024
DF Najeeb Yakubu (2000-05-01) 1 May 2000 (age 26) 15 0 Indonesia Persijap v.  Ghana, 18 November 2024
DF Alhabib Hassane Abdou (2003-08-24) 24 August 2003 (age 22) 4 0 Egypt Al Ittihad v.  Ghana, 18 November 2024
DF Amadou Salissou (2003-11-28) 28 November 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Free agent v.  Ghana, 18 November 2024
DF Abdel Rahim Bonkano (2002-01-01) 1 January 2002 (age 24) 18 0 Spain Oviedo v.  Angola, 15 October 2024
DF Abdoulaye Karim Doudou (1998-09-25) 25 September 1998 (age 27) 13 0 Iraq Al-Minaa v.  Angola, 15 October 2024
DF Philippe Boueye (2003-09-23) 23 September 2003 (age 22) 6 0 Kosovo Prishtina v.  Angola, 15 October 2024
DF Abdoul Kader Kassali (1998-09-30) 30 September 1998 (age 27) 4 0 Niger GNN v.  Angola, 15 October 2024
DF Inoussa Amadou (2000-09-05) 5 September 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Niger AS FAN v.  Angola, 15 October 2024
DF Boubacar Hama Hainikoye (2002-05-17) 17 May 2002 (age 24) 0 0 Niger US GN v.  Ghana, 9 September 2024
DF Mohamed Idrissa Karimou (1993-04-06) 6 April 1993 (age 33) 4 0 Niger US GN v.  Congo, 6 June 2024
MF Yussif Moussa (1998-09-04) 4 September 1998 (age 27) 24 1 Iraq Al-Talaba v.  Ghana, 18 November 2024
MF Salim Abubakar (2003-04-06) 6 April 2003 (age 23) 7 0 Albania Skënderbeu Korçë v.  Ghana, 18 November 2024
MF Moussa Kassa Moudou (1999-11-11) 11 November 1999 (age 26) 6 0 Niger US GN v.  Ghana, 18 November 2024
MF Maarouf Salissou (1994-11-05) 5 November 1994 (age 31) 2 0 Niger AS FAN v.  Ghana, 18 November 2024
MF Salifou Danja (2005-01-31) 31 January 2005 (age 21) 1 0 Niger US GN v.  Ghana, 18 November 2024
MF Ousmane Diabaté (1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 (age 32) 44 0 Libya Al-Sadaqa v.  Angola, 15 October 2024
MF Abdel Nasser Chaibou (2000-01-03) 3 January 2000 (age 26) 1 0 Niger US GN v.  Angola, 15 October 2024
FW Boubacar Haïnikoye (1998-10-07) 7 October 1998 (age 27) 32 3 Democratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe v.  Ghana, 18 November 2024
FW Zakari Junior Lambo (1999-01-19) 19 January 1999 (age 27) 11 1 Belgium Lokeren-Temse v.  Angola, 15 October 2024
FW Victorien Adebayor (1996-11-12) 12 November 1996 (age 29) 55 20 Tanzania Singida Black Stars v.  Congo, 6 June 2024
FW Boubacar Djibril Goumey (2000-07-14) 14 July 2000 (age 26) 14 2 Iraq Zakho v.  Congo, 6 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.

Records

[edit]
As of 31 March 2026[18]
Players in bold are still active with Niger.

Most appearances

[edit]
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1Kassaly Daouda8902002–2022
2Youssouf Oumarou7582013–present
3Abdoulaye Katkoré7402014–present
4Koffi Dan Kowa6742008–2018
5Victorien Adebayor64222015–present
6Amadou Moutari6032012–present
7Moussa Maâzou54132008–2021
8Lassina Konaté5312006–2016
Souleymane Sacko5332007–2019
10Ali Mohamed5202013–present

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1Victorien Adebayor22640.342015–present
2Daniel Sosah15340.442021–present
3Moussa Maâzou13540.242008–2021
4Kamilou Daouda10370.272007–2019
5Youssouf Oumarou8750.112013–present
6Mounkaila Ide Barkire7130.541992–1998
7Zakari Lambo6100.61990–1995
Issa Djibrilla6320.192020–present
Mohamed Wonkoye6490.122012–present
10Mahamane Cissé5380.132013–2022

Competitive record

[edit]

FIFA World Cup

[edit]
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  FrancePart of  France
Chile 1962 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1966 to 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 3 6
Spain 1982 6 2 2 2 4 7
Mexico 1986 Withdrew Withdrew
Italy 1990 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 1994 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 3 2
France 1998 Withdrew Withdrew
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not enter Did not enter
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 7
South Africa 2010 6 1 0 5 5 11
Brazil 2014 6 1 1 4 6 12
Russia 2018 4 2 1 1 6 3
Qatar 2022 62131317
Canada Mexico United States 2026 85031110
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/15 44 16 6 22 51 75

Africa Cup of Nations

[edit]
Africa Cup of Nations record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Zaire 1955
Sudan 1957Part of  France
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962Not affiliated to CAF
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965
Ethiopia 1968 Did not enter
Sudan 1970 Did not qualify
Cameroon 1972
Egypt 1974 Withdrew
Ethiopia 1976 Did not qualify
Ghana 1978 Withdrew
Nigeria 1980
Libya 1982 Did not enter
Ivory Coast 1984 Did not qualify
Egypt 1986 Did not enter
Morocco 1988
Algeria 1990
Senegal 1992 Did not qualify
Tunisia 1994
South Africa 1996 Withdrew during qualifying
Burkina Faso 1998 Disqualified for withdrawing in 1996
Ghana Nigeria 2000 to
Angola 2010		 Did not qualify
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 Group stage15th300315
South Africa 2013 15th301204
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Did not qualify
Gabon 2017
Egypt 2019
Cameroon 2021
Ivory Coast 2023
Morocco 2025
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined
MoroccoAlgeria Tunisia 2029
TotalGroup stage2/35601519
Niger national team against Morocco, 9 February 2011

African Nations Championship

[edit]
African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 4
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009Did not qualify
Sudan 2011Quarter-finals7th421133
South Africa 2014Did not qualify
Rwanda 2016Group stage16th3012311
Morocco 2018Did not qualify
Cameroon 2020Group stage12th302123
Algeria 2022Fourth place4th521236
Total Fourth place 4/7 15 4 5 6 11 23

UEMOA Tournament

[edit]

Head-to-head record

[edit]
As of 5 June 2026
Opponent Games Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Differential
 Algeria 10 1 1 8 3 27 −24
 Angola 4 0 0 4 2 8 −6
 Benin 16 3 6 7 18 25 −7
 Bonaire 1 1 0 0 6 0 +6
 Botswana 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2
 Burundi 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2
 Burkina Faso 19 3 8 9 17 29 −12
 Cameroon 3 0 1 2 0 4 −4
 Central African Republic 3 0 2 1 3 5 −2
 Chad 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1
 Congo 7 1 2 4 7 13 −6
 Djibouti 2 2 0 0 11 4 +7
 DR Congo 3 1 1 1 4 2 +2
 Egypt 7 1 1 5 2 19 −17
 Equatorial Guinea 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Ethiopia 5 2 0 3 4 7 −3
 Eswatini 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1
 Gabon 8 2 0 6 10 19 −9
 Gambia 2 0 1 1 1 3 -2
 Ghana 13 1 2 10 7 40 −33
 Guinea 8 3 0 6 9 14 −5
 Ivory Coast 13 0 2 11 9 29 −20
 Lesotho 2 1 0 1 3 3 0
 Liberia 8 3 2 3 7 10 −3
 Libya 8 0 5 3 7 13 −6
 Madagascar 2 0 1 1 2 6 −4
 Mali 8 1 2 5 4 10 −6
 Mauritania 5 3 2 0 10 3 +7
 Morocco 9 1 0 8 3 23 −20
 Mozambique 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Namibia 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1
 Nigeria 3 0 0 3 1 7 −6
 Senegal 7 1 2 4 3 7 −4
 Sierra Leone 7 4 0 3 12 15 −3
 Somalia 3 1 2 0 4 1 +1
 South Africa 3 1 1 1 2 3 −1
 Sudan 2 1 0 1 4 1 +3
 Tanzania 4 1 1 2 2 3 -1
 Togo 12 4 3 5 17 18 -1
 Tunisia 3 0 0 3 2 4 −2
 Uganda 8 2 2 4 7 11 -4
 Ukraine 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1
 United Arab Emirates 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4
 Zambia 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2
 Zimbabwe 1 0 1 0 1 1 +0
45 Countries2355354127224401−177

Honours

[edit]

Regional

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". 20 July 2026. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Orange 2012 Afcon qualifiers :130 Million FCFA for the Menas Archived 2011-11-09 at the Wayback Machine. 22/05/2011 StarAfrica sports.
  3. ↑ Menas to test Pharaohs form Archived 2010-10-13 at the Wayback Machine. Confederation of African Football. 10-09-2010
  4. ↑ Dama Gazelle Nanger dama Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine. Sahara Conservation Fund, 2007, 2011.
  5. ↑ "CAN 2019 : la liste du Niger contre l'Egypte sans Maazou". Afrik-Foot. March 21, 2019. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Niger team of 2019". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ CHAN 2011 : Un Niger héroïque mais éliminé par le Soudan – Football/CHAN 2011 – RFI Archived 2012-01-24 at the Wayback Machine 2011-02-19
  9. ↑ "Niger in historic qualification despite Cairo loss". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2011-10-08. Archived from the original on 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
  10. ↑ Fixtures, results and tables for the qualifiers for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Archived 2012-01-28 at the Wayback Machine BBC Sport.
  11. ↑ "Niger 0-1 Morocco". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2021-11-15. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  12. ↑ "2013 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers - Qualifier Rounds - MTNFootball". Archived from the original on 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  13. ↑ "Ghana cruises into African Cup quarters". GhanaWeb. January 28, 2013. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Страница не найдена". shakhtar.com. Archived from the original on 2021-11-15. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  15. ↑ "Ukraine-Niger". Archived from the original on 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
  16. ↑ "Martial named Niger coach". BBC News. 26 November 2002. Retrieved 17 October 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  17. ↑ "Publication officielle de la liste des joueurs convoqués #MENA pour la double confrontation contre le MAROC ET BONAIRE". Facebook. Fédération Nigérienne De Football. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  18. ↑ "Niger". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 2023-09-09. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
[edit]
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