São Tomé and Príncipe national football team
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Nickname(s) | Seleção dos Falcões e Papagaios (The Falcons and True Parrots Team) | ||
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Association | Federação Santomense de Futebol (FSF) | ||
Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
Sub-confederation | UNIFFAC (Central Africa) | ||
Head coach | Adriano Eusébio | ||
Captain | Luís Leal | ||
Most caps | Joazhifel Soares (29) | ||
Top scorer | Luís Leal (8) | ||
Home stadium | Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho | ||
FIFA code | STP | ||
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FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 186 ![]() | ||
Highest | 115 (March 2012) | ||
Lowest | 200 (September – October 2007) | ||
First international | |||
![]() ![]() (Libreville, Gabon; 2 May 1976) | |||
Biggest win | |||
![]() ![]() (Belle Vue Harel, Mauritius; 9 October 2019) ![]() ![]() (Libreville, Gabon; 14 November 1999) ![]() ![]() (São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe; 8 April 2000) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
![]() ![]() (Libreville, Gabon; 7 July 1976) |
The São Tomé and Príncipe national football team is the national association football team of São Tomé and Príncipe and is controlled by the São Toméan Football Federation. It is a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA.[3]
History[edit]
São Tomé and Príncipe's first ever match was a friendly against Gabon in May 1976. They lost by a score of 6–1. Their next game, during the 1976 Central African Games, was a horrendous 11–0 loss to Congo, São Tomé's largest loss to date. São Tomé rounded off the competition with a 2–1 loss to Central African Republic and a 5–0 loss to Chad.
The following year, São Tomé picked up their first win, in a friendly versus Rwanda. In both 1978 and 1987 they achieved a draw at home to Angola.
The Green and Yellows took an eleven year break, before a string of matches including their first entry to a FIFA sanctioned tournament. At the UNIFAC Cup in 1999, they achieved their second win, 2–0 against Equatorial Guinea. They won the next game after that, against Sierra Leone, 2–0. This two-in-a-row streak accompanied with a draw a few matches later placed them at their highest FIFA ranking to date, 179.
In 2003, São Tomé lost to Libya 1–0 and 8–0, which was a major blow to their previous success.[4] São Tomé did not participate in the qualification for the 2010 World Cup, withdrawing before their first match, leaving them unranked in the FIFA rankings because they did not play any matches for four years.
On 11 November 2011, after an eight-year hiatus, São Tomé and Príncipe participated in the qualification for the 2014 World Cup, losing to Congo 5–0, then drawing 1–1 with the same team four days later. São Tomé were reinstated in the FIFA rankings on 23 November 2011, entering at number 192.
In January 2012, in the preliminary round of 2013 AFCON Qualifiers, São Tomé achieved their first ever aggregate win, defeating Lesotho 1–0 at home then successfully defending a 0–0 draw in Maseru seven days later. In the next round, São Tomé only narrowly lost 5–4 on aggregate to Sierra Leone. In the following years, São Tomé continued to show promise with impressive wins at home to Ethiopia and Libya but poor away results prevented them from advancing again.
On 9 October 2019, São Tomé defeated Mauritius 1–3 away from home in the first leg of their preliminary round tie of 2021 AFCON Qualifiers. This was São Tomé and Príncipe's first away win in a competitive match ever. Four days later, São Tomé won 2–1 at home to advance 5–2 on aggregate and enter Group C, facing Ghana, South Africa and Sudan, where they finished bottom with zero points.
During the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, São Tomé faced Mauritius, winning the first leg 1–0 before drawing the second leg 3–3 to advance to the group stages. Following the fixtures CAF sanctioned São Tomé for their first leg victory as they hadn't followed COVID protocol for Luis Leal, giving Mauritius a 3–0 victory and eliminating São Tomé from the competition.[5] São Tomé appealed the decision and, following an initial unsuccessful ruling, they were reinstated by CAF a week before the first qualifying group game.[6]
Results and fixtures[edit]
2022[edit]
24 March 2023 AFCON Q preliminary round | São Tomé and Príncipe ![]() | 1–0 | ![]() | São Tomé, São Tomé and Principe |
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Stadium: Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho |
27 March 2023 AFCON Q preliminary round | Mauritius ![]() | 3–3 (3–4 agg.) | ![]() | Saint Pierre, Mauritius |
Report | Stadium: Complexe Sportif de Côte d'Or | |||
Note: São Tomé and Príncipe won 4–3 on aggregate. |
9 June 2023 AFCON qualification | Guinea-Bissau ![]() | 5–1 | ![]() | Marrakech, Morocco |
13:00 UTC+1 |
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Stadium: Stade de Marrakech |
13 June 2023 AFCON qualification | São Tomé and Príncipe ![]() | 0–10 | ![]() | Agadir, Morocco |
Stadium: Stade Adrar Referee: Osiase Koto (Lesotho) |
2023[edit]
September 2023 AFCON qualification | Nigeria ![]() | v | ![]() | Abuja, Nigeria |
Stadium: Moshood Abiola National Stadium |
Coaching history[edit]
Rudi Gutendorf (1984)
Juvenal Correia (1998)
Eduardo de Sousa (2000)
Antônio Dumas (2000–2001)
Jose Ferraz (2003–2005)
Osvaldo Lima (2011)
Gustave Clément Nyoumba (2011–2015)
António do Rosário (2015–2017)
Gustave Clément Nyoumba (2017–2019)
Adriano Eusébio (2019–present)
Players[edit]
Current squad[edit]
- The following players were called up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches.[citation needed]
- Match dates: 9 and 13 June 2022
- Opposition:
Guinea-Bissau and
Nigeria
- Caps and goals correct as of: 13 June 2022, after the match against
Nigeria
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Anastácio Bragança | 16 February 1997 | 3 | 0 | Free agent |
12 | GK | Feher Mendes | 27 January 2004 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
2 | DF | Ivonaldo | 5 May 1993 | 24 | 0 | ![]() |
3 | DF | Leonildo Soares | 7 August 1992 | 12 | 0 | ![]() |
5 | DF | Jardel Nazaré | 16 May 1995 | 8 | 0 | ![]() |
4 | DF | Nilton Pequeno | 6 April 1998 | 3 | 0 | ![]() |
14 | DF | Hernane Espírito | 17 December 1987 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
18 | MF | Iniesta | 8 September 1992 | 11 | 2 | ![]() |
17 | MF | Tinho | 21 October 1992 | 10 | 0 | ![]() |
6 | MF | Aldair | 4 September 1989 | 8 | 0 | ![]() |
7 | MF | Joel Neves | 1 May 1996 | 8 | 0 | ![]() |
11 | MF | Maú | 13 July 2000 | 5 | 0 | Free agent |
15 | MF | Luis Selemane | 1 May 1995 | 2 | 0 | ![]() |
16 | MF | Geoxking Alegre | 14 November 2001 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
10 | FW | Luís Leal | 29 May 1987 | 21 | 8 | ![]() |
20 | MF | Eba Viegas | 8 October 1999 | 6 | 0 | ![]() |
19 | FW | Edmílson Viegas | 29 October 1996 | 4 | 1 | ![]() |
13 | FW | Ronaldo | 11 July 2001 | 2 | 0 | ![]() |
8 | FW | Gil Carvalho | 25 February 1997 | 1 | 0 | ![]() |
9 | FW | Valter Rocha | 19 August 1991 | 1 | 0 | ![]() |
Recent call ups[edit]
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Primo | 9 September 1989 | 12 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
DF | Vavá Pequeno | 5 February 1994 | 11 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
DF | Lúcio Oliveira | 26 November 1992 | 5 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
DF | Borja | 31 January 1993 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
MF | Jocy | 19 January 1991 | 32 | 1 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
MF | Marcos Barbeiro | 29 July 1995 | 10 | 1 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
MF | Ricardo Cardoso | 23 September 2001 | 4 | 2 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
MF | Mimi | 7 October 1996 | 4 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
MF | Joel Leal | 2 January 2003 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
FW | Zé Carlos Semedo | 15 July 1992 | 2 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
FW | Vander Pinto | 12 December 1995 | 1 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
Player records[edit]
- As of 13 June 2022[7]
- Players in bold are still active with São Tomé and Príncipe.
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Competition records[edit]
World Cup record[edit]
FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
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Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
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Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
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did not enter | Declined participation | |||||||||||||
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Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
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did not enter | did not enter | |||||||||||||
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did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |||||||||
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Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
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did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||
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2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
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to be determined | ||||||||||||||
Total | - | 0/22 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 25 |
Africa Cup of Nations record[edit]
Africa Cup of Nations record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
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Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
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Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | |||||||||||||
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did not enter | did not enter | |||||||||||||
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did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||
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2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||
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Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
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did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||||||||
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did not enter | did not enter | |||||||||||||
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Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
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did not enter | did not enter | |||||||||||||
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did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |||||||||
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6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 19 | |||||||||
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||
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8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 18 | |||||||||
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to be determined | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 18 | ||||||||
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to be determined | ||||||||||||||
Total | - | 0/34 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 34 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 26 | 88 |
Head-to-head record[edit]
Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | WPCT |
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4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 0.00 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0.00 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 0.00 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0.00 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | −10 | 0.00 |
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4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 18 | −17 | 0.00 |
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3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 33.33 |
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2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 50.00 |
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4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 | −9 | 0.00 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0.00 |
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4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 0.00 |
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2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 50.00 |
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4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 | −12 | 25.00 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0.00 |
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4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 75.00 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0.00 |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | −10 | 0.00 |
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2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 50.00 |
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4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 50.00 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0.00 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0.00 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0.00 |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
Total | 59 | 10 | 7 | 42 | 44 | 157 | −113 | 16.95 |
References[edit]
- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "BBC Sport − São Tomé e Príncipe rocket up Fifa rankings". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
- ^ "São Tomé e Príncipe spring an unlikely surprise − World Soccer". worldsoccer.com. Time Inc. UK. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
- ^ Warshaw, Andrew. "Mauritius win 2023 AFCON qualifier slot after Sao Tome break covid rules". Inside World Football. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Shehu, Idris. "Mauritius out as CAF reinstates Sao Tome to Nigeria's group". The Cable.
- ^ "Sao Tome and Principe". National Football Teams.