São Tomé and Príncipe national football team

São Tomé and Príncipe
Nickname(s)	Seleção dos Falcões e Papagaios ; (Falcons and True Parrots Team) ; Guerreiros do Equador ; (Warriors of the Equator) ; Os Elefantes ; (The Elephants)
Association	Federação Santomense de Futebol (FSF)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	UNIFFAC (Central Africa)
Head coach	Ricardo Monsanto
Captain	Luís Leal
Most caps	Joazhifel Soares (36)
Top scorer	Luís Leal (11)
Home stadium	Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho
FIFA code	STP
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	194 1 (7 October 2026)
Highest	115 (March 2012)
Lowest	200 (September – October 2007)
First international
	Gabon 6–1 São Tomé and Príncipe ; (Libreville, Gabon; 2 May 1976)
Biggest win
	São Tomé and Príncipe 2–0 Equatorial Guinea ; (Libreville, Gabon; 14 November 1999) ; São Tomé and Príncipe 2–0 Sierra Leone ; (São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe; 8 April 2000) ; Mauritius 1–3 São Tomé and Príncipe ; (Belle Vue Harel, Mauritius; 9 October 2019)
Biggest defeat
	Congo 11–0 São Tomé and Príncipe ; (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.^[2]

History

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.^[3] 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.^[4] São Tomé appealed the decision and, following an initial unsuccessful ruling, they were reinstated by CAF a week before the first qualifying group game.^[5]

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

2025

13 October 2026 World Cup qualification	São Tomé and Príncipe	1–0	Malawi	Sousse, Tunisia
14:00 UTC+1	Afonso 62' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Sousse Olympic Stadium Referee: Jean Pierre Nguiene (Congo)

2026

27 March 2027 AFCON qualification	São Tomé and Príncipe	0–3	Ethiopia	El Jadida, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1		Report	Markneh 23' Yalew 32', 78'	Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Referee: El Hadji Amadou Sy (Senegal)

31 March 2027 AFCON qualification	Ethiopia	1–0	São Tomé and Príncipe	Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
16:00 UTC+3	Gugesa 7'	Report		Stadium: Dire Dawa Stadium Referee: Mohamed Marouf (Egypt)

23 September Friendly	Gibraltar	0–0	São Tomé and Príncipe	Europa Point, Gibraltar
18:00 UTC+2		Report		Stadium: Europa Point Stadium Referee: Tom Owen (Wales)

Coaching staff

Role	Name
Head coach	Ricardo Monsanto
Assistant coach	Vladimir Viegas
Assistant coach	Ricardo Vaz Reis
Fitness coach	William Barbosa
Physiotherapist	Holiday Cruz

Coaching history

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 (2019–2024)
Ricardo Monsanto (2024–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the Friendly match against Gibraltar on 23 September 2026.^[6]

Caps and goals correct as of 23 September 2026, after the match against Gibraltar

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Pedro Mateus	(1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 30)	9	0	Free agent
1GK	Yaniel Bonfim	(2004-11-02) 2 November 2004 (age 21)	5	0	Celtic Castilla

2DF	Mimi	(1996-10-07) 7 October 1996 (age 30)	18	0	OFC Spartak Pleven
2DF	Rogério Fernandes	(2002-08-28) 28 August 2002 (age 24)	16	0	Guarda SAD
2DF	Adjakson Ramos	(2002-10-08) 8 October 2002 (age 24)	16	0	Makkabi Berlin
2DF	Gilberto d'Almeida	(2000-12-02) 2 December 2000 (age 25)	14	0	6 de Setembro
2DF	Ricardo Fernandes	(2002-08-28) 28 August 2002 (age 24)	12	0	Free agent
2DF	Hélder Samuca	(2006-06-08) 8 June 2006 (age 20)	1	0	Trofense

3MF	Joel Neves	(1996-05-01) 1 May 1996 (age 30)	21	0	Oriental
3MF	Iniesta	(1992-10-12) 12 October 1992 (age 34)	12	2	Leões de Porto Salvo
3MF	Nicola Bragança	(2000-04-23) 23 April 2000 (age 26)	9	0	Trebisacce Calcio
3MF	Waldimilson Santo	(1997-06-01) 1 June 1997 (age 29)	6	0	Associação Murteirense
3MF	Dionildo Vilhete	(2007-06-27) 27 June 2007 (age 19)	0	0	Alcochetense
3MF	Dola	(1999-10-11) 11 October 1999 (age 27)	6	1	Bairros Unidos FC
3MF	Paulo Lima	(1998-06-06) 6 June 1998 (age 28)	3	0	VPS
3MF	Anderson Estevão	(2006-06-05) 5 June 2006 (age 20)	1	0	Messinense

4FW	Ronaldo	(2001-07-11) 11 July 2001 (age 25)	20	3	Radomiak Radom
4FW	Sérgio Malé	(2004-05-08) 8 May 2004 (age 22)	11	0	Lusitano de Évora
4FW	Kelve Semedo	(2004-05-09) 9 May 2004 (age 22)	9	0	Pro Elite Academy
4FW	Gil Carvalho	(1997-02-25) 25 February 1997 (age 29)	6	0	Merstham
4FW	Winilson Lopes	(2007-03-28) 28 March 2007 (age 19)	2	0	Santa Clara

Recent call-ups

The following players were also named to a squad in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Saiel Ramos	(1990-03-11) 11 March 1990 (age 36)	0	0	Operários	v. Ethiopia, 31 March 2026

DF	Vavá Pequeno	(1994-02-05) 5 February 1994 (age 32)	19	0	Sacavenense	v. Ethiopia, 31 March 2026

FW	Luís Leal	(1987-05-29) 29 May 1987 (age 39)	29	11	Angizia Luco	v. Ethiopia, 31 March 2026
FW	Marcos Barbeiro	(1995-07-29) 29 July 1995 (age 31)	19	1	Atlético da Malveira	v. Ethiopia, 31 March 2026
FW	Ricardo Cardoso	(2001-09-23) 23 September 2001 (age 25)	14	2	US Affrico	v. Ethiopia, 31 March 2026
FW	Pedro Monteiro	(1998-09-18) 18 September 1998 (age 28)	1	0	SL Cartaxo	v. Ethiopia, 31 March 2026

Player records

As of 31 March 2026^[7]

Players in bold are still active with São Tomé and Príncipe.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Joazhifel Soares	36	1	2011–2023
2	Luís Leal	29	11	2012–present
3	Ivonaldo	26	0	2014–2023
4	Joel Neves	20	0	2020–present
4	Zé	20	3	2011–2021
6	Ronaldo Afonso	19	3	2017–present
	Marcos Barbeiro	19	1	2016–present
	Vavá Pequeno	19	0	2019–present
9	Francisco do Nascimento	18	0	2011–2018
10	Harramiz	17	2	2015–2023
	Adjeil Neves	17	0	2021–present
	Eba Viegas	17	0	2021–present

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Luís Leal	11	29	0.38	2012–present
2	Jair Nunes	4	12	0.33	2011–2016
3	Ronaldo Afonso	3	19	0.16	2017–present
3	Zé	3	20	0.15	2011–2021
5	Amilcar	2	3	0.67	2000
	Ricardo Cardoso	2	14	0.14	2021–present
	Iniesta	2	15	0.13	2017–present
	Harramiz	2	17	0.12	2015–2023

Competition records

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 1974	Part of Portugal								Part of Portugal
1978 to 1986	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1990	Did not enter								Declined participation
1994	Withdrew								Withdrew
1998	Did not enter								Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify								2	1	0	1	2	4
2006	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	0	9
2010	Withdrew								Withdrew
2014	Did not qualify								2	0	1	1	1	6
2018									2	1	0	1	1	3
2022									2	0	0	2	1	3
2026									10	1	0	9	5	26
2030	To be determined
2034	To be determined
Total	-	0/9	-	-	-	-	-	-	20	3	1	16	10	51

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record									Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of Portugal								Part of Portugal
1959
1962
1963
1965
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976	Not affiliated to CAF								Not affiliated to CAF
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988	Did not enter								Did not enter
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	0	6
2002	Did not qualify								2	0	1	1	2	5
2004	Withdrew								Withdrew
2006	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	0	9
2008	Did not enter								Did not enter
2010	Withdrew								Withdrew
2012	Did not enter								Did not enter
2013	Did not qualify								4	2	1	1	5	5
2015									2	0	0	2	0	4
2017									6	1	0	5	4	19
2019									2	0	0	2	2	4
2021									8	2	0	6	8	18
2023									6	1	2	3	7	22
2025									2	0	2	0	1	1
2027	To be determined								To be determined
2029	To be determined								To be determined
Total	0 titles	0/35	—	—	—	—	—	—	36	6	6	24	29	93

Head-to-head record

Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	WPCT
Angola	4	0	1	3	6	12	−6	0.00
Benin	2	0	0	2	0	4	−4	0.00
Cape Verde	2	0	0	2	2	9	−7	0.00
Central African Republic	2	0	0	2	1	5	−4	0.00
Chad	2	0	0	2	0	10	−10	0.00
Congo	4	0	1	3	1	18	−17	0.00
Equatorial Guinea	5	1	1	3	6	9	−3	20.00
Ethiopia	4	1	0	3	1	7	−6	25.00
Gabon	4	0	1	3	3	12	−9	0.00
Ghana	2	0	0	2	1	4	−3	0.00
Gibraltar	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0.00
Guinea-Bissau	5	0	0	5	2	10	−8	0.00
Lesotho	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1	50.00
Liberia	2	0	0	2	1	3	−2	0.00
Libya	4	1	0	3	2	14	−12	25.00
Madagascar	2	0	0	2	2	4	−2	0.00
Malawi	2	1	0	1	2	3	−1	50.00
Mauritius	4	3	1	0	9	5	+4	75.00
Morocco	2	0	0	2	0	5	−5	0.00
Namibia	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	0.00
Nigeria	2	0	0	2	0	16	−16	0.00
Rwanda	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1	50.00
Sierra Leone	6	2	1	3	7	12	−5	33.33
South Africa	2	0	0	2	2	6	−4	0.00
South Sudan	2	0	2	0	1	1	0	0.00
Sudan	2	0	0	2	0	6	−6	0.00
Togo	2	0	0	2	0	6	−6	0.00
Tunisia	2	0	0	2	0	10	−10	0.00
Uganda	1	0	0	1	1	3	−2	0.00
Total	77	11	11	55	52	196	−144	14.29

Source: Results

References

↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". 7 October 2026. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
↑ "BBC Sport − São Tomé e Príncipe rocket up Fifa rankings". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 7 March 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
↑ "São Tomé e Príncipe spring an unlikely surprise − World Soccer". worldsoccer.com. Time Inc. UK. 12 February 2012. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
↑ Warshaw, Andrew (17 May 2022). "Mauritius win 2023 AFCON qualifier slot after Sao Tome break covid rules". Inside World Football. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
↑ Shehu, Idris (June 2022). "Mauritius out as CAF reinstates Sao Tome to Nigeria's group". TheCable. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
↑ STP Press
↑ "Sao Tome and Principe". National Football Teams.

External links

São Tomé and Príncipe at CAF
São Tomé and Príncipe at FIFA

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". 7 October 2026. Retrieved 7 October 2026.

[2] "BBC Sport − São Tomé e Príncipe rocket up Fifa rankings". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 7 March 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.

[3] "São Tomé e Príncipe spring an unlikely surprise − World Soccer". worldsoccer.com. Time Inc. UK. 12 February 2012. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2013.

[4] Warshaw, Andrew (17 May 2022). "Mauritius win 2023 AFCON qualifier slot after Sao Tome break covid rules". Inside World Football. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.

[5] Shehu, Idris (June 2022). "Mauritius out as CAF reinstates Sao Tome to Nigeria's group". TheCable. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[6] STP Press

[7] "Sao Tome and Principe". National Football Teams.

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v t e São Tomé and Príncipe national football team
General	São Toméan Football Federation History Managers Players Results
Venues	Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho
Other teams	U23 U20 U17 Women's U23 U20 U17