Benin national football team

The Benin national football team, (French: Équipe nationale de Football du Benin) nicknamed Les Écureuils (The Squirrels), represents Benin in men's international association football and is controlled by the Benin Football Federation. They were known as the Dahomey national football team until 1975, when Republic of Dahomey became Benin. They have never qualified for the World Cup, but have reached four African Nations Cup in recent years, never placing in the top 2 in the group stage – 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2019. In 2019, they reached the knockouts as the third most successful third place team, before making the quarter-finals with a shock win over Morocco, but later lost to Senegal. On 8 February 2010 after the preliminary competition from the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, the Benin Football Federation dissolved the national team, coach Henri Dussuyer and his complete staff were fired.[2] On May 9, 2016, Benin was suspended from FIFA, The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Benin women's national football team.
Benin
Nickname(s)Les Écureuils
(The Squirrels)
AssociationBenin Football Federation
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationWAFU (West Africa)
Head coachMichel Dussuyer
CaptainStéphane Sessègnon
Most capsStéphane Sessègnon (83)
Top scorerStéphane Sessègnon (24)
Home stadiumStade de l'Amitié
FIFA codeBEN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 83 (10 December 2020)[1]
Highest59 (November–December 2009, April 2010)
Lowest165 (July 1996)
First international
 Dahomey 0–1 Nigeria 
(Dahomey; 8 November 1959)
Biggest win
 Dahomey 7–0 Mauritania 
(Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 27 December 1961)
Biggest defeat
 Nigeria 10–1 Dahomey 
(Nigeria; 28 November 1959)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances4 (first in 2004)
Best resultQuarter-finals (2019)

Competitive records

World Cup record
FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1970 Did not enter Did not enter
1974 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 1 10
1978 to 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
1986 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 6
1990 Did not enter Did not enter
1994 Did not qualify 6 1 0 5 3 19
1998 Did not enter Did not enter
2002 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 2
2006 12 2 3 7 13 26
2010 6 3 1 2 6 6
2014 6 2 2 2 8 9
2018 2 1 0 1 2 3
2022 To be determined Qualification yet to start
2026 To be determined Qualification yet to start
Total − 0/23 − − − − − − 39 9 7 23 34 81

Africa Cup of Nations
Main article: Benin at the Africa Cup of Nations
Africa Cup of Nations record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
1957Part of  France
1959
1962Not affiliated to CAF
1963
1965Did not enter
1968
1970
1972Did not qualify
1974Withdrew
1976
1978Did not enter
1980Did not qualify
1982Did not enter
1984Did not qualify
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996Withdrew
1998Did not qualify
2000
2002
2004Group stage16th300318
2006Did not qualify
2008Group stage15th300317
2010Group stage14th301225
2012Did not qualify
2013
2015
2017
2019Quarter-finals8th504134
2021To be determined
2023
2025
Total Quarter-finals 4/32 14 0 5 9 7 24

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

2019
13 November 2019 (2019-11-13) 2021 AFCONQ Nigeria  2–1  Benin Uyo, Nigeria
17:00 UTC+1
Stadium: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium
17 November 2019 (2019-11-17) 2021 AFCONQ Benin  1–0  Sierra Leone Porto-Novo, Benin
14:00 UTC+1
Stadium: Stade Charles de Gaulle

2019 Africa Cup of Nations
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ghana 3 1 2 0 4 2 +2 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  Cameroon 3 1 2 0 2 0 +2 5
3  Benin 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
4  Guinea-Bissau 3 0 1 2 0 4 −4 1
Source: CAF

Players

Current squad

The following players have been called up for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Nigeria and Sierra Leone on 13 & 17 November 2019.[3]

Caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2019 after the game against Sierra Leone.[4]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Fabien Farnolle (1985-02-05) 5 February 1985 29 0 Malatyaspor
1GK Chérif Dine Kakpo (1997-12-01) 1 December 1997 2 0 Buffles
1GK Marcel Dandjinou (1998-06-25) 25 June 1998 0 0 ESAE
2DF David Kiki (1993-11-25) 25 November 1993 25 0 Montana
2DF Olivier Verdon (1995-10-05) 5 October 1995 20 0 Ludogorets Razgrad
2DF Emmanuel Imorou (1988-09-16) 16 September 1988 19 0 Thonon Evian FC
2DF Nabil Yarou (1993-06-16) 16 June 1993 13 1 Buffles
2DF Cédric Hountondji (1994-01-19) 19 January 1994 10 0 Clermont
2DF Jean Ogounchi (1996-11-23) 23 November 1996 7 0 Tonnerre
2DF Youssouf Assogba (2001-08-21) 21 August 2001 5 0 USS Kraké
2DF Melvyn Doremus (1996-10-26) 26 October 1996 0 0 AF Bobigny
3MF Stéphane Sessègnon (Captain) (1984-06-01) 1 June 1984 83 24 Gençlerbirliği
3MF Jordan Adéoti (1989-03-12) 12 March 1989 34 0 Auxerre
3MF Séïbou Mama (1995-12-28) 28 December 1995 31 2 Toulon
3MF Sessi D'Almeida (1995-11-20) 20 November 1995 15 1 Valenciennes
3MF Tidjani Anaane (1997-03-27) 27 March 1997 4 0 Soliman
3MF Jérôme Bonou (1994-01-27) 27 January 1994 4 0 Djoliba
4FW Mickaël Poté (Vice-captain) (1984-09-24) 24 September 1984 58 10 Büyükşehir Belediye Erzurumspor
4FW Jodel Dossou (1992-03-17) 17 March 1992 35 4 Clermont Foot
4FW Steve Mounié (1994-09-29) 29 September 1994 25 7 Brest
4FW Marcellin Koukpo (1995-04-06) 6 April 1995 12 2 Hammam Lif
4FW Cebio Soukou (1992-10-02) 2 October 1992 11 0 Arminia Bielefeld
4FW Yannick Aguemon (1992-02-11) 11 February 1992 3 0 OH Leuven

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Benin in the last 12 months.[5]

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up

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.
WD Withdrew from squad.

Records
As of 17 November 2020[6]
Players in bold text are still active with Benin.

List of Benin managers

References
  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  2. Benin löst Nationalelf auf
  3. "Elim CAN 2021: La liste de Dussuyer avec des surprises" (in French). Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  4. "Benin team of 2019". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams.
  5. "Bénin – Zambie : Trois joueurs appelés en remplacement des blessés avec Désiré Sègbè Azankpo!" (in French). Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  6. Mamrud, Roberto. "Benin – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
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