Niger national football team

The Niger national football team[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 and orange. 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]

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Niger women's national football team.
Niger
Nickname(s)Ménas
AssociationNigerien Football Federation
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationWAFU (West Africa)
Head coachJean-Michel Cavalli
CaptainSouleymane Sacko
Most capsKassaly Daouda (70)
Top scorerMoussa Maâzou (13)
Home stadiumStade Seyni Kountché
FIFA codeNIG
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 113 (10 December 2020)[1]
Highest68 (November 1994)
Lowest196 (August 2002)
First international
 Niger 2–2 Chad 
(Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 25 December 1961)
Biggest win
 Niger 7–1 Mauritania 
(Niamey, Niger; 12 October 1990)
Biggest defeat
 Congo 10–0 Niger
(Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 27 December 1961)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances2 (first in 2012)
Best resultGroup stage (2012, 2013)

History

Although one of the weaker 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]

Competitive record

World Cup record

African Nations Championship record
African Nations Championship
Appearances: 3
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
2009Did not qualify
2011Quarter-finals7th421133
2014Did not qualify
2016Group stage16th3012311
2018Did not qualify
2020Group stage12th302123
2022To be determined
Total Quarter-finals 3/6 7 2 4 4 8 17

Head-to-head record against other nations
As of 19 November 2019
Opponent Games Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Differential
 Algeria 5 1 0 4 1 14 −13
 Angola 2 0 0 2 2 5 −3
 Benin 15 3 5 7 17 24 −7
 Botswana 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2
 Burundi 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2
 Burkina Faso 15 3 5 7 13 22 −9
 Cameroon 3 0 1 2 0 4 −4
 Central African Republic 2 0 1 1 3 5 −2
 Chad 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Congo 4 0 1 3 3 10 −7
 DR Congo 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Ivory Coast 13 0 2 11 9 29 −20
 Egypt 6 1 1 4 2 16 −14
 Equatorial Guinea 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Ethiopia 3 1 0 2 3 4 −1
 Eswatini 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1
 Gabon 6 1 0 5 5 13 −8
 Gambia 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Ghana 11 0 1 10 4 38 −34
 Guinea 7 3 0 4 8 11 −3
 Lesotho 2 1 0 1 3 3 0
 Liberia 7 3 1 3 7 10 −3
 Libya 4 0 3 1 4 8 −4
 Madagascar 1 0 0 1 2 6 −4
 Mali 8 1 2 5 4 10 −6
 Mauritania 5 3 2 0 10 3 +7
 Morocco 7 1 0 6 2 16 −14
 Namibia 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1
 Nigeria 3 0 0 3 1 7 −6
 Senegal 5 1 1 3 3 6 −3
 Sierra Leone 6 3 0 3 11 15 −4
 Somalia 2 0 2 0 1 1 0
 South Africa 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1
 Togo 9 3 3 3 13 14 −1
 Tunisia 3 0 0 3 2 4 −2
 Uganda 5 2 1 2 6 6 0
 Ukraine 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1
 United Arab Emirates 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4
38 Countries174373899156320−164

Results and fixtures

  Win   Draw   Loss

2019
16 November 2019 (2019-11-16) 2021 AFCONQ Ivory Coast  1–0  Niger Abidjan, Ivory Coast
19:00 UTC±0 Kessié  68' (pen.) Stadium: Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny
19 November 2019 (2019-11-19) 2021 AFCONQ Niger  2–6  Madagascar Niamey, Niger
17:00 UTC+1
Stadium: Stade Général Seyni Kountché

Players

Current squad

The following players have been selected for two friendly matches against Chad on 10 October 2020 and against Sierra Leone on 13 October 2020.

Caps and goals updated as of 17 November 2020 after the game against Ethiopia.[16]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Moussa Alzouma (1982-09-30) 30 September 1982 8 0 AS GNN
16 1GK Daouda Kassaly (1983-08-19) 19 August 1983 76 0 Katsina United
21 1GK Abdoul Haildou (1992-04-04) 4 April 1992 0 0 AS SONIDEP
4 2DF Abdoulkarim Mamoudou (1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 1 0 AS GNN
5 2DF Abdoul Garba (1991-12-23) 23 December 1991 11 0 AS FAN
17 2DF Hervé Lybohy (1983-07-24) 24 July 1983 5 0 US Orléans
2DF Yacouba Diori (1997-09-08) 8 September 1997 10 0 Ponferradina
2DF Abdoul Razak Seyni (1990-01-01) 1 January 1990 9 1 SONIDEP
2DF Amadou Harouna (1994-03-25) 25 March 1994 2 0 Nigelec
2 3MF Daniel Soungole (1995-02-26) 26 February 1995 2 0 Teplice
6 3MF Youssouf Oumarou (1993-02-16) 16 February 1993 34 3 San Pédro
10 3MF Boubacar Talatou (1987-12-03) 3 December 1987 24 0 AS Douanes
12 3MF Boubacar Moumouni (1994-05-10) 10 May 1994 7 0 Al-Minaa
14 3MF Ali Mohamed (1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 34 0 Beitar Jerusalem
15 3MF Fabrice Yao (1995-12-29) 29 December 1995 1 0 Swift Hesperange
18 3MF Ousmane Diabaté (1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 14 0 Naft Maysan
3MF Victorien Adebayor (1996-11-12) 12 November 1996 28 9 Inter Allies
3MF Issah Salou (1999-02-04) 4 February 1999 3 0 Randers
3MF Moumouni Darenkoum (2002-08-07) 7 August 2002 1 0 Gendarmerie Nationale
3MF Mahamadou Sabo (2000-05-30) 30 May 2000 0 0 SONIDEP
7 4FW Issa Djibrilla (1998-04-09) 9 April 1998 4 2 Rahimo
19 4FW Boubacar Haïnikoye (1998-10-07) 7 October 1998 7 1 NC Magra
20 4FW Amadou Moutari (1994-01-19) 19 January 1994 32 1 Al-Ain
22 4FW Kairou Amoustapha (2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 1 0 Loudoun United
4FW Mohamed Wonkoye (1994-05-19) 19 May 1994 27 3 Horoya
4FW Idrissa Halidou (1982-07-03) 3 July 1982 13 3 AS GNN
4FW Abdoul Aziz Ibrahim (1996-03-15) 15 March 1996 3 1 Nigelec

Recent call-ups

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 Mainassara Babari (1993-09-22) 22 September 1993 2 0 SONIDEP v.  Madagascar, 19 November 2019
DF Kourouma Fatoukouma (1984-07-11) 11 July 1984 36 1 Jazz v.  Madagascar, 19 November 2019
DF Mouhamadou Hamidou Ali (1989-05-07) 7 May 1989 2 0 SONIDEP v.  Madagascar, 19 November 2019
DF Zakariya Souleymane (1994-12-29) 29 December 1994 1 0 Lorient v.  Madagascar, 19 November 2019
MF Ali Mohamed (1996-10-07) 7 October 1996 34 0 Beitar Jerusalem v.  Madagascar, 19 November 2019
MF Mahamane Cissé (1993-12-27) 27 December 1993 33 5 Nouadhibou v.  Madagascar, 19 November 2019
MF Yussif Moussa (1998-09-04) 4 September 1998 7 1 Bnei Yehuda v.  Madagascar, 19 November 2019
FW Moussa Maâzou (1988-08-25) 25 August 1988 53 13 Sektzia Nes Tziona v.  Madagascar, 19 November 2019
FW Kamilou Daouda (1987-12-29) 29 December 1987 37 10 Coton Sport v.  Madagascar, 19 November 2019
FW Modibo Sidibé (1992-06-03) 3 June 1992 27 4 Komárno v.  Madagascar, 19 November 2019
FW Seybou Koita (1994-04-15) 15 April 1994 3 0 Red Star v.  Madagascar, 19 November 2019

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
As of 30 March 2019
Players in bold text are still active with Niger.

List of coaches

References
  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  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. Confederation of African Football. 10-09-2010
  4. Dama Gazelle Nanger dama. Sahara Conservation Fund, 2007, 2011.
  5. http://www.afrik-foot.com/can-2019-la-liste-du-niger-contre-l-egypte-sans-maazou
  6. "Niger team of 2019". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams.
  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 2011-02-19
  9. "Niger in historic qualification despite Cairo loss". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2011-10-08. 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. BBC Sport.
  11. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16803984
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2012-10-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=263428
  14. http://shakhtar.com/en/news/31806
  15. http://www.uefa.com/friendlies/season=2014/matches/round=2000374/match=2014301/index.html
  16. "Niger team of 2019". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams.
  17. "Martial named Niger coach". BBC News. 26 November 2002.
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