Guinea-Bissau women's national football team

Guinea-Bissau women's national football team is a FIFA-recognised team representing Guinea-Bissau in international association football matches. Guinea-Bissau have played in two FIFA-recognised matches, both in 2006 against Guinea. The country also has a national under-17 side which participated in the 2012 Confederation of African Football qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Football is the most popular women's sport in the country. A women's football programme was established in 2004, followed by the creation of a women's national league.

 Guinea-Bissau
AssociationFootball Federation of Guinea-Bissau
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationWAFU (West Africa)
Head coachLassana Cassama
FIFA codeGNB
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
CurrentNR (26 June 2020)[1]
Highest92 (2009)
Lowest148 (September 2015)
First international
 Guinea-Bissau 1−1 Guinea 
(Bissau; 28 October 2006)
Biggest defeat
 Guinea 3−1 Guinea-Bissau 
(Conakry; 12 November 2006)

Team

In 1985, few countries had women's national football teams.[2][3] While the sport gained popularity worldwide in the ensuing years, Guinea-Bissau's team only began play more than two decades later. By the end of 2006, the team had played in two FIFA-recognised matches.[4] The first was on 28 October 2006 against Guinea in Bissau, which ended in a 1-1 tie after Guinea-Bissau led 1-0 at half-time. On 12 November 2006, the team played in their second FIFA-recognised match in Conakry, where Guinea-Bissau lost to Guinea 1-3.[4] At the time, the team held three training sessions a week.[3] The team has not participated in some of the major international and regional football competitions, including the Women's World Cup, the 2010 African Women's Championship and the 2011 All-Africa Games.[5][6][7]

The team's average FIFA world ranking since 2006 is 119th. Its highest-ever ranking was 92nd in December 2009, and its lowest ranking was 144th in December 2007. Guinea-Bissau's best-ever rise in the rankings came in March 2008, when the team climbed 23 places compared to its previous FIFA ranking.[8] In March 2012, the team was ranked the 135th in the world by FIFA and 30th in the Confederation of African Football.[9] In June 2012, they moved up five spots to 130th in the world but fell to the 33rd in Africa.[8]

Guinea-Bissau has a FIFA recognised under-17 football team, which was established in 2006 but did not play any matches that year.[3][10] The team competed in the Confederation of African Football qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Azerbaijan in September 2012. They did not advance beyond regional qualifiers.[11]

Background and development

The development of women's football in Africa faces several challenges, including limited access to education, poverty amongst women, inequalities and human rights abuses targeting women.[12][13][14][15] Many quality football players leave to seek greater opportunities in Europe or the United States.[16] Funding for women's football in Africa is also an issue: Most of the financial assistance for women's football comes from FIFA, not the national football associations.[16]

Guinea-Bissau won its independence in 1974, the same year its national football federation, Football Federation of Guinea-Bissau, was founded.[5] The federation became a FIFA affiliate in 1986.[3][17] Women's football is provided for in the constitution of the Football Federation of Guinea-Bissau, and the organisation has four full-time staff members focusing on it.[3]

Football is the country's most popular sport for women, and is supported by football programmes in schools.[3] A national women's football programme was established in 2004.[10] By 2006, the country had 80 total football clubs, five of which were mixed and three of which were for women only.[3] There were 380 registered female players, and a women's teams played in a national football championship.[3] Three years later, there were 24 active women's teams in Guinea-Bissau.[10]

References
  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  2. Chrös McDougall (1 January 2012). Soccer. ABDO. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-61783-146-1. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  3. FIFA (2006). "Women's Football Today" (PDF): 88. Retrieved 17 April 2012. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. "Guinea-Bissau: Fixtures and Results". FIFA. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  5. Ballard, John; Suff, Paul (1999). The dictionary of football : the complete A-Z of international football from Ajax to Zinedine Zidane. London: Boxtree. p. 284. ISBN 0752224344. OCLC 59442612.
  6. "Fixtures - African Women Championship 2010". CAF. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  7. "Groups & standings - All Africa Games women 2011". Africa: CAF. 2011. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  8. "Guinea-Bissau: FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". Switzerland: FIFA. 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  9. "The FIFA Women's World Ranking". Switzerland: FIFA. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  10. "Goal! Football: Guinea-Bissau" (PDF). FIFA. 4 November 2009. p. 4. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  11. "FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup: Qualifiers". Switzerland: FIFA. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  12. Jean Williams (15 December 2007). A Beautiful Game: International Perspectives on Women's Football. Berg. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-84520-674-1. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  13. Richard Giulianotti; David McArdle (2006). Sport, Civil Liberties and Human Rights. Routledge. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-7146-5344-0. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  14. Chris Hallinan; Steven J. Jackson (31 August 2008). Social And Cultural Diversity In A Sporting World. Emerald Group Publishing. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-0-7623-1456-0. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  15. Jean Williams (18 December 2003). A Game for Rough Girls?: A History of Women's Football in Britain. Routledge. pp. 173–175. ISBN 978-0-415-26338-2. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  16. Gabriel Kuhn (24 February 2011). Soccer Vs. the State: Tackling Football and Radical Politics. PM Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-60486-053-5. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  17. "Goal! Football: Guinea-Bissau" (PDF). FIFA. 4 November 2009. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
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