Niger national football team

The Niger national football team[3][4] represents Niger in international association 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[5] The Dama appears on their badge in the colors of the national flag. [6][7]

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-Guy Wallemme
CaptainSouleymane Sacko
Most capsKassaly Daouda (70)
Top scorerMoussa Maâzou (13)
Home stadiumStade Seyni Kountché
FIFA codeNIG
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 112 (11 June 2020)[1]
Highest68 (November 1994)
Lowest196 (August 2002)
Elo ranking
Current 145 15 (2 April 2020)[2]
Highest103 (July 1991)
Lowest146 (December 1980)
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 and 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.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10][11] 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.[12]

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.[13]

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.[14] 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.[15][16]

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
2020Qualified
2022To be determined
Total Quarter-finals 3/6 7 2 2 3 6 14

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

2018
13 October 2018 2019 AFCONQTunisia 1–0 NigerRadès, Tunisia
19:15 CET Meriah  17' Report Stadium: Stade Olympique de Radès
Referee: Eric Otogo-Castane (Gabon)
16 October 2018 2019 AFCONQNiger 1–2 TunisiaNiamey, Niger
16:00 WAT Oumarou  36' Report Chaouat  28', 32' Stadium: Stade Général Seyni Kountché
Referee: Noureddine El Jaafari (Morocco)
18 November 2018 2019 AFCONQEswatini 1–2 NigerManzini, Eswatini
15:30 SAST Nkambule  19' Report Adebayor  55', 77' Stadium: Mavuso Sports Centre
Referee: Ahmad Imtehaz Heeralall (Mauritius)

2019
23 March 2019 2019 AFCONQNiger 1–1 EgyptNiamey, Niger
16:30 WAT Moutari  82' Report Trézéguet  47' Stadium: Stade Général Seyni Kountché
Referee: Ring Nyier Akech Malong (South Sudan)
10 September 2019 FriendlyMorocco 1–0 NigerMarrakech, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1 El Karti  21' Report Stadium: Stade de Marrakech
Attendance: 4,200
13 October 2019 FriendlyNiger 0–2 Central African RepublicNiamey, Niger
19:00 Report Stadium: Stade Général Seyni Kountché
16 November 2019 (2019-11-16) 2021 AFCONQIvory Coast 1–0 NigerAbidjan, Ivory Coast
19:00 UTC±0 Kessié  68' (pen.) Stadium: Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny
19 November 2019 (2019-11-19) 2021 AFCONQNiger 2–6 MadagascarNiamey, Niger
17:00 UTC+1
Stadium: Stade Général Seyni Kountché

Players

Current squad

The following players have been selected for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Ivory Coast on 16 November 2019 and against Madagascar on 19 November 2019.[17]

Caps and goals updated as of 23 March 2019 after the game against Egypt.[18]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Daouda Kassaly (1983-08-19) 19 August 1983 70 0 Katsina United
1GK Mainassara Babari (1993-09-22) 22 September 1993 0 0 SONIDEP
2DF Hervé Lybohy (1983-07-24) 24 July 1983 1 0 Nancy
2DF Yacouba Diori (1997-09-08) 8 September 1997 3 0 Ponferradina
2DF Abdoul Razak Seyni (1990-01-01) 1 January 1990 3 0 SONIDEP
2DF Zakariya Souleymane (1994-12-29) 29 December 1994 1 0 Lorient
2DF Kourouma Fatoukouma (1986-11-07) 7 November 1986 22 1 Jazz
2DF Mouhamadou Hamidou Ali (1989-05-07) 7 May 1989 1 0 SONIDEP
3MF Ali Mohamed (1996-10-07) 7 October 1996 29 0 Beitar Jerusalem
3MF Mahamane Cissé (1993-12-27) 27 December 1993 27 4 Otohô Oyo
3MF Yussif Moussa (1998-09-04) 4 September 1998 3 0 Ilves
3MF Djibo Wonkoye (1994-05-19) 19 May 1994 21 1 Horoya
3MF Daniel Soungole (1995-02-26) 26 February 1995 1 0 Teplice
4FW Kamilou Daouda (1987-12-29) 29 December 1987 35 10 Coton Sport
4FW Modibo Sidibé (1992-06-03) 3 June 1992 23 4 Michalovce
4FW Fabrice Yao (1995-12-29) 29 December 1995 0 Swift Hesperange
4FW Victorien Adebayor (1996-11-12) 12 November 1996 27 9 Inter Allies
4FW Amadou Moutari (1994-01-19) 19 January 1994 23 1 Budapest Honvéd
4FW Seybou Koita (1994-04-15) 15 April 1994 3 0 Red Star
4FW Moussa Maâzou (1988-08-25) 25 August 1988 50 13 Sektzia Nes Tziona

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
DF Khaido Assadeh (1997-06-28) 28 June 1997 3 0 AS Douanes v.  Eswatini, 18 November 2018
MF Lawali Abdourahamane (1997-03-08) 8 March 1997 0 0 JS Tahoua v.  Eswatini, 18 November 2018
MF Ousmane Diabaté (1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 4 0 Al-Taqadom v.  Tunisia, October 2018
MF Boubacar Magid (1994-05-10) 10 May 1994 4 0 Al-Minaa v.  Tunisia, October 2018
MF Abdoul Soumana (2000-05-22) 22 May 2000 0 0 Al-Merrikh v.  Tunisia, October 2018
FW Youssouf Oumarou (1993-02-16) 16 February 1993 27 2 FAN v.  Tunisia, October 2018
FW Boubacar Hainikoye (1989-10-07) 7 October 1989 5 1 US GN v.  Tunisia, October 2018

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. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  2. Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  3. Orange 2012 Afcon qualifiers :130 Million FCFA for the Menas Archived 2011-11-09 at the Wayback Machine. 22/05/2011 StarAfrica sports.
  4. Menas to test Pharaohs form. Confederation of African Football. 10-09-2010
  5. Dama Gazelle Nanger dama. Sahara Conservation Fund, 2007, 2011.
  6. http://www.afrik-foot.com/can-2019-la-liste-du-niger-contre-l-egypte-sans-maazou
  7. "Niger team of 2019". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams.
  8. "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.
  9. CHAN 2011 : Un Niger héroïque mais éliminé par le Soudan – Football/CHAN 2011 – RFI 2011-02-19
  10. "Niger in historic qualification despite Cairo loss". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
  11. 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.
  12. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16803984
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2012-10-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=263428
  15. http://shakhtar.com/en/news/31806
  16. http://www.uefa.com/friendlies/season=2014/matches/round=2000374/match=2014301/index.html
  17. https://www.afrik-foot.com/can-2021-q-a-j-4-jean-guy-wallemme-nomme-selectionneur-du-niger
  18. "Niger team of 2019". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams.
  19. "Martial named Niger coach". BBC News. 26 November 2002.
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