Gambia national football team

Men's national association football team representing The Gambia

Gambia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Scorpions
AssociationGambia Football Federation (GFF)
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationWAFU (West Africa)
Head coachJohnny McKinstry
CaptainOmar Colley
Most capsOmar Colley (50)
Top scorerAssan Ceesay (13)
Home stadiumIndependence Stadium
FIFA codeGAM
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 130 Steady (4 April 2024)[1]
Highest65 (June 2009)
Lowest179 (March 2017)
First international
 British Gambia 2–1 Sierra Leone
(Gambia; 9 February 1953)
Biggest win
 Gambia 12-1 Seychelles 
(Bakau, Gambia; 13 October 2002)
Biggest defeat
 Guinea 8–0 Gambia 
(Guinea; 14 May 1972)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances2 (first in 2021)
Best resultQuarter-finals (2021)

The Gambia national football team (recognized as The Gambia by FIFA)[3] represents The Gambia in men's international football and is controlled by the Gambia Football Federation. Until 1965, the team and the country were known as British Gambia. The team has never qualified for the World Cup. In 2021, Gambia qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time in history. The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

History

Under the name British Gambia, the team played their first ever game on 9 February 1953 against Sierra Leone, winning 2–1 at home in a friendly.[4] In April 1963, the team entered the L'Amitié tournament in Senegal, a competition mainly for French-speaking nations. They were drawn in a group with France's amateur team, the Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and Gabon. Their first match was lost 5–1 to the French amateurs on 11 April. The Gambia drew 2–2 with the Upper Volta on 13 April, and had the same result the very next day versus Gabon. The Gambia did not advance to the next round.

After the tournament in Senegal, the Gambia did not play another match until 16 November 1968, when they travelled to Sierra Leone to play its team in a friendly and lost 2–1. They played again in Sierra Leone in The Gambia's next match on 24 April 1971, and the hosts won 3–1. On 2 May 1971, The Gambia travelled to Guinea for a friendly and lost 4–2. On 14 May 1972, The Gambia returned to Guinea for their first African Games qualifier and lost 8–0 and were knocked out.

In 1975, the Gambia entered its first qualification campaign for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Canada. They were drawn in a qualifier against Guinea, and lost the first leg 1–0 at home on 27 April 1975. The second leg was lost 6–0 in Guinea on 1 June as Guinea advanced 7–0 on aggregate.

In August of that same year, the Gambia entered their first qualification for the African Cup of Nations, with the aim of reaching the 1976 finals in Ethiopia. They were drawn in a two-legged qualifier against Morocco and lost the first leg 3–0 away on 10 August. They lost by the same score in their home leg on 24 August and Morocco advanced 6–0 on aggregate.

After the qualification campaign for the 1976 finals, The Gambia played their first match against a full European side, losing a home friendly 4–1 to Denmark on 30 January 1977.[5]

On 12 October 2002, the team got their biggest ever victory in international competition, a 6–0 victory against Lesotho.[6]

In May 2014, the Gambia was banned from all CAF competitions for two years after deliberately falsifying players' ages.[7]

The nation's fortunes improved in qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Although they failed to qualify, they took it to the final round of games, including drawing twice with African giants Algeria.

On 13 November, in their first Group D match of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Gambia defeated Angola 1–3 in Luanda. This was the Scorpions' first away win in an AFCON or FIFA World Cup qualifier ever, at their 40th attempt. An impressive campaign saw them qualify for their first ever major tournament that year. As the lowest-ranked team in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, the Gambia defied the odds by defeating favourites Tunisia in the group stage, finishing unbeaten in 2nd place in the group. A further win against Guinea in the Round of 16 saw them reach the quarter-finals at their first attempt, eventually going out to tournament hosts Cameroon.

Home stadium

Football fans watching Gambia v Guinea

Independence Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Bakau, Gambia. It is currently used mostly for football matches, although it is also used for music concerts, political events, trade fairs and national celebrations. The stadium holds 30,000 people.[8]

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

2023

Mali  v  Gambia
24 March 2023 AFCON qualification Mali  2–0  Gambia Bamako, Mali
19:00 UTC±0
Report Stadium: Stade du 26 Mars
Referee: Jean Ouattara (Burkina Faso)
Gambia  v  Mali
28 March 2023 AFCON qualification Gambia  1–0  Mali Casablanca, Morocco
16:00 UTC±0 Report Stadium: Stade Mohamed V
Referee: Kouassi Attisso Attiogbe (Togo)
South Sudan  v  Gambia
14 June 2023 AFCON qualification South Sudan  2–3  Gambia Ismailia, Egypt
15:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Suez Canal Stadium
Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)
Gambia  v  Congo
10 September 2023 AFCON qualification Gambia  2–2  Congo Marrakesh, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Stade de Marrakech
Referee: Mohamed Maarouf Eid Mansour (Egypt)
Burundi  v  Gambia
16 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Burundi  3–2  Gambia Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
16:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Benjamin Mkapa (National Stadium)
Referee: Djindo Louis Houngnandande (Benin)
Gambia  v  Ivory Coast
20 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Gambia  0–2  Ivory Coast Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
17:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Benjamin Mkapa (National Stadium)
Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco)

2024

Senegal  v  Gambia
15 January 2023 AFCON GS Senegal  3–0  Gambia Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
14:00 UTC±0
Report Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium
Attendance: 7,896
Referee: Redouane Jiyed (Morocco)
Guinea  v  Gambia
19 January 2023 AFCON GS Guinea  1–0  Gambia Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
Report Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium
Attendance: 19,822
Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania)
Gambia  v  Cameroon
23 January 2023 AFCON GS Gambia  2–3  Cameroon Bouaké, Ivory Coast
17:00
Report
Stadium: Stade de la Paix
Attendance: 24,172
Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)
Gambia  v  Seychelles
8 June 2026 World Cup qualification Gambia  5-1  Seychelles Berkane, Morroco
17:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Berkane Municipal Stadium
Attendance: 700
Referee: Joseph Odey Ogabor (Nigeria)
Gabon  v  Gambia
11 June 2026 World Cup qualification Gabon  v  Gambia Franceville, Gabon
20:00 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Stade de Franceville

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Seychelles and Gabon on 8 and 11 June 2024.[9]

Caps and goals correct as of 23 January 2023, after the match against Cameroon.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Sheikh Sibi (1998-02-21) 21 February 1998 (age 26) 3 0 Italy Virtus Verona
1GK Ebrima Jarju (1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Estonia Paide
1GK Lamin Sarr (2001-03-11) 11 March 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Sweden Eskilsminne IF

2DF Omar Colley (1992-10-24) 24 October 1992 (age 31) 51 1 Turkey Beşiktaş
2DF Muhammed Sanneh (2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 24) 10 0 Czech Republic Baník Ostrava
2DF Omar Gaye (1998-09-18) 18 September 1998 (age 25) 3 0 Italy Chieti
2DF Dadi Gaye (1995-03-21) 21 March 1995 (age 29) 1 0 Norway Strømsgodset
2DF Edrissa Ceesay (2001-04-16) 16 April 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Senegal ASC Jaraaf
2DF Dembo Saidykhan (2004-01-20) 20 January 2004 (age 20) 0 0 United States Vancouver Whitecaps 2[a]
2DF Sainey Sanyang (2003-04-18) 18 April 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia

3MF Ablie Jallow (1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 25) 32 8 France Metz
3MF Yusupha Bobb (1996-06-22) 22 June 1996 (age 27) 20 0 Morocco KAC Marrakech
3MF Ebou Adams (1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 28) 16 0 Wales Cardiff City
3MF Alasana Manneh (1998-04-08) 8 April 1998 (age 26) 12 0 Denmark Odense
3MF Mahmudu Bajo (2004-08-15) 15 August 2004 (age 19) 0 0 Slovakia Podbrezová

4FW Musa Barrow (1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 25) 38 6 Saudi Arabia Al Taawoun
4FW Ebrima Colley (2000-02-01) 1 February 2000 (age 24) 24 2 Switzerland Young Boys
4FW Muhammed Badamosi (1998-12-27) 27 December 1998 (age 25) 22 2 Serbia Čukarički
4FW Abdoulie Sanyang (1999-05-08) 8 May 1999 (age 25) 14 0 France Grenoble
4FW Alieu Fadera (2001-11-03) 3 November 2001 (age 22) 7 0 Belgium K.R.C. Genk
4FW Yankuba Minteh (2004-07-22) 22 July 2004 (age 19) 5 2 Netherlands Feyenoord
4FW Musa Juwara (2001-12-26) 26 December 2001 (age 22) 1 0 Denmark Vejle
4FW Adama Bojang (2004-05-28) 28 May 2004 (age 20) 0 0 France Reims
4FW Adama Sidibeh (1998-06-25) 25 June 1998 (age 25) 0 0 Scotland St Johnstone

Recent call ups

The following players have also been called up to the Gambia squad within the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Modou Jobe (1988-10-27) 27 October 1988 (age 35) 31 0 South Africa Black Leopards 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
GK Baboucarr Gaye (1998-02-24) 24 February 1998 (age 26) 21 0 Bulgaria Lokomotiv Sofia 2023 Africa Cup of Nations

DF Bubacarr Sanneh (1994-11-14) 14 November 1994 (age 29) 40 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina FK Zvijezda 09 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Dawda Ngum (1990-09-02) 2 September 1990 (age 33) 21 0 Sweden Ariana 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Ibou Touray (1994-12-24) 24 December 1994 (age 29) 21 0 England Stockport County 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF James Gomez (2001-11-14) 14 November 2001 (age 22) 19 1 Denmark Odense 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Noah Sonko Sundberg (1996-06-06) 6 June 1996 (age 28) 18 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Saidy Janko (1995-10-22) 22 October 1995 (age 28) 10 0 Switzerland Young Boys 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Jacob Mendy (1996-12-27) 27 December 1996 (age 27) 3 0 Wales Wrexham 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Sulayman Bojang (1997-09-03) 3 September 1997 (age 26) 6 0 Norway Skeid 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Ismaila Jome (1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 (age 29) 2 0 United States Oakland Roots 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Baboucarr Njie (1995-06-05) 5 June 1995 (age 29) 0 0 United States San Antonio 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Alagie Saine (2003-01-20) 20 January 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Denmark Horsens 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Momodou Colley (1995-01-30) 30 January 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Luxembourg Union Titus Pétange v.  Mali, 28 March 2023

MF Sulayman Marreh (1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 28) 35 1 Serbia Železničar Pančevo 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Hamza Barry (1994-05-03) 3 May 1994 (age 30) 26 1 Denmark Vejle 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Ebrima Darboe (2001-06-06) 6 June 2001 (age 23) 15 0 Italy Sampdoria 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Bubacarr Jobe (1994-11-21) 21 November 1994 (age 29) 10 3 Sweden Norrby 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Sainey Njie (2001-08-30) 30 August 2001 (age 22) 5 0 Serbia Radnik Surdulica 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Jesper Ceesay (2003-05-04) 4 May 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Sweden Norrköping 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Saikou Touray (2000-06-06) 6 June 2000 (age 24) 0 0 France Grenoble 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Saidou Khan (1995-12-05) 5 December 1995 (age 28) 0 0 England Swindon Town 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Ismail Ceesay (2004-08-15) 15 August 2004 (age 19) 0 0 Slovakia Železiarne Podbrezová v.  Ivory Coast, 20 November 2023
MF Mustapha Colley (1996-12-27) 27 December 1996 (age 27) 0 0 Wales Wrexham v.  Ivory Coast, 20 November 2023
MF Ousman Bojang (2001-08-30) 30 August 2001 (age 22) 3 0 Serbia Radnik Surdulica v.  Congo, 10 September 2023
MF Ebrima Barrow (2001-10-20) 20 October 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Sweden IFK Norrköping v.  Congo, 10 September 2023
MF Musa Touray (1995-12-05) 5 December 1995 (age 28) 0 0 England Swindon Town v.  Congo, 10 September 2023

FW Assan Ceesay (1994-03-17) 17 March 1994 (age 30) 41 14 Saudi Arabia Damac 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Ali Sowe (1994-06-14) 14 June 1994 (age 29) 12 0 Turkey MKE Ankaragücü 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Lamin Jallow (1994-07-22) 22 July 1994 (age 29) 19 1 Algeria CR Belouizdad 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Dembo Darboe (1998-08-17) 17 August 1998 (age 25) 5 0 Kazakhstan Astana 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Pa Adama Jallow (1999-05-08) 8 May 1999 (age 25) 12 0 France Grenoble v.  Ivory Coast, 20 November 2023

WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.
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 20 November 2023[10]
Players in bold are still active with Gambia.

Most appearances

Omar Colley is Gambia's most capped player with 50 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Omar Colley 50 1 2012–present
2 Pa Modou Jagne 43 2 2006–2022
3 Assan Ceesay 39 13 2013–present
Bubacarr Sanneh 39 1 2012–present
5 Ebrima Sohna 38 3 2007–2022
6 Musa Barrow 35 6 2018–present
Sulayman Marreh 35 1 2011–present
8 Abdou Jammeh 33 2 2006–2015
9 Modou Jobe 31 0 2007–present
10 Ablie Jallow 30 7 2015–present

Top goalscorer

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Assan Ceesay 13 39 0.33 2013–present
2 Ablie Jallow 7 30 0.23 2015–present
3 Momoudou Ceesay 6 16 0.38 2010–2015
Musa Barrow 6 35 0.17 2018–present
5 Omar Samba 5 11 0.45 1995–2002
Jatto Ceesay 5 17 0.29 1994–2007
Mustapha Jarju 5 26 0.19 2006–2013
8 Samuel Kargbo 3 9 0.33 1994–1996
Njogu Demba-Nyrén 3 15 0.2 2006–2011
Edrissa Sonko 3 16 0.19 1996–2008
Aziz Corr Nyang 3 17 0.18 2002–2011
Bubacarr Jobe 3 17 0.18 2018–present
Mamadou Danso 3 20 0.15 2011–2019
Ebrima Ebou Sillah 3 24 0.13 1996–2008
Ebrima Sohna 3 38 0.08 2007–2022

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1950 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
1954 to 1966 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1970 to 1978 Did not enter Did not enter
Spain 1982 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 1
Mexico 1986 2 1 0 1 3 6
Italy 1990 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 1994 Withdrew Withdrew
France 1998 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 5
South Korea Japan 2002 2 0 0 2 0 3
Germany 2006 2 1 0 1 2 3
South Africa 2010 6 2 3 1 6 3
Brazil 2014 6 1 1 4 4 11
Russia 2018 2 0 1 1 2 3
Qatar 2022 2 0 0 2 1 3
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 3 1 0 2 7 6
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/14 29 7 6 16 29 44

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Sudan 1957 to Ghana 1963 Part of United Kingdom
Tunisia 1965 Not affiliated to CAF
Ethiopia 1968 to Egypt 1974 did not enter
Ethiopia 1976 did not qualify
Ghana 1978 did not enter
Nigeria 1980 to Morocco 1988 did not qualify
Algeria 1990 Withdrew
Senegal 1992 did not qualify
Tunisia 1994 did not enter
South Africa 1996 Withdrew during qualifying
Burkina Faso 1998 Banned for withdrawing in 1996
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Withdrew
Mali 2002 to South Africa 2013 did not qualify
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Banned
Gabon 2017 did not qualify
Egypt 2019
Cameroon 2021 Quarter-finals 6th 5 3 1 1 4 3
Ivory Coast 2023 Group stage 23rd 3 0 0 3 2 7
Morocco 2025 to be determined
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027
Total Quarter-finals 2/33 8 3 1 4 6 10

Honours

References

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  3. ^ "The Gambia". FIFA. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  4. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Gambia". World Football Elo Rankings. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Gambia – List of International Matches". Rsssf.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  6. ^ "Gambia v Lesotho, 13 October 2002". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  7. ^ "The Gambia disqualified from all Caf competitions". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Gambia National Stadium". Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  9. ^ "Final Squad". Facebook. Gambia Football Federation. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Gambia". National Football Teams.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gambia national football team.
  • Official website of the Gambian Football Federation
  • Gambia at CAF
  • Gambia at FIFA
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