| Nickname(s) | Ménas | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Nigerien Football Federation | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Jean-Michel Cavalli | ||
| Captain | Souleymane Sacko | ||
| Most caps | Kassaly Daouda (70) | ||
| Top scorer | Moussa Maâzou (13) | ||
| Home stadium | Stade Seyni Kountché | ||
| FIFA code | NIG | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 113  (10 December 2020)[1] | ||
| Highest | 68 (November 1994) | ||
| Lowest | 196 (August 2002) | ||
| First international | |||
 Niger 2–2 Chad  (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 25 December 1961) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Niger 7–1 Mauritania .svg.png){kind=small} (Niamey, Niger; 12 October 1990) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Congo 10–0 Niger (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 27 December 1961) | |||
| Africa Cup of Nations | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2012) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (2012, 2013) | ||
The Niger national football team[3][4] 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[5] The Dama appears on their badge in the colors of the national flag. [6][7]
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 |
 2009 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 2011 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
 2014 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 2016 | Group stage | 16th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
 2018 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 2020 | Group stage | 12th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 2022 | To 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 Countries | 174 | 37 | 38 | 99 | 156 | 320 | −164 |
Results and fixtures
Win Draw Loss
2019
| 16 November 2019 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 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.[17]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Moussa Alzouma | 30 September 1982 | 8 | 0 | AS GNN |
| 16 | GK | Daouda Kassaly | 19 August 1983 | 76 | 0 | Katsina United |
| 21 | GK | Abdoul Haildou | 4 April 1992 | 0 | 0 | AS SONIDEP |
| 4 | DF | Abdoulkarim Mamoudou | 1 January 1995 | 1 | 0 | AS GNN |
| 5 | DF | Abdoul Garba | 23 December 1991 | 11 | 0 | AS FAN |
| 17 | DF | Hervé Lybohy | 24 July 1983 | 5 | 0 |  US Orléans |
| DF | Yacouba Diori | 8 September 1997 | 10 | 0 |  Ponferradina | |
| DF | Abdoul Razak Seyni | 1 January 1990 | 9 | 1 | SONIDEP | |
| DF | Amadou Harouna | 25 March 1994 | 2 | 0 | Nigelec | |
| 2 | MF | Daniel Soungole | 26 February 1995 | 2 | 0 |  Teplice |
| 6 | MF | Youssouf Oumarou | 16 February 1993 | 34 | 3 | San Pédro |
| 10 | MF | Boubacar Talatou | 3 December 1987 | 24 | 0 | AS Douanes |
| 12 | MF | Boubacar Moumouni | 10 May 1994 | 7 | 0 |  Al-Minaa |
| 14 | MF | Ali Mohamed | 7 October 1995 | 34 | 0 |  Beitar Jerusalem |
| 15 | MF | Fabrice Yao | 29 December 1995 | 1 | 0 |  Swift Hesperange |
| 18 | MF | Ousmane Diabaté | 9 July 1994 | 14 | 0 | Naft Maysan |
| MF | Victorien Adebayor | 12 November 1996 | 28 | 9 | Inter Allies | |
| MF | Issah Salou | 4 February 1999 | 3 | 0 |  Randers | |
| MF | Moumouni Darenkoum | 7 August 2002 | 1 | 0 | Gendarmerie Nationale | |
| MF | Mahamadou Sabo | 30 May 2000 | 0 | 0 | SONIDEP | |
| 7 | FW | Issa Djibrilla | 9 April 1998 | 4 | 2 | Rahimo |
| 19 | FW | Boubacar Haïnikoye | 7 October 1998 | 7 | 1 | NC Magra |
| 20 | FW | Amadou Moutari | 19 January 1994 | 32 | 1 |  Al-Ain |
| 22 | FW | Kairou Amoustapha | 1 January 2001 | 1 | 0 |  Loudoun United |
| FW | Mohamed Wonkoye | 19 May 1994 | 27 | 3 | Horoya | |
| FW | Idrissa Halidou | 3 July 1982 | 13 | 3 | AS GNN | |
| FW | Abdoul Aziz Ibrahim | 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 | 22 September 1993 | 2 | 0 | SONIDEP | v. Madagascar, 19 November 2019 |
| DF | Kourouma Fatoukouma | 11 July 1984 | 36 | 1 |  Jazz | v. Madagascar, 19 November 2019 |
| DF | Mouhamadou Hamidou Ali | 7 May 1989 | 2 | 0 | SONIDEP | v. Madagascar, 19 November 2019 |
| DF | Zakariya Souleymane | 29 December 1994 | 1 | 0 | Lorient | v. Madagascar, 19 November 2019 |
| MF | Ali Mohamed | 7 October 1996 | 34 | 0 | Beitar Jerusalem | v. Madagascar, 19 November 2019 |
| MF | Mahamane Cissé | 27 December 1993 | 33 | 5 | Nouadhibou | v. Madagascar, 19 November 2019 |
| MF | Yussif Moussa | 4 September 1998 | 7 | 1 | Bnei Yehuda | v. Madagascar, 19 November 2019 |
| FW | Moussa Maâzou | 25 August 1988 | 53 | 13 | Sektzia Nes Tziona | v. Madagascar, 19 November 2019 |
| FW | Kamilou Daouda | 29 December 1987 | 37 | 10 | Coton Sport | v. Madagascar, 19 November 2019 |
| FW | Modibo Sidibé | 3 June 1992 | 27 | 4 |  Komárno | v. Madagascar, 19 November 2019 |
| FW | Seybou Koita | 15 April 1994 | 3 | 0 | Red Star | v. Madagascar, 19 November 2019 |
DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up. | ||||||
Records
- As of 30 March 2019
- Players in bold text are still active with Niger.
List of coaches
Patrice Neveu (1999–2000)- Jean-Yves Chay (2000)
Yeo Martial (2002–2003)[18]
Bana Tchanile (2006–2007)
Hamey Amadou (2007–2008)
Dan Anghelescu (2008)- Frederic Costa (2008–2009)
- Harouna Doula Gabde (2009–2012)
- Rolland Courbis (2012)
Gernot Rohr (2012–2014)- Cheick Omar Diabate (2014–2015)
- François Zahoui (2015–2019)
- Jean-Guy Wallemme (2019-2020)
- Jean-Michel Cavalli (2020-present)
References
- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- ^ Orange 2012 Afcon qualifiers :130 Million FCFA for the Menas Archived 2011-11-09 at the Wayback Machine. 22/05/2011 StarAfrica sports.
- ^ Menas to test Pharaohs form. Confederation of African Football. 10-09-2010
- ^ Dama Gazelle Nanger dama. Sahara Conservation Fund, 2007, 2011.
- ^ http://www.afrik-foot.com/can-2019-la-liste-du-niger-contre-l-egypte-sans-maazou
- ^ "Niger team of 2019". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams.
- ^ "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.
- ^ CHAN 2011 : Un Niger héroïque mais éliminé par le Soudan – Football/CHAN 2011 – RFI 2011-02-19
- ^ "Niger in historic qualification despite Cairo loss". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
- ^ 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.
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16803984
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
- ^ http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=263428
- ^ http://shakhtar.com/en/news/31806
- ^ http://www.uefa.com/friendlies/season=2014/matches/round=2000374/match=2014301/index.html
- ^ "Niger team of 2019". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams.
- ^ "Martial named Niger coach". BBC News. 26 November 2002.