# Gambia national football team

The Gambia national football team (recognized as The Gambia by FIFA) 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. 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.
On 13 October 2002, the team got their biggest ever victory in international competition, a 6–0 victory against Lesotho.
In May 2014, the Gambia was banned from all CAF competitions for two years after deliberately falsifying players' ages.
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

The 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.

## 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

### 2025
## Coaching history

* Hans Heiniger (1987–1992)
* Sang Ndong (1992-1994)
* Sang Ndong (1994–2003)
* Antoine Hey (2006–2007)
* José Martínez (2007–2008)
* Paul Put (2008–2011)
* Peter Bonu Johnson (2011–2012)
* Luciano Mancini (2012–2013)
* Peter Bonu Johnson (2013–2015)
* Raoul Savoy (2015)
* Sang Ndong (2016–2018)
* Tom Saintfiet (2018–2024)
* Johnny McKinstry (2024–)

## Management and staff

| Position | Name |
| Head Coach | Johnny McKinstry |
| Assistant Coaches | Sulayman Ceesay Omar Barrow |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Musa Touray |
| Fitness Coach | Edrissa Jatta |
| Match Analyst | Alieu Drammeh |
| Doctors | Dr. Ousman Colley Dr. Alhagie Jawara |
| Physiotherapists | Ebrima Jallow Modou Jarra Alassan Fofanah Hassan Darboe |
| Team Coordinator | Adama Sanyang |
| Technical Director | Sang Ndong |

## Players
### Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Kenya and Ivory Coast on 20 and 24 March 2025.
Caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2024, after the match against Tunisia.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
| 1GK | Ebrima Jarju | (1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 27) | 6 | 0 | Paide |
| 1GK | Sheikh Sibi | (1998-02-21) 21 February 1998 (age 27) | 5 | 0 | Virtus Verona |
| 1GK | Musa Dibaga | (2000-04-27) 27 April 2000 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Inverness |
| 2DF | Omar Colley (captain) | (1992-10-24) 24 October 1992 (age 32) | 58 | 1 | PAOK |
| 2DF | Joseph Ceesay | (1998-06-03) 3 June 1998 (age 26) | 5 | 0 | Cesena |
| 2DF | Omar Gaye | (1998-09-18) 18 September 1998 (age 26) | 5 | 0 | Francavilla |
| 2DF | Sheriff Sinyan | (1996-07-19) 19 July 1996 (age 28) | 5 | 0 | CFR Cluj |
| 2DF | Dadi Gaye | (1995-03-21) 21 March 1995 (age 29) | 2 | 0 | Tromsø |
| 2DF | Momodou Lion Njie | (2001-12-10) 10 December 2001 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | KFUM Oslo |
| 3MF | Ablie Jallow | (1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 26) | 38 | 8 | Metz |
| 3MF | Ebou Adams | (1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 29) | 24 | 1 | Derby County |
| 3MF | Ebrima Darboe | (2001-06-06) 6 June 2001 (age 23) | 18 | 0 | Frosinone |
| 3MF | Alasana Manneh | (1998-04-08) 8 April 1998 (age 26) | 18 | 0 | Hibernian |
| 3MF | Mahmudu Bajo | (2004-08-15) 15 August 2004 (age 20) | 4 | 0 | FC DAC 1904 |
| 3MF | Abubakr Barry | (2000-07-02) 2 July 2000 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | Austria Wien |
| 3MF | Saikou Touray | (2000-06-06) 6 June 2000 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Grenoble |
| 4FW | Musa Barrow | (1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 26) | 46 | 9 | Al Taawoun |
| 4FW | Ali Sowe | (1994-06-14) 14 June 1994 (age 30) | 18 | 1 | Çaykur Rizespor |
| 4FW | Abdoulie Sanyang | (1999-05-08) 8 May 1999 (age 25) | 17 | 0 | Hajduk Split |
| 4FW | Alieu Fadera | (2001-11-03) 3 November 2001 (age 23) | 13 | 0 | Como |
| 4FW | Yankuba Minteh | (2004-07-22) 22 July 2004 (age 20) | 13 | 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 4FW | Abdoulie Ceesay | (2004-01-05) 5 January 2004 (age 21) | 3 | 1 | St. Pauli |
| 4FW | Alassana Jatta | (1999-01-12) 12 January 1999 (age 26) | 1 | 1 | Notts County |
| 4FW | Gibril Sillah | (1998-09-07) 7 September 1998 (age 26) | 0 | 0 | Azam |

### 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 | Lamin Saidy | (2001-06-17) 17 June 2001 (age 23) | 2 | 0 | Real de Banjul | v. Tunisia, 18 November 2024 |
| GK | Lamin Sarr | (2001-03-11) 11 March 2001 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Lunds BK | v. Gabon, 11 June 2024 |
| DF | Ibou Touray | (1994-12-24) 24 December 1994 (age 30) | 27 | 0 | Stockport County | v. Tunisia, 18 November 2024 |
| DF | James Gomez | (2001-11-14) 14 November 2001 (age 23) | 24 | 1 | Odense | v. Tunisia, 18 November 2024 |
| DF | Jacob Mendy | (1996-12-27) 27 December 1996 (age 28) | 3 | 0 | Wrexham | v. Tunisia, 18 November 2024 |
| DF | Baboucarr Njie | (1995-06-05) 5 June 1995 (age 29) | 2 | 0 | Oakland Roots | v. Tunisia, 18 November 2024 |
| DF | Edrissa Ceesay | (2001-04-16) 16 April 2001 (age 23) | 3 | 0 | Jedinstvo Ub | v. Tunisia, 8 September 2024 |
| DF | Sainey Sanyang | (2003-04-18) 18 April 2003 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | CSKA Sofia | v. Tunisia, 8 September 2024 |
| DF | Muhammed Sanneh | (2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 25) | 12 | 0 | Abdysh-Ata | v. Gabon, 11 June 2024 |
| DF | Dembo Saidykhan | (2004-01-20) 20 January 2004 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | Vancouver Whitecaps 2 | v. Gabon, 11 June 2024 |
| MF | Saidou Khan | (1995-12-05) 5 December 1995 (age 29) | 1 | 0 | Swindon Town | v. Madagascar, 14 October 2024 |
| MF | Hamza Barry | (1994-05-03) 3 May 1994 (age 30) | 28 | 1 | Vejle | v. Tunisia, 8 September 2024 |
| MF | Yusupha Bobb | (1996-06-22) 22 June 1996 (age 28) | 21 | 0 | KAC Marrakech | v. Gabon, 11 June 2024 |
| FW | Suleiman Camara | (2001-12-07) 7 December 2001 (age 23) | 2 | 0 | Racing de Santander | v. Tunisia, 18 November 2024 |
| FW | Muhammed Badamosi | (1998-12-27) 27 December 1998 (age 26) | 26 | 4 | Čukarički | v. Madagascar, 14 October 2024 |
| FW | Ebrima Colley | (2000-02-01) 1 February 2000 (age 25) | 28 | 2 | Young Boys | v. Tunisia, 8 September 2024 |
| FW | Musa Juwara | (2001-12-26) 26 December 2001 (age 23) | 5 | 0 | Vejle | v. Tunisia, 8 September 2024 |
| FW | Adama Sidibeh | (1998-06-25) 25 June 1998 (age 26) | 4 | 1 | St Johnstone | v. Tunisia, 8 September 2024 |
| FW | Adama Bojang | (2004-05-28) 28 May 2004 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | Reims | v. Gabon, 11 June 2024 |
| $^{WD}$ 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 18 November 2024
    Players in bold are still active with Gambia.

### Most appearances

| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
| 1 | Omar Colley | 56 | 1 | 2012–present |
| 2 | Musa Barrow | 44 | 9 | 2018-present |
| 3 | Pa Modou Jagne | 43 | 2 | 2006–2022 |
| 4 | Assan Ceesay | 41 | 13 | 2013–present |
| 5 | Bubacarr Sanneh | 40 | 1 | 2012–present |
| 6 | Ebrima Sohna | 38 | 3 | 2007–2022 |
| 7 | Sulayman Marreh | 35 | 1 | 2011–present |
| 8 | Abdou Jammeh | 33 | 2 | 2006–2015 |
| 9 | Ablie Jallow | 32 | 8 | 2015–present |
| 10 | Modou Jobe | 31 | 0 | 2007–present |

### Top goalscorer

| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
| 1 | Assan Ceesay | 13 | 41 | 0.32 | 2013–present |
| 2 | Musa Barrow | 9 | 44 | 0.2 | 2018–present |
| 3 | Ablie Jallow | 8 | 32 | 0.25 | 2015–present |
| 4 | Momoudou Ceesay | 6 | 16 | 0.38 | 2010–2015 |
| 5 | Omar Samba | 5 | 11 | 0.45 | 1995–2002 |
| 5 | Jatto Ceesay | 5 | 17 | 0.29 | 1994–2007 |
| 5 | Mustapha Jarju | 5 | 26 | 0.19 | 2006–2013 |
| 8 | Yankuba Minteh | 4 | 10 | 0.4 | 2022–present |
| 8 | Muhammed Badamosi | 4 | 24 | 0.17 | 2018–present |
| 10 | Samuel Kargbo | 3 | 9 | 0.33 | 1994–1996 |
| 10 | Njogu Demba-Nyrén | 3 | 15 | 0.2 | 2006–2011 |
| 10 | Edrissa Sonko | 3 | 16 | 0.19 | 1996–2008 |
| 10 | Aziz Corr Nyang | 3 | 17 | 0.18 | 2002–2011 |
| 10 | Bubacarr Jobe | 3 | 17 | 0.18 | 2018–present |
| 10 | Mamadou Danso | 3 | 20 | 0.15 | 2011–2019 |
| 10 | Ebrima Ebou Sillah | 3 | 24 | 0.13 | 1996–2008 |
| 10 | Ebrima Sohna | 3 | 38 | 0.08 | 2007–2022 |

## Competitive record
### FIFA World Cup

| FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record |
| 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 | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom |
| 1954 to 1966 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member |
| 1970 to 1978 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1982 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1986 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 1990 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1994 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1998 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 2002 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 2006 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2010 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| 2014 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| 2018 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2022 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2026 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 |
| 2030 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| 2034 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| Total | – | 0/14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 30 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 30 | 48 |

### Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record :
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
| 1957 to 1963 | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom |
| 1965 | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF |
| 1968 to 1974 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1976 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 1978 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1980 to 1988 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 1990 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1992 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 1994 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1996 | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying |
| 1998 | Banned for withdrawing in 1996 | Banned for withdrawing in 1996 | Banned for withdrawing in 1996 | Banned for withdrawing in 1996 | Banned for withdrawing in 1996 | Banned for withdrawing in 1996 | Banned for withdrawing in 1996 | Banned for withdrawing in 1996 |
| 2000 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 2002 to 2013 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2015 | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned |
| 2017 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2019 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2021 | Quarter-finals | 6th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 2023 | Group stage | 23rd | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 2025 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2027 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| 2029 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| Total | Quarter-finals | 2/34 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 |

## Honours
### Regional

* Amilcar Cabral Cup
** Runners-up (3): 1980, 1985, 2001
** Third place (1): 1993