List of national football teams

As of June 2010, there are 208 football associations affiliated to FIFA. The associations are divided into six confederations. The confederations formed by continent. The confederations are:
Asia -- Asian Football Confederation - AFC
Africa -- Confederation of African Football - CAF
North America -- Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football - CONCACAF
South America -- Confederacion Sudamericana de Futbol - CONMEBOL
Oceania -- Oceania Football Confederation - OFC
Europe -- Union of European Football Associations - UEFA
Members of FIFA affiliated confederations
AFC (Asia)
Due to the geographical size of Asia, the AFC is subdivided into five sub-federations:
West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) - represents nations at the western extremity of the continent, except Iran.
East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) - represents nations in Northeast Asia, plus Guam and Northern Mariana Islands.
Central Asian Football Federation (CAFF) - represents nations in Central Asia, plus Iran.
South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) - represents nations in South Asia.
ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) - represents nations in Southeast Asia, plus Australia.
CAF (Africa)
Due to the geographical size of Africa, CAF is divided into five regional federations:
Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) - represents nations generally regarded as forming the regions of East Africa and some nations of Central Africa.
Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) - represents nations generally regarded as forming Southern Africa, as well as island states off the coast of Southern Africa.
West African Football Union/Union du Football de l'Ouest Afrique (WAFU/UFOA) - represents nations in West Africa.
Union of North African Federations (UNAF) - represents nations regarded as forming North Africa.
Union des Federations du Football de l'Afrique Centrale (UNIFFAC) - represents some of the nations that form Central Africa.
CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean)
The CONCACAF federation is divided into three regional federations that have responsibility for part of the region's geographical area:
Caribbean Football Union (CFU) - represents all nations in the Caribbean.
North American Football Union (NAFU) - represents the teams of Canada, Mexico and the USA.
Union Centroamericana de Futbol (UNCAF) - represents the seven nations of Central America.
CONMEBOL (South America)
OFC (Oceania)
UEFA (Europe)
National teams not affiliated to FIFA confederations
The national football teams included in this section are not members of FIFA, or of any of its affiliated continental confederations. The teams are not eligible to enter the FIFA World Cup or any continental confederation championships. FIFA's statutes do not allow member teams to compete against these sides without FIFA's prior permission.
This section lists:
6 teams representing sovereign states who are members or observers of the United Nations.
6 teams representing states which are not members of the United Nations.
Unaffiliated United Nations states
There are seven United Nations member and observer states which are not members of FIFA or any of its affiliated continental confederations. Six of them, however, have fielded national teams in unofficial friendlies, Olympic-level tournaments (such as the Pacific Games or Micronesian Games), or in tournaments held outside the auspices of FIFA. These teams are listed below. Some of these teams have been run by a football federation in their country of origin, while others have only been organized informally.
1
2
1: National governing body is a member of ConIFA
2: The United Kingdom national team has only played unofficial friendly matches under the name "Great Britain". Otherwise, the United Kingdom is represented in FIFA- and UEFA-organized football by the teams of its constituent countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales (these teams are listed in the UEFA subsection above). See also Great Britain Olympic football team.
The Marshall Islands and Nauru are the only UN member states with no recorded national football teams.
Unaffiliated non-UN states
There are eleven states with limited international recognition, de facto sovereign states, and associated states who are not members or observers of the United Nations. Four of these have national teams which are listed above: the Republic of China, which is a member of FIFA and the AFC (as Chinese Taipei); the Cook Islands, which is a member of FIFA and the OFC; Kosovo, which is a member of FIFA and UEFA; and Niue, who has no membership in FIFA but is an associate member of the OFC.
None of the remaining seven de facto sovereign or partially recognized states are members of FIFA or any of its affiliated continental confederations. Six of them, however, have fielded national teams in non-FIFA football matches and unofficial friendlies:
1
1: in addition to participating in non-FIFA football tournaments and in unofficial matches against FIFA-affiliated nations, Northern Cyprus participated in the 1980 Islamic Games football competition.
The national associations representing all six of these teams are members of ConIFA, an organization for teams representing unrecognized states, subnational regions, and stateless minorities. Another de facto sovereign state, Transnistria, is also a member of ConIFA. To date, however, it has no recorded national football team.
Others
FIFA's entry criteria state that:
The main condition for joining FIFA is thus general international recognition as a nation state and membership of the UN. However, this rule is not applied retroactively, and 26 of FIFA's members are not internationally recognised sovereign nations.
Non-sovereign associations may still join FIFA or its affiliated confederations in specific circumstances. FIFA have offered exceptions for associations representing a dependency where the application apply for membership is authorised by the association in its parent state. The New Caledonia team was admitted under this regulation in 2004 on the grounds of the distance of New Caledonia from its 'parent' nation, France. The applications for membership by Gibraltar, a territory of the UK and Kosovo, a sovereign state with limited international recognition, were both initially rejected by FIFA in line with the above policy. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected this decision and both teams were accepted in May 2016.
A variety of other national, separatist, sub-national, pseudo-national, and ethnic teams have formed international football organizations outside FIFA's jurisdiction, and play in international tournaments against each other. Two organisations have been created as alternatives to FIFA. The older of the two, the N.F.-Board (Nouvelle Federation-Board), was founded in 2001 to promote international football among sovereign nations, unrecognised nations, regions and stateless peoples that are not members of FIFA, and to assist in their possible future membership of FIFA. A total of 49 member associations nations were listed on the N.F. Board's website as of March 2016, although at least one of these (Monaco) is no longer a member. In 2013, a new organisation, the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (ConIFA), was founded to carry on this work, with a number of its members having previously been affiliated to the NF-Board. ConIFA was founded with the aim of regularising non-FIFA international football, by having a two-year international tournament cycle, with the ConIFA World Football Cup in even numbered years, and continental tournaments in odd-numbered years.
In some cases, participation in non-FIFA football has been a first step for teams who later sought (and in some cases, achieved) the right to participate in matches sanctioned by FIFA or one of its affiliated continental confederations. For example, both Kosovo and Gibraltar played in non-FIFA football tournaments before being recognized by FIFA and UEFA. Similarly, the British Crown Dependency of Jersey, whose national team has been active in non-FIFA football for decades, has applied to join UEFA.
Former national football teams
These national teams no longer exist due to the dissolution of the nation or territory that they represented. Only national teams that were once members of FIFA are listed below.
New names
In addition to the above, other nations have been renamed:
- in 1960 - in 1963 - in 1971 - in 1997
British Gambia - in 1965
- in 1966
- in 1989
- in 1970 - in 1975 - in 1979
- in 1972
- in 1958 - in 2011
(1918-1939) - Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in 1939 - in 1945 - in 1993
- in 1975
- in 1945
- in 1950 - in 1990
- in 2003
FLN team - in 1962
French Somaliland - in 1977
- in 1960
- in 1957
- in 1949
- in 19831
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes - Yugoslavia in 1929
Madagascar - in 1958 - in 1975
Middle Congo - in 1960 - in 1992
- in 1980
- in 1964
- in 1966
Portuguese Guinea - in 1975
- in 1923
- in 1964 - in 1980
Surinam - in 1954
- in 1971
- in 1984
- in 1996
1: Still commonly called Ivory Coast in English-speaking countries
References
Notes