| Football in Niger | |
|---|---|
| Country | Niger |
| Governing body | Nigerien Football Federation |
| National teams | Niger men's national soccer team Niger women's national football team |
| Club competitions | |
| International competitions | |
CAF Champions League CAF Confederation Cup CAF Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup FIFA World Cup (National Team) African Cup of Nations (National Team) | |
Football is the most popular sport inNiger, a nation of over 26 million.[1] Approximately 30% of the people in Niger are interested in football.[2]
Despite the sport's popularity in the country, Niger have so far been rather unsuccessful in international football, never winning a major tournament and failing to qualify for anyFIFA World Cup finals, though they did reach the quarterfinals of qualifying for the1982 World Cup, losing toAlgeria. They either failed to qualify for or were forced to withdraw from everyAfrican Nations Cup between 1969 and 2010. Niger finally participated in the competition for the first time in2012 after topping a qualifying group that includedSouth Africa andEgypt. Later that year, theydefeated Guinea over two legs to reach the2013 Africa Cup of Nations. On both occasions, Niger finished bottom of their group, gaining a solitary point in 2013. They have been unable to qualify for any subsequent edition of the tournament, despite the competition's expansion from 16 teams to 24 from2019 onwards.
As of 2023, there are no Nigerien nationals playing with top level European clubs. In the 2000s, a handful of Nigerien internationals have played in Europe includingMoussa Yahaya atLegia Warsaw in Poland andIbrahim Tankary in Belgium'sJupiler League.Moussa Narry, a Nigerien citizen but aGhana international, played in the Netherlands and withAJ Auxerre andLe Mans FC of France.
Football in Niger is almost entirely amateur, with some of the ten teams in theNiger Premier League (begun in 1966) being semi-professional. TheNiger Cup (begun in 1974) is open to amateur leagues throughout the nation. League play has been dominated by clubs from the capital city ofNiamey, withSahel SC Niamey andOlympic FC de Niamey capturing almost two thirds of the titles between them. Below this there are numerous local and national amateur leagues and competitions. Many sections of the Nigerien government, notably the police and armed forces, sponsor amateur clubs.
Football's popularity and the Nigerien people's passion for the international game were highlighted by former World Footballer of the YearZinedine Zidane's visit to Niger in 2007. Mobbed by fans at every stop, Zidane delivered funds and toured projects both football- and development-related.[3]
| # | Stadium | Capacity | City | Tenants | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stade Général Seyni Kountché | 50,000 | Niamey | Niger national football team |  |
| 2 | Stade municipal | 10,000 | Niamey | ||
| 3 | Stade de Zinder | 10,000 | Zinder |
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