| Nickname | The Scorpions | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Gambia Football Federation (GFF) | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Johnny McKinstry | ||
| Captain | Omar Colley | ||
| Mostcaps | Omar Colley (62) | ||
| Top scorer | Musa Barrow (14) | ||
| Home stadium | Independence Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | GAM | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 117 (19 November 2025)[1] | ||
| Highest | 65 (June 2009) | ||
| Lowest | 179 (March 2017) | ||
| First international | |||
 British Gambia 2–1Sierra Leone (Gambia; 9 February 1953) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 Seychelles 0–7Gambia  (Saint-Pierre,Mauritius; 14 October 2025) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Guinea 8–0Gambia (Guinea; 14 May 1972) | |||
| Africa Cup of Nations | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in2021) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2021) | ||
TheGambia national football team (recognized asThe Gambia byFIFA)[3] representsThe Gambia in men's internationalfootball and is controlled by theGambia Football Federation. Until 1965, the team and the country were known asBritish Gambia.The team represents bothFIFA andConfederation of African Football (CAF).[citation needed]
Under the name British Gambia, the team played their first ever game on 9 February 1953 againstSierra Leone, winning 2–1 at home in afriendly.[4] In April 1963, the team entered theL'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 (nowBurkina Faso) andGabon. 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 playits 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 firstAfrican Games qualifier and lost 8–0 and were knocked out.
In 1975, the Gambia entered its first qualification campaign for the1976 Summer Olympics inCanada. They were drawn in a qualifier againstGuinea, 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 theAfrican Cup of Nations, with the aim of reaching the1976 finals in Ethiopia. They were drawn in a two-legged qualifier againstMorocco 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 toDenmark on 30 January 1977.[5]
On 13 October 2002, the team got their biggest ever victory in international competition, a 6–0 victory againstLesotho.[6]
In May 2014, the Gambia was banned from allCAF competitions for two years after deliberately falsifying players' ages.[7]
The nation's fortunes improved inqualification for the2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Although they failed to qualify, they took it to the final round of games, including drawing twice with African giantsAlgeria.
On 13 November, in their first Group D match of2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Gambia defeatedAngola 1–3 inLuanda. This was the Scorpions' first away win in anAFCON orFIFA 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 the2021 Africa Cup of Nations, the Gambia defied the odds by defeating favouritesTunisia in the group stage, finishing unbeaten in 2nd place in the group. A further win againstGuinea in the Round of 16 saw them reach the quarter-finals at their first attempt, eventually going out to tournament hostsCameroon.
TheIndependence Stadium is amulti-purpose stadium inBakau,Gambia. It is currently used mostly forfootball matches, although it is also used for music concerts, political events, trade fairs and national celebrations. The stadium holds 30,000 people.[8]
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
v Gambia| 18 November 2024 (2024-11-18)2025 AFCON qualification | Tunisia | 0–1 | Gambia | Tunis, Tunisia |
| 20:00 UTC+1 | Report |
| Stadium:Hammadi Agrebi Stadium Referee: Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea (Ghana) |
v
Kenya| 20 March2026 World Cup qualification | Gambia | 3–3 | Kenya | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| 20:00 | Report | Stadium:Alassane Ouattara Stadium Referee: Abdou Abdel Mefire (Cameroon) |
v Gambia| 24 March2026 World Cup qualification | Ivory Coast | 1–0 | Gambia | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| 20:00 |
| Report | Stadium:Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Attendance: 19,471 Referee: Ring Nyier Akech Malong (South Sudan) |
v
Equatorial Guinea| 6 JuneFriendly | Gambia | 2–1 | Equatorial Guinea | Marrakech, Morocco |
| 16:00 UTC+1 | Sidibeh 7',45+1' | 45+4'Masogo | Stadium:Stade de Marrakech |
v Gambia| 9 JuneFriendly | Uganda | 1–1 | Gambia | Marrakech, Morocco |
| Report | Stadium:Stade de Marrakech |
v Gambia| 5 September2026 World Cup qualification | Kenya | 1–3 | Gambia | Nairobi, Kenya |
| 16:00 UTC+3 |
| Report | Stadium:Moi International Centre Referee:Amin Omar (Egypt) |
v
Burundi| 9 September2026 World Cup qualification | Gambia | 2–0 | Burundi | Nairobi, Kenya |
| 22:00 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium:Nyayo National Stadium Referee: Mohamed Maarouf Eid Mansour (Egypt) |
v
Gabon| 10 October2026 World Cup qualification | Gambia | 3–4 | Gabon | Nairobi, Kenya |
| 16:00 UTC+3 | Report |
| Stadium:Moi International Sports Centre Referee: Joseph Ogabor (Nigeria) |
v Gambia| 14 October2026 World Cup qualification | Seychelles | 0–7 | Gambia | Saint Pierre, Mauritius |
| 17:00 UTC+4 | Report | Stadium:Côte d'Or National Sports Complex Attendance: 300 Referee: Washington N'Dolo (Liberia) |
v Gambia| 18 NovemberFriendly | Kuwait | 2–2 | Gambia | Cairo, Egypt |
| Report |
| Stadium:Al Salam Stadium Referee: Mahmoud El Banna (Egypt) |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach |  Johnny McKinstry |
| Assistant Coaches | Alagie Sarr Abdou Jammeh |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Alhagie Marong |
| Fitness Coach | Mikael Igendia |
| Match Analyst |  Milad Samadi |
| Doctors | Dr. Ousman Colley Dr. Alhagie Jawara |
| Physiotherapists | Ebrima Jallow Modou Jarra Alassan Fofanah Hassan Darboe |
| Team Coordinator | Ousman Drammeh |
| Technical Director | Sang Ndong |
Ousmane Saho (1961)Abdoulie Ngum andMoses Trinn (1970-1971)Kebba Njie (1977)Cherno Touray (1975-1978)Mass Axi Gai (1978)Kabba Jallow (1978-1983)Saihou Sarr (1983)
Holger Obermann (1985)
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–)The following players were called up for thefriendly matches againstKuwait on 18 November 2025.[9]
Caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2025, after the match againstKuwait.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GK | Ebrima Jarju | (1998-03-16)16 March 1998 (age 27) | 10 | 0 |  Paide | |
| 1GK | Sheikh Sibi | (1998-02-21)21 February 1998 (age 27) | 6 | 0 | Virtus Verona | |
| 1GK | Jordi Bilali Danso | (2007-04-23)23 April 2007 (age 18) | 0 | 0 | Girona B | |
| 2DF | Omar Colley(captain) | (1992-10-24)24 October 1992 (age 33) | 63 | 1 |  Al-Diriyah | |
| 2DF | Muhammed Sanneh | (2000-02-19)19 February 2000 (age 25) | 19 | 0 |  Abdysh-Ata | |
| 2DF | Sheriff Sinyan | (1996-07-19)19 July 1996 (age 29) | 12 | 1 |  CFR Cluj | |
| 2DF | Joseph Ceesay | (1998-06-03)3 June 1998 (age 27) | 9 | 0 | Empoli | |
| 2DF | Sainey Sanyang | (2003-04-18)18 April 2003 (age 22) | 9 | 0 |  CSKA Sofia | |
| 2DF | Alagie Saine | (2003-01-20)20 January 2003 (age 22) | 7 | 0 |  Horsens | |
| 2DF | Yaya Bojang | (2004-09-10)10 September 2004 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Odense | |
| 2DF | Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh | (2006-11-30)30 November 2006 (age 18) | 1 | 0 |  Tromsø | |
| 2DF | Tijan Sonha | (2001-07-31)31 July 2001 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | Beroe Stara Zagora | |
| 3MF | Ebou Adams | (1996-01-15)15 January 1996 (age 29) | 30 | 2 |  Derby County | |
| 3MF | Alasana Manneh | (1998-04-08)8 April 1998 (age 27) | 21 | 1 |  Hibernian | |
| 3MF | Mahmudu Bajo | (2004-08-15)15 August 2004 (age 21) | 10 | 0 |  Red Star Belgrade | |
| 3MF | Abubakr Barry | (2000-07-02)2 July 2000 (age 25) | 7 | 0 |  Austria Wien | |
| 4FW | Abdoulie Sanyang | (1999-05-08)8 May 1999 (age 26) | 22 | 0 |  Hajduk Split | |
| 4FW | Adama Sidibeh | (1998-06-25)25 June 1998 (age 27) | 9 | 7 | St Johnstone | |
| 4FW | Abdoulie Ceesay | (2004-01-05)5 January 2004 (age 21) | 7 | 3 | FC St. Pauli | |
| 4FW | Musa Juwara | (2001-12-26)26 December 2001 (age 23) | 6 | 0 |  Pogoń Szczecin | |
| 4FW | Gibril Sillah | (1998-09-07)7 September 1998 (age 27) | 1 | 0 |  Azam | |
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 | Baboucarr Gaye | (1998-02-24)24 February 1998 (age 27) | 25 | 0 |  Shkëndija | v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025 |
| GK | Musa Dibaga | (2000-04-27)27 April 2000 (age 25) | 0 | 0 | Inverness | v. Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025 |
| DF | James Gomez | (2001-11-14)14 November 2001 (age 24) | 26 | 1 | Odense | v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025 |
| DF | Momodou Lion Njie | (2001-12-10)10 December 2001 (age 23) | 6 | 0 | KFUM Oslo | v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025 |
| DF | Sheriff Sinyan | (1996-07-19)19 July 1996 (age 29) | 11 | 1 | CFR Cluj | v. Burundi, 9 September 2025 |
| DF | Omar Gaye | (1998-09-18)18 September 1998 (age 27) | 6 | 0 | Francavilla | v. Uganda, 9 June 2025 |
| DF | Baboucarr Njie | (1995-06-05)5 June 1995 (age 30) | 3 | 0 |  Hartford Athletic | v. Uganda, 9 June 2025 |
| DF | Musa Jatta | (2004-12-20)20 December 2004 (age 20) | 1 | 0 |  Oulu | v. Uganda, 9 June 2025 |
| DF | Dembo Saidykhan | (2004-01-20)20 January 2004 (age 21) | 0 | 0 |  Vancouver Whitecaps 2 | v. Uganda, 9 June 2025 |
| DF | Dadi Gaye | (1995-03-21)21 March 1995 (age 30) | 2 | 0 | Tromsø | v. Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025 |
| MF | Mouhamadou Drammeh | (1999-05-15)15 May 1999 (age 26) | 5 | 0 | Universitatea Cluj | v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025 |
| MF | Jesper Ceesay | (2003-03-04)4 March 2003 (age 22) | 3 | 0 |  IFK Norrköping | v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025 |
| MF | Saikou Touray | (2000-06-06)6 June 2000 (age 25) | 1 | 0 |  Grenoble | v. Uganda, 9 June 2025 |
| MF | Francis Gomez | (2006-02-28)28 February 2006 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | Everton | v. Uganda, 9 June 2025 |
| MF | Ablie Jallow | (1998-11-14)14 November 1998 (age 27) | 38 | 8 | Metz | v. Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025 |
| MF | Ebrima Darboe | (2001-06-06)6 June 2001 (age 24) | 19 | 0 | Frosinone | v. Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025 |
| FW | Musa Barrow | (1998-11-14)14 November 1998 (age 27) | 53 | 14 | Al Taawoun | v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025 |
| FW | Ali Sowe | (1994-06-14)14 June 1994 (age 31) | 21 | 1 |  Çaykur Rizespor | v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025 |
| FW | Yankuba Minteh | (2004-07-22)22 July 2004 (age 21) | 19 | 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion | v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025 |
| FW | Alieu Fadera | (2001-11-03)3 November 2001 (age 24) | 17 | 1 | Sassuolo | v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025 |
| FW | Abdoulie Manneh | (2004-09-29)29 September 2004 (age 21) | 5 | 3 | Mjällby | v. Seychelles, 14 October 2025 |
| FW | Adama Bojang | (2004-05-28)28 May 2004 (age 21) | 3 | 0 | Reims | v. Burundi, 9 September 2025 |
| FW | Youssoupha Sanyang | (2005-08-31)31 August 2005 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | Öster | v. Uganda, 9 June 2025 |
| FW | Zakaria Sawo | (2000-01-11)11 January 2000 (age 25) | 0 | 0 | Djurgården | v. Uganda, 9 June 2025 |
| FW | Alagie Seidou Trawally | (2001-03-01)1 March 2001 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Cimitile | v. Uganda, 9 June 2025 |
| FW | Alassana Jatta | (1999-01-12)12 January 1999 (age 26) | 3 | 1 | Notts County | v. Ivory Coast, 24 March 2025 |
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue. | ||||||
.jpg)
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Omar Colley | 62 | 1 | 2012–present |
| 2 | Musa Barrow | 52 | 14 | 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 | Ablie Jallow | 38 | 8 | 2015–present |
| Ebrima Sohna | 38 | 3 | 2007–2022 | |
| 8 | Sulayman Marreh | 35 | 1 | 2011–present |
| 9 | Abdou Jammeh | 33 | 2 | 2006–2015 |
| 10 | Modou Jobe | 31 | 0 | 2007–present |
.jpg)
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Musa Barrow | 14 | 52 | 0.27 | 2018–present |
| 2 | Assan Ceesay | 13 | 41 | 0.32 | 2013–present |
| 3 | Ablie Jallow | 8 | 38 | 0.21 | 2015–present |
| 4 | Adama Sidibeh | 7 | 9 | 0.78 | 2024–present |
| Yankuba Minteh | 7 | 19 | 0.37 | 2022–present | |
| 6 | Momoudou Ceesay | 6 | 16 | 0.38 | 2010–2015 |
| 7 | Omar Samba | 5 | 12 | 0.42 | 1994–2002 |
| Jatto Ceesay | 5 | 17 | 0.29 | 1994–2007 | |
| Mustapha Jarju | 5 | 26 | 0.19 | 2006–2013 | |
| 10 | Muhammed Badamosi | 4 | 26 | 0.15 | 2018–present |
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1930 to1950 | Part of United Kingdom | Part ofUnited Kingdom | |||||||||||||
| 1954 to1966 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
| 1970 to1978 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
| 1982 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
 1986 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |||||||||
| 1990 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
| 1994 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
 1998 | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||
  2002 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2006 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||
 2010 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | |||||||||
 2014 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 11 | |||||||||
 2018 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||
 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2026 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 27 | 18 | |||||||||
  2030 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
| 2034 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | – | 0/14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 48 | 57 | |
| Africa Cup of Nations record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
 1957 to 1963 | Part of United Kingdom | |||||||
 1965 | Not affiliated to CAF | |||||||
 1968 to 1974 | Did not enter | |||||||
 1976 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 1978 | Did not enter | |||||||
 1980 to1988 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1990 | Withdrew | |||||||
 1992 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 1994 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 1996 | Withdrew during qualifying | |||||||
 1998 | Banned for withdrawing in 1996 | |||||||
| 2000 | Withdrew | |||||||
 2002 to2013 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2015 | Banned | |||||||
| 2017 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 2019 | ||||||||
 2021 | Quarter-finals | 6th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 2023 | Group stage | 23rd | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 2025 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2027 | To be determined | |||||||
 2029 | ||||||||
| Total | Quarter-finals | 2/35 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
As of match played 14 October 2025 after the match againstSeychelles
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seychelles | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 100.00 |
Runners-up (3): 1980, 1985, 2001
Third place (1): 1993
| National teams |
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| League system |
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| Domestic cups |
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