| Nickname(s) | Seleção dos Falcões e Papagaios (Falcons and True Parrots Team) Guerreiros do Equador (Warriors of theEquator) Os Elefantes (TheElephants) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Federação Santomense de Futebol (FSF) | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | UNIFFAC (Central Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Ricardo Monsanto | ||
| Captain | Luís Leal | ||
| Mostcaps | Joazhifel Soares (36) | ||
| Top scorer | Luís Leal (11) | ||
| Home stadium | Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho | ||
| FIFA code | STP | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 190 1 (19 November 2025)[1] | ||
| Highest | 115 (March 2012) | ||
| Lowest | 200 (September – October 2007) | ||
| First international | |||
 Gabon 6–1São Tomé and Príncipe  (Libreville,Gabon; 2 May 1976) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
São Tomé and Príncipe 2–0Equatorial Guinea  (Libreville, Gabon; 14 November 1999) São Tomé and Príncipe 2–0Sierra Leone  (São Tomé,São Tomé and Príncipe; 8 April 2000)  Mauritius 1–3São Tomé and Príncipe (Belle Vue Harel,Mauritius; 9 October 2019) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Congo 11–0São Tomé and Príncipe (Libreville, Gabon; 7 July 1976) | |||
TheSão Tomé and Príncipe national football team is the nationalassociation football team ofSão Tomé and Príncipe and is controlled by theSão Toméan Football Federation. It is a member of theConfederation of African Football (CAF) andFIFA.[3]
São Tomé and Príncipe's first ever match was a friendly againstGabon in May 1976. They lost by a score of 6–1. Their next game, during the 1976Central African Games, was a horrendous 11–0 loss toCongo, São Tomé's largest loss to date. São Tomé rounded off the competition with a 2–1 loss toCentral African Republic and a 5–0 loss toChad.
The following year, São Tomé picked up their first win, in a friendly versusRwanda. In both 1978 and 1987 they achieved a draw at home toAngola.
The Green and Yellows took an eleven year break, before a string of matches including their first entry to aFIFA sanctioned tournament. At theUNIFAC Cup in 1999, they achieved their second win, 2–0 againstEquatorial Guinea. They won the next game after that, againstSierra Leone, 2–0. This two-in-a-row streak accompanied with a draw a few matches later placed them at their highest FIFA ranking to date, 179.
In 2003, São Tomé lost toLibya 1–0 and 8–0, which was a major blow to their previous success.[4] São Tomé did not participate in the qualification for the2010 World Cup, withdrawing before their first match, leaving them unranked in theFIFA rankings because they did not play any matches for four years.
On 11 November 2011, after an eight-year hiatus, São Tomé and Príncipe participated in the qualification for the2014 World Cup, losing to Congo 5–0, then drawing 1–1 with the same team four days later. São Tomé were reinstated in the FIFA rankings on 23 November 2011, entering at number 192.
In January 2012, in the preliminary round of2013 AFCON Qualifiers, São Tomé achieved their first ever aggregate win, defeatingLesotho 1–0 at home then successfully defending a 0–0 draw inMaseru seven days later. In the next round, São Tomé only narrowly lost 5–4 on aggregate to Sierra Leone. In the following years, São Tomé continued to show promise with impressive wins at home toEthiopia andLibya but poor away results prevented them from advancing again.
On 9 October 2019, São Tomé defeatedMauritius 1–3 away from home in the first leg of their preliminary round tie of2021 AFCON Qualifiers. This was São Tomé and Príncipe's first away win in a competitive match ever. Four days later, São Tomé won 2–1 at home to advance 5–2 on aggregate and enterGroup C, facingGhana,South Africa andSudan, where they finished bottom with zero points.
During the2023 AFCON qualifiers, São Tomé facedMauritius, winning the first leg 1–0 before drawing the second leg 3–3 to advance to the group stages. Following the fixtures CAF sanctioned São Tomé for their first leg victory as they hadn't followed COVID protocol forLuis Leal, giving Mauritius a 3–0 victory and eliminating São Tomé from the competition.[5] São Tomé appealed the decision and, following an initial unsuccessful ruling, they were reinstated by CAF a week before the first qualifying group game.[6]
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 São Tomé and Príncipe| 21 March2026 World Cup qualification | Equatorial Guinea | 2–0 | São Tomé and Príncipe | Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |
| 14:00 UTC+1 | Report (FIFA) Report (CAF) | Stadium:Estadio de Malabo Referee: Adissa Abdul Raphiou Ligali (Benin) |
v São Tomé and Príncipe| 24 March2026 World Cup qualification | Liberia | 2–1 | São Tomé and Príncipe | Paynesville, Liberia |
| 16:00 UTC+0 | Report (FIFA) Report (CAF) | Stadium:Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex |
v Equatorial Guinea| 4 September2026 World Cup qualification | São Tomé and Príncipe | 2–3 | Equatorial Guinea | Oujda, Morocco |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium:Honor Stadium Referee: Mohamed Marouf (Egypt) |
v São Tomé and Príncipe| September2026 World Cup qualification | Namibia | 3–0 | São Tomé and Príncipe |
Rudi Gutendorf (1984)Juvenal Correia (1998)Eduardo de Sousa (2000)
Antônio Dumas (2000–2001)
Jose Ferraz (2003–2005)Osvaldo Lima (2011)
Gustave Clément Nyoumba (2011–2015)António do Rosário (2015–2017)Gustave Clément Nyoumba (2017–2019)Adriano Eusébio (2019–present)The following players were called up for the2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches againstEquatorial Guinea andLiberia on 21 and 24 March 2025.[7]
Caps and goals correct as of 24 March 2025, after the match againstLiberia
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1GK | Pedro Mateus | (1996-09-27)27 September 1996 (age 29) | 6 | 0 |  Karvan İK |
| 22 | 1GK | Fehér | (2004-01-27)27 January 2004 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Leões Porto Salvo |
| 1 | 1GK | Yaniel | (2004-11-02)2 November 2004 (age 21) | 0 | 0 |  Celtic Castilla |
| 2 | 2DF | Vavá Pequeno | (1994-02-05)5 February 1994 (age 31) | 13 | 0 | Comércio e Indústria |
| 4 | 2DF | Adjakson | (2002-10-08)8 October 2002 (age 23) | 12 | 0 |  Novoli |
| 14 | 2DF | Rogério Fernandes | (2002-08-28)28 August 2002 (age 23) | 9 | 0 | Guarda FC |
| 3 | 2DF | Gilberto | (2000-12-02)2 December 2000 (age 24) | 7 | 0 | 6 de Setembro |
| 5 | 2DF | Ricardo Fernandes | (2002-08-28)28 August 2002 (age 23) | 5 | 0 | União de Santarém |
| 6 | 2DF | Elias Varela | (2000-05-19)19 May 2000 (age 25) | 3 | 0 | Argozelo |
| 17 | 3MF | Iniesta | (1992-10-21)21 October 1992 (age 33) | 15 | 2 | Leões Porto Salvo |
| 8 | 3MF | Joel Neves | (1994-05-01)1 May 1994 (age 31) | 14 | 0 | Oriental |
| 10 | 3MF | Mauro Vilhete | (1993-05-10)10 May 1993 (age 32) | 6 | 0 |  Hampton & Richmond Borough |
| 21 | 3MF | João Silva | (2005-06-15)15 June 2005 (age 20) | 3 | 0 | Farsley Celtic |
| 18 | 3MF | Nicola | (2000-04-23)23 April 2000 (age 25) | 2 | 0 | Serpa [pt] |
| 9 | 3MF | Dola | (1999-10-11)11 October 1999 (age 26) | 2 | 1 | Sporting Praia Cruz |
| 15 | 3MF | Waldimison | (1997-06-01)1 June 1997 (age 28) | 2 | 0 | Associação Murteirense |
| 19 | 3MF | Jamil | (1997-01-22)22 January 1997 (age 28) | 1 | 0 | Comércio e Indústria |
| 7 | 4FW | Eba Viegas | (1999-10-08)8 October 1999 (age 26) | 17 | 0 | Modica |
| 11 | 4FW | Ronaldo | (2000-07-11)11 July 2000 (age 25) | 14 | 0 | Paços de Ferreira |
| 13 | 4FW | Mimi | (1996-10-07)7 October 1996 (age 29) | 13 | 0 |  Bansko |
| 20 | 4FW | Sérgio Malé | (2004-05-08)8 May 2004 (age 21) | 4 | 0 | Estrela da Amadora |
| 16 | 4FW | Edson Daio | (2002-12-16)16 December 2002 (age 22) | 0 | 0 |  NK Pitomača |
The following players were also named to a squad in the last 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Nuno Malheiro | (1994-02-01)1 February 1994 (age 31) | 2 | 0 |  UMF Grindavík | v. Liberia, 9 June 2024 |
| MF | Marcos Barbeiro | (1995-07-29)29 July 1995 (age 30) | 16 | 1 | Pontevedra | v. Liberia, 9 June 2024 |
| MF | Aldair | (1989-09-04)4 September 1989 (age 36) | 14 | 0 |  RSD Jette | v. Liberia, 9 June 2024 |
| MF | Denilson | (1998-07-02)2 July 1998 (age 27) | 8 | 1 | Omladinac Gornja Vrba | v. Liberia, 9 June 2024 |
| FW | Luís Leal | (1987-05-29)29 May 1987 (age 38) | 29 | 11 |  Bentín Tacna Heroica | v. Equatorial Guinea, 21 March 2025INJ |
| FW | Edmílson Viegas | (1996-10-29)29 October 1996 (age 29) | 9 | 1 | Íþróttafélagið Höttur | v. Liberia, 9 June 2024 |
| FW | Gué | (2001-09-23)23 September 2001 (age 24) | 8 | 2 |  KPV | v. Liberia, 9 June 2024 |
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joazhifel Soares | 36 | 1 | 2011–2023 |
| 2 | Luís Leal | 29 | 11 | 2012–present |
| 3 | Ivonaldo | 26 | 0 | 2014–2023 |
| 4 | Zé | 20 | 3 | 2011–2021 |
| 5 | Ronaldo Afonso | 18 | 3 | 2017–present |
| Marcos Barbeiro | 18 | 1 | 2016–present | |
| Francisco do Nascimento | 18 | 0 | 2011–2018 | |
| Joel Neves | 18 | 0 | 2020–present | |
| 9 | Harramiz | 17 | 2 | 2015–present |
| Adjeil Neves | 17 | 0 | 2021–present | |
| Vavá Pequeno | 17 | 0 | 2019–present | |
| Eba Viegas | 17 | 0 | 2021–present |
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luís Leal | 11 | 29 | 0.38 | 2012–present |
| 2 | Jair Nunes | 4 | 12 | 0.33 | 2011–2016 |
| 3 | Ronaldo Afonso | 3 | 18 | 0.17 | 2017–present |
| Zé | 3 | 20 | 0.15 | 2011–2021 | |
| 5 | Amilcar | 2 | 3 | 0.67 | 2000 |
| Gué | 2 | 12 | 0.17 | 2021–present | |
| Iniesta | 2 | 15 | 0.13 | 2017–present | |
| Harramiz | 2 | 17 | 0.12 | 2015–present |
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1930 to1974 | Part of Portugal | Part of Portugal | |||||||||||||
| 1978 to1986 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
| 1990 | Did not enter | Declined participation | |||||||||||||
 1994 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
 1998 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
  2002 | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||
| 2006 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |||||||||
 2010 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||
 2018 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
  2026 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 20 | |||||||||
 2030 | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
 2034 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | - | 0/9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 9 | 45 | |
| Africa Cup of Nations record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
 1957 | Part of Portugal | Part of Portugal | |||||||||||||
 1959 | |||||||||||||||
 1962 | |||||||||||||||
 1963 | |||||||||||||||
 1965 | |||||||||||||||
| 1968 | |||||||||||||||
| 1970 | |||||||||||||||
 1972 | |||||||||||||||
 1974 | |||||||||||||||
 1976 | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | |||||||||||||
| 1978 | |||||||||||||||
 1980 | |||||||||||||||
 1982 | |||||||||||||||
 1984 | |||||||||||||||
 1986 | |||||||||||||||
| 1988 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
 1990 | |||||||||||||||
 1992 | |||||||||||||||
| 1994 | |||||||||||||||
| 1996 | |||||||||||||||
 1998 | |||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||
 2002 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||
 2004 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | ||||||||
| 2008 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
 2010 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
| 2013 | Did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |||||||||
| 2017 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 19 | |||||||||
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||
| 2021 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 18 | |||||||||
| 2023 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 22 | |||||||||
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
   2027 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
 2029 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0 titles | 0/35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 29 | 93 | |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | WPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 0.00 |
 Benin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0.00 |
 Cape Verde | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 0.00 |
 Central African Republic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0.00 |
 Chad | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | −10 | 0.00 |
 Congo | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 18 | −17 | 0.00 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 20.00 |
 Ethiopia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 50.00 |
| Gabon | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 | −9 | 0.00 |
| Ghana | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0.00 |
 Guinea-Bissau | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0.00 |
 Lesotho | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 50.00 |
| Liberia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
 Libya | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 | −12 | 25.00 |
 Madagascar | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0.00 |
 Malawi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 50.00 |
| Mauritius | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 75.00 |
| Morocco | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0.00 |
| Namibia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0.00 |
| Nigeria | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | −16 | 0.00 |
 Rwanda | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 50.00 |
| Sierra Leone | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 33.33 |
| South Africa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0.00 |
 South Sudan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
 Sudan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0.00 |
 Togo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0.00 |
| Tunisia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | −10 | 0.00 |
| Uganda | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
| Total | 74 | 11 | 10 | 53 | 52 | 192 | −140 | 14.86 |
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