Although one of the less successful sides in the strong West Africa region, Niger has produced a couple of noteworthy runs in qualifying tournaments.
One of their best performances was in the1982 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in which Niger eliminatedSomalia andTogo on theaway goals rule, but were beaten byAlgeria in the third round where only eight teams were left. Notable players in this run included Jacques Komlan, Hassane Adamou andMoussa Kanfideni.
In 1990, they set a record by thrashingMauritania 7–1 in continental qualifiers, the highest positive score margin for theMena.
In the2004 African Nations Cup qualifiers, Niger won all their home games (including a win overGuinea) to finish on nine points, just three short of qualification.
The Niger squad is also plagued by financial concerns, which have caused them to withdraw from international tournaments on more than one occasion. TheNigerien Football Federation would have turned to fundraising to pay for their trip to the2010 African Cup of Nations inAngola, had they qualified.[8]
Despite a failed run for AFCON 2010, Niger hosted and won theUEMOA Tournament in November 2010, and followed up with their first ever qualification for the African Nations Championship in February 2011.[9]
After home wins overSouth Africa andSierra Leone, on 8 October 2011 Niger qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in its history, despite losing 3–0 in Egypt.[10][11] Niger, South Africa and Sierra Leone all ended with nine points, but Niger qualified thanks to their superior head-to-head record against their rivals.
At the2012 African Cup of Nations, Niger was placed in Group C alongside co-hostsGabon,Tunisia andMorocco. In their opening match, Niger lost 2–0 to Gabon, while against Tunisia inLibreville, Niger trailed 1–0 on an early goal fromYoussef Msakni in which he dribbled his way through for a fine goal after just four minutes.William N'Gounou, however, then made history by scoring Niger's first ever goal at the African Cup of Nations. A 1–1 draw looked likely, butIssam Jemâa's goal would eliminate Niger from the tournament. In the final match, Niger faced Morocco in a match featuring two sides already eliminated from the tournament.Younès Belhanda scored on an assist fromMarouane Chamakh just 11 minutes from time to give Morocco a 1–0 victory.[12]
Later in 2012, Niger repeated its success in African Nations Cup qualifiers by beatingGuinea in a two-legged series to qualify for the2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Guinea won the first match 1–0, but Niger won 2–0 in the second leg. GoalscorersMohamed Chikoto andIssoufou Boubacar had sent Niger to another African Cup of Nations tournament.[13]
In their first match at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Niger lost 1–0 toMali at theNelson Mandela Bay Stadium inPort Elizabeth. Mali captainSeydou Keita handed his nation the hard-fought victory five minutes before the end of the encounter. Niger then earned their first point ever at the African Cup of nations after holdingDR Congo to a 0–0 draw. In the third match,Ghana outclassed Niger 3–0 to reach the quarter-finals as Group B winners.[14] Niger finished bottom of the group.
On 22 May 2014, Niger played a friendly match againstUkraine, marking the first ever match against a European nation. Oumarou Bale scored in the 56th minute, cancelling out a 20th-minute goal fromIvan Ordets before Ukraine won on a goal fromTaras Stepanenko as the match finished 2–1.[15][16]
DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up. 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.