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Central African Republic national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Central African Republic women's national football team.

Central African Republic
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Les Fauves
(The Wild Beasts)
AssociationCentral African Football Federation
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationUNIFFAC
(Central Africa)
Head coachRaoul Savoy
CaptainGeoffrey Kondogbia
Most capsFoxi Kéthévoama (48)
Top scorerLouis Mafouta (14)
Home stadiumBarthélemy Boganda Stadium
FIFA codeCTA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 128 Decrease 1 (18 July 2024)[1]
Highest49 (October 2012)
Lowest202 (July–September 2009, March–August 2010)
First international
Ubangi-Shari 5–1 French Cameroon
(Ubangi-Shari; unknown date 1956)[2]
Biggest win
 Central African Republic 6–0 Bhutan 
(Colombo, Sri Lanka; 22 March 2024)
Biggest defeat
 Ivory Coast 11–0 Central African Republic 
(Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 27 December 1961)

The Central African Republic national football team (French: Équipe de République centrafricaine de football), nicknamed Les Fauves, is the national team of the Central African Republic and is controlled by the Central African Football Federation. They are a member of CAF. Despite being traditionally one of the weakest teams in Africa and the world, they recently achieved success. They won the 2009 CEMAC Cup by beating Gabon in the semi-finals and Equatorial Guinea in the final 3–0. Their FIFA ranking rose from 202nd in August 2010 to 89th by July 2011. On 10 October 2010, they earned a shock 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win at home against Algeria 2–0, which put them top of their qualification group. The team won its first FIFA World Cup qualifier on 2 June 2012 after beating Botswana 2–0 at home.[4][5]

History

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Early years (1956–1989)

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The team made its debut under the name of Ubangi-Shari in 1956 against French Cameroon. The Central African Football Federation was founded in 1961 and joined FIFA in 1964 and CAF in 1965.

Their first competitive match was in the 1961 Friendship Games in Ivory Coast where Central African Republic drew twice against Upper Volta and Liberia before losing to the hosts and failing to progress to the next round.

Central African Republic entered the 1974 African Cup of Nations qualification for the first time, progressing due to Gabon's withdrawal but were then eliminated 5–4 on aggregate by Ivory Coast, a tie which saw the second leg abandoned at half-time after arguments between players of both sides, forcing a replay in Lagos which Ivory Coast won 5–1.

They took part in 1984 UDEAC Cup where they qualified to the knock-out rounds on goal-difference over Equatorial Guinea but were then heavily beaten by Cameroon 7–1 before beating Gabon on penalties to finish third. However in the 1988 UDEAC Cup, Gabon would get their revenge, beating Central African Republic in the semi-finals. The following year Central African Republic would host the 1989 UDEAC Cup, making it to the finals, beating Gabon on the way, before losing 2–1 to Cameroon.

Sporadic matches (1990–2008)

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During the 1990s, Central African Republic played very few international games, withdrawing from the 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification without playing a match. They returned to competition in the UNIFAC Cup in 1999, winning three times and losing twice to finish second.

Central African Republic participated in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers for the first time, losing in the first round to Zimbabwe. They reached the final of the inaugural CEMAC Cup, losing to an amateur Cameroon team that they'd drawn with a week earlier in the tournament.

Promising victories (2009–2019)

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In 2009, Central African Republic hosted the 2009 CEMAC Cup where they defeated Equatorial Guinea 3–0 in the final, with goals from Salif Kéïta and a brace from Hilaire Momi to claim their first trophy.

During the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Central African Republic achieved a historic 2–0 home victory over the top seeded Algeria, a team that had recently competed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In July 2011, they climbed to 89th place in the FIFA world rankings, having occupied 202nd place as recently as August 2010.

On 2 June 2012, they obtained their first victory in World Cup qualification, beating Botswana 2–0 at home. Despite that positive result, Central African Republic finished bottom of their group. On 15 June 2012, despite being reduced to ten men, they achieved another impressive victory, beating Egypt 3–2 in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, inflicting the first home defeat on the Egyptians in AFCON qualifiers since 1965. Thanks to a 1–1 draw at home in the second leg, Central African Republic eliminated the Egyptians, but in the second round they were defeated by Burkina Faso.

Missed opportunities (2020–present)

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On 30 March 2021, in the last group stage match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Central African Republic lost 1–0 at home against Mauritania to finish bottom of their group; hence, they missed the opportunity, had they won, to finish second which would have qualified them for the final tournament for the first time in their history.[6]

On 17 June 2023, Central African Republic needed a win at home against Angola on matchday 5 of the qualifications to secure their first ever participation in the Africa Cup of Nations;[7] however, the match ended in a 2–1 defeat and a drop to third place.[8] In the final group stage match, the national team lost 2–1 to Ghana, despite a 1–0 lead, which ended their last hope of qualification.[9]

FIFA Series tournament

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In 2024, Central African Republic played their first ever tournament outside Africa where FIFA invited them to the 2024 FIFA Series matches on from 22 to 25 March 2024 held in Colombo in Sri Lanka where they would face Bhutan and Papua New Guinea.

Results and fixtures

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Main article: Central African Republic national football team results

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

2023

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7 September 2023 (2023-09-07) 2023 AFCON qualification Ghana  2–1  Central African Republic Kumasi, Ghana
16:00 UTC±0
Report
Stadium: Baba Yara Stadium
Referee: Peter Waweru (Kenya)
17 November 2026 World Cup Qualification Comoros  4–2  Central African Republic Moroni, Comoros
16:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Stade de Moroni
Referee: Ibrahim Kalilou Traore (Ivory Coast)
20 November 2026 World Cup Qualification Mali  1–1  Central African Republic Bamako, Mali
19:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Stade du 26 Mars
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Georges Gatogato (Burundi)

2024

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22 March 2024 FIFA World Series Central African Republic  6–0  Bhutan Colombo, Sri Lanka
15:00 UTC+5:30
Report Stadium: Colombo Racecourse
Referee: Mohamed Jafran (Sri Lanka)
25 March 2024 FIFA World Series Central African Republic  4–0  Papua New Guinea Colombo, Sri Lanka
09:30 UTC+05:30
Report Stadium: Colombo Racecourse
Attendance: 550[10]
Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)
5 June 2026 World Cup Qualification Central African Republic  1–0  Chad Oujda, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Stade Municipal d'Oujda
Attendance: 1,300
Referee: Patrice Milazare (Mauritius)
10 June 2026 World Cup Qualification Ghana  4–3  Central African Republic Kumasi, Ghana
19:00 UTC±0
Report
Stadium: Baba Yara Stadium
Attendance: 39,000
Referee: Abdulrazg Ahmed (Libya)
2 September 2025 AFCON Qual. Central African Republic  v  Lesotho TBD
--:-- 

2025

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March 2026 World Cup Qualification Central African Republic  v  Madagascar TBD, Central African Republic
March 2026 World Cup Qualification Mali  v  Central African Republic TBD, Mali
September 2026 World Cup Qualification Madagascar  v  Central African Republic TBD, Madagascar
September 2026 World Cup Qualification Central African Republic  v  Comoros TBD, Central African Republic
October 2026 World Cup Qualification Central African Republic  v  Ghana TBD, Central African Republic
March 2026 World Cup Qualification Chad  v  Central African Republic TBD, Chad

Coaching history

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Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

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Current squad

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The following players were selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Chad and Ghana on 5 and 10 June 2024 respectively.[11]

Caps and goals as of 10 June 2024, after the match against Ghana.[12]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Geoffrey Lembet (1988-09-03) 3 September 1988 (age 35) 38 0 France Rennes
16 1GK Dominique Youfeigane (2000-02-07) 7 February 2000 (age 24) 8 0 France Lorient
22 1GK Jospin Christopher Bimako (1994-08-05) 5 August 1994 (age 29) 0 0 Central African Republic Olympic Real de Bangui
2 2DF Stéphane Kaïmba (2004-11-17) 17 November 2004 (age 19) 1 0 Cameroon Bamboutos
3 2DF Flory Yangao (2002-01-13) 13 January 2002 (age 22) 24 0 Central African Republic Olympic Real de Bangui
4 2DF Freeman Niamathé (1999-03-12) 12 March 1999 (age 25) 15 0 Republic of the Congo Diables Noirs
5 2DF Sadock Ndobé (1998-09-09) 9 September 1998 (age 25) 24 0 Republic of the Congo AS Otôho
14 2DF Severin Tatolna (2002-02-10) 10 February 2002 (age 22) 6 0 Sweden Umeå
21 2DF Peter Guinari (2001-06-02) 2 June 2001 (age 23) 17 0 Netherlands Telstar
6 3MF Amos Youga (1992-12-08) 8 December 1992 (age 31) 24 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia
7 3MF Trésor Toropite (1994-07-31) 31 July 1994 (age 30) 25 4 Republic of the Congo AS Otohô
11 3MF Vénuste Baboula (1998-08-23) 23 August 1998 (age 25) 11 3 France Versailles
13 3MF Brad Pirioua (2000-03-06) 6 March 2000 (age 24) 13 0 France Istres
18 3MF Christian-Theodor Yawanendji-Malipangou (2002-05-16) 16 May 2002 (age 22) 10 2 United Arab Emirates Al Dhafra
12 3MF Isaac Solet (2001-06-16) 16 June 2001 (age 23) 6 0 Bulgaria Slavia Sofia
15 3MF Yassan Ouatching (1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 (age 25) 3 0 Ghana Hearts of Oak
19 3MF Geoffrey Kondogbia (captain) (1993-02-15) 15 February 1993 (age 31) 17 3 France Marseille
23 3MF Esperance Mabekondiasson (2003-03-22) 22 March 2003 (age 21) 0 0 France Blois
8 4FW Hamissou Dangabo (2003-01-15) 15 January 2003 (age 21) 3 1 France Nantes
9 4FW Louis Mafouta (1994-07-02) 2 July 1994 (age 30) 25 14 France Amiens
10 4FW Karl Namnganda (1996-02-08) 8 February 1996 (age 28) 18 4 Iraq Karbala
17 4FW Tieri-Teddy Godame (2002-07-09) 9 July 2002 (age 22) 3 3 France Challans
20 4FW Wesley Ngakoutou-Yapende (2001-08-18) 18 August 2001 (age 22) 2 0 France Nîmes
4FW Eleoenai Tompte (1999-01-18) 18 January 1999 (age 25) 5 0 Austria Siegendorf
4FW Juste Koulou (2000-11-28) 28 November 2000 (age 23) 2 0 Central African Republic TP USCA

Recent call-ups

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The following players have also been called up to the Central African Republic squad within the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Marcellin Biandao (1992-10-29) 29 October 1992 (age 31) 0 0 Cameroon Fauve Azur Elite v.  Papua New Guinea, 25 March 2024
GK Saturnin Ngarsouna (1998-12-10) 10 December 1998 (age 25) 0 0 Central African Republic Red Star Bangui v.  Ghana, 7 September 2023
DF Raphael Marc Yapende (2002-08-20) 20 August 2002 (age 21) 5 0 Central African Republic Olympic Real de Bangui v.  Mali, 20 November 2023
DF Sacha M'Baka (2004-06-04) 4 June 2004 (age 20) 0 0 France Brest B v.  Comoros, 17 November 2023
DF Sidney Dambakizi (1996-03-07) 7 March 1996 (age 28) 5 0 Central African Republic Anges de Fatima v.  Ghana, 7 September 2023
MF Axel Urie (1999-04-14) 14 April 1999 (age 25) 6 0 France Concarneau v.  Papua New Guinea, 25 March 2024
MF Goduine Koyalipou (2000-02-15) 15 February 2000 (age 24) 3 0 Belgium Beveren v.  Mali, 20 November 2023
MF Gabriel Oualengbe (2004-05-21) 21 May 2004 (age 20) 0 0 France Paris FC v.  Ghana, 7 September 2023
MF Steve Bekain (1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 (age 24) 0 0 Central African Republic Olympic Real de Bangui v.  Ghana, 7 September 2023
FW Marco Majouga (2001-05-09) 9 May 2001 (age 23) 3 0 Bulgaria Botev Vratsa v.  Papua New Guinea, 25 March 2024
FW César Lobi Manzoki (1996-10-12) 12 October 1996 (age 27) 5 0 China Dalian Pro v.  Mali, 20 November 2023

INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Records

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As of 20 November 2023[13]
Players in bold are still active with Central African Republic.

Most appearances

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Foxi Kéthévoama is Central African Republic's most capped player with 48 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Foxi Kéthévoama 48 8 2002–2021
2 Franklin Anzité 37 0 2010–2019
Geoffrey Lembet 37 0 2010–present
4 Hilaire Momi 33 10 2007–2018
Saint-Cyr Ngam Ngam 33 0 2015–present
6 Nicaise Zimbori-Auzingoni 32 2 2011–2018
7 Salif Kéïta 31 3 2007–2021
8 Eloge Enza Yamissi 30 1 2010–2020
Vianney Mabidé 30 5 2010–2020
10 Junior Gourrier 24 4 2007–2021

Top goalscorers

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Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Louis Mafouta 11 23 0.48 2017–present
2 Hilaire Momi 10 33 0.3 2007–2018
3 Foxi Kéthévoama 8 48 0.17 2002–2021
4 Vianney Mabidé 5 30 0.17 2010–2020
5 Tresór Toropité 4 23 0.17 2014–present
Junior Gourrier 4 24 0.17 2007–2021
7 Moussa Limane 3 10 0.3 2013–2017
Isaac Ngoma 3 10 0.3 2021–present
Geoffrey Kondogbia 3 13 0.23 2018–present
Salif Kéïta 3 31 0.1 2007–2021

Competitive record

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FIFA World Cup

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FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1962 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1966 to 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Argentina 1978 Withdrew Withdrew
Spain 1982 Disqualified during qualifying Disqualified during qualifying
1986 to 1998 Did not enter Did not enter
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 4
Germany 2006 Withdrew Withdrew
South Africa 2010
Brazil 2014 Did not qualify 6 1 0 5 5 12
Russia 2018 2 0 1 1 2 5
Qatar 2022 6 1 1 4 4 9
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 4 1 1 2 7 9
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total – 0/15 – – – – – – 20 3 3 16 19 39

Africa Cup of Nations

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Africa Cup of Nations record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Sudan 1957 Part of France Part of France
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962 Not affiliated to CAF Not affiliated to CAF
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965
Ethiopia 1968
Sudan 1970 Did not enter Did not enter
Cameroon 1972
Egypt 1974 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 5 6
Ethiopia 1976 Withdrew Withdrew
Ghana 1978 Did not enter Did not enter
Nigeria 1980
Libya 1982
Ivory Coast 1984
Egypt 1986
Morocco 1988 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 2 7
Algeria 1990 Did not enter Did not enter
Senegal 1992
Tunisia 1994
South Africa 1996 Withdrew Withdrew
Burkina Faso 1998 Disqualified Disqualified
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Did not enter Did not enter
Mali 2002 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 3
Tunisia 2004 6 0 2 4 3 9
Egypt 2006 Withdrew Withdrew
Ghana 2008 Did not enter Did not enter
Angola 2010 Withdrew Withdrew
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 Did not qualify 6 2 2 2 5 5
South Africa 2013 4 2 1 1 6 6
Equatorial Guinea 2015 2 0 1 1 1 3
Gabon 2017 6 3 1 2 9 11
Egypt 2019 6 1 3 2 4 8
Cameroon 2021 6 1 1 4 5 11
Ivory Coast 2023 6 2 1 3 9 7
Morocco 2025 To be determined To be determined
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027
Total – 0/34 – – – – – – 48 12 13 23 50 76

Head-to-head record

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As of 10 June 2024 after match against  Ghana[14]

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponent
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Algeria 3 1 0 2 2 5 −3
 Angola 4 1 0 3 5 8 −3
 Bhutan 1 1 0 0 6 0 +6
 Botswana 2 1 0 1 4 3 +1
 Burkina Faso 5 1 1 3 4 9 −5
 Burundi 2 1 1 0 4 2 +2
 Cameroon 9 2 1 6 14 26 −12
 Cape Verde 2 0 1 1 2 3 −1
 Chad 9 5 1 3 13 10 +3
 Comoros 1 0 0 1 2 4 −2
 Congo 14 1 1 12 12 33 −21
 DR Congo 9 1 1 7 8 30 −22
 Equatorial Guinea 4 0 2 2 6 11 −5
 Egypt 2 1 1 0 4 3 +1
 Ethiopia 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3
 Gabon 13 3 4 6 13 20 −7
 Gambia 2 0 1 1 2 3 −1
 Ghana 3 0 1 2 5 7 –2
 Guinea 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2
 Guinea-Bissau 2 0 1 1 1 3 −2
 Ivory Coast 5 1 1 3 5 19 −14
 Kenya 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1
 Liberia 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3
 Libya 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Madagascar 7 4 2 1 14 8 +6
 Mali 3 0 1 2 5 8 −3
 Malta 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1
 Mauritania 2 0 0 2 0 3 −3
 Morocco 5 0 2 3 1 10 −9
 Mozambique 2 0 1 1 1 2 −2
 Niger 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2
 Nigeria 2 1 0 1 1 2 −1
 Rwanda 4 1 1 2 4 10 −6
 Papua New Guinea 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4
 São Tomé and Príncipe 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4
 Senegal 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3
 South Africa 2 0 0 2 0 5 −5
 Sudan 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Tanzania 3 1 0 2 4 6 −2
 Togo 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1
 Tunisia 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3
 Zimbabwe 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3
Total 140 32 29 81 162 274 −112

FIFA ranking history

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End of each year only

Achievements

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Notes

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 18 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  2. ^ Barrie Courtney. "Central African Republic – List of International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  3. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Éliminatoires CAN 2019: La liste des 23 fauves pour affronter la Guinée". Centrafrique Football (in French). Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  5. ^ "CAR national football team 2018". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Central African Republic 0–1 Mauritania". CAF. 30 March 2021.
  7. ^ "AFCON 2023 (Q): Central African Republic one step away from glory". Sport News Africa. 17 June 2023. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Goals and Highlights: Central African Republic 1-2 Angola in Africa Cup Of Nations Qualifiers". vavel.com. 17 June 2023. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Kudus, Nuamah goals secure Afcon 2023 place for Ghana". BBC Sport. 7 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Match Report of Central African Republic vs Papua New Guinea 2024-03-25 FIFA Series". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  11. ^ "OM : Kondogbia de retour avec la Centrafrique" (in French). afrik-foot.com. 22 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Ghana vs.Central African Republic". 10 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Central African Republic". National Football Teams.
  14. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Central African Republic". Elo Ratings. Archived from the original on 18 July 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
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