The Comoros national football team represents the Comoros in international football and is controlled by the Comoros Football Federation.[4] It was formed in 1979, joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2003, and became a FIFA member in 2005. Comoros qualified for their first major tournament in 2021, after their 0–0 draw with Togo assured them of a place in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.[5]
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Nickname(s) | Les Coelacantes (The Coelacanths) | |||
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Association | FFC | |||
Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||
Sub-confederation | COSAFA (Southern Africa) | |||
Head coach | Younes Zerdouk[1] | |||
Captain | Nadjim Abdou | |||
Most caps | Youssouf M'Changama (54) | |||
Top scorer | Ben Nabouhane (17) | |||
Home stadium | Stade Said Mohamed Cheikh | |||
FIFA code | COM | |||
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FIFA ranking | ||||
Current | 129 ![]() | |||
Highest | 126 (June 2022) | |||
Lowest | 207 (December 2006) | |||
First international | ||||
![]() ![]() (Saint-Denis, Réunion; 26 August 1979) | ||||
Biggest win | ||||
![]() ![]() (Mitsamiouli, Comoros; 1 September 2021) | ||||
Biggest defeat | ||||
![]() ![]() (Saint-Denis, Réunion; 31 August 1979) ![]() ![]() (Victoria, Seychelles; 20 August 1993) ![]() ![]() (Curepipe, Mauritius; 4 September 2003) | ||||
Africa Cup of Nations | ||||
Appearances | 1 (first in 2021) | |||
Best result | Round of 16 (2021) | |||
COSAFA Cup | ||||
Appearances | 5 (first in 2008) | |||
Best result | Quarter-finals (2019) |
HistoryEdit
The national football team of the Comoros played their first matches in the 1979 Indian Ocean Island Games. Those were the only games they played until qualification for the 2009 Arab Nations Cup in 2006. Those two matches were their first two matches with full FIFA recognition, and included a 4–2 victory over Djibouti. In 2007, Comoros first entered qualification for the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations for the 2010 tournaments, but lost in the preliminary round 2–10 on aggregate to Madagascar.
During the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in October 2015, Les Coelacantes advanced past the first round for the first time ever by beating Lesotho on away goals after two draws. Since then results have improved steadily, including home wins against Botswana, Mauritius and Malawi in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
On 14 November 2019, Comoros opened their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign with a 0–1 win away to Togo, their first away win in a major qualifier. They would go on to qualify for the final tournament, their first major tournament since joining FIFA.[5]
In the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Ahmed Mogni scored a brace for Comoros in their 3–2 group match victory over Ghana in what the BBC described as "one of the biggest shocks in Nations Cup history".[6]
Recent results and fixturesEdit
2021Edit
13 November Friendly | Sierra Leone | 0–2 | Comoros | Sapanca, Turkey |
Report |
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Stadium: Sapanca Atatürk Stadyumu |
31 December Friendly | Comoros | 1–2 | Malawi | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
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Report | Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium |
2022Edit
3 January Friendly | Comoros | Cancelled | Ivory Coast | TBD, Saudi Arabia |
Report | Stadium: TBD |
10 January 2021 AFCON | Comoros | 0–1 | Gabon | Yaoundé, Cameroon |
20:00 | Report |
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Stadium: Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo Referee: Peter Waweru (Kenya) |
14 January 2021 AFCON | Morocco | 2–0 | Comoros | Yaoundé, Cameroon |
17:00 | Report | Stadium: Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo Referee: Sadok Selmi (Tunisia) |
18 January 2021 AFCON | Ghana | 2–3 | Comoros | Garoua, Cameroon |
20:00 | Report |
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Stadium: Roumdé Adjia Stadium Referee: Boubou Traore (Mali) |
24 January AFCON Round of 16 | Cameroon | 2–1 | Comoros | Yaoundé, Cameroon |
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Report |
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Stadium: Olembe Stadium Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia) |
25 March Friendly | Comoros | 2–1 | Ethiopia | Moroni, Comoros |
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Stadium: Stade omnisports de Malouzini |
3 June 2023 AFCON qualification | Comoros | 2–0 | Lesotho | Moroni, Comoros |
16:00 UTC+3 |
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Report | Stadium: Stade Omnisports de Malouzini Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona (Madagascar) |
7 June 2023 AFCON qualification | Zambia | 2–1 | Comoros | Lusaka, Zambia |
15:00 UTC+2 | Report |
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Stadium: National Heroes Stadium Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (Rwanda) |
5 July 2022 COSAFA Cup | Angola | 3–1 | Comoros | Durban, South Africa |
15:00 UTC+2 | Report |
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Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium |
7 July 2022 COSAFA Cup | Comoros | 0–1 | Botswana | Durban, South Africa |
15:00 UTC+2 | Report |
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Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium |
10 July 2022 COSAFA Cup | Seychelles | 1–2 | Comoros | KwaMashu, South Africa |
15:00 UTC+2 |
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Report |
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Stadium: Princess Magogo Stadium |
23 September Friendly | Tunisia | 1–0 | Comoros | Croissy-sur-Seine, France |
16:30 UTC+2 |
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Report | Stadium: Stade Omnisports du Chemin de Ronde Referee: Gabriel Henry (France) |
27 September Friendly | Burkina Faso | 2–1 | Comoros | Casablanca, Morocco |
--:-- | Report |
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Stadium: TBD |
2023Edit
March 2023 AFCON qualification | Ivory Coast | v | Comoros | Ivory Coast |
Report |
March 2023 AFCON qualification | Comoros | v | Ivory Coast | Comoros |
Report |
September 2023 AFCON qualification | Comoros | v | Zambia |
Coaching historyEdit
- Pierre Jacky (1985)
- Ali Mbaé Camara (2006–2007)
- Manuel Amoros (2010)
- Mohamed Chamité (2010–2011)
- Ali Mbaé Camara (2011–2013)
- Amir Abdou (2014–2022)
- Younes Zerdouk (2022–present)
PlayersEdit
Current squadEdit
The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Tunisia and Burkina Faso on 23 and 27 September 2022.[7]
Caps and goals are correct as of 22 September 2022, after the match against Tunisia.
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
23 | GK | Ali Ahamada | 19 August 1991 | 34 | 0 | Azam |
16 | GK | Moyadh Ousseni | 2 April 1993 | 1 | 0 | Fréjus St-Raphaël |
1 | GK | Yannick Pandor | 1 May 2001 | 1 | 0 | Lens B |
15 | DF | Benjaloud Youssouf | 11 February 1994 | 35 | 2 | Châteauroux |
3 | DF | Chaker Alhadhur | 4 December 1991 | 32 | 1 | Ajaccio |
5 | DF | Abdallah Ali Mohamed | 11 April 1999 | 16 | 1 | Lausanne Ouchy |
29 | DF | Abdel-Hakim Abdallah | 18 August 1997 | 3 | 0 | Rodez |
24 | DF | Karim Attoumani | 24 March 2001 | 1 | 0 | Dijon B |
27 | DF | Safwan Mbaé | 20 April 1997 | 1 | 0 | Sète |
4 | DF | Yakine Said M'Madi | 11 March 2004 | 1 | 0 | Marseille B |
13 | DF | Alexis Souahy | 13 January 1995 | 1 | 0 | New Mexico United |
26 | DF | Aaron Kamardin | 8 April 2002 | 0 | 0 | Marseille B |
10 | MF | Youssouf M'Changama | 29 August 1990 | 53 | 11 | Auxerre |
19 | MF | Mohamed Youssouf | 26 March 1988 | 38 | 3 | Ajaccio |
8 | MF | Fouad Bachirou | 15 April 1990 | 37 | 0 | Omonia |
22 | MF | Saïd Bakari | 22 September 1994 | 27 | 0 | RKC Waalwijk |
18 | MF | Yacine Bourhane | 30 September 1998 | 10 | 0 | Esbjerg |
12 | MF | Aymeric Ahmed | 8 November 2003 | 0 | 0 | Strasbourg |
21 | FW | Ben Nabouhane | 10 June 1989 | 36 | 17 | Red Star Belgrade |
17 | FW | Nasser Chamed | 4 October 1993 | 24 | 1 | Chindia Târgoviște |
7 | FW | Faïz Selemani | 14 November 1993 | 22 | 3 | Kortrijk |
20 | FW | Housseine Zakouani | 30 April 1998 | 2 | 0 | Jura Sud |
9 | FW | Adel Mahamoud | 4 February 2003 | 1 | 0 | Nantes B |
14 | FW | Zaïd Amir | 11 May 2002 | 0 | 0 | Le Mans |
Recent call-upsEdit
The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.
Player recordsEdit
- As of 27 September 2022[8]
- Players in bold are still active with the Comoros.
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Competitive recordEdit
FIFA World CupEdit
FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup qualification record | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
1930 to 1974 | Part of France | Part of France | ||||||||||||||
1978 to 2006 | Not affiliated with FIFA | Not affiliated with FIFA | ||||||||||||||
2010 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |||||||||
2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
2018 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||
2022 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||
2026 | To be determined | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Total | 0/22 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 21 |
Olympic GamesEdit
Olympic Games record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances: 0 | ||||||||
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
1900 to 1972 | Part of France (FRA) | |||||||
1976 to 1992 | Not affiliated with the IOC | |||||||
1996 to 2004 | Not affiliated with FIFA | |||||||
2008 | Did not enter | |||||||
2012 | ||||||||
2016 | ||||||||
2020 | ||||||||
2024 | To be determined | |||||||
Total | 0/27 |
- Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since the 1992 edition.
Africa Cup of NationsEdit
Africa Cup of Nations record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
1957 | Part of France | Part of France | ||||||||||||||
1959 | ||||||||||||||||
1962 | ||||||||||||||||
1963 | ||||||||||||||||
1965 | ||||||||||||||||
1968 | ||||||||||||||||
1970 | ||||||||||||||||
1974 | ||||||||||||||||
1976 | Not a member of CAF | Not a member of CAF | ||||||||||||||
1978 | ||||||||||||||||
1980 | ||||||||||||||||
1982 | ||||||||||||||||
1984 | ||||||||||||||||
1986 | ||||||||||||||||
1988 | ||||||||||||||||
1990 | ||||||||||||||||
1992 | ||||||||||||||||
1994 | ||||||||||||||||
1996 | ||||||||||||||||
1998 | ||||||||||||||||
2000 | ||||||||||||||||
2002 | ||||||||||||||||
2004 | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
2006 | ||||||||||||||||
2008 | ||||||||||||||||
2010 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |||||||||
2012 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 14 | ||||||||||
2013 | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
2015 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
2017 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 | ||||||||||
2019 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 10 | ||||||||||
2021 | Round of 16 | 16th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | Squad | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | |
2023 | To be determined | In progress | ||||||||||||||
2025 | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
Total | Round of 16 | 1/33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | — | 30 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 19 | 49 |
African GamesEdit
African Games record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances: 0 | ||||||||
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
1965 to 1973 | Part of France (FRA) | |||||||
1978 to 1991 | Not affiliated with the IOC | |||||||
1995 | Did not enter | |||||||
1999 | ||||||||
2003 | ||||||||
2007 | ||||||||
2011 | ||||||||
2015 | ||||||||
2019 | ||||||||
Total | 0/12 |
- Prior to the Cairo 1991 campaign, Football at the All-Africa Games was open to full senior national teams.
African Nations ChampionshipEdit
African Nations Championship record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances: 0 | ||||||||
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
2009 | Did not enter | |||||||
2011 | ||||||||
2014 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2016 | ||||||||
2018 | ||||||||
2020 | ||||||||
2022 | ||||||||
Total | 0/7 |
COSAFA CupEdit
COSAFA Cup record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances: 4 | ||||||||
Year | Round | Result | M | W | D | L | GF | GA |
1997 to 2007 | Not affiliated with COSAFA | |||||||
2008 | Group stage | 11th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
2009 | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
2010 | Cancelled | |||||||
2013 | Did not enter | |||||||
2015 | ||||||||
2016 | ||||||||
2017 | ||||||||
2018 | Group stage | 12th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
2019 | Quarter-finals | 8th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||
Total | Quarter-finals | 4/19 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 19 |
Indian Ocean Island GamesEdit
Indian Ocean Island Games record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances: 9 | ||||||||
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
1979 | Bronze Medal | 3rd | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
1985 | Bronze Medal | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
1990 | Fourth Place | 4th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
1993 | Group Stage | 5th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
1998 | 5th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
2003 | Fourth Place | 4th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
2007 | Group Stage | 6th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
2011 | 5th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
2015 | 7th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
Total | Bronze Medal | 9/9 | 26 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 13 | 63 |
Arab Nations CupEdit
Arab Nations Cup record | Arab Nations Cup Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances: 0 | ||||||||||||||||
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
1963 | Part of France | Part of France | ||||||||||||||
1964 | ||||||||||||||||
1966 | ||||||||||||||||
1985 | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
1988 | ||||||||||||||||
1992 | ||||||||||||||||
1998 | Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||
2002 | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
2009 | Did not qualify 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | |||||||||
2012 | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
2021 | Did not qualify | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
Total | 0/10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
^1 The 2009 edition was cancelled during qualification.
Pan Arab GamesEdit
Pan Arab Games record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances: 0 | ||||||||
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
1953 to 1965 | Part of France (FRA) | |||||||
1976 to 1992 | Not affiliated with the UANOC | |||||||
1997 | Did not enter | |||||||
1999 | ||||||||
2004 | No tournament | |||||||
2007 | Did not enter | |||||||
2011 | ||||||||
Total | 0/11 |
Head-to-head recordEdit
As of 24 January 2022
Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Botswana | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Burkina Faso | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 |
Burundi | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
Cameroon | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 |
Djibouti | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
Egypt | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
Eswatini | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | −3 |
Gabon | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 |
Ghana | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 |
Guinea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
Ivory Coast | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 |
Kenya | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
Lesotho | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 |
Libya | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 |
Madagascar | 9 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 25 | −22 |
Malawi | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | −2 |
Maldives | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 5 | +4 |
Mauritania | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
Mauritius | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 22 | −16 |
Mayotte | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
Morocco | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 |
Mozambique | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 12 | −11 |
Namibia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 |
Palestine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4 |
Réunion | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | −9 |
Seychelles | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 |
Sierra Leone | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
Togo | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 |
Uganda | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
Yemen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
Zambia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 |
Zimbabwe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
29 Countries | 89 | 16 | 22 | 51 | 62 | 156 | −93 |
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Houssamdine, Boina. "Younes Zerdouk, Younes Zerdouk nommé sélectionneur des Comores". Comoros Football.
- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ Vickers, Steve (24 October 2009). "BBC SPORT | Football | African | Comoros make steps forward". BBC News. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Comoros achieve fairytale Nations Cup qualification". BBC Sport. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ Stevens, Rob (18 January 2022). "Ghana dumped out of Afcon by Comoros". BBC Sport.
- ^ Houssamdine, Boina. "List of Comoros for Burkina Faso and Tunisia". Comoros Football.
- ^ Zimmerman, Benjamin. "Comoros". National Football Teams.
External linksEdit
- FFC official website
- Comoros at FIFA.com
- Bourtney, Barri. Comoros – List of International Matches± at RSSSF.com (Last updated: January 31, 2008)