The Liberia national football team, nicknamed the Lone Stars, represents Liberia in men's international football and is controlled by the Liberia Football Association. Although the nation produced the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year, George Weah, its football team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup and has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations just twice—in 1996 and 2002. It is a member of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
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Nickname(s) | Lone Star | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Liberia Football Association | ||
Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | ||
Head coach | Peter Butler | ||
Captain | Allen Njie | ||
Most caps | Joe Nagbe (77) | ||
Top scorer | George Weah (18) | ||
Home stadium | SKD Stadium | ||
FIFA code | LBR | ||
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FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 150 ![]() | ||
Highest | 66 (July 2001) | ||
Lowest | 164 (October–November 2010) | ||
First international | |||
![]() ![]() (Abidjan, Ivory Coast; unknown date 1954) | |||
Biggest win | |||
![]() ![]() (Monrovia, Liberia; 29 March 2016) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
![]() ![]() (Accra, Ghana; 6 April 1975) | |||
Africa Cup of Nations | |||
Appearances | 2 (first in 1996) | ||
Best result | Group stage, 1996 and 2002 |
HistoryEdit
African Cup of NationsEdit
In 1967 Liberia played in its first African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, drawing its first match 2–2 against Guinea. They also drew against Senegal however lost both returning fixtures and were eliminated in the first round. Liberia returned to qualifying in 1976 but lost in the preliminary round to Togo, falling to defeat in both fixtures. After another absence, Liberia again joined AFCON qualifying in 1982 in the preliminary rounds but failed to progress after two draws against Gambia, losing on the away goals rule.
Liberia withdrew from qualifying for the 1984 African Cup of Nations, but the following tournament they managed to secure their first win during qualifying, a 3–1 first leg victory over Mauritania. They failed to capitalize on this advantage, losing 3–0 in the second leg. Liberia then faced Sierra Leone and Mali during the 1988 qualification and 1990 qualification respectively, but again failed to progress. In 1992, Liberia withdrew from qualifying before playing a match and in 1994, Liberia was put into a group with two participants that withdrew during qualifying (Tanzania and Burkina Faso) however they failed to take advantage of this, and finished with zero points, having lost to Ghana twice.
In the 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification, Liberia managed to register three wins (against Togo, Tunisia and Mauritania) and four draws, which saw them finish the group in second place and qualify for their first African Cup of Nations tournament. Following the withdrawal of Nigeria, Liberia were placed in a group with Gabon and Zaire. Liberia opened the tournament with a 2–1 victory over Gabon with goals from Kelvin Sebwe and Mass Sarr Jr., but lost 2–0 to Zaire. This meant that Liberia finished bottom of the group on goal difference and failed to progress to the knock-out stages.
Liberia missed out on returning to the African Cup of Nations in 1998 as they finished one point off of qualification. In 2000, they defeated Niger in the preliminary rounds, but again failed to advance to the main tournament, this time finishing behind Algeria on goal-difference.
In 2002 African Cup of Nations qualification, Liberia beat Cape Verde in the preliminary rounds, then they finished top of their group to qualify for the main tournament for the second time in their history. In the 2002 African Cup of Nations, Liberia drew their first game 1–1 with Mali (goal scored by George Weah) and drew their second game 2–2 against Algeria (goals from Prince Daye and Kelvin Sebwe), but in their final group game, needing a win against Nigeria, they lost 1–0.
FIFA World CupEdit
Liberia first entered the qualifying process for the FIFA World Cup in 1966, however they withdrew in protest against the fact that too few places had been reserved for Africa and Asia, along with all fourteen other African nations that had initially entered qualifying.
Liberia next entered qualifying in 1982 against Guinea after receiving a bye in the first round. They lost 1–0 over the two legs and were eliminated. In 1986, Liberia was again eliminated without having scored a goal, falling 4–0 to Nigeria. In 1990, Liberia won its first FIFA qualifying match defeating Ghana to progress to the second round. Despite finishing second in their group, Liberia failed to advance to the final qualification round, ending two points behind group winners Egypt.
In 1998, Liberia beat Gambia in the first qualification round, but finished twelve points adrift of Tunisia in their group. In 2002, Liberia had their strongest qualifying campaign, however a loss against Ghana in their penultimate group game gave Nigeria the opportunity to overtake them and secure the only qualification spot.
Results and fixturesEdit
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 Fixtures
2022Edit
27 March Friendly | Liberia | 0–1 | Sierra Leone | Antalya, Turkey |
Report |
|
Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex |
9 June 2023 AFCON qualification | Zimbabwe | Cancelled | Liberia |
13 June 2023 AFCON qualification | Liberia | 0–2 | Morocco | Casablanca, Morocco |
20:00 | Report | Stadium: Stade Mohammed V Referee: Mohamed Moussa (Niger) |
2023Edit
March 2023 AFCON qualification | Liberia | Cancelled | Zimbabwe | |
Report |
March 2023 AFCON qualification | Morocco | v | Liberia | |
Report |
September 2023 AFCON qualification | South Africa | v | Liberia | South Africa |
--:-- UTC+2 | Report |
September 2023 AFCON qualification | Liberia | v | South Africa | Liberia |
--:-- UTC±0 | Report |
Coaching staffEdit
Position | Name |
---|---|
Head coach | Peter Butler |
Assistant coach | Christopher Wreh |
Goalkeeping coach | Nathaniel Sherman |
Fitness coach | George Gebro |
Coaching historyEdit
- Caretaker managers are listed in italics
- Josiah Johnson (1971–78)
- Bert Trautmann (1978–80)
- Paulo Campos (1986)
- Walter Pelham (1986–1998)
- Wilfred Lardner (1998–1999)
- Kadalah Kromah (1999–2000)
- Philippe Redon (2000–02)
- Dominic George Vava (2002)
- Kadalah Kromah (2002–04)
- Joseph Sayon (2004–06)
- Shawky El Din (2006)
- Frank Jericho Nagbe (2006–08)
- Antoine Hey (2008–09)
- Bertalan Bicskei (2010–11)
- Roberto Landi (2011–12)
- Thomas Kojo (2012)
- Kaetu Smith (2012)
- Frank Jericho Nagbe (2013)
- Thomas Kojo (2013)
- James Debbah (2013–17)
- Thomas Kojo (2018)
- Peter Butler (2019–present)
PlayersEdit
Current squadEdit
The following players were called up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Morocco.[3]Caps and goals correct as of 13 June 2022.
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Tommy Songo | 20 April 1995 | 17 | 0 | LISCR | |
GK | Junior Yeanaye | 19 December 2004 | 2 | 0 | Nimba Kwado | |
GK | Derrick Julu | 13 May 2002 | 1 | 0 | Watanga | |
DF | Oscar Dorley | 19 July 1998 | 27 | 1 | Slavia Prague | |
DF | Sampson Dweh | 10 October 2001 | 12 | 0 | LPRC Oilers | |
DF | Prince Balde | 23 March 1998 | 10 | 0 | Drita | |
DF | Ben Benaiah | 6 December 1992 | 5 | 0 | LPRC Oilers | |
DF | Mark Pabai | 30 September 2000 | 4 | 0 | Free agent | |
DF | Jamal Arago | 28 August 1993 | 3 | 0 | Ohod | |
DF | Eugene Dennis | 16 November 1996 | 1 | 0 | Ishøj | |
MF | Marcus Macauley | 27 October 1991 | 20 | 5 | Sahab | |
MF | Allen Njie | 26 July 1999 | 19 | 0 | Aarau | |
MF | Seth Hellberg | 19 August 1995 | 9 | 0 | Brage | |
MF | Brem Soumaoro | 8 August 1996 | 8 | 0 | PAEEK | |
MF | Justin Salmon | 25 January 1999 | 5 | 0 | Degerfors | |
MF | Frank Allison | 25 June 2004 | 2 | 0 | Freeport | |
MF | Julius Nyanamah | 21 December 2004 | 0 | 0 | Nimba Kwado | |
FW | Kpah Sherman | 3 February 1992 | 17 | 3 | Terengganu | |
FW | Moussa Sanoh | 20 July 1995 | 6 | 0 | Eindhoven | |
FW | Divine Teah | 19 April 2005 | 2 | 1 | Massa | |
FW | Joachim Adukor | 2 May 1993 | 1 | 0 | Aktobe | |
FW | Molley Karpeh | 24 December 1994 | 1 | 0 | Syracuse Pulse | |
FW | Patrick Dweh | 28 December 2002 | 0 | 0 | Freeport |
Recent call-upsEdit
The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Allenton Sembeh | 17 October 1994 | 1 | 0 | Bea Mountain | v. Burundi, 29 March 2022 |
DF | Joel Johnson | 20 September 1992 | 8 | 0 | Hartford Athletic | v. Burundi, 29 March 2022 |
DF | Emmanuel Reyah | 2 June 2001 | 1 | 0 | Muscat | v. Burundi, 29 March 2022 |
MF | Mohammed Sangare | 28 December 1998 | 7 | 1 | Accrington Stanley | v. Burundi, 29 March 2022 |
FW | Peter Wilson | 9 October 1996 | 9 | 2 | Jerv | v. Burundi, 29 March 2022 |
FW | Ayouba Kosiah | 22 July 2001 | 5 | 0 | NAC Breda | v. Burundi, 29 March 2022 |
FW | Cherif Diallo | 10 January 1997 | 2 | 0 | Derthona | v. Burundi, 29 March 2022 |
FW | Prince Zawoh | 17 April 2000 | 0 | 0 | Nimba United | v. Burundi, 29 March 2022 |
RecordsEdit
- As of 13 June 2022[4]
- Players in bold are still active with Liberia.
Most appearancesEdit
|
Top goalscorersEdit
|
Competitive recordEdit
FIFA World CupEdit
FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
1930 | Did not enter | Declined participation | ||||||||||||||
1934 | ||||||||||||||||
1938 | ||||||||||||||||
1950 | ||||||||||||||||
1954 | ||||||||||||||||
1958 | ||||||||||||||||
1962 | ||||||||||||||||
1966 | ||||||||||||||||
1970 | ||||||||||||||||
1974 | ||||||||||||||||
1978 | ||||||||||||||||
1982 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||
1986 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||
1990 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | ||||||||||
1994 | Withdrew during qualifying | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||
1998 | Did not qualify | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 12 | |||||||||
2002 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 2 | ||||||||||
2006 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 29 | ||||||||||
2010 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | ||||||||||
2014 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | ||||||||||
2018 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||||
2022 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||||||||
2026 | To be determined | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
Total | — | 0/22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 68 | 18 | 13 | 37 | 48 | 92 |
Africa Cup of Nations recordEdit
Africa Cup of Nations | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances: 2 | ||||||||
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
1957 | Not affiliated to CAF | |||||||
1959 | ||||||||
1962 | ||||||||
1963 | Did not enter | |||||||
1965 | ||||||||
1968 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1970 | Did not enter | |||||||
1972 | ||||||||
1974 | ||||||||
1976 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1978 | Did not enter | |||||||
1980 | ||||||||
1982 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1984 | Withdrew | |||||||
1986 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1988 | ||||||||
1990 | ||||||||
1992 | Withdrew | |||||||
1994 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1996 | Group stage | 13th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
1998 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2000 | ||||||||
2002 | Group stage | 9th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
2004 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2006 | ||||||||
2008 | ||||||||
2010 | ||||||||
2012 | ||||||||
2013 | ||||||||
2015 | ||||||||
2017 | ||||||||
2019 | ||||||||
2021 | ||||||||
2023 | To be determined | |||||||
2025 | ||||||||
Total | Group stage | 2/33 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
AchievementsEdit
- 1 Time Runners-up
- 1 Time Runners-up
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Liberia v Morocco: Butler Hosts First Training". Liberia Football Association. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Liberia - Record International Players". RSSSF.