Benin national football team

Benin
Nickname(s)	Les Écureuils ; (The Squirrels)
Association	Benin Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach	Michel Dussuyer
Captain	Khaled Adénon
Most caps	Stéphane Sessègnon (83)
Top scorer	Stéphane Sessègnon (24)
Home stadium	Stade de l'Amitié
FIFA code	BEN
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	82 4 (16 September 2021)
Highest	59 (November–December 2009, April 2010)
Lowest	165 (July 1996)
First international
	Dahomey 0–1 Nigeria ; (Dahomey; 8 November 1959)
Biggest win
	Dahomey 7–0 Mauritania ; (Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 27 December 1961)
Biggest defeat
	Nigeria 10–1 Dahomey ; (Nigeria; 28 November 1959)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	4 (first in 2004)
Best result	Quarter-finals (2019)

The Benin national football team, (French: Équipe nationale de Football du Benin) nicknamed Les Écureuils (The Squirrels), represents Benin in men's international association football and is controlled by the Benin Football Federation. They were known as the Dahomey national football team until 1975, when Republic of Dahomey became Benin. They have never qualified for the World Cup, but have reached four African Nations Cup in recent years, never placing in the top 2 in the group stage – 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2019. In 2019, they reached the knockouts as the third most successful third place team, before making the quarter-finals with a shock win over Morocco, but later lost to Senegal. On 8 February 2010 after the preliminary competition from the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, the Benin Football Federation dissolved the national team, coach Henri Dussuyer and his complete staff were fired.^[3] On May 9, 2016, Benin was suspended from FIFA, The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Competitive records[]

World Cup record[]

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 1970	Did not enter								Did not enter
1974	Did not qualify								3	0	0	3	1	10
1978 to 1982	Did not enter								Did not enter
1986	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	0	6
1990	Did not enter								Did not enter
1994	Did not qualify								6	1	0	5	3	19
1998	Did not enter								Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify								2	0	1	1	1	2
2006									12	2	3	7	13	26
2010									6	3	1	2	6	6
2014									6	2	2	2	8	9
2018									2	1	0	1	2	3
2022	To be determined								Qualification yet to start
2026	To be determined								Qualification yet to start
Total	−	0/23	−	−	−	−	−	−	39	9	7	23	34	81

Africa Cup of Nations[]

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of France
1959	Part of France
1962	Not affiliated to CAF
1963	Not affiliated to CAF
1965	Did not enter
1968
1970
1972	Did not qualify
1974	Withdrew
1976	Withdrew
1978	Did not enter
1980	Did not qualify
1982	Did not enter
1984	Did not qualify
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996	Withdrew
1998	Did not qualify
2000
2002
2004	Group stage	16th	3	0	0	3	1	8
2006	Did not qualify
2008	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	1	7
2010	Group stage	14th	3	0	1	2	2	5
2012	Did not qualify
2013
2015
2017
2019	Quarter-finals	8th	5	0	4	1	3	4
2021	Did not qualify
2023	To be determined
2025	To be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	4/33	14	0	5	9	7	24

West African Nations Cup[]

West African Nations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1982	Group stage	6th	3	0	2	1	4	8
1983	Did not enter
1984	Group stage	5th	4	0	0	4	3	9
1986	Did not enter
1987	Group stage	7th	3	0	2	1	3	7
Total	Group stage	3/5	10	0	4	6	10	24

WAFU Nations Cup[]

WAFU Nations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2010	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	0	5
2011	Did not enter
2013	Fourth place	4th	4	0	2	2	5	6
2017	Fourth place	4th	5	2	0	3	4	8
Total	Fourth place	3/4	12	2	3	7	9	19

Results and fixtures[]

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

2020[]

11 October Friendly	Gabon	0–2	Benin	showLisbon, Portugal
16:00			Soukou 30' Mounié 75'	Stadium: Estádio Pina Manique

14 November 2021 AFCON qualification	Benin	1–0	Lesotho	showPorto-Novo, Benin
16:00	Dossou 24'	Report		Stadium: Stade Charles de Gaulle Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)

17 November 2021 AFCON qualification	Lesotho	0–0	Benin	showMaseru, Lesotho
18:00 UTC+2		Report		Stadium: Setsoto Stadium Referee: Chelangat Ali Sabilla (Uganda)

2021[]

27 March 2021 AFCON qualification	Benin	0–1	Nigeria	showPorto-Novo, Benin
17:00 UTC+1		Report	Onuachu 90'	Stadium: Stade Charles de Gaulle Referee: Redouane Jiyed (Morocco)

15 June 2021 AFCON qualification	Sierra Leone	1–0	Benin	showConakry, Guinea
16:00 UTC±0	K. Kamara 19' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Stade du 28 Septembre Referee: Haythem Guirat (Tunisia)

31 August 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Madagascar

v

Benin

4 September 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Benin

v

DR Congo

5 October 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Tanzania

v

Benin

9 October 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Benin

v

Tanzania

10 November 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Benin

v

Madagascar

13 November 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

DR Congo

v

Benin

Players[]

Current squad[]

The following players were called up for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match.
Match dates: 15 June 2021
Opposition: Sierra Leone
Caps and goals correct as of: 8 June 2021, after the match against Zambia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Fabien Farnolle	(1985-02-05) 5 February 1985 (age 36)	31	0	BB Erzurumspor
16	1GK	Saturnin Allagbé	(1993-11-22) 22 November 1993 (age 27)	24	0	Valenciennes

2	2DF			0	0
3	2DF	Khaled Adénon	(1985-07-28) 28 July 1985 (age 36)	69	2	Avranches
5	2DF	Yohan Roche	(1997-07-07) 7 July 1997 (age 24)	5	1	Rodez
6	2DF	Olivier Verdon	(1995-10-05) 5 October 1995 (age 25)	22	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
12	2DF	Djalilou Ouorou	(1997-07-18) 18 July 1997 (age 24)	3	0	Les Buffles
13	2DF	Moïse Adiléhou	(1995-11-01) 1 November 1995 (age 25)	10	1	NAC Breda
15	2DF			0	0
25	2DF	Youssouf Assogba	(2001-08-21) 21 August 2001 (age 20)	10	0	Amiens

4	3MF	Djiman Koukou	(1990-11-14) 14 November 1990 (age 30)	42	1	Red Star
8	3MF	Jordan Adéoti	(1989-03-12) 12 March 1989 (age 32)	37	0	Annecy
18	3MF	Jérôme Bonou	(1994-01-27) 27 January 1994 (age 27)	6	0	Djoliba
20	3MF	Jodel Dossou	(1992-03-17) 17 March 1992 (age 29)	40	5	Clermont
21	3MF	Rodrigue Kossi	(2000-07-11) 11 July 2000 (age 21)	2	0	Club Africain

9	4FW	Steve Mounié	(1994-09-29) 29 September 1994 (age 26)	30	8	Brest
10	4FW	Mickaël Poté	(1984-09-24) 24 September 1984 (age 36)	62	10	Bandırmaspor
11	4FW	Tidjani Anaane	(1997-03-27) 27 March 1997 (age 24)	5	0	Menemenspor
14	4FW	Cebio Soukou	(1992-10-02) 2 October 1992 (age 28)	14	2	Arminia Bielefeld
19	4FW	Désiré Segbé Azankpo	(1993-05-06) 6 May 1993 (age 28)	8	0	Villefranche
22	4FW	Charbel Gomez	(2001-01-27) 27 January 2001 (age 20)	11	0	Amiens
24	4FW	Marcellin Koukpo	(1995-04-06) 6 April 1995 (age 26)	14	2	Belouizdad

Recent call-ups[]

The following players have been called up for Benin in the last 12 months.^[4]

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK		(1997-12-01) 1 December 1997 (age 23)	2	0	Les Buffles	v. Zambia, 8 June 2021
GK		(1998-06-25) 25 June 1998 (age 23)	0	0	JDR Stars	v. Sierra Leone, 30 March 2021

DF	Séidou Barazé	(1990-10-20) 20 October 1990 (age 30)	24	0	Schiltigheim	v. Sierra Leone, 30 March 2021
DF	Cédric Hountondji	(1994-01-19) 19 January 1994 (age 27)	13	0	Clermont	v. Sierra Leone, 30 March 2021
DF	Emmanuel Imorou	(1988-09-16) 16 September 1988 (age 33)	22	0	Évian	v. Sierra Leone, 30 March 2021
DF	David Kiki	(1993-11-25) 25 November 1993 (age 27)	27	0	Montana	v. Sierra Leone, 30 March 2021

MF	Mattéo Ahlinvi	(1999-07-02) 2 July 1999 (age 22)	2	0	Nîmes	v. Sierra Leone, 30 March 2021
MF	Sessi D'Almeida	(1995-11-20) 20 November 1995 (age 25)	18	1	Valenciennes	v. Sierra Leone, 30 March 2021
MF	Stéphane Sessègnon	(1984-06-01) 1 June 1984 (age 37)	83	24	Free agent	v. Sierra Leone, 30 March 2021

FW	Jacques Bessan	(1993-09-15) 15 September 1993 (age 28)	9	1	Olympique Béja	v. Sierra Leone, 30 March 2021

Player records[]

As of 15 June 2021^[5]

Players in bold text are still active with Benin.

Most appearances
Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Stéphane Sessègnon	83	24	2004–present
2	Khaled Adénon	70	2	2006–present
3	Mickaël Poté	62	10	2008–present
4	Damien Chrysostome	58	0	2002–2011
5	Jocelyn Ahouéya	55	3	2003–2013
5	Razak Omotoyossi	55	21	2004–2016
7	Romuald Boco	52	1	2004–2013
8	Séïdath Tchomogo	51	4	2003–2014
9	Anicet Adjamossi	44	1	2002–2013
10	Mouritala Ogunbiyi	42	6	2007–2014

Top goalscorers
Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Stéphane Sessègnon	24	83	0.29	2004–present
2	Razak Omotoyossi	21	55	0.38	2004–2016
3	Oumar Tchomogo	15	34	0.44	1995–2008
4	Mickaël Poté	10	62	0.16	2008–present
5	Steve Mounié	8	29	0.28	2015–present
6	Moussa Latoundji	6	21	0.29	1993–2004
6	Mouritala Ogunbiyi	6	42	0.14	2001–2010
8	Jodel Dossou	5	39	0.13	2013–present
9		4	20	0.2	1995–2007
	David Djigla	4	28	0.14	2012–present
	Abou Maïga	4	33	0.12	2004–2013
	Séïdath Tchomogo	4	51	0.08	2003–2014

List of Benin managers[]

Serge Devèze
Peter Schnittger (1992)
(1993)
Cecil Jones Attuquayefio (2003–2004)
Hervé Revelli (2004)
Edmé Codjo (2005–2007)
Didier Notheaux (2007)
Reinhard Fabisch (2007–2008)
Michel Dussuyer (2008–2010)
Jean-Marc Nobilo (2010)
Denis Goavec (2010–2011)
Edmé Codjo (2011–2012)
Manuel Amoros (2012–2014)
Didier Ollé-Nicolle (2014)
Oumar Tchomogo (2015–2017)
Michel Dussuyer (2018–)

References[]

^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
^ Benin löst Nationalelf auf
^ "Bénin – Zambie : Trois joueurs appelés en remplacement des blessés avec Désiré Sègbè Azankpo!" (in French). Retrieved 6 October 2019.
^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Benin – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 November 2017.

External links[]

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.

[World_Football_Elo_Ratings-2] Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.

[3] Benin löst Nationalelf auf

[4] "Bénin – Zambie : Trois joueurs appelés en remplacement des blessés avec Désiré Sègbè Azankpo!" (in French). Retrieved 6 October 2019.

[5] Mamrud, Roberto. "Benin – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 November 2017.

[1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

show v t National football teams of Africa (CAF)
North Africa (UNAF)	Algeria Egypt Libya Morocco Tunisia
West Africa (WAFU)	Benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Togo
East Africa (CECAFA)	Burundi Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Rwanda Somalia South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zanzibar¹
Central Africa (UNIFFAC)	Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Congo DR Congo Equatorial Guinea Gabon São Tomé and Príncipe
Southern Africa (COSAFA)	Angola Botswana Comoros Eswatini Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Zambia Zimbabwe
Non-regional Members	Réunion¹
¹ Associate member of CAF but not member of FIFA

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