Central African Republic national football team

Central African Republic

Nickname(s)	Les Fauves (The Wild Beasts)
Association	Fédération Centrafricaine de Football (FCF)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	UNIFFAC (Central Africa)
Head coach	Eloge Enza Yamissi
Captain	Geoffrey Kondogbia
Most caps	Norman Bokanda (56)
Top scorer	Louis Mafouta (16)
Home stadium	Barthélemy Boganda Stadium
FIFA code	CTA
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	138 1 (19 January 2026)[1]
Highest	49 (October 2012)
Lowest	202 (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)
African Nations Championship
Appearances	1 (first in 2024)
Best result	Group stage (2024)

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 have had some 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]

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.

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.

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.

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]

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.

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

Central African Republic  v  Gabon

18 November 2025 AFCON Qual.	Central African Republic	0–1	Gabon	Johannesburg, South Africa
19:00 UTC+1		Report	Kanga 74' (pen.)	Stadium: Orlando Stadium Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)

Central African Republic  v  Madagascar

19 March 2025 (2025-03-19) 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Central African Republic	1–4	Madagascar	Casablanca, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1	Gambor 9'	Report	Raveloson 17', 21' Randrianantenaina 49' Rafanomezantsoa 89'	Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Adalbert Diouf (Senegal)

Central African Republic  v  Mali

24 March 2025 (2025-03-24) 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Central African Republic	0–0	Mali	Casablanca, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1		Report		Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)

Mauritania  v  Central African Republic

6 June 2025 (2025-06-06) International friendly	Mauritania	1–2	Central African Republic	Casablanca, Morocco
21:00 UTC+1	Tanjy 22' (pen.)	Report	Oualengbe 39' Guinari 88'	Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium

Tunisia  v  Central African Republic

9 June 2025 (2025-06-09) International friendly	Tunisia	Canceled	Central African Republic	Casablanca, Morocco
		Report		Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium

Madagascar  v  Central African Republic

4 September 2026 World Cup Qualification	Madagascar	2–0	Central African Republic	Rabat, Morocco
	Caddy 45+2' Randrianantenaina 59'	Report		Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Attendance: 450 Referee: Ahmed Arajiga (Tanzania)

Central African Republic  v  Comoros

7 September 2026 World Cup Qualification	Central African Republic	0–2	Comoros	Meknes, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1		Report	M'Changama 20' Maolida 39'	Stadium: Honor Stadium Attendance: 300

Central African Republic  v  Ghana

8 October 2026 World Cup Qualification	Central African Republic	0–5	Ghana	El Jadida, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1		Report	Salisu 20' Partey 52' Djiku 69' J. Ayew 71' Sulemana 87'	Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Patrice Milazare (Mauritius)

Chad  v  Central African Republic

12 October 2026 World Cup Qualification	Chad	2–3	Central African Republic	N'Djamena, Chad
17:00 UTC+1	Ecua 53' Mouandilmadji 87'	Report	Mokonou 3' Baboula 31' Namnganda 90+3'	Stadium: Stade Deby Itno Referee: Celso Alvação (Mozambique)

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

The following players were selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Ghana and Chad on 8 and 12 October 2025 respectively.^[10]

Caps and goals as of 12 October 2025, after the match against Chad.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Dominique Youfeigane	(2000-02-07) 7 February 2000	16	0	Manchester 62
	1GK	Maurel Abimala	(2004-01-07) 7 January 2004	2	0	Olympic Real de Bangui
	1GK	Eugene Thibault Ganazoui		0	0	Douanes
	2DF	Flory Yangao	(2002-01-13) 13 January 2002	33	0	Olympic Bangui
	2DF	Cherubin Merius Basse-Zokana	(2004-04-18) 18 April 2004	7	0	Red Star Bangui
	2DF	Hugo Gambor	(2002-12-30) 30 December 2002	7	1	Troyes
	2DF	Kenny Kima Beyissa	(2001-01-28) 28 January 2001	6	0	Virton
	2DF	Fordeau Miambaye	(1992-11-09) 9 November 1992	3	0	Tempete
	2DF	Boko Cyrille Kokpakpa	(1998-01-10) 10 January 1998	1	0	Olympic Bangui
	3MF	Brad Pirioua	(2000-03-06) 6 March 2000	18	0	Portogruaro Calcio
	3MF	Noah Ato-Zandanga	(2003-07-05) 5 July 2003	9	0	Saint-Maur
	3MF	Axel Urie	(1999-04-14) 14 April 1999	9	0	Al Kharaitiyat
	3MF	Donald Guesset	(1996-01-11) 11 January 1996	6	0	Douanes
	3MF	Gabriel Oualengbe	(2004-05-21) 21 May 2004	6	1	Toulon
	3MF	Ghislain Mounguide	(2002-04-30) 30 April 2002	4	0	DFC8
	3MF	Parfait Namsona	(2000-10-25) 25 October 2000	2	0	DFC8
	3MF	Sidney Tchibinda		0	0	Olympic Real de Bangui
	4FW	Louis Mafouta	(1994-07-02) 2 July 1994	33	16	Guingamp
	4FW	Karl Namnganda	(1996-02-08) 8 February 1996	27	5	Göçmenköy
	4FW	Vénuste Baboula	(1998-08-23) 23 August 1998	19	4	NK Bravo
	4FW	Christian Malipangou	(2002-05-16) 16 May 2002	16	2	Gasosi
	4FW	Moustapha Djimet	(2003-06-12) 12 June 2003	7	0	Dinamo Minsk
	4FW	Delphin Mokonou	(2000-10-28) 28 October 2000	3	1	DFC8
	4FW	Enzo Grothe	(2005-03-24) 24 March 2005	1	0	Caen

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	0	0	Fauve Azur	v.  Comoros, 8 September 2025
GK	Saturnin Ngarsouma	(1998-12-10) 10 December 1998	0	0	Red Star Bangui	v.  Comoros, 8 September 2025
GK	Geoffrey Lembet	(1988-09-03) 3 September 1988	42	0	Rennes	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
GK	Christopher Bimako	(1994-08-05) 5 August 1994	0	0	Olympic Real de Bangui	v.  Gabon, 18 November 2024
DF	Amos Youga	(1992-12-08) 8 December 1992	30	0	Debrecen	v.  Comoros, 8 September 2025
DF	Leonce Namgbema	(2004-04-23) 23 April 2004	5	0	Red Star Bangui	v.  Comoros, 8 September 2025
DF	Chris Mbai Assem	(2005-08-12) 12 August 2005	1	0	New England Revolution II	v.  Comoros, 8 September 2025
DF	Sadock Ndobé	(1998-09-09) 9 September 1998	34	0	AS Otôho	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
DF	Peter Guinari	(2001-06-02) 2 June 2001	22	1	Krumovgrad	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
DF	Cédric Yambéré	(1990-11-06) 6 November 1990	20	0	Bordeaux	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
DF	Wesley Ngakoutou-Yapende	(2001-08-18) 18 August 2001	5	0	Nîmes	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
DF	Sacha M'Baka	(2004-06-04) 4 June 2004	1	0	Brest B	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
DF	Mike Bettinger	(2004-01-28) 28 January 2004	0	0	Olympic Charleroi	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
DF	Séverin Tatolna	(2002-02-10) 10 February 2002	12	0	Humenné	v.  Gabon, 18 November 2024
DF	Dylan Mboumbouni	(1996-02-20) 20 February 1996	11	0	Chindia Târgoviște	v.  Gabon, 18 November 2024
MF	Isaac Ngoma	(2002-12-09) 9 December 2002	16	3	Tempete	v.  Comoros, 8 September 2025
MF	Melki Ndokomandji	(1997-09-04) 4 September 1997	8	0	Tempete	v.  Comoros, 8 September 2025
MF	Michel Judicael Binguimale	(2000-10-25) 25 October 2000	0	0	SCAF	v.  Comoros, 8 September 2025
MF	Bertillo-Arnold Yangana-Ba-Komi	(2004-03-24) 24 March 2004	4	0	Red Star Bangui	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
MF	Benjamin Idaro	(2005-01-26) 26 January 2005	0	0	Imperia	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
MF	Geoffrey Kondogbia (captain)	(1993-02-15) 15 February 1993	22	3	Marseille	v.  Mali, 24 March 2025
MF	Jacob Youmbi	(1989-09-05) 5 September 1989	6	0	Botafogo Douala	v.  Mali, 24 March 2025
MF	Donald Benamna	(1996-09-14) 14 September 1996	5	0	Texoma	v.  Mali, 24 March 2025
MF	Calvin Bombo	(1999-01-18) 18 January 1999	1	0	Charleville	v.  Mali, 24 March 2025
MF	Isaac Solet	(2001-06-16) 16 June 2001	12	0	Göztepe	v.  Gabon, 18 November 2024
MF	Hamissou Dangabo	(2003-01-15) 15 January 2003	5	1	Nantes	v.  Gabon, 18 November 2024
MF	Dayan Saholona	(1998-02-21) 21 February 1998	0	0	Dietikon	v.  Gabon, 18 November 2024
FW	Dimitri Kogbeto	(1992-10-29) 29 October 1992	2	0	Olympic Real de Bangui	v.  Comoros, 8 September 2025
FW	Samuel Nlend	(1995-03-15) 15 March 1995	7	1	Al-Shorouq	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
FW	Wesley N'Gakoutou	(2001-08-18) 18 August 2001	3	0	GOAL	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
FW	Juste Koulou	(1998-12-18) 18 December 1998	2	0	TP USCA	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025
FW	Eleoenai Tompte	(1999-01-18) 18 January 1999	5	0	Pompei	v.  Mauritania, 6 June 2025 PRE
FW	Goduine Koyalipou	(2000-02-15) 15 February 2000	9	1	Levante	v.  Mali, 24 March 2025
FW	Tieri-Teddy Godame	(2002-07-09) 9 July 2002	6	3	Guingamp	v.  Gabon, 18 November 2024
FW	Loïs Kaya	(1993-10-15) 15 October 1993	3	0	Tempete	v.  Gabon, 18 November 2024
FW	Michael Kanguite	(2001-02-15) 15 February 2001	2	0	Lijabatho	v.  Gabon, 18 November 2024
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.

As of 12 October 2025^[11]

Players in bold are still active with Central African Republic.

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	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966	Did not enter									Did not enter
1970
1974
1978	Withdrew									Withdrew
1982	Disqualified during qualifying									Disqualified during qualifying
1986	Did not enter									Did not enter
1990
1994
1998
2002	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	4
2006	Withdrew									Withdrew
2010
2014	Did not qualify									6	1	0	5	5	12
2018										2	0	1	1	2	5
2022										6	1	1	4	4	9
2026										10	2	2	6	11	24
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034
Total	–	0/15	–	–	–	–	–	–		26	4	4	18	23	54

Africa Cup of Nations record										Africa Cup of Nations qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of France									Part of France
1959
1962	Not affiliated to CAF									Not affiliated to CAF
1963
1965
1968
1970	Did not enter									Did not enter
1972
1974	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	5	6
1976	Withdrew									Withdrew
1978	Did not enter									Did not enter
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	2	7
1990	Did not enter									Did not enter
1992
1994
1996	Withdrew									Withdrew
1998	Disqualified									Disqualified
2000	Did not enter									Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	1	3
2004										6	0	2	4	3	9
2006	Withdrew									Withdrew
2008	Did not enter									Did not enter
2010	Withdrew									Withdrew
2012	Did not qualify									6	2	2	2	5	5
2013										4	2	1	1	6	6
2015										2	0	1	1	1	3
2017										6	3	1	2	9	11
2019										6	1	3	2	4	8
2021										6	1	1	4	5	11
2023										6	2	1	3	9	7
2025										6	1	0	5	3	14
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2029
Total	–	0/35	–	–	–	–	–	–		54	13	13	28	53	90

African Nations Championship record										African Nations Championship qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not enter									Did not enter
2011
2014	Withdrew									Withdrew
2016
2018	Disqualified									Disqualified
2020	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	6
2022										2	1	0	1	2	2
2024	Group stage	18th	4	0	1	3	2	7		2	1	0	1	2	2
Total	Group stage	1/7	4	0	1	3	2	7		6	2	0	4	5	10

As of 12 October 2025 after match against Chad^[12]

  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	6	1	1	4	6	13	−7
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	10	6	1	3	16	12	+4
Comoros	2	0	0	2	2	6	−4
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	15	3	4	8	13	23	−10
Gambia	2	0	1	1	2	3	−1
Ghana	4	0	1	3	5	12	–7
Guinea	4	0	2	2	3	5	−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
Lesotho	2	1	0	1	3	2	+1
Liberia	3	0	1	2	2	5	−3
Libya	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Madagascar	10	4	2	4	15	16	–1
Mali	4	0	2	2	5	8	−3
Malta	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1
Mauritania	4	0	0	4	1	6	−5
Morocco	7	0	2	5	1	19	−18
Mozambique	2	0	1	1	1	2	−2
Niger	2	1	1	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	4	1	1	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	159	34	33	94	173	313	−140

End of each year only

• CEMAC Cup
  • Champions (1): 2009
  • Runners-up (1): 2003
• UNIFAC Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1999

• FIFA Series (1): 2024 Sri Lanka

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Central African Republic national association football team.

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