Comoros national football team

Comoros
Nickname(s)	Les Coelacantes (The Coelacanths)
Association	Fédération de Football de Comores (FFC)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach	Younes Zerdouk[1]
Captain	Nadjim Abdou
Most caps	Youssouf M'Changama (57)
Top scorer	Ben Nabouhane (17)
Home stadium	Stade Omnisports de Malouzini
FIFA code	COM
FIFA ranking
Current	129 1 (21 September 2023)[2]
Highest	126 (June 2022)
Lowest	207 (December 2006)
First international
	Mauritius 3–0 Comoros ; (Saint-Denis, Réunion; 26 August 1979)
Biggest win
	Comoros 7–1 Seychelles ; (Mitsamiouli, Comoros; 1 September 2021)
Biggest defeat
	Réunion 6–1 Comoros ; (Saint-Denis, Réunion; 31 August 1979) ; Madagascar 5–0 Comoros ; (Victoria, Seychelles; 20 August 1993) ; Mauritius 5–0 Comoros ; (Curepipe, Mauritius; 4 September 2003)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	1 (first in 2021)
Best result	Round of 16 (2021)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 2008)
Best result	Quarter-finals (2019)

The Comoros national football team represents the Comoros in international football and is controlled by the Comoros Football Federation.[3] 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.[4]

History

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.[4]

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".[5]

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 Fixture

2023

24 March 2023 AFCON qualification	Ivory Coast	3–1	Comoros	Bouaké, Ivory Coast
17:00 UTC±0	Kouame 29' Haller 61' Aholou 74' Krasso 89'	Report	M'Dahoma 79' Djoudja 90+3'	Stadium: Stade Bouaké Referee: Abdel Aziz Mohamed Bouh (Mauritania)

28 March 2023 AFCON qualification	Comoros	0–2	Ivory Coast	Moroni, Comoros
15:00 UTC+3		Report	I. Sangaré 36' Kessié 58'	Stadium: Stade Omnisports de Malouzini Referee: Peter Waweru (Kenya)

17 June 2023 AFCON qualification	Lesotho	0–1	Comoros	Johannesburg, South Africa
16:00 UTC+2		Report	M'Changama 90'	Stadium: Orlando Stadium Referee: Celso Armindo Alvação (Mozambique)

6 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	Seychelles	0–3	Comoros	Durban
15:00		Report	Djambae 27' Djoudja 39' Bacar 59'	Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium

9 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	Zambia	2–1	Comoros	Durban
15:00	Mulambia 51' Kangwanda 74'	Report	Djambae 67'	Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium

11 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	Malawi	2–0	Comoros	Durban
15:00	Kaonga 30' (pen.) Mwaungulu 36'	Report		Stadium: Chatsworth Stadium

9 September 2023 AFCON qualification	Comoros	1–1	Zambia	Moroni, Comoros
22:00 UTC+3	B. Youssouf 45'	Report	Daka 71'	Stadium: Stade Omnisports de Malouzini Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (Burundi)

17 October Friendly	Cape Verde	1–2	Comoros	Istres, France
				Stadium: Stade Parsemain

15 November 2026 World Cup Qualification

Comoros

v

Central African Republic

18 November 2026 World Cup Qualification

Comoros

v

Ghana

Coaching history

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)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2023 COSAFA Cup.[6]

Caps and goals correct as of 11 July 2023, after the match against Malawi.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Salimo Velonjara	(1988-11-10) 10 November 1988	12	0	Volcan Club
1GK	Ayad Saïd Ansoya	(1993-11-09) 9 November 1993	0	0	Ouani
1GK	Soiyiffi Houssam	(1993-11-30) 30 November 1993	0	0	Belle Lumière

2DF	Soulaimana Malaga	(1989-04-05) 5 April 1989	21	1	Etoile du Centre
2DF	Bakri Youssouf	(1996-07-01) 1 July 1996	14	0	Djabal
2DF	Mohammad Zamir	(1995-10-28) 28 October 1995	12	0	Volcan Club
2DF	Abdallah Allaoui	(1987-07-23) 23 July 1987	10	0	Volcan Club
2DF	Youssouf Bacar Ali	(1995-01-10) 10 January 1995	2	0	Volcan Club
2DF	Omar Abdoul-Anziz	(2002-07-29) 29 July 2002	0	0	Djabal
2DF	Fahad Hamdia	(1997-12-31) 31 December 1997	0	0	Belle Lumière
2DF	Mohamed Riziki	(1998-06-19) 19 June 1998	0	0	Ngazi Sport

3MF	Faouz Faidine Attoumane	(1994-01-04) 4 January 1994	26	0	Nouadhibou
3MF	Raidou Boina Bacar	(1992-08-04) 4 August 1992	17	3	Zilimadjou
3MF	Moudhoiffar Ali Mze	(1997-08-08) 8 August 1997	6	1	Etoile des Comores
3MF	Haslane Alfonsi Ahmed	(2001-12-28) 28 December 2001	5	0	Volcan Club
3MF	Kanoty Tombo	(1992-07-22) 22 July 1992	3	0	Djabal
3MF	Mohamed Ismaël	(1997-08-08) 8 August 1997	1	0	Zilimadjou

4FW	Ibroihim Youssouf	(1994-05-06) 6 May 1994	37	8	TS Sporting
4FW	Ibouniyamine Soulaimana	(1999-05-10) 10 May 1999	13	1	Bazimini
4FW	Misbahou Ibrahim	(1996-06-06) 6 June 1996	8	0	Volcan Club
4FW	Hachim Abdou	(1998-08-02) 2 August 1998	3	0	Djabal
4FW	Affane Djambae	(2000-09-22) 22 September 2000	3	2	Djabal
4FW	Mohamed Youssouf	(1992-08-20) 20 August 1992	0	0	Zilimadjou

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Ali Ahamada	(1991-08-19) 19 August 1991	36	0	Azam	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
GK	Salim Ben Boina	(1991-07-19) 19 July 1991	19	0	Épinal	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
GK	Yannick Pandor	(2001-05-01) 1 May 2001	3	0	Lens	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023

DF	Mohamed Youssouf	(1988-03-26) 26 March 1988	43	3	Ajaccio	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
DF	Saïd Bakari	(1994-09-22) 22 September 1994	31	0	RKC Waalwijk	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
DF	Kassim M'Dahoma	(1997-01-26) 26 January 1997	25	0	Botoșani	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
DF	Abdallah Ali Mohamed	(1999-04-11) 11 April 1999	20	1	Lausanne Ouchy	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
DF	Younn Zahary	(1998-10-08) 8 October 1998	14	0	Mezőkövesd	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
DF	Ahmed Soilihi	(1996-07-01) 1 July 1996	8	0	Martigues	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
DF	Abdel-Hakim Abdallah	(1997-08-18) 18 August 1997	5	0	Rodez	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
DF	Karim Attoumani	(2001-03-24) 24 March 2001	3	0	Dijon	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
DF	Akim Djaha	(1998-09-14) 14 September 1998	3	0	Martigues	v. Ivory Coast, 28 March 2023
DF	Yakine Said M'Madi	(2004-03-11) 11 March 2004	2	0	Marseille	v. Ivory Coast, 28 March 2023
DF	Ismaël Boura	(2000-08-14) 14 August 2000	0	0	Lens	v. Ivory Coast, 28 March 2023

MF	Youssouf M'Changama	(1990-08-29) 29 August 1990	57	12	Auxerre	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
MF	Fouad Bachirou	(1990-04-15) 15 April 1990	40	0	Omonia	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
MF	Yacine Bourhane	(1998-09-30) 30 September 1998	14	0	Esbjerg	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
MF	Halifa Soulé	(1990-11-12) 12 November 1990	10	0	Béziers	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
MF	Iyad Mohamed	(2001-03-05) 5 March 2001	9	0	Le Mans	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023

FW	Benjaloud Youssouf	(1994-02-11) 11 February 1994	39	2	Châteauroux	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
FW	Ali M'Madi	(1990-04-21) 21 April 1990	33	0	SAS Épinal	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
FW	Ahmed Mogni	(1991-10-10) 10 October 1991	27	4	Jeunesse Esch	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
FW	Faïz Selemani	(1993-11-14) 14 November 1993	26	4	Al-Hazem	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
FW	Soiyir Sanali	(2002-01-20) January 20, 2002	1	0	SO Romorantin	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
FW	William Vouama	(1996-11-12) November 12, 1996	1	0	FC Fleury 91	v. Lesotho, 17 June 2023
FW	El Fardou Ben Nabouhane	(1989-06-10) 10 June 1989	37	17	APOEL	v. Ivory Coast, 28 March 2023
FW	Rafiki Saïd	(2000-03-15) 15 March 2000	0	0	Nîmes Olympique	v. Ivory Coast, 28 March 2023

Player records

As of 11 July 2023[7]

Players in bold are still active with the Comoros.

Most appearances

Youssouf M'Changama is Comoros' most capped player with 57 appearances.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Youssouf M'Changama	57	12	2010–present
2	Mohamed Youssouf	43	3	2011–present
3	Nadjim Abdou	40	0	2010–present
3	Fouad Bachirou	40	0	2014–present
5	Benjaloud Youssouf	39	2	2015–present
6	Ben Nabouhane	37	17	2014–present
6	Ibroihim Youssouf	37	8	2017–present
8	Ali Ahamada	36	0	2016–present
9	Chaker Alhadhur	33	1	2014–present
9	Ali M'Madi	33	0	2010–present

Top goalscorers

Ben Nabouhane is Comoros' top scorer with 17 goals.

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Ben Nabouhane	17	37	0.46	2014–present
2	Youssouf M'Changama	12	57	0.21	2010–present
3	Ibroihim Youssouf	8	37	0.22	2017–present
4	Faïz Selemani	4	26	0.15	2017–present
4	Ahmed Mogni	4	27	0.15	2015–present
6	Ali Nassim M'Changama	3	11	0.27	2019–present
	Raïdou Boina Bacar	3	17	0.18	2015–present
	Mohamed Youssouf	3	43	0.07	2011–present
9	Soulaimane Athoumane	2	3	0.67	2011
	Affane Djambae	2	3	0.67	2023–present
	Ahmed Saïd Anfane	2	4	0.5	2006–2011
	Mohamed Mouigni	2	11	0.18	2003–2010
	Faiz Mattoir	2	11	0.18	2020–present
	Djamel Bakar	2	16	0.13	2016–2018
	Mohamed M'Changama	2	20	0.1	2010–present
	Benjaloud Youssouf	2	39	0.05	2015–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

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								To be determined
Total		0/22							10	0	4	6	5	21

Olympic Games

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 Nations

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	Did not qualify									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	Did not qualify									6	2	1	3	6	8
2025	To be determined									To be determined
Total	Round of 16	1/34	4	1	0	3	4	7	—	36	7	9	20	25	57

African Games

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 Championship

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 0
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not enter
2011	Did not enter
2014	Did not qualify
2016
2018
2020
2022
Total		0/7

COSAFA Cup

COSAFA Cup record
Appearances: 6
Year	Round	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1997 to 2007	Not affiliated with COSAFA
2008	Group stage	11th	3	0	0	3	0	5
2009	Group stage	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 COVID-19 pandemic
2021	Withdrew
2022	Group stage	12th	3	1	0	2	3	5
2023	Group stage	8th	3	1	0	2	4	4
Total	Quarter-finals	6/22	18	4	3	11	14	28

Indian Ocean Island Games

Indian Ocean Island Games record
Appearances: 10
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1979	Bronze medalists	3rd	4	1	0	3	4	12
1985	Bronze medalists	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	Group Stage	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
2019		5th	3	2	0	1	4	2
2023	Fourth place	4th	4	0	2	2	3	7
Total	Bronze medalists	11/11	33	5	6	22	20	72

Arab Nations Cup/FIFA Arab Cup

FIFA Arab Cup record									FIFA Arab 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								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.

Arab Games

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	Did not enter
2004	No tournament
2007	Did not enter
2011	Did not enter
Total		0/11

Head-to-head record

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

References

Houssamdine, Boina. "Younes Zerdouk, Younes Zerdouk nommé sélectionneur des Comores". Comoros Football. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
"The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
Vickers, Steve (24 October 2009). "BBC SPORT | Football | African | Comoros make steps forward". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
"Comoros achieve fairytale Nations Cup qualification". BBC Sport. 25 March 2021. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
Stevens, Rob (18 January 2022). "Ghana dumped out of Afcon by Comoros". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
"Final Squad". Comoros Football.
Zimmerman, Benjamin. "Comoros". National Football Teams.

External links

FFC official website
Comoros at CAF
Comoros at FIFA
Bourtney, Barri. Comoros – List of International Matches± at RSSSF.com (Last updated: January 31, 2008)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Houssamdine, Boina. "Younes Zerdouk, Younes Zerdouk nommé sélectionneur des Comores". Comoros Football. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.

[FIFA_World_Rankings-2] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.

[3] Vickers, Steve (24 October 2009). "BBC SPORT | Football | African | Comoros make steps forward". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2013.

[AFCON20201-4] "Comoros achieve fairytale Nations Cup qualification". BBC Sport. 25 March 2021. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.

[5] Stevens, Rob (18 January 2022). "Ghana dumped out of Afcon by Comoros". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.

[6] "Final Squad". Comoros Football.

[7] Zimmerman, Benjamin. "Comoros". National Football Teams.

1

National and regional 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
Football in Africa portal ¹ Regional team, an associate member of CAF but not a member of FIFA