The Benin national football team formed in 1962. The team affiliated to FIFA in 1962 and the Confederation of African Football in 1969. The team was known as the  Dahomey national football team until 1975.

Benin’s first recorded match was a 1-0 loss to Nigeria in 1959, a few years before the team officially formed. The team has won a game by four goals on two occasions, a 6-2 win over Chad in 1963 and a 4-0 victory of Tanzania in 2002. The second win meant that the team had won by a four goal margin as both Dahomey and Benin. The team’s record defeat is somewhat less impressive; a 10-1 rout by Nigeria in 1959.

The team has entered world cups sporadically, including the 1974, 1986, and 1994 editions. Since 2002, the team has entered every world cup but is yet to qualify for the finals. Benin’s record in the African Cup of Nations is more impressive.