The Mali national football team formed in 1960. The team joined FIFA in 1962 and the Confederation of African Football in 1963. Mali is nicknamed the Eagles, but have never flown to a world cup finals tournament.
Mali is a French-speaking country in western Africa. Approximately half of Mali’s population live beneath the poverty line. The country’s motto is, rather appropriately, one people, one goal, one faith
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Mali played its first game in 1960, a 4-3 win over Central African Republic. The team’s biggest win came in 1972, when Mali beat Mauritania 11-0. The team’s record defeat is by a seven goal margin, a feat they have achieved twice; a 7-0 loss to Algeria in 1988 and an 8-1 defeat by Kuwait in 1997.
The world cup does not seem to have held much interest for Mali over the years. The team’s first entry was a non-starter in 1966 when Mali withdrew from the process. Thirty years passed by until the team withdrew from another world cup, as Mali did in 1994 and 1998. Since 2002, the team has entered every qualifying campaign but is yet to reach the finals.
Mali has a better record in the Africa Cup of Nations, appearing in seven tournaments. The team were runners-up in 1972 and finished third in 2012.
Ranked 57th by FIFA, the Mali national football team has some serious work to do to keep their place in the coming years.
World cup 2018
Fixtures to be announced.
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