The Mauritius national football team played and won its first international fixture in 1947. For two decades they only played matches against two island neighbours, Reunion and Madagascar. These regular fixtures were often part of the Indian Islands Games Triangulaire which the three teams participated in annually. Mauritius were the stand-out team in the competition, taking home the title ten times and coming third only once.
In attempting to qualify for the African Cup of Nations, Mauritius were tested against a wider range of teams. The team qualified for the cup in 1974 but were eliminated at the first round group stage.
Riots during a domestic game in the country in 1999 caused a national ban on domestic football. With only the national team allowed to play, standards soon began to fall as players had very little match practice. Mauritius slid down the rankings.
More recently, Mauritius have spent time and money on improvements to both the national and domestic levels. More pitches in the country are being renovated and players are now paid for international duty. This combination seems to be working, with a solid season in 2011 capped by one final appearance in a regional competition.
Ranked 184th by FIFA, Mauritius may climb into the mid hundreds if their football continues to improve as it has been.
World cup 2018
Fixtures to be announced.
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