The Niger national football team formed in 1967 and joined both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football in the same year. Niger’s history is peppered with occasional flourishes rather than any sustained success.
Niger first competitive international match was against Nigeria in 1963. Niger lost the game, played in Senegal, 1-0. The team’s record win is a 7-1 thrashing of Mauritania, set in a 1990 qualifying match. However, Niger’s record defeat is even more astonishing. The team lost 9-1 to Ghana in 1969.
The world cup has not been a regular fixture for Niger since the team’s first entry in qualifying for the 1978 competition. Qualifying for the 1982 finals saw Niger reach the last eight teams in the African region, their best run to date. The success of the campaign was aided by the skills of Niger’s most famous footballer, Moussa Kanfideni.
Due to poor finances, Niger withdrew from both the 1986 and 1990 world cups. The team did not qualify for the 1994 tournament and again withdrew in 1998 and 2002. Recent years have seen a more sustained effort, with attempts in the last three qualifying campaigns.
As well as improving their world cup qualifying, Niger qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 2012. Niger’s run to the Cup finals saw them beat African giants Egypt 1-0.
Ranked 112th by FIFA, the Niger national football team’s recent success and consistency could seem them climb the rankings in the years ahead.
World cup 2018
Fixtures to be announced.
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