Mozambique national football team

Mozambique
Nickname(s)	Os Mambas (The Mambas)
Association	Federação Moçambicana de Futebol (FMF)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach	Chiquinho Conde
Most caps	Domingues (102)
Top scorer	Tico-Tico (30)
Home stadium	Estádio do Zimpeto
FIFA code	MOZ
FIFA ranking
Current	111 (21 December 2023)
Highest	66 (November 1997)
Lowest	134 (July 2005, September 2006)
First international
	Mozambique 2–1 Zambia ; (Mozambique; 25 June 1975)
Biggest win
	Mozambique 6–1 Lesotho ; (Mozambique; 10 August 1980) ; Mozambique 5–0 South Sudan ; (Maputo, Mozambique; 18 May 2014) ; Mozambique 5–0 Lesotho ; (Maputo, Mozambique; 2 June 2021)
Biggest defeat
	Zimbabwe 6–0 Mozambique ; (Salisbury, Zimbabwe; 20 April 1980)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	4 (first in 1986)
Best result	Group stage (1986, 1996, 1998, 2010)
African Nations Championship
Appearances	2 (first in 2014)
Best result	Quarter finals (2022)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances	19 (first in 1997)
Best result	Runners-up (2008, 2015)
Medal record
COSAFA Cup

The Mozambique national football team (Portuguese: Seleção Moçambicana de Futebol) represents Mozambique in men's international football competitions and is controlled by the Mozambican Football Federation, the governing body for football in Mozambique. Mozambique have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup, but they have qualified for four Africa Cup of Nations in 1986, 1996, 1998 and most recently the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, being eliminated in the first round in all four. In 1997, the Mozambique Football Federation became a founding member of COSAFA. ^[2]

Mozambique's home ground is Estádio do Zimpeto in the capital city Maputo, and can hold 42,000 spectators. The team's current head coach is Victor Matine, who became manager in July 2019,^[3] replacing previous head coach and former Portugal international Abel Xavier, who had been in charge since February 2016.^[4]

History

Beginnings

On the day of independence in 1975, Mozambique played its first ever match; a friendly against Zambia, winning 2–1. Two years later, Cuba became Mozambique's first non-African opponent when the two countries met in Mozambique, with Cuba winning 2–0.^[5] Mozambique entered World Cup qualifying for the first time in the 1982 qualifying competition. Mozambique were defeated 7–3 over two legs by Zaire in the first round.

1986 Africa Cup of Nations

Mozambique qualified for its first Africa Cup of Nations in 1986. In the qualifying competition they beat Mauritius, Malawi (on penalties), and finally Libya, winning again on penalties.

At the final tournament in Egypt, Mozambique were placed in Group A along with Senegal, Ivory Coast and hosts Egypt. They lost all their games 3–0, 2–0 and 2–0, not scoring a single goal.

1996 Africa Cup of Nations

Mozambique had to wait 10 years to qualify for another Africa Cup of Nations, as they qualified for the 1996 tournament in South Africa. They were placed in Group D along with Ivory Coast, Ghana and Tunisia. Mozambique played their first game against Tunisia in Port Elizabeth, drawing 1–1 with Tico-Tico scoring in the 4th minute. They then went on to lose 1–0 to Ivory Coast and 2–0 to Ghana, thus eliminating them from the tournament.

1998 Africa Cup of Nations

Two years later, Mozambique qualified for their third Africa Cup of Nations held in Burkina Faso. They were again placed in group D along with Morocco, Egypt and Zambia. Mozambique lost their first game against eventual tournament winners Egypt 2–0, both goals coming from Hossam Hassan. In their second game they again lost to Morocco 3–0, therefore eliminating them from the tournament with one game still remaining. In their last game against Zambia, they drew 1–1, their first goal of the tournament. This would prove to be their last African Cup of Nations game for 12 years.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Mozambique entered the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification in the second round, and were placed in Group 7 with Botswana, Madagascar and African football giants Ivory Coast. They made a terrible start to qualifying, losing to Ivory Coast and minnows Botswana 1–0 and 2–1, and drawing 1–1 with Madagascar. Mozambique then went on to beat Madagascar 3–0 in Antananarivo with goals coming from Tico-Tico, Carlitos and Domingues. They then drew 1–1 with Ivory Coast and beat Botswana 1–0 in Gaborone to qualify for the third Round.

Mozambique were one of the lowest seeded teams in the third round, and were placed in Group B with Nigeria, Tunisia and Kenya. They went on to draw their first game against giants Nigeria 0–0 in Maputo. They then went on to lose their next to games against Tunisia and Kenya 2–0 and 2–1, now making it a struggle to qualify for their first FIFA World Cup. In the next game, they beat Kenya 1–0 with Tico-Tico scoring, but then a loss to Nigeria eliminated them from qualifying. In the last game they beat Tunisia 1–0 in a victory that stopped Tunisia from qualifying. Despite not qualifying for the World Cup, this win was enough to secure third place and qualification for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.

2010 Africa Cup of Nations

After a 12-year absence from Africa Cup of Nations football, Mozambique were placed in Group C with Egypt, Nigeria and Benin. In their first game, they played Benin, drawing 2–2 after being 2–0 down, with goals coming from Miro and Fumo. They then went on to lose 2–0 to eventual tournament winners Egypt and 3–0 to Nigeria, thus eliminating them from the tournament. After the tournament, all-time top scorer and captain Tico-Tico retired from international football.

Recent years

Mozambique have yet to reach a fifth AFCON Finals despite several close misses. During the 2013 qualifiers, they reached the final round and beat Morocco 2–0 in the first leg in Maputo. However, they were beaten 4–0 in Marrakech four days later. During the 2019 qualifiers the Mambas were only denied by a Guinea-Bissau equaliser in stoppage time at the end of their final Group K match.

Recent 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	Senegal	5–1	Mozambique	Dakar, Senegal
19:00 UTC±0	Sabaly 9' Mané 15' Ndiaye 32' Dia 39' Diallo 88'	Report	Vilanculos 48'	Stadium: Diamniadio Olympic Stadium Referee: Ibrahim Mutaz (Libya)

28 March 2023 AFCON qualification	Mozambique	0–1	Senegal	Maputo, Mozambique
18:00 UTC+2		Report	Dia 18'	Stadium: Estádio do Zimpeto Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco)

14 June Friendly	Mozambique	1–1	Malawi	Maputo, Mozambique
10:00 UTC+2	Telinho 56'	Report	Nkhoma 74'	Stadium: Estádio do Zimpeto

18 June 2023 AFCON qualification	Rwanda	0–2	Mozambique	Kigali, Rwanda
15:00 UTC+2		Report	Catamo 43' Clésio 90+4'	Stadium: Kigali Pelé Stadium Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)

7 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	Mozambique	1–1	Angola	Durban
18:00	António 83'	Report	Benarfa 3'	Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium

10 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	Mozambique	0–1	Lesotho	KwaMashu
18:00		Report	Mokhachane 34'	Stadium: Princess Magogo Stadium

12 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	Mauritius	0–1	Mozambique	KwaMashu
15:00		Report	Abudo 38'	Stadium: Princess Magogo Stadium

9 September 2023 AFCON qualification	Mozambique	3–2	Benin	Maputo, Mozambique
15:00 UTC+2	Witi 27' Guima 31' Clésio 90+5'	Report	Mounié 20' Dossou 50'	Stadium: Estádio do Zimpeto Referee: Mohamed Adel (Egypt)

13 October Friendly	Angola	1–1	Mozambique	TBD, Portugal
	Gelson 85'		Bangal 71'	Stadium: TBD

16 October Friendly	Mozambique	2–3	Nigeria	Portimão, Portugal
15:00	Catamo 6' Bangal 55'	Report	Moffi 19' Onyeka 30' Simon 45+3' (pen.)	Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Portimão

16 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Botswana	2–3	Mozambique	Francistown, Botswana
15:00 UTC+2	Tlhalefang 74' Ngele 85'	Report	Clésio 14' Ratifo 52' Muiomo 75'	Stadium: Obed Itani Chilume Stadium Referee: Peter Waweru (Kenya)

19 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Mozambique	0–2	Algeria	Maputo, Mozambique
15:00 UTC+2		Report	Chaïbi 69' Zerrouki 80'	Stadium: Estadio do Zimpeto Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (Rwanda)

2024

6 January Friendly	Mozambique	2–0	Lesotho	Johannesburg, South Africa
16:00 UTC+2	Mandava 27' Lau King 81' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: FNB Stadium

8 January Friendly	Botswana	1–1	Mozambique	Johannesburg, South Africa
16:00 UTC+2	Seakanyeng 39' (pen.)	Report	Amade 90+5'	Stadium: Johannesburg Stadium

14 January 2023 Africa Cup of Nations	Egypt	2–2	Mozambique	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
				Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium

19 January 2023 Africa Cup of Nations	Cape Verde	v	Mozambique	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:00				Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium

22 January 2023 Africa Cup of Nations	Mozambique	v	Ghana	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
				Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium

Coaching history

Cremildo Loforte (1980)
Manaca (1986)
José Geneto (1986)
Viktor Bondarenko (1993–1995)
Rui Caçador (1996)
Arnaldo Salvado (1996–1998)
Euroflim da Graça (1999)
Arnaldo Salvado (1999–2000)
Augusto Matine (2001–2002)
Viktor Bondarenko (2003)
Artur Semedo (2003–2006)
Mart Nooij (2007–2011)
Gert Engels (2011–2013)
João Chissano (2013–2015)
Hélder Muianga (2015)
Boris Pušić (2015)
Abel Xavier (2016–2019)
Victor Matine (2019)
Luís Gonçalves (2019–2021)
Horácio Gonçalves (2021)
Chiquinho Conde (2021–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.^[6]

Caps and goals correct as of 14 January 2024, after the match against Egypt.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Ernani	(1998-07-09) 9 July 1998	27	0	Songo
1GK	Ivane Urrubal	(1997-03-01) 1 March 1997	9	0	Black Bulls
1GK	Fazito	(2003-06-09) 9 June 2003	3	0	Ferroviário de Nampula

2DF	Mexer	(1988-09-08) 8 September 1988	60	3	Bandırmaspor
2DF	Edmilson Dove	(1994-07-18) 18 July 1994	41	0	Kaizer Chiefs
2DF	Reinildo Mandava	(1994-01-21) 21 January 1994	34	2	Atlético Madrid
2DF	Nené	(1996-11-15) 15 November 1996	26	1	Black Bulls
2DF	Nanani	(1996-02-08) 8 February 1996	21	0	Songo
2DF	Bruno Langa	(1997-10-31) 31 October 1997	20	1	Chaves
2DF	Domingos Macandza	(1998-06-17) 17 June 1998	18	0	Costa do Sol
2DF	David Malembana	(1995-10-11) 11 October 1995	4	0	Noah

3MF	Domingues	(1983-11-13) 13 November 1983	107	16	Songo
3MF	Shaquille	(1997-11-24) 24 November 1997	36	0	Ferroviário Maputo
3MF	Amadú	(1996-12-03) 3 December 1996	27	0	Ferroviário Beira
3MF	João Bonde	(1997-01-09) 9 January 1997	12	0	Ferroviário Beira
3MF	Guima	(1995-11-14) 14 November 1995	6	1	Chaves
3MF	Alfons Amade	(1999-11-12) 12 November 1999	2	1	Oostende

4FW	Clésio	(1994-10-11) 11 October 1994	49	9	Gabala
4FW	Witi	(1996-08-26) 26 August 1996	35	4	Nacional
4FW	Gildo	(1995-01-31) 31 January 1995	33	3	Covilhã
4FW	Stanley Ratifo	(1994-12-05) 5 December 1994	27	4	1. CfR Pforzheim
4FW	Geny Catamo	(2001-01-26) 26 January 2001	20	5	Sporting CP
4FW	Lau King	(1995-09-04) 4 September 1995	19	3	Sagrada Esperança

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Mozambique in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Víctor Guambe	(1998-10-08) 8 October 1998	8	0	Costa do Sol	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
GK	Kimiss Zavala	(2004-05-08) 8 May 2004	0	0	Marítimo	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
GK	Gion Chande	(1998-05-03) 3 May 1998	1	0	Vaduz	v. Senegal, 28 March 2023

DF	Francisco Muchanga	(1991-11-05) 5 November 1991	29	0	Costa do Sol	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
DF	Martinho Thauzene	(1999-09-27) 27 September 1999	25	1	AVS	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
DF	Bonera	(1997-04-07) 7 April 1997	11	1	Al-Hala	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
DF	Foia	(2001-04-15) 15 April 2001	2	0	Ferroviário da Beira	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
DF	Jeremias Nhambire	(2000-01-08) 8 January 2000	0	0	Marítimo	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
DF	Chamboco	(1998-06-15) 15 June 1998	0	0	Black Bulls	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
DF	Danito	(1995-06-15) 15 June 1995	3	0	Songo	2023 COSAFA Cup
DF	Zainadine Júnior	(1988-06-24) 24 June 1988	64	1	Marítimo	v. Senegal, 28 March 2023

MF	Manuel Kambala	(1991-08-21) 21 August 1991	38	0	Magesi	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
MF	Telinho	(1988-10-15) 15 October 1988	34	1	Costa do Sol	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
MF	Dário Melo	(1996-01-20) 20 January 1996	8	0	Songo	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
MF	Kamo-Kamo	(1999-07-19) 19 July 1999	7	0	União de Santarém	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
MF	Gianluca Lorenzoni	(2001-02-22) 22 February 2001	2	0	Gudja United	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
MF	Ezequiel Machava	(2003-01-03) 3 January 2003	1	0	Ferroviário Maputo	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
MF	Keyns Abdala	(2000-03-15) 15 March 2000	0	0	Chaves	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE

FW	Isac de Carvalho	(1989-07-26) 26 July 1989	48	6	Costa do Sol	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
FW	Luís Miquissone	(1995-07-25) 25 July 1995	48	9	Al Ahly	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
FW	Melque	(1997-06-26) 26 June 1997	24	4	Black Bulls	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
FW	Nelson Divrassone	(1994-06-20) 20 June 1994	21	3	Songo	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
FW	Dayo António	(1995-08-20) 20 August 1995	13	3	Songo	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
FW	Estevão	(1995-12-01) 1 December 1995	11	3	Ferroviário da Beira	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
FW	Jonathan Muiomo	(1999-01-28) 28 January 1999	3	1	Carl Zeiss Jena	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
FW	Melven Choi	(2001-10-15) 15 October 2001	2	0	Ferroviário da Beira	2023 Africa Cup of Nations ^PRE
^DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up. ^INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. ^PRE Preliminary squad. ^RET Player has retired from international football. ^SUS Suspended from the national team.

Records

As of 19 November 2023^[7]

Players in bold are still active with Mozambique.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1.	Domingues Pelembé	106	16	2004–present
2.	Tico-Tico	94	30	1992–2010
3.	Miró Lobo	84	8	2004–2015
4.	Sérgio Faife	67	5	1992–2008
5.	João Kapango	66	0	1996–2012
5.	Nana Matola	66	5	1988–1999
7.	Zainadine Júnior	64	1	2008–present
8.	Momed Hagi	62	3	2005–2015
9.	Telinho	61	4	2011–present
10.	Jossias Macamo	60	7	1996–2005

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1.	Tico-Tico	30	94	0.32	1992–2010
2.	Dário Monteiro	16	48	0.33	1996–2011
2.	Domingues Pelembé	16	106	0.15	2004–present
4.	Chiquinho Conde	12	43	0.28	1985–2001
5.	Gil Guiamba	11	22	0.5	1980–1983
6.	Arnaldo Ouana	10	37	0.27	1987–1999
7.	Luís Miquissone	9	48	0.19	2015–present
8.	Clésio	8	47	0.17	2011–present
8.	Miró Lobo	8	84	0.1	2004–2015
10.	Adelino Neves Pereira	7	19	0.37	1989–1997
	Nuro Tualibudane	7	21	0.33	1994–2001
	Sonito	7	35	0.2	2008–2017
	Jossias Macamo	7	60	0.12	1996–2005

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	Part of Portugal								Part of Portugal
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1982	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	3	7
1986	Did not enter								Declined participation
1990	Did not enter								Declined participation
1994	Did not qualify								4	0	1	3	3	11
1998									2	0	1	1	1	3
2002									2	1	0	1	2	2
2006									2	0	0	2	3	5
2010									12	4	3	5	10	10
2014									8	2	3	3	7	11
2018									2	1	0	1	1	1
2022									8	3	1	4	5	8
2026	To be determined								2	1	0	1	3	4
2030									To be determined
2034									To be determined
Total	–	0/25	–	–	–	–	–	–	44	12	9	23	38	62

Africa Cup of Nations

African Cup of Nations record
Appearances: 4
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1957	Part of Portugal
1959
1962
1963
1965
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976	Not affiliated to CAF
1978	Not affiliated to CAF
1980	Did not enter
1982	Did not qualify
1984	Did not qualify
1986	Group stage	8th	3	0	0	3	0	7	Squad
1988	Did not qualify
1990
1992
1994
1996	Group stage	14th	3	0	1	2	1	4	Squad
1998	Group stage	16th	3	0	0	3	1	8	Squad
2000	Did not qualify
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010	Group stage	15th	3	0	1	2	2	7	Squad
2012	Did not qualify
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023	Qualified
2025	to be determined
2027	to be determined
Total	Group stage	4/36	12	0	2	10	4	26	—

African Nations Championship

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 1
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not qualify
2011	Did not qualify
2014	Group stage	16th	3	0	0	3	4	9
2016	Did not qualify
2018
2020
2022	Quarter finals	8th	4	1	1	2	4	6
Total	Quarter finals	2/7	6	1	1	5	8	15

COSAFA Cup

Honours

COSAFA Cup: 2

2008, 2015 (Runners-up)

References

↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
↑ https://jogar-jogos.com/posts/desportos-mocambique DESPORTOS POPULARES EM MOÇAMBIQUE
↑ "Matine takes over from Xavier as new Mozambique coach". July 22, 2019. Archived from the original on July 26, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
↑ "Mozambique appoint Abel Xavier as new national coach". January 26, 2016. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
↑ "Mozambique – List of International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
↑ "Final Squad". Twitter. Mozambique Football Federation.
↑ Mamrud, Roberto. "Mozambique - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2023-02-02.

External links

Federação Moçambicana de Futebol (in Portuguese) (archived 21 June 2015)
Mozambique at CAF
Mozambique at FIFA
National football team picture

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

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.

[2] ttps://jogar-jogos.com/posts/desportos-mocambique DESPORTOS POPULARES EM MOÇAMBIQUE

[3] "Matine takes over from Xavier as new Mozambique coach". July 22, 2019. Archived from the original on July 26, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.

[4] "Mozambique appoint Abel Xavier as new national coach". January 26, 2016. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2018 – via www.bbc.com.

[5] "Mozambique – List of International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2018.

[6] "Final Squad". Twitter. Mozambique Football Federation.

[RSSSF-7] Mamrud, Roberto. "Mozambique - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2023-02-02.

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Mozambique national football team
General	Mozambican Football Federation History Managers Records
Stadiums	Zimpeto Machava
Results	Results
Africa Cup of Nations	Summary 1986 1996 1998 2010
Other tournaments	African Nations Championship COSAFA Cup
Other Mozambique teams	U23 U20 U17 Women Beach soccer

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