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 five Africa Cup of Nations in 1986, 1996, 1998, 2010, and most recently 2023, being eliminated in the first round in all five. In 1997, the Mozambique Football Federation became a founding member of COSAFA.
| Nickname(s) | Os Mambas (The Mambas) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Federação Moçambicana de Futebol (FMF) | |||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||
| Sub-confederation | COSAFA (Southern Africa) | |||
| Head coach | Chiquinho Conde | |||
| Captain | Mexer | |||
| Most caps | Domingues (116) | |||
| Top scorer | Tico-Tico (30) | |||
| Home stadium | Estádio do Zimpeto | |||
| FIFA code | MOZ | |||
| ||||
| FIFA ranking | ||||
| Current | 98  1 (24 October 2024)[1] | |||
| 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 | 5 (first in 1986) | |||
| Best result | Group stage (1986, 1996, 1998, 2010, 2023) | |||
| 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) | |||
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 Chiquinho Conde, 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
editBeginnings
editOn 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
editMozambique 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
editMozambique 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
editTwo 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
editMozambique 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
editAfter 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
editMozambique 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
editThe 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
edit| 16 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Botswana  | 2–3 | Mozambique | Francistown, Botswana |
| 15:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report | 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 | Stadium: Estadio do Zimpeto Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (Rwanda) |
2024
edit| 6 January Friendly | Mozambique | 2–0 | Lesotho | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 16:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium: FNB Stadium |
| 8 January Friendly | Botswana | 1–1 | Mozambique | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 16:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Johannesburg Stadium |
| 14 January 2023 Africa Cup of Nations GS | Egypt  | 2–2 | Mozambique | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| 18:50 | Report | Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Attendance: 11,933 Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania) |
| 19 January 2023 Africa Cup of Nations | Cape Verde  | 3–0 | Mozambique | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| 20:00 | Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium |
| 22 January 2023 Africa Cup of Nations | Mozambique | 2–2 |  Ghana | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium |
| 7 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Mozambique | 2–1 |  Somalia | Maputo, Mozambique |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report |
|
Stadium: Estádio do Zimpeto Attendance: 41,000 Referee: Tsegay Mogos Teklu (Eritrea) |
| 10 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Guinea  | 0–1 | Mozambique | El Jadida, Morocco |
| 20:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (Burundi) |
| 26 June 2024 COSAFA Cup | South Africa  | 1–1 | Mozambique | Gqeberha, South Africa |
| 18:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
| 29 June 2024 COSAFA Cup | Mozambique | 0–0 |  Eswatini | Gqeberha, South Africa |
| 12:00 | Report | Stadium: Isaac Wolfson Stadium |
| 2 July 2024 COSAFA Cup | Mozambique | 3–1 | Botswana | Gqeberha, South Africa |
| 15:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Isaac Wolfson Stadium |
| 5 July 2024 COSAFA Cup Semi-final | Mozambique | 0–0 (2–4 p) |  Namibia | Gqeberha, South Africa |
| 18:00 | Report | Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| 7 July 2024 COSAFA Cup 3rd | Comoros  | 2–2 (1–3 p) | Mozambique | Gqeberha, South Africa |
| 14:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | |
| Penalties | ||||
Coaching history
edit
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
editCurrent squad
editThe following players were called up for the 2025 AFCON qualification matches against Eswatini on 11 and 14 October 2024.[6]
Caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2024, after the match against Eswatini.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Ernani | 9 July 1998 | 33 | 0 | Songo
| |
| GK | Ivane Urrubal | 1 March 1997 | 11 | 0 | Black Bulls
| |
| GK | Fazito | 9 June 2003 | 3 | 0 | Ferroviário de Nampula
| |
| DF | Reinildo Mandava | 21 January 1994 | 46 | 4 |  Atlético Madrid
| |
| DF | Nené | 15 November 1996 | 35 | 1 | Black Bulls
| |
| DF | Nanani | 8 February 1996 | 30 | 0 | Songo
| |
| DF | Martinho Thauzene | 27 September 1999 | 29 | 1 |  AVS
| |
| DF | Bruno Langa | 31 October 1997 | 29 | 1 | Almería
| |
| DF | Domingos Macandza | 17 June 1998 | 24 | 0 | Costa do Sol
| |
| DF | David Malembana | 11 October 1995 | 10 | 0 |  Noah
| |
| DF | Chamboco | 15 June 1998 | 3 | 0 | Black Bulls
| |
| MF | Shaquille | 24 November 1997 | 41 | 0 | Ferroviário Maputo
| |
| MF | Amadú | 12 March 1996 | 32 | 0 |  Namungo
| |
| MF | João Bonde | 9 January 1997 | 15 | 0 | Ferroviário Beira
| |
| MF | Alfons Amade | 12 November 1999 | 8 | 2 |  Oostende
| |
| MF | Ali Abudo | 3 February 1999 | 5 | 1 | Costa do Sol
| |
| MF | Pepo Santos | 24 March 1994 | 5 | 0 | Caldas
| |
| MF | Jonathan Muiomo | 28 January 1999 | 5 | 1 |  SSVg Velbert
| |
| FW | Domingues | 13 November 1983 | 115 | 16 | Songo
| |
| FW | Clésio | 11 October 1994 | 54 | 10 |  Gabala
| |
| FW | Witi | 26 August 1996 | 44 | 4 | Nacional
| |
| FW | Gildo | 31 January 1995 | 44 | 3 | Covilhã
| |
| FW | Stanley Ratifo | 5 December 1994 | 38 | 7 | 1. CfR Pforzheim
| |
| FW | Geny Catamo | 26 January 2001 | 30 | 9 | Sporting CP
| |
| FW | Elias Macamo | 14 January 1994 | 8 | 1 | Nacala
| |
Recent call-ups
editThe following players have been called up for Mozambique in the last 12 months.
Records
edit- As of 14 October 2024[7]
- Players in bold are still active with Mozambique.
Most appearances
edit| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Domingues Pelembé | 116 | 17 | 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 |
| Nana Matola | 66 | 5 | 1988–1999 | |
| 7. | Mexer | 65 | 3 | 2007–present |
| 8. | Zainadine Júnior | 64 | 1 | 2008–present |
| 9. | Momed Hagi | 62 | 3 | 2005–2015 |
| 10. | Telinho | 61 | 4 | 2011–present |
Top goalscorers
edit| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tico-Tico | 30 | 94 | 0.32 | 1992–2010 |
| 2 | Domingues Pelembé | 17 | 116 | 0.15 | 2004–present |
| 3. | Dário Monteiro | 16 | 48 | 0.33 | 1996–2011 |
| 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 | Geny Catamo | 9 | 29 | 0.31 | 2019–present |
| Luís Miquissone | 9 | 48 | 0.19 | 2015–present | |
| Clésio | 9 | 52 | 0.17 | 2011–present | |
| 10 | Miró Lobo | 8 | 84 | 0.1 | 2004–2015 |
Competitive record
editFIFA World Cup
edit| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1930 to 1974 | Part of Portugal
|
Part of Portugal
| |||||||||||||
 1978
|
Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
| 1982
|
Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||
| 1986 and 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 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | ||||||||
 2030
|
To be determined | ||||||||||||||
 2034
| |||||||||||||||
| Total | – | 0/11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 41 | 63 | |
Africa Cup of Nations
edit| African Cup of Nations record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances:5 | Appearances: 21 | |||||||||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
 1957 |
Part of Portugal |
Part of Portugal
| ||||||||||||||
 1959
| ||||||||||||||||
 1962
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1963
| ||||||||||||||||
 1965
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1968
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1970
| ||||||||||||||||
 1972
| ||||||||||||||||
 1974
| ||||||||||||||||
 1976 |
Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | ||||||||||||||
| 1978
| ||||||||||||||||
 1980 |
Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
 1982 |
Did not qualify | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 8 | |||||||||
 1984 |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 1986 |
Group stage | 8th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | Squad | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | |
| 1988 |
Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||
| 1990 |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||
 1992 |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 1994 |
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 1996 |
Group stage | 14th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | Squad | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 8 | |
 1998 |
16th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | Squad | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | ||
| 2000 |
Did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | |||||||||
 2002 |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
 2004 |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||||||||||
| 2006 |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 2008 |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | ||||||||||
 2010 |
Group stage | 15th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Squad | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 10 | |
  2012 |
Did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |||||||||
| 2013 |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 2015 |
10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 2017 |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 2019 |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||
 2021 |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 2023 |
Group stage | 21st | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | Squad | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | |
| 2025 |
to be determined | to be determined | ||||||||||||||
  2027
| ||||||||||||||||
 2029
|
||||||||||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 5/36 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 33 | — | 114 | 41 | 33 | 40 | 130 | 140 | |
African Nations Championship
edit| African Nations Championship record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 2 | ||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
| 2009 |
Did not qualify | |||||||
 2011
| ||||||||
| 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
editHonours
editRegional
editReferences
edit- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "Matine takes over from Xavier as new Mozambique coach". 2021. ISBN 9781961443174. 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.
- ^ "Lista de Convocados de Chiquinho". 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
edit
- Federação Moçambicana de Futebol (in Portuguese) (archived 21 June 2015)
- Mozambique at CAF
- Mozambique at FIFA
- National football team picture
