Djibouti national football team
Men's association football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Djibouti national football team (Arabic: منتخب جيبوتي لكرة القدم, French: Équipe de football de Djibouti), nicknamed the "Sharks of the Red Sea" (Arabic: أسماك قرش البحر الأحمر, French: Requins de la Mer Rouge), is the national football team of Djibouti. It is controlled by the Djiboutian Football Federation and is a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA). The Djibouti national football team's first win in a full FIFA-sanctioned international match was a 1–0 win vs. Somalia in the first round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Requins de la Mer Rouge (Sharks of the Red Sea)
(East & Central Africa)
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| Nickname(s) | أسماك قرش البحر الأحمر Requins de la Mer Rouge (Sharks of the Red Sea) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Fédération Djiboutienne de Football (FDF) | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | CECAFA (East & Central Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Mohamed Meraneh Hassan (interim) | ||
| Captain | Mahdi Houssein Mahabeh | ||
| Most caps | Ali Youssouf Farada (39) | ||
| Top scorer | Samuel Akinbinu (10) | ||
| Home stadium | El Hadj Hassan Gouled Aptidon Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | DJI | ||
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| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 196  1 (11 June 2026)[1] | ||
| Highest | 169 (December 1994) | ||
| Lowest | 203 (April–July 2015, November 2015) | ||
| First international | |||
 French Somaliland 0–5 Ethiopia  (French Somaliland; 5 December 1947) Post-independence  Ethiopia 8–1 Djibouti  (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 27 March 1983) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Djibouti 4–1 South Yemen  (Djibouti City, Djibouti; 26 February 1988) Djibouti 3–0 Mauritius  (Djibouti City, Djibouti; 23 November 2019) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Uganda 10–1 Djibouti (Kigali, Rwanda; 9 December 2001)  Rwanda 9–0 Djibouti (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; 13 December 2007) | |||
| CECAFA Cup | |||
| Appearances | 12 (first in 1994) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2019) | ||
History
French Somaliland (1947–1960)
Djibouti played its first international match under the name French Somaliland, at home against neighbouring Ethiopia on 5 December 1947 and lost 5–0. This was also Ethiopia's debut.[2] The two played again in Djibouti on 1 June 1948 and Ethiopia won 2–1. On 1 May 1949, the fixture was played for the Emperor Cup in Ethiopia, and the host won 6–0. In 1954, Djibouti played Ethiopia three times: a 10–2 away loss on 1 May, a 2–0 home loss on 1 June and a 2–1 home loss the day after. Djibouti did not play a match again until 1960, when it entered a tournament for French-speaking countries held in Madagascar. The team lost 9–2 in the first round to Cameroon on 13 April. This was the squad's last game as French Somaliland.
Djibouti (1977–present)
After gaining independence in 1977, the team played under the name Djibouti for the first time against Ethiopia in an away match on 27 March 1983 and lost 8–1. The two played again two days later with Ethiopia again victorious, by 4–2. After a third friendly against Ethiopia, a 2–0 home defeat on 23 March 1984, Djibouti entered a tournament in Ethiopia against the host and Zimbabwe. They lost 2–0 to Ethiopia on 3 June and then 3–1 to Zimbabwe on 7 June.
Djibouti's first appearance at the CECAFA Cup, a local competition for nations in East and Central Africa, was in Kenya in 1994. These were its first matches since defeating South Yemen in 1988. The Djibouti squad lost 4–1 to the hosts on 28 November, 2–1 to Somalia on 1 December, and 3–0 to Tanzania on 3 December. Djibouti did not advance to the next round.
After the 1994 CECAFA Cup, Djibouti did not play a match until the qualification campaign for the 1998 African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso. They were drawn in a two-legged qualifier against Kenya, and lost the first leg 3–0 away on 31 July 1998. The second leg at home was lost 9–1 on 15 August and Kenya went through 12–1 on aggregate.
In 1998, Djibouti became a member of the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA). The football squad has since participated in the Arab Games, a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab World.
Djibouti entered its first ever World Cup qualification in an attempt to reach the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. In Pool D of the first round of African qualification, it was drawn against the DR Congo in a two-legged qualifying preliminary. Djibouti hosted the first leg at Stade du Ville in Djibouti on 7 April 2000, drawing the match 1–1 before a crowd of 2,700 fans.[3] The squad lost the second leg 9–1 away at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa and the DR Congo advanced 10–2 on aggregate.[4]
Djibouti has never played in the African Cup of Nations, with the team regularly withdrawing or not entering for financial reasons.
Prior to their four preliminary qualifiers in late 2019, Djibouti had 2 wins, 3 draws and 55 defeats from 60 competitive matches. However, a number of new players were called up and results finally improved. First, in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, Djibouti beat Eswatini 2–1 at home and drew 0–0 in Manzini to advance to the second round for the first time since the 2010 qualifying when they beat Somalia 1-0 (2–1 on aggregate). This was a massive improvement from the previous edition when Djibouti had also played Eswatini and lost 8–1 on aggregate. One month later, Djibouti played two 1–1 draws against Gambia in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round, only losing the tie on penalties.
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
2025
| 5 September 2026 World Cup qualification | Djibouti | 0–6 |  Burkina Faso | Bissau, Guinea-Bissau |
| 16:00 UTC+0 | Report |
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Stadium: Estádio 24 de Setembro Referee: Younoussa Tawel Camara (Guinea) |
| 8 September 2026 World Cup qualification | Guinea-Bissau  | 2–0 | Djibouti | Bissau, Guinea-Bissau |
| 16:00 UTC+0 | Report | Stadium: Estádio 24 de Setembro Referee: Aklesso Gnama (Togo) |
| 8 October 2026 World Cup qualification | Djibouti | 0–3 |  Egypt | Casablanca, Morocco |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Tanguy Mebiame (Gabon) |
| 12 October 2026 World Cup qualification | Djibouti | 1–2 |  Sierra Leone | Casablanca, Morocco |
| 20:00 UTC+1 |
|
Report |
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Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Thulani Sibandze (Eswatini) |
| 26 November 2025 FIFA Arab Cup qualification | Bahrain  | 1–0 | Djibouti | Al-Rayyan, Qatar |
| 16:00 UTC+3 | Al-Romaihi  36' |
Report | Stadium: Jassim bin Hamad Stadium Referee: Juan Gabriel Benítez (Paraguay) |
2026
| 26 March 2027 AFCON qualification | Djibouti | 0–4 |  South Sudan | Juba, South Sudan |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report |
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Stadium: Juba Stadium Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors)[5] Referee: Tewodros Mitiku (Ethiopia) |
| 29 March 2027 AFCON qualification | South Sudan | 0–1 | Djibouti | Juba, South Sudan |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report |
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Stadium: Juba Stadium Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors) Referee: Retṧelisitsoe Molise (Lesotho) |
Coaches
| Name | Nat | Period | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Bader | |
c. 1998 – Dec 2001 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0.00% |
| Ahmed Hussein | |
Oct 2007 – Dec 2007 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25.00% |
| Mohamed Abar | |
Jan 2008 – Jun 2008 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00% |
| Ahmed Abdelmonem | |
Jul 2008 – Jul 2010 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0.00% |
| Noureddine Gharsalli |  |
Oct 2011 – Jul 2016 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.00% |
| Michael Gibson[6] |  |
Jul 2016 – Apr 2017 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25.00% |
| Moussa Ghassoum |  |
Dec 2017 – Apr 2019 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.00% |
| Julien Mette | |
Apr 2019 – Oct 2021 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 23.08% |
| Mohamed Meraneh Hassan | |
Oct 2021 – Jan 2022 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 16.67% |
| Abdourahman Okie Hadi | |
Jan 2022 – present | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.00% |
Players
Current squad
The following players were selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group A matches against Burkina Faso and Ethiopia on 21 and 24 March 2025.[7]
Caps and goals are correct as of 24 March 2025, after the match against Ethiopia.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | GK | Sulait Luyima | 4 November 1993 | 10 | 0 | Arta Solar 7 |
| 12 | GK | Moktar Youssouf Said | 12 October 2004 | 1 | 0 | Dikhil |
| 1 | GK | Omar Mahamoud | 19 October 2001 | 0 | 0 | Arta Solar 7 |
| 18 | DF | Ali Youssouf Farada | 25 August 1995 | 38 | 1 | AS Port |
| 14 | DF | Yabe Siad | 12 March 1998 | 29 | 1 | Arta Solar 7 |
| 4 | DF | Moussa Hamadou Araita | 24 July 1997 | 20 | 0 | AS Port |
| 6 | DF | Moustapha Abdi Osman | 8 January 1992 | 12 | 0 | Garde Républicaine |
| 23 | DF | Ibrahim Idriss Mohamed | 14 November 2002 | 9 | 0 | ASAS Djibouti Télécom |
| 20 | DF | Yonis Kireh | 10 May 2002 | 2 | 0 |  Virginia Tech |
| 15 | DF | Ahmed Zakaria | 12 November 1998 | 2 | 0 | Gendarmerie Nationale |
| 2 | DF | Aboubaker Liban Abdi | 28 November 2000 | 0 | 0 | Unknown |
| 13 | MF | Doualeh Mahamoud Elabeh | 11 November 1991 | 34 | 1 | Arta Solar 7 |
| 5 | MF | Hamza Abdi Idleh | 16 December 1991 | 30 | 2 | Dikhil |
| 10 | MF | Warsama Hassan | 17 March 1999 | 28 | 2 |  AP Brera |
| 7 | MF | Maarouf Abass Abaneh | 8 November 2000 | 0 | 0 | Unknown |
| 16 | MF | Sadik Aden | 28 November 1999 | 0 | 0 | Unknown |
| 8 | MF | Ahemdini Ali Gohar | 0 | 0 | Unknown | |
| 11 | FW | Mahdi Houssein Mahabeh | 20 December 1995 | 32 | 7 | Arta Solar 7 |
| 17 | FW | Samuel Akinbinu | 6 June 1999 | 23 | 10 | Arta Solar 7 |
| 3 | FW | Gabriel Dadzie | 6 March 1997 | 17 | 6 |  Al Bashayer |
| 21 | FW | Ahmed Youssouf Omar | 1 September 1998 | 16 | 0 | AS Port |
| 9 | FW | Moussa Amoud Wais | 20 February 2001 | 1 | 0 | Unknown |
| 19 | FW | Mouad Amir Mahamed | 28 November 2005 | 0 | 0 | Unknown |
Recent call-ups
The following footballers were part of a national selection in the past 12 months, but are not part of the current squad.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Aboubaker Guedi | 4 September 1999 | 0 | 0 | SDC Group |
v.  Ethiopia, 9 June 2024 |
| DF | Warsama Ibrahim Aden | 12 May 1998 | 23 | 1 | AS Port |
v. Ethiopia, 9 June 2024 |
| DF | Fouad Moussa Robleh | 28 April 1993 | 15 | 1 | Arta Solar 7 |
v. Ethiopia, 9 June 2024 |
| DF | Abdillahi Elmi | 19 March 2003 | 5 | 0 | ASAS Djibouti Télécom |
v. Ethiopia, 9 June 2024 |
| DF | Djimaleh Awaleh Kayad | 20 October 1995 | 0 | 0 | Gendarmerie |
v. Ethiopia, 9 June 2024 |
| MF | Ahmed Mohamed Aden | 4 December 1990 | 9 | 0 | Arta Solar 7 |
v. Ethiopia, 9 June 2024 |
| MF | Awaleh Hoch Gedo | 18 October 2001 | 3 | 0 | Garde Républicaine FC |
v. Ethiopia, 9 June 2024 |
| MF | Ramadan Abdi Abdillahi | 18 January 1998 | 2 | 0 | ASAS Djibouti Télécom |
v. Ethiopia, 9 June 2024 |
| MF | Zakaria Abdi Mouhoumed | 23 April 2000 | 0 | 0 | SDC Group |
v. Ethiopia, 9 June 2024 |
| FW | Mahad Abdi | 11 July 1999 | 9 | 0 | Garde Républicaine FC |
v. Ethiopia, 9 June 2024 |
| FW | Moktar Hassan | 15 April 1998 | 1 | 0 | ASAS Djibouti Télécom |
v. Ethiopia, 9 June 2024 |
Player records
- As of 26 November 2025[8]
- Players in bold are still active with Djibouti.
Most appearances
| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Youssouf Farada | 41 | 1 | 2017–present |
| 2 | Doualeh Mahamoud Elabeh | 35 | 1 | 2016–present |
| 3 | Daoud Wais | 34 | 1 | 2008–2021 |
| 4 | Daher Mohamed Kadar | 33 | 1 | 2006–2017 |
| 5 | Mahdi Houssein Mahabeh | 32 | 7 | 2016–present |
| Yabe Siad | 32 | 1 | 2019–present | |
| 7 | Warsama Hassan | 31 | 2 | 2019–present |
| 8 | Hamza Abdi Idleh | 30 | 2 | 2016–present |
| 9 | Innocent Mbonihankuye | 25 | 0 | 2019–2023 |
| 10 | Samuel Akinbinu | 23 | 10 | 2021–present |
| Guedi Hassan | 23 | 0 | 2007–2016 | |
| Ibrahim Aden Warsama | 23 | 1 | 2015–present | |
Top goalscorers
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| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Akinbinu | 10 | 23 | 0.43 | 2021–present |
| 2 | Mahdi Houssein Mahabeh | 7 | 32 | 0.22 | 2016–present |
| 3 | Gabriel Dadzie | 6 | 18 | 0.33 | 2022–present |
| 4 | Abdourahman Okieh Hadi | 3 | 4 | 0.75 | 2005–2006 |
| Ahmed Daher | 3 | 13 | 0.23 | 2007–2009 | |
| 6 | Ahmed Daoud | 2 | 3 | 0.67 | 2011 |
| Arid Ahmed Mohamed | 2 | 5 | 0.4 | 1999–2000 | |
| Mohamed Liban | 2 | 17 | 0.12 | 2008–2015 | |
| Hamza Abdi Idleh | 2 | 30 | 0.07 | 2016–present | |
| Warsama Hassan | 2 | 31 | 0.06 | 2019–present | |
Competition records
FIFA World Cup
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Olympic Games
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Africa Cup of Nations
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African Games
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African Nations Championship
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CECAFA Cup
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FIFA Arab Cup
Arab Games
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