Gabon national football team

1960s

Gabon made their debut on 13 April 1960 by entering the first Friendship Games (Jeux de L'Amitié) tournament, created for French-speaking African countries (a precursor to the modern African Games), held in Antananarivo, Madagascar. In the First Round they were drawn against Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), who were also making their debut, and lost 5–4, despite leading 3–2 at half-time.^[2][3][4] They did not play another match for over a year and a half, until the next time the tournament was staged, in December 1961 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.^[2] They were drawn in Pool 3 alongside Cameroon and Senegal. Gabon began the tournament with a 3–2 defeat to Senegal on Christmas Day, before being thrashed 6–0 by Cameroon on Boxing Day, finishing bottom of their group.^[5] A few months after the tournament, the Gabonese Football Federation (Federation Gabonaise de Football) was formed to officially oversee the development of the national team and the domestic game.^[6] The new association would not have to wait long for their first win, as in their very next match on 14 July 1962 they defeated the Congo 3–1 in their first match on home soil. They played two more matches in 1962, a 1–1 home draw with Cameroon on 20 August, a vast improvement over their previous meeting, and a 3–1 away defeat to the Congo on 16 September, before entering the third and final Friendship Games held in April 1963 in Dakar, Senegal.^[2] They were drawn in Group C, along with British Gambia, the France amateur team, and Upper Volta. They opened on 12 April with a strong 4–0 win over Upper Volta, but were comfortably beaten 3–0 by the French amateurs two days later. They drew their final game 2–2 with British Gambia on 16 April and finished second in the group, a marked improvement over their previous two appearances at the tournament; however only the group winners progressed and therefore Gabon were eliminated.^[7] A few months later, Gabon entered qualification for the 1966 FIFA World Cup held in England. However, on 8 October 1964 they withdrew from the competition, along with all the other African entrants, in protest at FIFA's decision to only award one finals place to all of Africa, Asia and Oceania.^[8][9]

As a result of this boycott, Gabon did not play another match for over two years until August 1965, when they hosted a friendly double-header against Nigeria, drawing 2–2 on 28 August and losing 4–1 the next day. At the 35th FIFA Congress held in London, England on 6 July 1966, Gabon were officially admitted as full members of FIFA.^[6] They played their next match on 2 December 1966 when they suffered a 4–3 defeat against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, before playing them again on 4 January 1967 at home, this time winning 1–0. They played one more friendly, a 3–0 home defeat to the Ivory Coast on 28 March, before entering qualification for the 1968 Olympic football tournament, held in Mexico.^[10] In the First Round, they were drawn against Guinea with whom they drew the first leg 0–0 at home on 18 June, before being routed in the second leg 6–1, on 9 July.^[11] In 1967, they also became full members of CAF.^[12] Following on from the Olympic qualifiers, Gabon did not play another match for over two years until they travelled to Dahomey (now Benin) on 24 August 1969 to play a friendly, which they lost 1–0.^[10]

1970s

Gabon then did not play for over a year, before entering qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time. Their attempt to qualify for the 1972 tournament held in Cameroon fell at the first hurdle however, as they were drawn against Ivory Coast in the First Round. They lost the first leg at home 2–1 on 8 November 1970, and were defeated 1–0 away two weeks later.^[10] Gabon then entered qualification for the 1972 Olympic football tournament held in West Germany. In the First Round they were drawn against Cameroon. Having lost the first leg 3–2 in Libreville on 30 May 1971, Gabon forfeited the tie as they did not travel to Yaoundé to contest the return leg.^[13] Following this ignominious exit, Gabon entered qualification for the 1974 FIFA World Cup held in West Germany, and were due to play Cameroon in the First Round the Summer of 1972, however they withdrew before the matches could be played.^[14] As a result of this withdrawal, they did not play another match for over a year until they entered the football tournament at the 1972 Central African Cup (a precursor to the Central African Games) held in Brazzaville, Congo. The 5-team round robin tournament included, alongside Gabon; Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Congo, and Chad. They played their first match on 16 July against the Congo, losing 3–0. Two days later they were defeated 3–1 by the Central African Republic and on 20 July they were soundly beaten by Cameroon, 4–0. However they salvaged some pride by beating Chad 1–0 in their final match on 22 July to avoid the bottom spot. Furthermore, this tournament doubled up as a qualification group for the 1973 All-Africa Games football tournament, and as Gabon did not win the group, they failed to qualify.^[15] A year later they entered qualification for the 1974 African Cup of Nations held in Egypt, and were due to play the Central African Republic in the summer of 1973, however they once again withdrew before a ball was kicked.^[16]

As a result, Gabon did not play a single match for almost 4 years until they thrashed São Tomé and Príncipe 6–1 at home in a friendly in May 1976, which was São Tomé and Príncipe's first international match.^[17] A few weeks later Gabon hosted the inaugural Central African Games. In the football tournament, they were drawn into Group B alongside Burundi, Cameroon and Rwanda. They played their opening match on 28 June, registering a convincing 4–1 win over Burundi. Then, on 1 July they played out a 1–1 draw against Zaire who had travelled to Gabon to play each team in Group B in a friendly capacity, and had not entered the competition proper. On 5 July Gabon gained another impressive victory, beating Rwanda 3–0. In their final group game on 7 July they held neighbours Cameroon to creditable 0–0 draw, thus securing 2nd place (having only missed out on the top spot via goal difference) and qualification for the semi-finals. On 9 July they faced Group A winners the Congo, and were narrowly beaten 1–0. However, two days later they managed to clinch 3rd place with a 3–1 victory of the Central African Republic, to put the seal on an impressive performance in their own tournament.^[18] A year later, Gabon entered qualification for the 1978 African Cup of Nations held in Ghana. After being given a bye in the First Round, they were drawn against the Congo in the Second. They lost the first leg away 3–2 on 17 July 1977, and drew the second at home 3–3 on 31 July, losing 6–5 on aggregate.^[19] Later that year, they entered a qualification tournament for the football competition at the 1978 All-Africa Games held in Algiers, Algeria. The qualification tournament for their zone, which was held in Cameroon, consisted of 2 groups, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the semi-finals. In Gabon's group (B) were Burundi, the Congo and Equatorial Guinea. They beat Equatorial Guinea 2–0 in their opening match on Christmas Eve, defeated the Congo 1–0 on Boxing Day and beat Burundi 2–0 two days later. With 3 wins out of 3, they topped their group and faced Group A runners-up Chad in the semi-finals to whom they lost 3–1 on New Year's Eve, and therefore failed to qualify, as only the tournament winner went to the finals.^[20] A few months later in February 1978, they hosted a friendly against Nigeria, which they lost 1–0. In January 1979, they registered a 2–2 away draw against Rwanda, before defeating Ivory Coast 2–1 at home in April.

2010s

In the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, Gabon upset Cameroon 1–0 and had a good chance of progressing to the quarter-finals after a scoreless draw against Tunisia. However, Gabon lost 2–1 to Zambia as it finished in its group with a three-way tie with Zambia and Cameroon. Gabon only scored twice in the group stage and were eliminated on the goals scored tiebreaker. In 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, Gabon co-hosted the tournament as it won their group matches: 2–0 against Niger, 3–2 against Morocco, and 1–0 against Tunisia. The second match saw Gabon qualify for its first quarter-final since 1996 in the most dramatic circumstances. Gabon had come back to lead 2–1 only for Morocco to tie the match in early stoppage time. However, on the final play of the game, Gabon scored in the eighth minute of stoppage time, from a direct free kick. Eventually, Gabon lost 5–4 in penalties (1–1 a.e.t) in the quarterfinal against Mali, after a penalty missed by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had scored three goals in the tournament.

Gabon began its 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign in the second round in Group E as it was drawn with Niger, Burkina Faso, and Congo. Despite opening its campaign with a scoreless draw against Niger, Gabon lost 3–0 due to having fielded ineligible player Charly Moussono. After four qualifiers, Gabon scored only one goal, but thanks to an Aubameyang hat-trick on 15 June 2013, Gabon stayed in contention for a play-off berth with a 4–1 victory over Niger. However, Burkina Faso eliminated Gabon in the final qualifier with the 1–0 result as Gabon finished third in its group.

For the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Gabon was drawn to qualify against Togo. Even though Daniel Cousin scored in each leg against Togo, Gabon missed out on the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations as it lost 3–2 on aggregate. A year later, Gabon played six qualifiers for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations as it was drawn with Burkina Faso, Angola and Lesotho. Despite a stunning 1–1 result in Lesotho in qualifying, Gabon finished ahead of Burkina Faso to top the group as it qualified for the tournament with a game to spare in Angola. In January 2015, Gabon was drawn along with Burkina Faso, Congo and Equatorial Guinea. However, its 2–0 victory on the opening day of the tournament were all the points Gabon achieved during the tournament as it suffered a shocking exit in the group stage.

2020s

Following a group stage exit at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations where Gabon lost all three matches, the Gabonese government took the extraordinary step of suspending the national team.^[21] Additionally, Gabon's sports minister Simplice-Desire Mamboula sacked head coach Thierry Mouyouma and banned both team captain Bruno Ecuele Manga and second all-time top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.^[21]

Kit sponsorship

More information Kit providers, Period ...

Kit providers	Period
Airness	2006–2011
Puma	2012–2016
Adidas	2017–2018
Kappa	2019–2023
Puma	2024–

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2025

Niger  v  Gabon

6 June Friendly	Niger	4–3	Gabon	Niamey, Niger
15:00 UTC+1	Sosah 4' Oumarou 44' Sako 52' Djibrilla 66'	[citation needed]	Allevinah 16' Poko 71' Kanga 78'	Stadium: Stade Général Seyni Kountché

Gabon  v  Guinea-Bissau

9 June Friendly	Gabon	2–0	Guinea-Bissau	Libreville, Gabon
15:00 UTC+1	Aboghe 25' Meyo 90+4'	[citation needed]		Stadium: Stade Omar Niga

Seychelles  v  Gabon

3 September 2026 World Cup qualification	Seychelles	0–4	Gabon	Saint Pierre, Mauritius
17:00 UTC+4		(FIFA) (CAF)	Bouanga 4', 34', 38' M'Bemba 89'	Stadium: Côte d'Or National Sports Complex Referee: Jean Ouattara (Burkina Faso)

Gabon  v  Ivory Coast

9 September 2026 World Cup qualification	Gabon	0–0	Ivory Coast	Franceville, Gabon
20:00 UTC+1		(FIFA)		Stadium: Stade de Franceville

Gambia  v  Gabon

10 October 2026 World Cup qualification	Gambia	3–4	Gabon	Nairobi, Kenya
16:00 UTC+3	Minteh 23' Sidibeh 45+2', 47'	Report	Aubameyang 20', 42', 62', 76'	Stadium: Moi International Sports Centre Referee: Joseph Ogabor (Nigeria)

Gabon  v  Burundi

14 October 2026 World Cup qualification	Gabon	2–0	Burundi	Franceville, Gabon
20:00 UTC+1	Meyo 86' Lemina 90+1'	Report		Stadium: Stade de Franceville Referee: Aklesso Gnama (Togo)

Nigeria  v  Gabon

13 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Nigeria	4–1 (a.e.t.)	Gabon	Rabat, Morocco
	Adams 78' Ejuke 97' Osimhen 102', 109'	Report	M. Lemina 89'	Stadium: Moulay Hassan Stadium Referee: Abongile Tom (South Africa)

Cameroon  v  Gabon

24 December 2025 AFCON GS	Cameroon	1–0	Gabon	Agadir, Morocco
21:00 UTC+1	Etta Eyong 6'	Report		Stadium: Adrar Stadium Referee: Amin Mohamed Omar (Egypt)

Gabon  v  Mozambique

28 December 2025 AFCON GS	Gabon	2–3	Mozambique	Agadir, Morocco
13:30 UTC+1	Aubameyang 45+5' Moussounda 76'	Report	Bangal 37' Catamo 42' (pen.) Calila 52'	Stadium: Adrar Stadium Referee: Mehrez Melki (Tunisia)

Gabon  v  Ivory Coast

31 December 2025 AFCON GS	Gabon	2–3	Ivory Coast	Marrakesh, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1	Kanga 11' Bouanga 21'	Report	Krasso 44' Guessand 84' Touré 90+1'	Stadium: Marrakesh Stadium Referee: Omar Artan (Somalia)

2026

Uzbekistan  v  Gabon

27 March 2026 FIFA Series	Uzbekistan	3–1	Gabon	Tashkent, Uzbekistan
19:00 UTC+5	Shomurodov 14' Urozov 59' Odilov 90+4'	Report	Averlant 6'	Stadium: Milliy Stadium Referee: Abdullo Davlatov (Tajikistan)

Gabon  v  Trinidad and Tobago

30 March 2026 FIFA Series	Gabon	2–2 (3–2 p)	Trinidad and Tobago	Tashkent, Uzbekistan
15:00 UTC+5	Nzé Bagnama  25'  56' Kanga 33' Essang-Matouti 54'	Report	L. Garcia 53', 90'	Stadium: Pakhtakor Central Stadium Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
	Penalties
	Kanga Lemina Obiang Mbemba Mboula		Cardines Rochford Powder Moore L. Garcia

Gabon  v  Morocco

TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers	Gabon	v	Morocco	TBD, Gabon
TBD				Stadium: TBD

Morocco  v  Gabon

TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers	Morocco	v	Gabon	TBD, Morocco
TBD				Stadium: TBD

Gabon  v  Niger

TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers	Gabon	v	Niger	TBD, Gabon
TBD				Stadium: TBD

Niger  v  Gabon

TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers	Niger	v	Gabon	TBD, Niger
TBD				Stadium: TBD

Gabon  v  Lesotho

TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers	Gabon	v	Lesotho	TBD, Gabon
TBD				Stadium: TBD

Lesotho  v  Gabon

TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers	Lesotho	v	Gabon	TBD, Lesotho
TBD				Stadium: TBD

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Current squad

The following players were called up to the national team squad for the 2026 FIFA Series matches against Uzbekistan as well as Trinidad and Tobago on 27 and 30 March 2026, respectively.^[22][23]

Caps and goals are correct as of 31 December 2025, following the match against the Ivory Coast national team.

More information No., Pos. ...

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	François Bekale	(2002-02-15) 15 February 2002 (age 24)	2	0	Hafia
23	1GK	Loyce Mbaba	(1998-05-04) 4 May 1998 (age 28)	16	0	Stella Club
3	2DF	Oumar Bagnama	(2001-05-19) 19 May 2001 (age 25)	0	0	Mangasport
5	2DF	Alex Moucketou-Moussounda	(2000-10-10) 10 October 2000 (age 25)	29	2	Hapoel Petah Tikva
6	2DF	Johann Obiang	(1993-07-05) 5 July 1993 (age 33)	50	0	Orléans
13	2DF	Mick Omfia	(2000-12-10) 10 December 2000 (age 25)	10	0	Sétif
14	2DF	Urie-Michel Mboula	(2003-04-30) 30 April 2003 (age 23)	9	0	Metz
16	2DF	Yannis M'Bemba	(2006-05-10) 10 May 2006 (age 20)	4	1	Dordrecht
18	2DF	Farhel Owanga	(2005-12-31) 31 December 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Mangasport
21	2DF	Jérémy Oyono	(2001-04-12) 12 April 2001 (age 25)	13	0	Frosinone
8	3MF	Clench Loufilou	(1999-04-12) 12 April 1999 (age 27)	16	0	Al-Minaa
9	3MF	Noha Lemina	(2005-06-17) 17 June 2005 (age 21)	5	0	Yverdon-Sport
11	3MF	Meshak Babanzila	(2001-06-11) 11 June 2001 (age 25)	1	0	CE Europa
12	3MF	Guélor Kanga	(1990-08-01) 1 August 1990 (age 36)	77	6	Esenler Erokspor
15	3MF	Samaké Nzé Bagnama	(2002-06-28) 28 June 2002 (age 24)	6	0	Stade d'Abidjan
17	3MF	André Poko	(1993-03-07) 7 March 1993 (age 33)	82	4	Sarıyer
22	3MF	Didier Ndong	(1994-06-17) 17 June 1994 (age 32)	53	1	Unattached
25	3MF	Eric Bocoum	(1996-03-10) 10 March 1996 (age 30)	9	0	Gol Gohar Sirjan
27	3MF	Teddy Averlant	(1999-10-02) 2 October 1999 (age 26)	6	0	Amiens
39	3MF	Ben Jorcy Kabinambele	(2005-08-09) 9 August 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Mangasport
7	4FW	David Sambissa	(1996-01-11) 11 January 1996 (age 30)	20	0	İstanbulspor
10	4FW	Shavy Babicka	(2000-06-01) 1 June 2000 (age 26)	20	3	Fatih Karagümrük
24	4FW	Randy Essang-Matouti	(2003-07-25) 25 July 2003 (age 23)	4	0	USM Khenchela

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Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up for Gabon in the last twelve months.

More information Pos., Player ...

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Lukas Mounguenou	(2008-06-11) 11 June 2008 (age 18)	0	0	PSG Academy	v.  Nigeria, 13 November 2025
DF	Yannis M'Bemba	(2001-07-01) 1 July 2001 (age 25)	4	1	Dordrecht	v.  Nigeria, 13 November 2025
MF	Noha Lemina	(2005-06-17) 17 June 2005 (age 21)	5	0	Yverdon-Sport	v.  Nigeria, 13 November 2025
FW	Alan Do Marcolino	(2002-03-19) 19 March 2002 (age 24)	10	1	Lusitânia	v.  Nigeria, 13 November 2025
FW	Bryan Meyo	(2006-01-31) 31 January 2006 (age 20)	4	2	Lyon II	v.  Nigeria, 13 November 2025
FW	David Sambissa	(1996-01-11) 11 January 1996 (age 30)	19	0	İstanbulspor	v.  Ivory Coast, 9 September 2025
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.

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Most appearances

Top goalscorers

FIFA World Cup

More information FIFA World Cup record, Qualification record ...

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1958	Part of  France									Part of  France
1962	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1966	Withdrew									Withdrew
1970	Did not enter									Did not enter
1974	Withdrew									Withdrew
1978 to 1986	Did not enter									Did not enter
1990	Did not qualify									6	2	0	4	5	9
1994										4	2	1	1	7	5
1998										7	2	1	4	4	11
2002										2	1	0	1	1	2
2006										12	3	5	4	15	14
2010										12	7	0	5	17	10
2014										6	2	1	3	5	6
2018										8	2	3	3	3	8
2022										6	2	1	3	7	8
2026										11	8	1	2	23	13
2030	To be determined
2034
Total	—	0/15	–	–	–	–	–	–		74	31	13	30	87	86

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Africa Cup of Nations

More information Africa Cup of Nations record, Qualification record ...

Africa Cup of Nations record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of  France									Part of  France
1959
1962	Not affiliated with CAF									Not affiliated with CAF
1963
1965
1968
1970	Did not enter									Did not enter
1972	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	3
1974	Withdrew									Withdrew
1976	Did not enter									Did not enter
1978	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	5	6
1980	Did not enter									Did not enter
1982	Withdrew									Withdrew
1984	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	2	6
1986										2	0	1	1	1	3
1988										2	1	0	1	1	1
1990										6	3	0	3	6	6
1992										6	2	3	1	3	2
1994	Group stage	12th	2	0	0	2	0	7		6	4	2	0	10	2
1996	Quarter-finals	7th	3	1	1	1	4	3		4	3	0	1	8	2
1998	Did not qualify									6	1	4	1	5	5
2000	Group stage	16th	3	0	1	2	2	6		8	5	1	2	15	10
2002	Did not qualify									8	3	3	2	13	10
2004										6	2	0	4	7	7
2006										12	3	5	4	15	14
2008										4	2	1	1	6	5
2010	Group stage	10th	3	1	1	1	2	2		6	4	0	2	8	3
2012	Quarter-finals	5th	4	3	1	0	7	3		Qualified as hosts
2013	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	2	3
2015	Group stage	12th	3	1	0	2	2	3		6	3	3	0	9	4
2017		9th	3	0	3	0	2	2		Qualified as host
2019	Did not qualify									6	2	2	2	7	5
2021	Round of 16	12th	4	1	3	0	5	4		6	3	1	2	8	6
2023	Did not qualify									6	2	1	3	3	5
2025	Group stage	22nd	3	0	0	3	4	7		6	3	1	2	7	9
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2028
2032
2036
Total	Quarter-finals	9/35	28	7	10	11	28	37		116	43	30	43	135	108

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African Nations Championship

• 2009 – Did not qualify
• 2011 – Group stage
• 2014 – Quarter-finals
• 2016 – Group stage
• 2018 – Withdrew
• 2020 – Banned^[25]
• 2022 – Did not enter

Regional

• CEMAC Cup
  • Champions (1): 2013
  • Runners-up (1): 2007
  • Third place (2): 2005, 2006
• UDEAC Cup
  • Champions (2): 1985, 1988
  • Third place (2): 1987, 1989
• UNIFAC Cup
  • Champions (1): 1999
• Central African Games
  • Bronze medal (2): 1976, 1981