The Central African Republic national football team, known as "Les Fauves" (The Wild Beasts), represents the Central African Republic in international soccer competitions. The team is managed by the Central African Football Federation. The Central African Republic national football team (French: Équipe de République centrafricaine de football), nicknamed Les Fauves, is the national team of the Central African Republic and is controlled by the Central African Football Federation. They are a member of CAF.
The team's colors are typically a vibrant mix of blue, yellow, and red, reflecting the national flag. The players are known for their resilience and determination on the field, often showcasing a blend of skillful play and physicality.
The team has participated in various regional tournaments, including the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the African Nations Championship (CHAN), where they have sought to make their mark against some of the continent's strongest teams.
Despite being traditionally one of the weakest teams in Africa and the world, they have had some success.
Even today, the Central African Republic is embroiled in a brutal civil war that has been fought since December 2012. Unfortunately, this lack of development is also portrayed in the country’s football team and domestic leagues, which are both regarded as one of the lower-ranked on the continent, especially its domestic league.
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The team first played in 1956 under the name Ubangi-Shari against French Cameroon.
Their first official match was in 1961 at the Friendship Games in Ivory Coast. They tied two games against Upper Volta and Liberia.
The Central African Republic entered the 1974 African Cup of Nations qualification for the first time. They moved forward because Gabon pulled out. But then, they were knocked out by Ivory Coast after a total score of 5-4. The second game had to be replayed in Lagos after arguments between players.
They took part in 1984 UDEAC Cup where they qualified to the knock-out rounds on goal-difference over Equatorial Guinea but were then heavily beaten by Cameroon 7-1 before beating Gabon on penalties to finish third. However in the 1988 UDEAC Cup, Gabon would get their revenge, beating Central African Republic in the semi-finals.
The next year, the Central African Republic hosted the 1989 UDEAC Cup.
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During the 1990s, Central African Republic played very few international games. They pulled out of the 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification without playing a single match. They returned to competition in the UNIFAC Cup in 1999.
Central African Republic participated in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers for the first time, losing in the first round to Zimbabwe.
In 2009, Central African Republic hosted the 2009 CEMAC Cup where they defeated Equatorial Guinea 3-0 in the final, with goals from Salif Kéïta and a brace from Hilaire Momi to claim their first trophy.
They won the 2009 CEMAC Cup by beating Gabon in the semi-finals and Equatorial Guinea in the final 3-0.
During the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Central African Republic achieved a historic 2-0 home victory over the top seeded Algeria, a team that had recently competed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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On 10 October 2010, they earned a shock 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win at home against Algeria 2-0, which put them top of their qualification group.
In July 2011, they climbed to 89th place in the FIFA world rankings, having occupied 202nd place as recently as August 2010.
On 2 June 2012, they obtained their first victory in World Cup qualification, beating Botswana 2-0 at home.
Despite that positive result, Central African Republic finished bottom of their group.
On 15 June 2012, despite being reduced to ten men, they achieved another impressive victory, beating Egypt 3-2 in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, inflicting the first home defeat on the Egyptians in AFCON qualifiers since 1965.
With a 1-1 tie at home in the second game, the Central African Republic knocked out Egypt.
On March 30, 2021, in their last group stage match for the Africa Cup of Nations qualification, the Central African Republic lost 1-0 at home to Mauritania. This meant they finished last in their group.
One of the Central African Republic’s best results in recent times was the surprising and shocking 1-0 away victory at Nigeria in October 2021 during the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign. Despite the Super Eagles having a collection of stars such as Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Moses Simon in their starting eleven, a lackluster performance meant they were dispatched by a 90th-minute winner from substitute forward Karl Namnganda to give Les Fauves, ranked 124th in the FIFA World Rankings at the time, a memorable victory in Lagos.
It was the first time that Nigeria had lost at home in the qualifying stages in nearly 40 years, with their last qualifying defeat coming in October 1981, when they lost 2-0 to Algeria in Lagos. It would also be Central African Republic’s second-ever victory in the history of their World Cup qualifiers, and their first away victory, which made the win all the sweeter.
The victory would be CAR’s first away victory in a competitive fixture since 2012, when they achieved another surprise by beating Egypt 3-2 in the first leg of the First Round of 2013 AFCON qualifying. A brace from forward Hilaire Momi, and the crucial third goal from winger David Man...
On June 17, 2023, the Central African Republic needed a win at home against Angola on matchday 5 of the qualifications to secure their first ever participation in the Africa Cup of Nations; however, the match ended in a 2-1 defeat and a drop to third place.
In their final group match, the national team lost 2-1 to Ghana, even after leading 1-0.
In 2024, the Central African Republic played in their first tournament outside Africa. FIFA invited them to the 2024 FIFA Series matches held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Key Players
Foxi Kéthévoama
Arguably, the best-ever player in Central African football is the 35-year-old midfielder Foxi Kéthévoama who currently plays in Turkish football for the second-tier side Balıkesirspor.
Kéthévoama started his football career with Stade Centrafricaine, whom he was playing for when he made his international debut, before making the journey to European football in 2006 when he moved to Hungarian side Diósgyőri VTK. He spent a season with DVTK where he scored eight goals in 23 appearances for the side, before making a move to Újpest FC in 2007.
Kéthévoama had a successful period of three years at the Lilák by making 73 appearances and scoring 13 goals throughout his time there, and was part of the side that finished as the 2007-08 Nemzeti Bajnokság II champions before becoming the Nemzeti Bajnokság I runners-up in the following season. He continued his time in Hungary when he moved to then top-flight side Kecskeméti TE in 2010, making a further 60 appearances and scoring 18 goals in his two seasons there.
Kéthévoama’s six-year stay in Hungary came to an end in 2012 when he moved to Kazakh giants Astana initially on loan, but moving permanently in the following year. During his four years with the Blue and Yellows, he made nearly 150 appearances for the club and scored 34 goals. The 2014 season was especially successful for him as he scored 16 league goals in 25 league appearances on the way to winning that year’s league title and finishing as the league’s top goalscorer - an impressive feat for an attacking midfielder.
The attacking midfielder moved to his next country in 2015 when he first joined Gaziantep B.B. in the Turkish second-tier, but sadly found his game time limited by making just ten appearances for the club, but impressively scoring five goals during that season. Thankfully, he soon moved to his current club Balıkesirspor in time for the 2016-17 season, and has been at the club ever since competing in Turkey’s second tier. During his lengthy stay at Balkes, he has made over 130 appearances for the northwestern club and scored just 19 goals, and continues to be one of the most experienced members of the squad as they attempt to maintain their position in the TFF First League for next season.
In terms of the national team, Kéthévoama made just two appearances for Les Fauves between 2002 and 2009 before becoming an established member of the starting XI from 2010 onwards. As we have previously seen, he could be considered a player who steps up in the big games, and it’s certainly the case for some of his goals for the Wild Beasts. It would be him who would score a historic brace against Botswana in 2012 to give his country their first-ever World Cup qualifying victory in its history, and he would score a decisive goal against Egypt in the second leg of the 2013 AFCON first qualifying round tie to ensure the continental giants were shockingly knocked out by the minnows.
Geoffrey Kondogbia
The best player in the current Central African national team is their captain, the 28-year-old defensive midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia, who is considered one of the best defensive midfielders in European football.
Born in the French town of Nemours, Kondogbia started his career with Lens, where he made his senior debut in November 2010 as a 17-year-old. His performances with the Sang et Or soon attracted attention, and he made a €3m move to southern Spain to play for Sevilla for the 2012-13 season. He played 33 times for the Andalusians before making a quick return to French football by joining the revolution that was occurring in Monaco by joining the Monégasques for a reported fee of €20m.
During his two-year stay at the principality, he made 49 appearances helping them finish in the second position in Ligue 1 in his first season, before aiding them to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League the following season.
Despite making 50 appearances for the Nerazzurri, his stay in Italian football would also be a brief period of time, and was soon on the move again, this time returning to Spanish football and joining Valencia, initially on loan for the whole of the 2017-18 season, before the move was made permanent in summer 2018. During his three-year stay with Los Murciélagos, he made 82 appearances and scored six goals, becoming one of Valencia’s main defensive lynchpins in their midfield, and helping them win the 2018-19 Copa del Ray by playing in the final as a second-half substitute.
As we have seen with his career, Kondogbia hasn’t stayed at clubs for too long as he soon moved to his current club, Atlético Madrid in November 2020, helping Atléti overcome the challenges of Real Madrid, Barcelona, and former club Sevilla to lift the 2020-21 La Liga trophy.
As mentioned previously, Kondogbia was born in France and spent most of his career playing various French national sides. He has played for France at all levels of the youth set-up, including being part of the famous U20 side that won the 2013 U20 World Cup, a side that included such well-known players like Paul Pogba, Samuel Umtiti, Kurt Zouma, and Lucas Digne. Kondogbia would contribute two goals throughout the tournament; one against Ghana in the opening group game, and one goal against Turkey in the Round of 16 match, and subsequently play in the final win against Uruguay.
He later made his senior debut for France as a 20-year-old substitute in a friendly game against Belgium, and made another further four friendly appearances for Les Bleus. However, despite making 57 appearances for France across all youth levels and earning five caps for the senior team, Kondogbia was still eligible for his parents’ country of Central African Republic because his senior appearances had not been competitive fixtures. After being overlooked for a call-up by France for three years, he switched his international allegiance in 2018 to CAR and made his international debut in the October of the same year in a 2019 AFCON qualifier against Côte d’Ivoire which formally confirmed him to the Central African Republic.
Talented Young Players
There are a number of talented young Central African players that could be worth keeping an eye on in the next few years to see whether they fulfill their potential and become regular members of the national team.
- Toussaint Gombe-Fei - 20-year-old striker currently playing for Czech second-tier side MFK Vyškov. He played for the under 20s national team during the 2021 U20 AFCON tournament where he played in all four tournaments games and scored a goal against Tunisia. He made his international debut in March 2021 in an AFCON qualifier against Mauritania, and is his only senior international appearance so far.
- Isaac Ngoma - 19-year-old attacking midfielder or winger who is currently playing for AS Tempête Mocaf. Another player who starred in the 2021 U20 AFCON side, where he scored during the group stage of the competition against Burkina Faso, he made his full senior debut in June 2021 as an 18-year-old against Cabo Verde in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, and scored his first senior international goal in the reverse fixture in November. He currently has five caps with two goals, with Ngoma having scored the only goals for CAR in the past two senior internationals.
- Flory Yangao - 20-year-old right back who currently applies his trade with Olympic Real de Bangui. Yet another player of the U20 AFCON side, who played in all four tournament games, he made his senior international debut in March 2021 in the AFCON qualifier against Burundi. Since his debut, he has been ever present in the side having played in all the senior international games played in 2021 resulting in Yangao picking up ten caps by the end of the year. The country’s number one right-back!
- Séverin Tatolna - 20-year-old forward currently with Swedish side Skellefteå FF in the country’s fourth tier.
Results and Achievements
Looking at the results above, the Central African Republic’s results don’t look for good reading considering they had won only once throughout the whole of 2021. However, that away victory over Nigeria in early October can be considered as one of the country’s greatest ever results (which will be further explained in the next question), and will no doubt give a huge boost to the country’s football landscape.
However, it could be considered that the year is a transitional one with a change of management halfway through the year. Ivorian coach François Zahoui was in charge for the first eight months of the year, but was ultimately replaced with Swiss-Spanish coach Raoul Savoy who would be making his third stint as Central African manager, and was Zahoui’s predecessor. Certainly, under the management of Savoy, the results and performances seemed to have improved throughout the World Cup qualifiers, even if it didn’t stop them from finishing bottom of the qualifying group and finishing below the lowest-ranked team of Liberia, with their away defeat to the Lone Stars arguably being their worst performance in the World Cup qualifiers.
Central African Republic vs Tanzania | HIGHLIGHTS CAF CHAN | 08/16/2025 | beIN SPORTS USA
FIFA Ranking History
Their FIFA ranking rose from 202nd in August 2010 to 89th by July 2011.
Here is a summary of the Central African Republic's FIFA ranking history:
| Date | FIFA Ranking |
|---|---|
| August 2010 | 202 |
| July 2011 | 89 |
Women's National Football Team
The Central African Republic women's national football team represents the Central African Republic (CAR) in international women's football. It is governed by the Central African Football Federation. It played its first international matches in 2018 in the Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Challenges and Development
As is the case across Africa, the women's game faces numerous challenges. The Central African Football Federation, the CAR's national football association, was founded in 1961 and became a FIFA affiliate in 1964.
In the CAR, there is no national association staffer dedicated to women's football and no women on the board or in the executive committee. With assistance from FIFA, the federation developed a women's programme starting in 2000. A national competition and school competition were later introduced.
Football is one of the most popular women's sports in the CAR. There were about 200 registered youth players in the country and 200 registered senior players as of 2006. The country has a national under-20 side.
