The Ethiopia national football team, nicknamed Walia after the Walia ibex, represents Ethiopia in men's international football. This article delves into the history, achievements, and recent performances of the Ethiopian national football team, also known as Walia.
The team is controlled by the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF), the governing body for football in Ethiopia. The Walias play their home games at Addis Ababa Stadium in the capital city of Addis Ababa.
This article contains several patronymic names rather than family names. Ethiopia has a long football tradition and was among the pioneers of international competition in Africa, playing its first international match in 1947, defeating French Somaliland 5-0.
Early History and Achievements
Ethiopia was one of only three teams (along with Egypt and Sudan) to participate in the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations in 1957. The EFF joined FIFA in 1952 and was one of the founders of the Confederation of African Football in 1957. The team took part in the inaugural African Nations Cup in 1957, where it finished second.
The Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) was founded in 1943. In 1944 the first Ethiopian Championship was held in Addis Abeba under Haile Selassie rule, with 5 teams representing the various communities in the capital conquered by the Allies.
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In 1959, Ethiopia entered the 1962 World Cup qualifiers for the first time and faced Israel in the second round after a bye.
They even won the competition in 1962 when they hosted it. The team won the African tournament on home soil, in 1962. Nine countries entered the competition, including the reigning champions, the United Arab Republic, meaning for the first time a qualification tournament was required.
As with previous tournaments, the finals only included four teams. The United Arab Republic, as holders, and Ethiopia as hosts, qualified automatically meaning each needed to play only one game to reach the final. Ethiopia won the tournament for the first time after extra time in the final against the United Arab Republic.
This was the greatest feat ever achieved by the Ethiopian National team, and the only African Cup of Nations title it has ever won. Mengistu Worku and Badawi Abdel Fattah were joint top-scorers, both with three goals each, but the award itself was given to Worku because his team had won the title.
Subsequent Tournaments and Challenges
Africa Cup of Nations
The next African Cup of Nations was the 1968 edition. The team finished in fourth place after losing to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the semi-finals, and losing the third place match to Ivory Coast 0−1. But two years later, the team went through a real disaster, as they finished at the bottom of the group phase, with a goal difference of 3-12.
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Ethiopia hosted the Nations Cup tournament in 1976, but failed to progress to the final four, finishing third in the group, behind Guinea and Egypt. They also missed the 1980 African Cup of Nations. Until 2013, Ethiopia last qualified for the tournament in 1982, under coach Mengistu Worku, legendary former player.
CECAFA Cup
Ethiopia are also members of the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) and take part in its competitions.
In the 2002 CECAFA Cup, Ethiopia failed to qualify past the group stage of the competition; they lost all four of their games against Zanzibar, Uganda, Somalia, and Rwanda. In 2003 CECAFA Cup, Ethiopia withdrew just before the start of the tournament.
The next challenge was the 2004 CECAFA Cup in Addis Ababa. After defeating Burundi, tying with Rwanda and beating Tanzania, and Zanzibar, the team advanced to the semi-finals for the first time since 2001.
The Ethiopian national team was the champion of the same CECAFA Cup competition again in 2005, in Kigali, Rwanda.
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The Ethiopian team did not fare as well in the next three appearances at the CECAFA Cup. At the 2006 CECAFA Cup in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia lost to Tanzania but beat Djibouti and Malawi in the group stage to advance to the quarterfinals against Zambia. They lost 0-1 with a very late goal by Zambia's Jonas Sakuwaha in the 87th minute of the game.
In July 2008, a FIFA Emergency Committee decided to suspend the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) due to their failure to comply with the road map to normalize the federation agreed upon in February 2008 by FIFA, CAF and EFF. On 12 September 2008, FIFA excluded the Ethiopian team from the 2010 World Cup qualifiers and the results of their matches were cancelled.
In July 2009, the EFF was reinstated after organizing the extraordinary general assembly and electing new leaders as instructed by FIFA. At the 2010 CECAFA Cup, in Tanzania, Ethiopia was in Group C with Uganda, Kenya and Malawi.
Recent Performances and Qualifications
In April 2011, the Ethiopian Football Federation fired national coach Iffy Onuora. With a 5-0 aggregate victory over Somalia, Ethiopia joined South Africa, Botswana and Central African Republic (CAR) in Group A. They beat Botswana twice, 1-0 on 22 March 2013 at home in Addis Ababa and 2-1 on 7 June in Botswana. However, the 7 June win was later awarded to Botswana by a score of 3-0 after it was discovered that Ethiopia fielded an ineligible player.
Ethiopia qualified for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations after 31 years. Ethiopia also did well in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. They reached the third round, which was their best performance ever in World Cup qualification.
Ethiopia qualified for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Recent Games
- October 12th, 2025 in Burkina Faso - World Cup qualifier: Burkina Faso 1 - 0 Ethiopia
- October 8th, 2025 in Rwanda - World Cup qualifier: Ethiopia 1 - 0 Guinea-Bissau
- September 9th, 2025 in Liberia - World Cup qualifier: Sierra Leone 2 - 0 Ethiopia
- September 5th, 2025 in Egypt - World Cup qualifier: Egypt 1 - 0 Ethiopia
- March 24th, 2025 in Morocco - World Cup qualifier: Ethiopia 1 - 1 Djibouti
- March 21st, 2025 in Morocco - World Cup qualifier: Egypt 2 - 0 Ethiopia
- November 19th, 2024 in the Dem. Rep. of Congo - Africa Cup of Nations qualifier: Dem. Rep. of Congo 1 - 2 Ethiopia
- November 16th, 2024 in the Dem. Rep. of Congo - Africa Cup of Nations qualifier: Dem. Rep.
Key Historical Games
- First international: December 5th, 1947 in French Somaliland - Friendly tournament: French Somaliland 0 - 5 Ethiopia
- First competitive game: January 29th, 1956 in Ethiopia - Olympic Games qualifier: Ethiopia 4 - 4 Egypt
- First World Cup qualifier: March 14th, 1961 in Israel - World Cup qualifier UEFA Group 7 - 2nd round: Israel 1 - 0 Ethiopia
Records and Ratings
Highest Elo rating: 1638 points on January 16th, 1968 in Ethiopia - Africa Cup of Nations Group A: Ethiopia 2 - 1 Algeria
Lowest Elo rating: 1241 points on November 16th, 2024 in the Dem. Rep.
Here’s a summary of Ethiopia's Elo ratings over time:
| Rating Type | Value | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Highest Elo rating | 1638 points | January 16th, 1968 |
| Lowest Elo rating | 1241 points | November 16th, 2024 |
Addis Ababa Stadium, the home ground of the Ethiopian national football team.
