Benin national football team
The Benin national football team (French: Équipe nationale de Football du Benin), nicknamed Les Guépards (The Cheetahs), represents Benin in men's international association football and are controlled by the Benin Football Federation. They were known as Dahomey until 1975, when the Republic of Dahomey became Benin.
| Nickname(s) | Les Guépards (The Cheetahs) Formerly: Les Ecureuils (The Squirrels) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Benin Football Federation | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Gernot Rohr | ||
| Captain | Khaled Adénon | ||
| Most caps | Stéphane Sessègnon (89) | ||
| Top scorer | Stéphane Sessègnon (24) | ||
| Home stadium | Stade de l'Amitié | ||
| FIFA code | BEN | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 97 1 (4 April 2024) | ||
| Highest | 59 (November–December 2009, April 2010) | ||
| Lowest | 165 (July 1996) | ||
| First international | |||
| Dahomey 0–1 Nigeria (Dahomey; 8 November 1959) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
| Dahomey 7–0 Mauritania (Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 27 December 1961) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| Nigeria 10–1 Dahomey (Nigeria; 28 November 1959) | |||
| Africa Cup of Nations | |||
| Appearances | 4 (first in 2004) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2019) | ||
Benin have been affiliated with FIFA since 1962 and are a member of the Confederation of African Football since 1969. They have never qualified for the World Cup, but have participated at four Africa Cups of Nations in 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2019, never placing in the top two in the group stage at all of these occasions. However, Benin has a unique record as the country is the first national team to reach the quarter-finals of an AFCON edition without gaining a single win in their AFCON history.