Ethiopia national football team
The Ethiopia national football team (Amharic: የአትዮጵያ ብሔራዊ እግር ኳስ ቡድን), nicknamed Walia, after the Walia ibex, represents Ethiopia in men's international football and is controlled by the Ethiopian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Ethiopia. The team has been representing Ethiopia in regional, continental, and international competitions since its founding in 1943. The Walias play their home games at Addis Ababa Stadium located in the capital city of Addis Ababa. They are currently ranked 150th in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings and 44th in CAF.
| Nickname(s) | ዋልያዎቹ (The Walia Ibex) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) | |||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||
| Sub-confederation | CECAFA (East & Central Africa) | |||
| Head coach | Gebremedhin Haile | |||
| Captain | Gatoch Panom | |||
| Most caps | Shimelis Bekele (81) | |||
| Top scorer | Getaneh Kebede (33) | |||
| Home stadium | Addis Ababa Stadium Bahir Dar Stadium Dire Dawa Stadium Addis Ababa National Stadium (under construction) | |||
| FIFA code | ETH | |||
| ||||
| FIFA ranking | ||||
| Current | 145 (4 April 2024) | |||
| Highest | 86 (September 2006) | |||
| Lowest | 155 (December 2001) | |||
| First international | ||||
| French Somaliland 0–5 Ethiopia (French Somaliland; 5 December 1947) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
| Ethiopia 10–2 French Somaliland (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 1 May 1954) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
| Iraq 13–0 Ethiopia (Irbid, Jordan; 18 August 1992) | ||||
| Africa Cup of Nations | ||||
| Appearances | 11 (first in 1957) | |||
| Best result | Champions (1962) | |||
Ethiopia was one of only three teams (along with Egypt and Sudan) to participate in the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations in 1957. It won the competition in 1962, while it was also the host. However, success has been elusive since the end of the 1960s. Under coach Sewnet Bishaw, the team qualified for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations after a 31-year absence.