Mali national football team

Mali

Nickname(s)	Les Aigles (The Eagles)
Association	Malian Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach	Tom Saintfiet
Captain	Falaye Sacko
Most caps	Seydou Keita (102)[1]
Top scorer	Seydou Keita (25)
Home stadium	Stade du 26 Mars
FIFA code	MLI
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	54 (24 October 2024)[2]
Highest	23 (June 2013)
Lowest	117 (October 2001)
First international
Mali 4–3 Central African Republic  (Madagascar; 13 April 1960)
Biggest win
Mali 11–0 Mauritania  (Senegal; 1 October 1972)
Biggest defeat
Algeria 7–0 Mali  (Algeria; 13 November 1988)  Kuwait 8–1 Mali  (Kuwait City, Kuwait; 5 September 1997)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	13 (first in 1972)
Best result	Runners-up (1972)
African Nations Championship
Appearances	3 (first in 2011)
Best result	Runners-up (2016, 2020)

The Mali national football team (Bambara: Mali jamana ntolatantɔn, French: Équipe du Mali de football) represents Mali in men's international football and is governed by the Malian Football Federation. The team's nickname is Les Aigles. They represent the country at tournaments organized by both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

While Mali is a major youth football power in both Africa and the world, they have never qualified for any senior FIFA World Cup finals in history. They have qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations on 13 occasions.

Mali were suspended by FIFA on 17 March 2017 due to 'government interference' with the national football association, namely dissolving its executive committee.^[4] However, the side was re-instated by FIFA on 29 April after the executive committee was re-introduced by the Malian government.^[5]

Mali reached the 1972 African Nations Cup final, but lost 3–2 to Congo. They failed to qualify for the finals again until 1994 when they reached the semi-finals, an achievement repeated in 2002, 2004, 2012 and 2013.

They played their first World Cup qualifier in the year 2000. As part of the CAF's qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup, Mali lost in the preliminary round to Libya. Two years later, the country hosted the 2002 African Cup of Nations.^[6]

Mali's under-23's team managed to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece. The team coached by Cheick Kone managed to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic tournament before losing to Italy.^[7]

In the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Mali beat Guinea-Bissau in the preliminaries. In the resulting second round, Mali finished fifth in its group. On 27 March 2005, riots broke out in Bamako after Mali lost a World Cup qualifier to Togo, 2–1 on a last minute goal.^[8]

In the 2010 African Nations Cup, Mali made football headlines for coming back from losing 4–0 with eleven minutes left to level 4–4 with Angola.^[9]

Manufacturer	Period
Kappa	1998–2003
Baliston	2003–2007
Airness	2007–

The rivalry between Mali and Tunisia has been evident in recent years in terms of the number of frequent matches, especially in the Africa Cup of Nations. The two teams met for the first time on 6 January 1974, during a friendly match in Bamako, which ended with a 1–0 victory for Mali.^[10] The match between the two teams in the 1994 African Cup of Nations, which was held in Tunisia, remains one of the biggest setbacks witnessed by the Tunisian national team, as Mali won the match 2–0,^[11] which led to Tunisia's early exclusion from the tournament that was held on its soil. In recent years, the team's matches have continued, as they met in the last three consecutive editions of the African Cup of Nations 2019, 2021 and 2023, all of which were in the group stage,^[12][13] where Mali won two matches and one ended in a draw.^[14] The two teams met in the third and final round of the 2022 World Cup qualification. Two round-robin matches were played. However, Tunisia qualified for the World Cup after winning the first leg in Bamako 1–0 with an own goal from defender Moussa Sissako,^[15] and a goalless draw prevailed in the return match in Radès.^[16] This was Mali's closest chance of qualifying for the World Cup.^[17] The competition record remains with Tunisia with a slight advantage. Tunisia won 6 matches, 3 of which ended in draws, and Mali won 5 matches.

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

Position	Name
Head coach	Tom Saintfiet
Assistant coach	Alou Badra Diallo
Goalkeeper coach	Bounafou Doumbia
Fitness coaches	Riedoh Berdien Alexandre Coppolani Bougadary Sangare
Team doctor	Dr. Halidou Maiga
Video analyst	Jani Sarajärvi Gregory Verheyden
International Scouts	Alessandro Soli Robby Echelmeyer

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

The following players were called up for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Mozambique and Eswatini on 15 and 19 November 2024 respectively.^[19]

Caps and goals updated after the match against  Mozambique on 15 November 2024.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
16	1GK	Djigui Diarra	(1995-02-27) 27 February 1995 (age 29)	64	0	Young Africans
22	1GK	Youssouf Koita	(2000-08-27) 27 August 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Djoliba
1	1GK	Ismael Diawara	(1994-11-11) 11 November 1994 (age 30)	10	0	AIK
3	2DF	Amadou Dante	(2000-10-07) 7 October 2000 (age 24)	7	0	Zürich
5	2DF	Abdoulaye Diaby	(2000-07-04) 4 July 2000 (age 24)	5	0	St. Gallen
13	2DF	Fodé Doucouré	(2001-02-03) 3 February 2001 (age 23)	3	0	Red Star
15	2DF	Mamadou Fofana	(1998-01-21) 21 January 1998 (age 26)	41	1	Amiens
24	2DF	Ousmane Diallo	(1999-11-05) 5 November 1999 (age 25)	5	0	Djoliba
	2DF	Moussa Diarra	(2000-11-10) 10 November 2000 (age 24)	2	0	Alavés
6	2DF	Sikou Niakaté	(1999-07-10) 10 July 1999 (age 25)	10	1	Braga
2	2DF	Cheick Oumar Konaté	(2004-04-02) 2 April 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Clermont
4	3MF	Mamadou Sangare	(2002-06-26) 26 June 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Rapid Wien
11	3MF	Ibrahima Sissoko	(1997-10-27) 27 October 1997 (age 27)	2	0	VfL Bochum
12	3MF	Mohamed Camara	(2000-01-06) 6 January 2000 (age 24)	28	3	Al Sadd
23	3MF	Aliou Dieng	(1997-10-15) 15 October 1997 (age 27)	39	2	Al-Kholood
10	3MF	Yves Bissouma	(1996-08-30) 30 August 1996 (age 28)	37	5	Tottenham Hotspur
21	3MF	Fady Coulibaly	(2002-01-27) 27 January 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Stade Malien
7	4FW	Dorgeles Nene	(2002-12-23) 23 December 2002 (age 21)	19	3	Red Bull Salzburg
8	4FW	Kamory Doumbia	(2003-02-18) 18 February 2003 (age 21)	15	8	Brest
9	4FW	El Bilal Touré	(2001-10-03) 3 October 2001 (age 23)	21	8	VfB Stuttgart
14	4FW	Adama Traoré	(1995-06-05) 5 June 1995 (age 29)	61	9	Ferencváros
17	4FW	Mamadou Doumbia	(2006-02-18) 18 February 2006 (age 18)	2	0	Watford
18	4FW	Ibrahima Koné	(1999-06-16) 16 June 1999 (age 25)	20	13	Al-Okhdood
19	4FW	Moussa Djenepo	(1998-06-15) 15 June 1998 (age 26)	36	3	Antalyaspor
20	4FW	Sékou Koïta	(1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 (age 24)	30	4	CSKA Moscow
	4FW	Lassine Sinayoko	(1999-12-08) 8 December 1999 (age 24)	18	6	Auxerre

The following players have been called up for Mali in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mamadou Samassa	(1990-02-16) 16 February 1990 (age 34)	16	0	Laval	v.  Madagascar; 10 June 2024
GK	Bourama Kone	(2007-03-10) 10 March 2007 (age 17)	0	0	Yeelen	v.  Madagascar; 10 June 2024
GK	Aboubacar Doumbia	(1995-04-19) 19 April 1995 (age 29)	0	0	Afrique Football Élite	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
GK	Ibrahim Mounkoro	(1990-02-23) 23 February 1990 (age 34)	14	0	Mazembe	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
GK	Lassine Diarra	(2002-11-11) 11 November 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Lyon	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
GK	N'Golo Traoré	(1999-12-31) 31 December 1999 (age 24)	0	0	Stade Malien	2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
DF	Hamari Traoré	(1992-01-27) 27 January 1992 (age 32)	58	3	Real Sociedad	v.  Eswatini; 10 September 2024
DF	Massadio Haïdara	(1992-12-02) 2 December 1992 (age 31)	19	2	Brest	v.  Eswatini; 10 September 2024
DF	Cheick Keita	(2003-04-02) 2 April 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Charleroi	v.  Eswatini; 10 September 2024
DF	Kiki Kouyaté	(1997-04-15) 15 April 1997 (age 27)	34	0	Montpellier	v.  Madagascar; 10 June 2024
DF	Modibo Sagnan	(1999-04-14) 14 April 1999 (age 25)	2	0	Montpellier	v.  Madagascar; 10 June 2024
DF	Daouda Guindo	(2002-10-14) 14 October 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Red Bull Salzburg	v.  Nigeria; 26 March 2024
DF	Amadou Dante	(2000-10-07) 7 October 2000 (age 24)	6	0	Zürich	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF	Mamadou Traoré	(1994-10-03) 3 October 1994 (age 30)	5	0	Beijing Guoan	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Almamy Touré	(1996-04-28) 28 April 1996 (age 28)	1	0	1. FC Kaiserslautern	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Ibrahima Cissé	(2001-02-15) 15 February 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Schalke 04	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Falaye Sacko (captain)	(1995-05-01) 1 May 1995 (age 29)	36	1	Montpellier	2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
DF	Salim Diakité	(2000-06-03) 3 June 2000 (age 24)	5	0	Palermo	2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
MF	Ousmane Diakité	(2000-07-25) 25 July 2000 (age 24)	0	0	West Bromwich Albion	v.  Eswatini; 10 September 2024
MF	Malick Yalcouyé	(2005-11-18) 18 November 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Sturm Graz	v.  Eswatini; 10 September 2024
MF	Diadie Samassékou	(1996-01-11) 11 January 1996 (age 28)	39	1	TSG Hoffenheim	v.  Madagascar; 10 June 2024
MF	Mamady Diambou	(2002-11-11) 11 November 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Red Bull Salzburg	v.  Madagascar; 10 June 2024
MF	Mamadou Maiga	(1995-02-10) 10 February 1995 (age 29)	0	0	Nizhny Novgorod	v.  Nigeria; 26 March 2024
MF	Adama Traoré	(1995-06-28) 28 June 1995 (age 29)	31	3	Amedspor	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF	Boubacar Traoré	(2001-08-20) 20 August 2001 (age 23)	1	0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF	Hamidou Makalou	(2006-07-15) 15 July 2006 (age 18)	0	0	Guidars	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Modibo Sissoko	(2006-12-17) 17 December 2006 (age 17)	0	0	Stade Malien	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Cheick Doucouré	(2000-01-08) 8 January 2000 (age 24)	16	0	Crystal Palace	v.  Central African Republic; 20 November 2023
MF	Amadou Haidara	(1998-01-31) 31 January 1998 (age 26)	45	2	RB Leipzig	2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
MF	Lassana Coulibaly	(1996-04-10) 10 April 1996 (age 28)	41	0	Lecce	2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
FW	Ibrahim Sissoko	(1995-11-27) 27 November 1995 (age 28)	6	1	Saint-Étienne	v.  Nigeria; 26 March 2024
FW	Sory Ibrahim Diarra	(2000-02-28) 28 February 2000 (age 24)	1	0	Haugesund	v.  Eswatini; 10 September 2024
FW	Moussa Sylla	(1999-11-25) November 25, 1999 (age 24)	1	0	Schalke 04	v.  Eswatini; 10 September 2024
FW	Kévin Zohi	(1996-12-19) 19 December 1996 (age 27)	1	0	Laval	v.  Eswatini; 10 September 2024
FW	Fousseni Diabaté	(1995-10-18) 18 October 1995 (age 29)	9	0	Lausanne-Sport	v.  Madagascar; 10 June 2024
FW	Youssoufou Niakaté	(1992-12-16) 16 December 1992 (age 31)	4	1	Baniyas	v.  Madagascar; 10 June 2024
FW	Moussa Doumbia	(1994-08-15) 15 August 1994 (age 30)	43	6	Al-Adalah	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
FW	Siriné Doucouré	(2002-04-08) 8 April 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Laval	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
FW	Kalifa Coulibaly	(1991-08-21) 21 August 1991 (age 33)	31	6	Quevilly-Rouen	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Alassane Pléa	(1993-03-10) 10 March 1993 (age 31)	0	0	Borussia Mönchengladbach	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Amady Camara	(2005-05-28) 28 May 2005 (age 19)	2	0	Sturm Graz	2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
DCL 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.

As of 15 November 2024^[20]

Players in bold are still active with Mali.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Seydou Keita	102	25	1998–2015
2	Mahamadou Sidibé	97	0	1996–2010
3	Bassala Touré	95	17	1992–2008
4	Adama Tamboura	89	0	2004–2015
5	Adama Coulibaly	85	1	1998–2014
6	Soumaila Coulibaly	83	14	1995–2009
7	Mahamadou Diarra	73	7	1998–2012
8	Djigui Diarra	66	0	2015–present
9	Adama Traoré	61	9	2013–present
10	Hamari Traoré	59	3	2015–present

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Seydou Keita	25	102	0.25	1998–2015
2	Frédéric Kanouté	23	39	0.77	2004–2010
3	Bassala Touré	17	95	0.18	1994–2008
4	Cheick Diabaté	15	38	0.39	2005–2016
5	Yaya Dissa	14	42	0.33	1995–2001
	Soumaila Coulibaly	14	83	0.17	1995–2009
7	Ibrahima Koné	13	20	0.65	2017–present
8	Modibo Maïga	12	58	0.21	2007–2016
9	Salif Keïta	11	26	0.42	1964–1972
10	Mahamadou Dissa	10	35	0.29	1997–2008
	Mamadou Diallo	10	45	0.22	2001–2010

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1962	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1966	Withdrew									Withdrew
1970 to 1990	Did not enter									Did not enter
1994	Withdrew									Withdrew
1998
2002	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	3	4
2006										12	4	2	6	15	15
2010										12	6	3	3	21	15
2014										6	2	2	2	7	7
2018										8	1	4	3	4	11
2022										8	5	2	1	11	1
2026	To be determined									4	1	2	1	5	4
2030										To be determined
2034
Total		0/15	0	0	0	0	0	0		52	20	15	17	66	57

Mali have never won the Africa Cup of Nations; their best result at the tournament was runners-up in 1972. Mali have qualified for the tournament thirteen times in total, finishing as runners-up once, third twice, and fourth three times. Prior to 2008, each time Mali qualified, they reached the knockout stage having only qualified four times before then.

Africa Cup of Nations record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of  France										Part of  France
1959
1962	Did not enter										Did not enter
1963
1965	Did not qualify										Did not qualify
1968
1970
1972	Runners-up	2nd	5	1	3	1	11	11	Squad		4	3	1	0	7	2
1974	Did not qualify										4	1	3	0	8	6
1976											2	1	0	1	5	3
1978											2	1	0	1	1	2
1980											Did not enter
1982											4	2	0	2	7	7
1984											4	2	0	2	5	6
1986											4	1	2	1	4	9
1988											Withdrew
1990											6	2	3	1	8	7
1992											6	0	3	3	2	7
1994	Fourth place	4th	5	2	0	3	4	8	Squad		6	3	1	2	8	7
1996	Did not qualify										10	5	1	4	15	10
1998											6	3	0	3	9	9
2000											8	3	4	1	8	3
2002	Fourth place	4th	6	2	2	2	5	5	Squad		Qualified as hosts
2004	Fourth place	4th	6	3	1	2	10	10	Squad		6	4	1	1	9	2
2006	Did not qualify										12	4	2	6	15	15
2008	Group stage	10th	3	1	1	1	1	3	Squad		6	3	3	0	10	1
2010		9th	3	1	1	1	7	6	Squad		12	6	3	3	21	15
2012	Third place	3rd	6	3	1	2	6	5	Squad		6	3	1	2	9	6
2013	Third place	3rd	6	2	2	2	7	8	Squad		2	2	0	0	7	1
2015	Group stage	10th	3	0	3	0	3	3	Squad		6	3	0	3	8	6
2017		12th	3	0	2	1	1	2	Squad		6	5	1	0	13	3
2019	Round of 16	11th	4	2	1	1	6	3	Squad		6	4	2	0	10	2
2021		11th	4	2	2	0	4	1	Squad		6	4	1	1	10	4
2023	Quarter-finals	7th	5	2	2	1	6	4	Squad		6	5	0	1	15	2
2025	Qualified										To be determined
2027	To be determined
2029
Total	Runners-up	13/34	59	21	21	17	71	69	—		140	70	32	38	214	135

Mali has competed in five African Nations Championship tournaments, finishing as runners-up twice.

African Nations Championship record										Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not qualify									2	0	2	0	0	0
2011	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	1	3		2	1	1	0	3	1
2014	Quarter-finals	8th	4	2	1	1	6	5		2	1	0	1	3	2
2016	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	2	1	6	6		4	2	2	0	7	4
2018	Did not qualify									4	1	2	1	6	3
2020	Runners-up	2nd	6	2	3	1	3	3		4	3	1	0	9	0
2022	Group stage	15th	2	0	1	1	3	4		2	2	0	0	4	1
Total	Runners-up	5/7	21	7	8	6	19	21		20	10	8	2	32	11

African Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1965	Runners-up	5	3	1	1	10	5
1973	Did not qualify
1978	Group stage	3	0	2	1	3	5
1987	Did not qualify
1991–present	See Mali national under-23 football team
Total	2/4	8	3	3	2	13	10

As of 19 November 2024^{[as of?]}

Team	Confederation	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Algeria	CAF	24	10	2	12	22	36	–14
Angola	CAF	4	1	2	1	8	5	+3
Benin	CAF	16	8	7	1	27	16	+11
Botswana	CAF	7	6	0	1	19	5	+14
Burkina Faso	CAF	21	13	3	5	36	20	+16
Cameroon	CAF	6	0	2	4	3	8	–5
Cape Verde	CAF	7	3	2	2	10	4	+6
Chad	CAF	2	2	0	0	4	2	+2
China	AFC	2	1	0	1	3	5	–2
Congo	CAF	10	5	2	3	14	9	+5
DR Congo	CAF	6	3	1	2	11	9	+2
Croatia	UEFA	1	0	0	1	1	2	–1
Egypt	CAF	10	4	2	4	8	8	0
Equatorial Guinea	CAF	3	3	0	0	5	0	+5
Eswatini	CAF	2	2	0	0	7	0	+7
Eritrea	CAF	2	2	0	0	3	0	+3
Ethiopia	CAF	2	1	0	1	4	3	+1
Gabon	CAF	12	2	5	5	10	16	–6
Gambia	CAF	18	7	5	6	22	16	+6
Ghana	CAF	18	3	6	9	15	30	–15
Guinea	CAF	39	10	17	12	43	43	0
Guinea-Bissau	CAF	14	10	3	1	27	9	+18
Iran	AFC	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1
Ivory Coast	CAF	26	2	8	16	17	47	–30
Japan	AFC	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
Kenya	CAF	2	1	1	0	4	2	+2
North Korea	AFC	1	0	0	1	0	1	–1
South Korea	AFC	1	0	0	1	1	3	–2
Kuwait	AFC	3	0	0	3	4	10	–10
Liberia	CAF	10	5	3	2	19	11	+8
Libya	CAF	7	3	1	3	9	10	–1
Lithuania	UEFA	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2
Madagascar	CAF	2	1	1	0	2	0	+2
Malawi	CAF	5	3	1	1	8	5	+3
Mauritania	CAF	30	18	7	5	60	23	+37
Morocco	CAF	19	5	6	8	12	31	–19
Mozambique	CAF	5	3	1	1	6	4	+2
Namibia	CAF	4	2	1	1	5	3	+2
Niger	CAF	8	5	2	1	10	4	+6
Nigeria	CAF	10	2	3	5	7	12	–5
Oman	AFC	2	0	1	1	1	2	–1
Qatar	AFC	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Rwanda	CAF	3	1	1	1	3	2	+1
Saudi Arabia	AFC	2	1	0	1	4	6	–2
Senegal	CAF	32	8	12	12	33	41	–8
Seychelles	CAF	2	2	0	0	5	0	+5
Sierra Leone	CAF	13	4	7	2	17	9	+8
South Africa	CAF	4	1	2	1	4	2	+2
South Sudan	CAF	2	2	0	0	5	0	+5
Sudan	CAF	4	2	1	1	7	4	+3
Togo	CAF	14	6	2	6	23	15	+8
Tunisia	CAF	8	4	0	4	8	8	0
Uganda	CAF	4	1	2	1	8	4	+4
United Arab Emirates	AFC	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Zambia	CAF	5	0	2	3	3	8	–5
Zimbabwe	CAF	6	2	1	3	4	5	–1

• CAF African Cup of Nations
  • Runners-up (1): 1972
• CAF African Nations Championship
  • Runners-up (2): 2016, 2020
• African Games
  • Silver medal (1): 1965

• Amilcar Cabral Cup
  • Champions (3): 1989, 1997, 2007
  • Runners-up (4): 1979, 1981, 1987, 1988
  • Third place (5): 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 2001
• UEMOA Tournament
  • Runners-up (3): 2008, 2011, 2016

• Qatar International Friendship Tournament
  • Third place (1): 2009–10

• Football in Mali

• Mali FF (archived 28 January 2020)
• Mali Football Portal
• Mali at CAF
• Mali at FIFA
• Courtney, Barrie. Mali – List of International Matches at RSSSF.com (last updated: 19 August 2010)