Football is, along with
Rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
, one of the most popular sports in the African island nation of
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
. The sport is governed in the country by the
Malagasy Football Federation.
International
Madagascar's national football team, nicknamed the Barea, has not had great success internationally having never qualified for a
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
. They have performed well in some minor competitions however, advancing to the semifinals in the
COSAFA Cup (contested between national teams from Southern Africa) in 2008 and winning the football portion of the
Indian Ocean Games twice. Some of the country's best players have played professionally overseas, mostly in France.
Madagascar reached the quarterfinals in the
2019 Africa Cup of Nations
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (abbreviated as AFCON 2019 or CAN 2019), known as the Total 2019 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 32nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's football championshi ...
, beating teams such as
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and
DR Congo . This was the first time the country has qualified for an African Cup of Nations.
Domestic
Madagascar has an unusual domestic arrangement of leagues. The
THB Champions League
The Pro League Championnat de Football National Division 1 (known as Orange Pro League Madagascar for sponsorship reasons) is the premier football league in Madagascar. Prior to 2019, it was known as the Three Horses Beer-sponsored THB Champion ...
is the country's most prestigious club honor, but clubs qualify for it annually from one of the 22 regional leagues, much like in the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
. The
Anamalanga Regional League is the most notable of these regional leagues, which includes the capital of
Antananarivo
Antananarivo (French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("An ...
and domestic powerhouses like
Ajesaia and
AS Adema
AS ADEMA is a Malagasy football club based in Antananarivo, Madagascar. They have won the THB Champions League championship on three occasions, in 2002, 2006 and 2012. In 2002 they also advanced to the quarterfinals of the CAF Cup before losing t ...
. The country's main cup competition is the
Coupe de Madagascar
The Coupe de Madagascar is the top knockout tournament in Malagasy football. It was created in 1974.
Winners
*1974: Fortior Mahajanga
*1975: Fortior Mahajanga
*1976: Fortior Mahajanga
*1977: Fortior Mahajanga
*1978: AS Sotema
*1979: AS Sotema ...
, whose winners play the THB Champions League winner in the
Super Coupe de Madagascar.
In 2019 the Malagsy Football Federation announced the commencement of a new professional league, the Malagasy
Pro League.
League system
Malagasy football venues
References
{{footy-stub