Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

is the most popular sport in

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesFIFA 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 ...

finals, though they did reach the quarterfinals of qualifying for the

1982 World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy, who defeated West Germany 3–1 i ...

, losing to

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. They either failed to qualify for or were forced to withdraw from every

African Nations Cup The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), and sometimes as African Cup of Nations, is the main internati ...

between 1969 and 2010. Niger finally participated in the competition for the first time in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

after topping a qualifying group that included

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. Later that year, they defeated Guinea over two legs to reach the

2013 Africa Cup of Nations The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations South Africa 2013 for sponsorship reasons, held from 19 January to 10 February 2013, was the 29th Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa organized ...

. On both occasions, Niger finished bottom of their group, gaining a solitary point in 2013. They have been unable to qualify for any subsequent edition of the tournament, despite the competition's expansion from 16 teams to 24 from

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

onwards. As of 2023, there are no Nigerien nationals playing with top level European clubs. In the 2000s, a handful of Nigerien internationals have played in Europe including Moussa Yahaya at

Legia Warsaw Legia Warszawa (), commonly referred to as Legia Warsaw or simply Legia, is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. Legia is the most successful Polish football club in history, winning record 15 Ekstraklasa champions titles, a ...

in Poland and

Ibrahim Tankary Ibrahim Tankary (born 24 March 1972) is a Nigerien football striker. He currently plays for Rusas Foot. Career Tankary arrived at Zulte-Waregem in the summer of 2004 from FC Brussels. He had previously played for Sint-Truidense in the Jupi ...

in Belgium's Jupiler League. Moussa Narry, a Nigerien citizen but a

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

international, played in the Netherlands and with AJ Auxerre and Le Mans FC of France.

Domestic

Football in Niger is almost entirely amateur, with some of the ten teams in the

Niger Premier League The Super Ligue, formerly known as Ligue 1, is the top division of football in Niger. There are 14 teams competing in the league, which operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Ligue Nationale. The league began in 1966, with Sec ...

(begun in 1966) being semi-professional. The

Niger Cup The Niger Cup ''(Coupe nationale du Niger)'' is the national football competition, on a knock-out-basis in Niger. It was founded in 1974. The most successful club is Sahel SC with 12 titles. The current champions are US GN, who won their first ti ...

(begun in 1974) is open to amateur leagues throughout the nation. League play has been dominated by clubs from the capital city of Niamey, with Sahel SC Niamey and

Olympic FC de Niamey Olympic FC de Niamey is a Nigerien football club based in Niamey. Their home games are played at Général Seyni Kountché Stadion. The club was formed in 1974 from the football club Secteur 6. Achievements *Niger Premier League: 12 ::1966, ...

capturing almost two thirds of the titles between them. Below this there are numerous local and national amateur leagues and competitions. Many sections of the Nigerien government, notably the police and armed forces, sponsor amateur clubs. Football's popularity and the Nigerien people's passion for the international game were highlighted by former World Footballer of the Year

Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the most ...

's visit to Niger in 2007. Mobbed by fans at every stop, Zidane delivered funds and toured projects both football- and development-related.Visite de Zinedine Zidane au Niger. 13-12-07 communiqué de presse
: Programme des Nations Unies pour le Développement, Niger.

Nigerien Football Topics

Nigerien Football Federation The Nigerien Football Federation (FENIFOOT) (french: Fédération Nigerienne de Football) is the governing body of football in Niger. It organizes the national football league and the national team. History The FENIFOOT was founded in 1961, and af ...

* Niger men's national football team *

Niger women's national football team The Niger women's national football team represents Niger in international women's football. It is governed by the Nigerien Football Federation. It has played in four FIFA recognised matches, two of which were losses to Burkina Faso women's na ...

Nigerien Football Stadiums

Nigerien Footballers

Ismaël Alassane Ismaël Eragae Alassane (born 3 April 1984) is a Nigerien footballer. He plays as a centre back. Career The defender has played for JS du Ténéré, Sahel SC ASFA Yennega and Enyimba International F.C. While playing for ASFA Yennega, Alassa ...

Kassaly Daouda Kassaly Daouda (born 19 August 1983) is a Nigerien footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Nigerian club Katsina United. Career Born in Dosso, Niger,Alhassane Issoufou Alhassane Dante Issoufou (born January 1, 1981) is a Nigerien footballer who plays as a striker. Career Before signed with Morrocain club played for ASO Chlef and formerly presented Zumunta AC, Africa Sports, CA Bordj Bou Arreridj, JS du Ténér ...

* Daouda Kamilou * Moussa Maazou * Abdoul Moumouni * Mohammed Muyei * Moussa Narry *

* Moussa Yahaya

Nigerien International Referees

Lucien Bouchardeau Lucien Bouchardeau (18 December 1961 – 20 February 2018) was a Nigerien football referee. Born in Niamey, he is best remembered for having officiated in 1998 a World Cup first round match between Italy and Chile. He called a penalty against Chi ...

References

FIFA: Nigerien Football Federation News and background
Retrieved 30 January 2008.

Retrieved 30 January 2008.

External links

Le Republicain-Niger daily, Sports section
{{Football in Africa