Sierra Leone national football team

Sierra Leone

Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)	Leone Stars
Association	SLFA
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach	Amidu Karim
Captain	Osman Kakay
Most caps	Umaru Bangura (55)
Top scorer	Mohamed Kallon (8)
Home stadium	Freetown National Stadium
FIFA code	SLE
File:Kit left arm.svg File:Kit body.svg File:Kit right arm.svg File:Kit shorts.svg File:Kit socks long.svg First colours File:Kit left arm.svg File:Kit body.svg File:Kit right arm.svg File:Kit shorts.svg File:Kit socks long.svg Second colours File:Kit left arm.svg File:Kit body.svg File:Kit right arm.svg File:Kit shorts.svg File:Kit socks long.svg Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	129 Decrease 8 (28 November 2024)
Highest	50 (August 2014)
Lowest	172 (September 2007)
First international
Sierra Leone 0–2 Nigeria (Freetown, Sierra Leone; 10 August 1949)
Biggest win
Sierra Leone 5–1 Niger (Freetown, Sierra Leone; 7 March 1976) Sierra Leone 5–1 Niger (Freetown, Sierra Leone; 3 June 1995) Sierra Leone 4–0 São Tomé and Príncipe (Freetown, Sierra Leone; 22 April 2000)
Biggest defeat
Mali 6–0 Sierra Leone (Bamako, Mali; 17 June 2007) Syria 6–0 Sierra Leone (Syria; 05 June 2009)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	3 (first in 1994)
Best result	Group stage (1994, 1996, 2021)

The Sierra Leone national football team represents Sierra Leone in association football and is governed by the Sierra Leone Football Association. It has qualified for Africa Cup of Nations three times.

History

Sierra Leone's first match was at home on 10 August 1949 against another British colony, Nigeria, and was lost 2–0. In 1954 it played another British colony and British administered U.N trust territory, Gold Coast and Trans-Volta Togoland, and lost 2–0 away. On 22 April 1961, it hosted Nigeria and lost 4–2. On 12 November 1966, it hosted Liberia in its first match against a non-British colony and earned its first draw, 1–1. A week later, it lost 2–0 in Liberia. On 13 January 1971, it played its first match against a non-African team, West Germany's B-team. The match in Sierra Leone was won 1–0 by the Germans. Sierra Leone's first match outside Africa was its first against an Asian nation, China. It lost 4–1 in China on 5 April 1974. In August 2014, Sierra Leone FA cancelled all association football matches in an effort to stop the spread of the 2014 Ebola virus epidemic in Sierra Leone, a week after Liberian FA did the same. Sierra Leonean players playing outside Sierra Leone, such as Michael Lahoud playing in the United States, were discriminated against, with opposition players refusing to swap shirts, shake hands and allow them to certain places of the stadium because they fear that they could be carrying the disease. The Sierra Leonean national team wasn't allowed to play home games and all players had to be foreign-based.

Results and fixtures

Main article: Sierra Leone national football team results (2020–present)

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

2024

Ivory Coast v Sierra Leone

6 January Friendly	Ivory Coast	5–1	Sierra Leone	San Pedro, Ivory Coast
17:00 UTC±0}	Diomande File:Soccerball shade.svg 18' Kessié File:Soccerball shade.svg 36' Bamba File:Soccerball shade.svg 38' Boga File:Soccerball shade.svg 48' Lazare File:Soccerball shade.svg 84'	Report	Michael File:Soccerball shade.svg 86'	Stadium: Laurent Pokou Stadium Referee: Dedjinnanchi Ahomlanto (Benin)

Sierra Leone v Morocco

Sierra Leone v Djibouti

5 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Sierra Leone	2–1	Djibouti	El Jadida, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1	Davies File:Soccerball shade.svg 12' Kargbo File:Soccerball shade.svg 51'	Report	Dadzie File:Soccerball shade.svg 35' (pen.)	Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)

Burkina Faso v Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone v Chad

6 September 2025 AFCON qualification	Sierra Leone	0–0	Chad	Paynesville, Liberia
16:00 UTC±0		Report		Stadium: Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex Referee: George Gatogato (Burundi)

Zambia v Sierra Leone

Ivory Coast v Sierra Leone

11 October 2025 AFCON qualification	Ivory Coast	4–1	Sierra Leone	San Pedro, Ivory Coast
19:00 UTC±0	Pépé File:Soccerball shade.svg 3' Kessié File:Soccerball shade.svg 51', 76' (pen.) Diakité File:Soccerball shade.svg 87' (pen.)	Report	Koroma File:Soccerball shade.svg 43'	Stadium: Laurent Pokou Stadium Attendance: 16,553 Referee: Abongile Tom (South Africa)

Sierra Leone v Ivory Coast

15 October 2025 AFCON qualification	Sierra Leone	1–0	Ivory Coast	Paynesville, Liberia
16:00 UTC±0	Bakayoko File:Soccerball shade.svg 85'	Report		Stadium: Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex Attendance: 7,408 Referee: Jeannot Franck Bito (Cameroon)

Sierra Leone v Liberia

Liberia v Sierra Leone

1 November 2024 CHAN qualification	Liberia	1–1 (3-2 agg.)	Sierra Leone	Paynesville, Liberia
16:00 UTC±0		Report		Stadium: Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex
Note: Sierra Leone lost 3-2 on aggregate.

Chad v Sierra Leone

10 November 2025 AFCON qualification	Chad	1–1	Sierra Leone	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
18:00 UTC±0	Thiam File:Soccerball shade.svg 34' (pen.)	Report	Dumbuya File:Soccerball shade.svg 29'	Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium Referee: Jean Ouattara (Burkina Faso)

Sierra Leone v Zambia

18 November 2025 AFCON qualification	Sierra Leone	0–2	Zambia	Paynesville, Liberia
15:00 UTC±0		Report	Banda File:Soccerball shade.svg 54' K. Musonda File:Soccerball shade.svg 71'	Stadium: Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex Referee: Yannick Malala (Congo DR)

Coaching history

• Burkhard Pape (1966–1968)
• Klaus Ebbighausen (1976–1978)
• Warwick Rimmer (1979)
• Christian Cole (1989)
• Christian Cole (1991)
• Raymond Zarpanelian (1993–1994)
• Roger Palmgren (1996)
• John Sherington (1996–1997)
• Abdulai Sesay (1997–2000)
• Dušan Drašković (2000)
• Christian Cole (2001)
• José Antonio Nogueira (2003)
• John Sherington (2003–2006)
• James Peters (2006–2007)
• Mohamed Kanu (2007–2009)
• Daniel Koroma (2009–2010)
• Christian Cole (2010–2011)
• Lars-Olof Mattsson (2011–2013)
• Johnathan McKinstry (2013–2014)
• Atto Mensah (2014)
• John Ajina Sesay (2014–2015)
• John Sherington (2015)
• Sellas Tetteh (2015–2017)
• John Keister (2017–2019)
• Sellas Tetteh (2019–2020)
• John Keister (2020–2023)
• Amidu Karim (2023–)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2025 AFCON qualification matches against Ivory Coast on 11 and 15 October 2024. Caps and goals are correct as of 10 September 2024, after the match against Zambia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Mohamed Kamara	(1999-04-29) 29 April 1999	24	0	Horoya
23	1GK	Francis Koroma	(2000-05-15) 15 May 2000	2	0	East End Lions
16	1GK	Isaac Caulker	(1992-01-20) 20 January 1992	0	0	Kallon
19	2DF	Emmanuel Samadia	(2001-04-19) 19 April 2001	21	0	Hartford Athletic
5	2DF	Steven Caulker	(1991-12-29) 29 December 1991	15	0	Málaga City
15	2DF	Abdoulie Jarjue Kabia	(2001-01-27) 27 January 2001	5	0	Hapoel Kfar Saba
3	2DF	Mohamed Bangura		0	0	Wilberforce Strikers
12	2DF	Nathaniel Jalloh	(2005-09-07) 7 September 2005	0	0	Kallon
10	3MF	Mustapha Bundu	(1997-02-27) 27 February 1997	18	3	Plymouth Argyle
6	3MF	Alhassan Koroma	(1997-06-09) 9 June 1997	18	1	Al Shahaniya
4	3MF	Abu Dumbuya	(1999-01-29) 29 January 1999	16	0	Gençlik Gücü
11	3MF	Sullay Kaikai	(1995-08-26) 26 August 1995	16	1	Cambridge United
8	3MF	Alusine Koroma	(1997-06-09) 9 June 1997	14	0	Orihuela
	3MF	Jonathan Morsay	(1997-10-05) 5 October 1997	11	1	AEL Limassol
18	3MF	Ibrahim Sillah	(1995-04-04) 4 April 1995	8	0	ACV
21	3MF	Rodney Michael	(1999-08-10) 10 August 1999	6	1	POX
17	3MF	Issa Kallon	(1996-01-03) 3 January 1996	5	0	Nantong Zhiyun
27	3MF	Hindolo Mustapha	(2006-07-29) 29 July 2006	2	1	Crystal Palace
14	3MF	Tyrese Fornah	(1999-09-11) 11 September 1999	1	0	Salford City
22	3MF	Momoh Kamara	(2005-05-06) 6 May 2005	0	0	Leixões
	3MF	Augustus Kargbo	(1999-08-24) 24 August 1999	19	5	Cesena
9	4FW	Amadou Bakayoko	(1996-01-01) 1 January 1996	12	3	Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo
	4FW	Daniel Kanu	(2004-11-14) 14 November 2004	5	0	Charlton Athletic
	4FW	Josh Koroma	(1998-11-09) 9 November 1998	2	0	Huddersfield Town
2	4FW	Nabieu Navas Daffae		0	0	Luawa

Recent call-ups

The following players had been called up in 12 months preceding the above draft.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Donald Kamara	(2002-07-16) 16 July 2002	1	0	East End Lions	v. Burkina Faso, 10 June 2024
GK	Abu Bakar Kamara	(2004-01-28) 28 January 2004	0	0	Kallon	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
GK	Ibrahim Sesay	(2004-10-18) 18 October 2004	13	0	Bo Rangers	v. Egypt, 19 November 2023
DF	Yeami Dunia	(1996-12-16) 16 December 1996	31	0	Old Edwardians	v. Zambia, 10 September 2024
DF	Osman Kakay	(1997-08-25) 25 August 1997	26	0	Queens Park Rangers	v. Zambia, 10 September 2024
DF	Saidu Mansaray	(2001-02-21) 21 February 2001	8	0	Bo Rangers	v. Zambia, 10 September 2024
DF	Mohamed Kabia	(2003-06-23) 23 June 2003	4	0	Mbabane Swallows	v. Burkina Faso, 10 June 2024
DF	Yusuf Sesay	(2001-04-19) 19 April 2001	2	0	Bo Rangers	v. Burkina Faso, 10 June 2024
DF	Curtis Davies	(1985-03-15) 15 March 1985	3	1	Cheltenham Town	v. Burkina Faso, 10 June 2024
DF	Juma Bah	(2006-04-11) 11 April 2006	0	0	Freetownian SLIFA	v. Burkina Faso, 10 June 2024
DF	Abu Bakarr Samura	(1995-08-10) 10 August 1995	16	1	Bo Rangers	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
DF	Santigie Koroma	(2003-11-27) 27 November 2003	2	0	LISCR	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
DF	Abu Bakarr Barrie	(1999-11-28) 28 November 1999	0	0	Diamond Stars	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
DF	Edward Bello Yillah	(1996-10-04) 4 October 1996	0	0	Mighty Blackpool	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
MF	Saidu Fofanah	(1997-09-14) 14 September 1997	13	1	Kallon	v. Zambia, 10 September 2024
MF	Kamil Conteh	(2002-12-26) 26 December 2002	11	0	Bristol Rovers	v. Zambia, 10 September 2024
MF	Alpha Conteh	(2000-05-01) 1 May 2000	4	0	Neftçi	v. Burkina Faso, 10 June 2024
MF	Kwame Quee	(1996-09-07) 7 September 1996	35	3	Grindavík	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
MF	Saidu Bah Kamara	(2002-03-03) 3 March 2002	8	0	Bo Rangers	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
MF	Ibrahim Turay	(1999-05-05) 5 May 1999	7	0	Bo Rangers	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
MF	Alpha Turay	(2005-05-26) 26 May 2005	4	0	Kallon	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
MF	Samuel Bekoe	(1997-08-24) 24 August 1997	3	0	East End Lions	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
MF	Mohamed Fofanah	(1998-09-08) 8 September 1998	1	0	Kallon	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
MF	Adebayor Black		0	0	Bhantal	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
MF	Joseph Cleveland	(2000-01-01) 1 January 2000	0	0	Ports Authority	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
MF	Mohamed Buya Turay	(1995-01-10) 10 January 1995	17	3	Birmingham Legion	v. Egypt, 19 November 2023
FW	Musa Noah Kamara	(1999-08-06) 6 August 1999	14	3	Bo Rangers	v. Zambia, 10 September 2024
FW	Sallieu Bah	(2006-09-10) 10 September 2006	5	0	Wilberforce Strikers	v. Burkina Faso, 10 June 2024
FW	Alie Conteh	(2002-10-29) 29 October 2002	8	2	Kallon	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
FW	Abu Komeh	(2001-05-21) 21 May 2001	4	2	Bo Rangers	v. Morocco, 11 January 2024
FW	Alhaji Kamara	(1994-04-16) 16 April 1994	17	5	Randers	v. Egypt, 19 November 2023
Notes INJ Withdrew due to injury. PRE Preliminary squad / standby RET Had announced retirement from international association football. SUS Is serving a suspension. PRI Absent due to private circumstances. WD Withdrawn.

Records

As of 19 November 2024

Players in bold are still active with Sierra Leone.

Most appearances

File:Umaru Bangura.jpg

Umaru Bangura is Sierra Leone's most capped player with 55 appearances.

Rank	Name	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Umaru Bangura	55	4	2006–2022
2	Ibrahim Bah	45	3	1986–1998
3	Mohamed Kallon	40	8	1995–2012
4	Kei Kamara	39	7	2008–2022
5	Sheriff Suma	37	3	2006–2015
6	Kwame Quee	35	3	2012–present
7	Medo Kamara	33	1	2008–2021
8	Julius Wobay	32	4	2001–2018
	Yeami Dunia	32	0	2012–present
10	Ibrahim Kargbo	30	1	2000–2013

Top goalscorers

Rank	Name	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Mohamed Kallon	8	40	0.2	1995–2012
2	Kei Kamara	7	39	0.18	2008–2022
3	Lamine Conteh	6	20	0.3	1993–2006
4	Alhaji Kamara	5	19	0.26	2012–present
	Augustus Kargbo	5	21	0.24	2021–present
6	Teteh Bangura	4	12	0.33	2011–2014
	Alhassan Kamara	4	16	0.25	2012–2018
	Abu Kanu	4	16	0.25	1994–2003
	Mustapha Bangura	4	17	0.24	2005–2016
	Julius Wobay	4	32	0.13	2001–2018
	Umaru Bangura	4	55	0.07	2006–2022

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1962 and 1966	Not affiliated to CAF									Not affiliated to CAF
1970	Did not enter									Did not enter
1974	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	0	3
1978										4	1	1	2	8	9
1982										2	0	1	1	3	5
1986										2	0	0	2	0	5
1990	Did not enter									Did not enter
1994	Withdrew									Withdrew
1998	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	0	2
2002										10	2	1	7	6	17
2006										2	0	1	1	1	2
2010										8	3	2	3	5	8
2014										6	2	2	2	10	10
2018										2	1	0	1	2	2
2022										2	1	0	1	2	3
2026	To be determined									4	1	2	1	4	5
2030										To be determined
2034
Total		0/16								46	11	10	25	41	71

Africa Cup of Nations

Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1962	Not affiliated to CAF
1963
1965
1968	Did not enter
1970	Withdrew
1972	Did not enter
1974	Did not qualify
1976	Did not enter
1978	Did not qualify
1980	Did not enter
1982	Did not qualify
1984
1986	Withdrew
1988	Did not qualify
1990	Withdrew
1992	Did not qualify
1994	Round 1	10th	2	0	1	1	0	4	Squad
1996	Round 1	13th	3	1	0	2	2	7	Squad
1998	Withdrew
2000	Disqualified due to civil war
2002	Did not qualify
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2013
2015
2017
2019	Disqualified due to FIFA suspension
2021	Group stage	18th	3	0	2	1	2	3	Squad
2023	Did not qualify
2025
2027	To be determined
2029
Total	0 titles	3/34	8	1	3	4	4	14	—

Coaching staff

Head coach	Amidu Karim
Assistant coach	Alusine Sesay
Assistant coach	Amara Rahman Bangura
Sport therapist	Abdulay Sesay
Head of medical	Osman Fofanah
Team manager	Abdulai Kargbo

Honours

Regional

• Amílcar Cabral Cup
  • Champions (2): 1993, 1995
  • Runners-up (2): 1984, 1986

References

Sources

• Sierra Leone to 'host' the Elephants of Ivory Coast in Abidjan – footballsierraleone.net (archived 5 March 2016)
• Sierra Leone 1–1 Malawi: International Friendly – footballsierraleone.net (archived 5 April 2016)

External links

• Football Sierra Leone
• Sierra Leone Football Association
• Sierra Leone at CAF
• Sierra Leone at FIFA
• Sierra Leone at National-Football-Teams.com