List of men's national association football teams

This is a list of the men's national association football teams in the world. There are more nations with football teams than for any other sport,[1] with teams representing all UN member nations except the Marshall Islands, as well as several dependent territories, sub-national entities and semi-recognized sovereign states. This list divides teams into two main groups:

This list excludes other teams, which generally play outside of FIFA's recognition. Excluded teams include those who represent ethnic groups, sub-national entities and dependent territories other than those recognized by FIFA or its confederations, competitors at the Island Games, unrecognized states, separatist movements and pseudo or micro-nations.

Members of FIFA affiliated confederations

Map of the World with the six confederations.

This section lists the current:

FIFA members are eligible to enter the FIFA World Cup and matches between them are recognized as official international matches. Based on their match results over the previous four-year period, the FIFA World Rankings, published monthly by FIFA, compare the relative strengths of the national teams. National teams who are members (full or associate) of their confederation, but do not have membership of FIFA, are able to compete in confederation championships.

The six confederations are:

FIFA runs the World Cup as a tournament for national teams to find the world champion. Each confederation also runs its own championship to find the best team from among its members:

AFC (Asia)

Due to the geographical size of Asia, the AFC is subdivided into five sub-federations:

1: Formerly member of OFC (1966–2006)
2: Member of UAFA
3: Official name used by FIFA and AFC for People's Republic of China
4: Official name used by FIFA and AFC for Republic of China (Taiwan); Formerly member of OFC (1975–1989)
5: Official names used by FIFA and AFC for Democratic People's Republic of Korea (a) and Republic of Korea (b)
6: Associate member of AFC but not FIFA member
7: Formerly member of OFC (2005-2009)
8: Official name used by FIFA and AFC for national team representing the Palestinian National Authority

CAF (Africa)

Due to the geographical size of Africa, CAF is divided into five regional federations:

1: Member of UAFA
2: Official names used by FIFA and CAF for the Republic of the Congo (a) and by FIFA for the Democratic Republic of Congo (b); CAF uses RD Congo
3: Associate member of CAF but not FIFA member

CONCACAF (North and Central America and Caribbean)

The CONCACAF federation is divided into three regional federations that have responsibility for part of the region's geographical area:

1: Full member of CONCACAF but not FIFA member

CONMEBOL (South America)

OFC (Oceania)

1: Associate member of OFC but not FIFA member
2: Formerly member of AFC (1964-1966)
3: Official name used by FIFA and OFC for French Polynesia

UEFA (Europe)

1: Official name used by FIFA and UEFA for the Republic of Macedonia
2: Full member of UEFA but not FIFA member
3: Formerly member of AFC (1954–1974); Joined UEFA in 1994
4: Formerly member of AFC (1992–2002)
5: Official name used by FIFA and UEFA for Ireland

National teams not affiliated to FIFA confederations

These national football teams are affiliated to neither FIFA, nor a continental confederation. The teams are not eligible to enter the FIFA World Cup or their continental confederation championships. Teams who are affiliated with FIFA may not compete against these sides without FIFA's prior permission.[4]

This section lists:

It also discusses the status of football in other fully or limited recognized sovereign states which have never had active national football teams.

Unaffiliated sovereign states

The football teams that represent the following sovereign states are not members of FIFA or their local confederation:

The Marshall Islands is the only sovereign nation state which has no recorded national association football team.

1: Member of the FIFA Small Nations Working Group[5]
2: The football federation of Monaco was one of the founder members of the NF-Board in 2001, but resigned from the organization in 2010[6] Monaco joined ConIFA on its formation in 2013[7]
3: The United Kingdom national football team has participated in three friendly matches only. A team representing the entire United Kingdom has only ever competed in the Olympic Games (most recently in the 2012 Games) under the name "Great Britain"; otherwise, the UK is represented by separate teams for each of its constituent countries
4: The Palau team has been inactive since 1998. It joined as an associate member of OFC in 2002, but this membership expired. In 2013 the Palau Football Association confirmed an intention to apply for membership of the East Asian Football Federation.[8]

Unaffiliated states with limited international recognition

Two states with limited international recognition are full members of FIFA and are listed above: Palestine and the Republic of China, the latter under the name "Chinese Taipei" due to the objections of the government of the People's Republic of China. Six further states with limited international recognition have active teams which are not currently affiliated with FIFA or their local confederation:

Both Kosovo and Northern Cyprus were members of FIFA's recent unaffiliated nations working group,[5] though the activities of this are currently suspended.[9] FIFA have granted permission for affiliated nations to compete against Kosovo in friendly matches since January 2014.[10] The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic team had played just one game between 1988 and 2011, and was most recently active during 2012.[11][12]

The three states with limited international recognition in the Caucasus - Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia - first competed in matches against each other in 2012 and 2013.[13][14] All three participated in the 2014 ConIFA World Football Cup, the first tournament organised by ConIFA.[15][16][17] These sides remain unrecognized by FIFA,[18] but are, along with Northern Cyprus, members of ConIFA.

Others

FIFA's entry criteria state that:

Any association which is responsible for organising and supervising football in its country may become a member of FIFA. In this context, the expression 'country' shall refer to an independent state recognised by the international community.
— FIFA, Fifa Statutes May 2008

The main condition for joining FIFA is thus general international recognition as a nation state and membership of the UN.[19] However, this rule is not applied retroactively,[20] and 24 of FIFA's members are not internationally recognised sovereign nations.[21]

Non-sovereign associations may still join FIFA in specific circumstances. In particular, an exception is made for associations representing a dependency, which may apply for membership if authorised by the association in its parent state.[9][20] Most recently, this was allowed for New Caledonia in 2004; this was on the grounds of the distance of New Caledonia from its 'parent' nation, France.[22] By contrast, both Zanzibar and Gibraltar – who would compete in the same confederation as their parent state – have had their applications to join FIFA rejected.[22]

A variety of other national, separatist, sub-national and pseudo-national teams compete in football matches outside of FIFA's jurisdiction.[22] In 2001, the N.F.-Board (Nouvelle Fédération-Board), was founded to promote international football among sovereign nations, unrecognised nations, regions and stateless peoples that are not members of FIFA, and to assist in their possible future membership of FIFA. A total of 37 nations were listed on the N.F. Board's website as of August 2013,[23] although at least one of these (Monaco) is no longer a member.[24] In 2013, a new organisation, the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (ConIFA), was founded to carry on this work, with a number of its members having previously been affiliated to the NF-Board. ConIFA was founded with the aim of regularising non-FIFA international football, by having a two-year international tournament cycle, with the ConIFA World Football Cup in even numbered years, and continental tournaments in odd-numbered years.[25]

The nature of these other teams is heterogeneous: whilst some such as Catalonia, Galicia or Tibet play semi-regularly, often against FIFA member nations, others are much less active.

Former national football teams

These national teams no longer exist due to the dissolution of the nation or territory that they represented.

Preceding team Successor team(s)
(inherited position/results)		 Other successor team(s) Notes
 Czechoslovakia  Czech Republic[26]  Slovakia Represented Czechoslovakia until its dissolution into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.[27] Competed as Representation of Czechs and Slovaks for the remainder of their 1994 World Cup qualifying games.[28]
 Saar  West Germany Represented the Saarland Protectorate from 1950 to 1956 before its union with the Federal Republic of Germany.[29]
 East Germany  Germany Represented East Germany between 1952 and 1990, before reunification with West Germany.[30]
 Ireland  Northern Ireland  Republic of Ireland Represented Ireland until the secession of the Irish Free State from the United Kingdom in 1922. The team continued to be known as Ireland, selecting some players from the Irish Free State, later the Republic of Ireland, until 1953 when it was renamed Northern Ireland to reflect its geographic mandate.
 Malaya  Malaysia Represented the Federation of Malaya until its union with Sarawak, North Borneo and Singapore to form Malaysia in 1963. Singapore had a separate national team from 1953 and gained independence in 1965.
 Tanganyika  Tanzania  Zanzibar Represented Tanganyika until its union with Zanzibar as Tanzania in 1964. Zanzibar is an associate member of CAF.
 North Vietnam  Vietnam Represented North Vietnam from 1949 till its union with South Vietnam in 1975.
 South Vietnam  Vietnam Represented South Vietnam from 1949 till its union with North Vietnam in 1975.
 North Yemen  Yemen Represented North Yemen from 1965 till its union with South Yemen in 1990.
 South Yemen  Yemen Represented South Yemen from 1965 till its union with North Yemen in 1990.
 United Arab Republic  Egypt  Syria Represented the United Arab Republic from 1958 to 1961 until the secession of Syria. Was considered a continuation of the previous Egypt national football team, which became its successor team. The team continued to be known as the United Arab Republic until 1970.
 Soviet Union  CIS  Estonia
 Latvia
 Lithuania		 Represented the Soviet Union from 1924 until its dissolution in 1991. This was considered a continuation of the team that had previously represented the Russian Empire.
 CIS  Russia  Armenia
 Azerbaijan
 Belarus
 Georgia
 Kazakhstan
 Kyrgyzstan
 Moldova
 Tajikistan
 Turkmenistan
 Ukraine
 Uzbekistan		 Represented the Commonwealth of Independent States and Georgia in 1992 until the creation of separate national teams for its constituent nations.
 Yugoslavia Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Federal Republic of Yugoslavia  Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Croatia
 Macedonia
 Slovenia		 Represented Yugoslavia between 1920 and 1992, before the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia into Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Slovenia
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

later renamed Serbia and Montenegro

  Serbia  Montenegro Represented the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, known as Serbia and Montenegro after 2003, between 1992 and 2006 when it was split into Serbia and Montenegro
 Netherlands Antilles  Curaçao  Bonaire
 Sint Maarten		 Represented the Netherlands Antilles until the dissolution of the country in 2010. Formerly known as "Curaçao", this name was restored in March 2011 when the new constituent country of Curaçao took the Netherlands Antilles' place in FIFA and CONCACAF. The teams representing Bonaire and Sint Maarten are full or associate members of CONCACAF, but not of FIFA.

New names

In addition to the above, other nations have been renamed:

1: Still commonly called Ivory Coast in English-speaking countries

See also

References

  1. ↑ Brown, Michael. "Biggest Global Sports". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  2. ↑ These are displayed in the main list in italics.
  3. ↑ Holders Mazembe remain standing FIFA.com 10–11–10. Accessed 13–10–11
  4. ↑ "FIFA Statutes: July 2012 Edition" (PDF). FIFA. pp. Article 83. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  5. 1 2 FIFA working group to help small unrecognized nations and territories – PlayTheGame.org 06–05–10. Accessed 13–10–11
  6. ↑ Monaco quits NF Board
  7. ↑ Monaco, ConIFA
  8. ↑ "Interview #6 (April 2013): Palau Football Association president Charles Mitchell". Non-FIFA Football. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  9. 1 2 CAS rules in favour of Gibraltar – Outcasts Blog. 05–09–11. Accessed 13–10–11
  10. ↑ "FIFA ExCo makes reform progress and Audit and Compliance Committee appointment". Media Release. FIFA.com. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "Establishment of Saharawi national football team (Minister of Youth and Sport)". SPS. 2012-03-25. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  12. ↑ "Results". VIVA World Cup. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  13. ↑ "Abkhazia founds national football team". Vestnik Kavkaza. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  14. ↑ "South Ossetia make international bow in Abkhazia loss". Non-FIFA Football. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  15. ↑ "Nagorno-Karabakh FA". ConIFA. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "Abkhazia FA". ConIFA. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  17. ↑ "South Ossetia FA". ConIFA. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  18. ↑ "FIFA and UEFA do not recognize Abkhaz football". Vestnik Kavaza.net. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  19. ↑ Outcasts: The Lands That FIFA Forgot Menary, Steven. 25–08–10. Accessed 27–09–10
  20. 1 2 Fifa Statutes FIFA, May 2008
  21. ↑ The affiliated non-sovereign football teams are:
    Key
    1. Unincorporated unorganized territory of the United States
    2. British overseas territory
    3. Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
    4. Sovereign state with limited international recognition
    5. Associated state of New Zealand
    6. Constituent country of the United Kingdom
    7. Constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark
    8. Unincorporated organized territory of the United States
    9. Special administrative region of China
    10. Overseas collectivity of France
  22. 1 2 3 Menary, Steven. 2007. When is a National Team not a National Team? Sport in Society 10(2), 195–204
  23. ↑ "Football Associations". NF Board. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  24. ↑ "Monaco quits NF Board". Outcasts Blog. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  25. ↑ "ConIFA aim to lead non-FIFA football forward". Back Page Football. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  26. ↑ "Czech Republic Country Info". FIFA.com. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  27. ↑ "Czech Republic - Profile". FIFA. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  28. ↑ "World Cup Ends On Belgian Note". Prague Post. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  29. ↑ "Saarland 1950-1955". When Saturday Comes. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  30. ↑ "Germany: When East and West became one". FIFA. Retrieved 18 July 2013.

Sources

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