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Equatorial Guinea

Nickname(s)	Nzalang Nacional (National Thunder)
Association	Federación Ecuatoguineana de Fútbol
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	UNIFFAC (Central Africa)
Head coach	Juan Micha
Captain	Emilio Nsue
Most caps	Felipe Ovono Iván Zarandona (41)
Top scorer	Emilio Nsue (13)
Home stadium	Estadio de Malabo
FIFA code	EQG
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	98 (6 October 2022)[1]
Highest	49 (February 2015)
Lowest	195 (December 1998)
First international
China 6–2 Equatorial Guinea  (China, 23 May 1975)
Biggest win
Equatorial Guinea 4–0 South Sudan  (Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; 4 September 2016)
Biggest defeat
Congo 6–0 Equatorial Guinea  (Congo, 13 December 1990)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	3 (first in 2012)
Best result	Fourth place (2015)

The Equatorial Guinea national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Guinea Ecuatorial) represents Equatorial Guinea in men's international football and is controlled by the Equatoguinean Football Federation, a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations on three occasions, the first two times as hosts (in 2012 and 2015). They reached the quarter-finals in 2012 and 2021 and finished in fourth place in 2015.

History

Equatorial Guinea played its first match on 23 May 1975 against China in a friendly, losing 6–2. They did not play another game until entering the 1985 UDEAC Cup in December 1985. They were drawn in a group against the hosts Congo and Central African Republic. They lost 5–0 to the Congo on 9 December and then earned their first draw by drawing 1–1 against the Central African Republic on 14 December. On 16 December, they played a play-off for fifth place against Chad, and lost 3–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.[2]

Equatorial Guinea would come in fourth in the 1987 UDEAC Cup, losing on penalties in the third place match to Gabon, even though they only scored one goal throughout the tournament in a 1–1 draw against Chad. They also drew 0–0 against Cameroon. On their next attempt, they got sixth place after losing on penalties against the Central African Republic. The next time Equatorial Guinea played the Central African Republic, in 1999, they won, 4–2. It was Equatorial Guinea's first win.[2]

In the late 2000s, the Equatoguinean Football Federation, along with the Gabonese Football Federation, announced a bid to host the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, against bids from other African nations including Angola, Libya and Nigeria. Equatorial Guinea and Gabon won the right to host the games,[3] and two new stadiums were built in Equatorial Guinea: Estadio de Bata in Bata and Estadio de Malabo in Malabo.[4]

The first game in the 2012 African Cup of Nations was Equatorial Guinea's first in a major international tournament, and resulted in a historic 1–0 win over Libya on 21 January 2012 in the opening game of the tournament. An 87th-minute strike from former Real Madrid winger Javier Balboa earned the victory.[5] In the next game, they secured the qualification for the quarter-finals by beating Senegal 2–1,[6] and finished second in their group after losing 0–1 to Zambia.[7] They progressed to the quarter-finals where they were eliminated by the tournament's runners-up Ivory Coast after losing to The Elephants 3–0 thanks to goals from Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré.[8] Various national side players were praised due to their performances in the tournament, including Javier Balboa, Randy, Ben Konaté and Rui, the latter a part of the Team of the Tournament.[9]

Three years later, Equatorial Guinea organized solely the 2015 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, but on this occasion, it was to replace Morocco, which was the original host. In the opener, they drew 1–1 against Congo, with Emilio Nsue opening the scoring. In the second game, they managed to play out a 0–0 draw with Burkina Faso, the runners-up of the previous edition. With these two results, the Nzalang Nacional had to win against its classic rival Gabon in the third match in order to qualify for the quarter-finals. Equatorial Guinea won 2–0 with goals from Javier Balboa (a penalty kick) and Ibán. As Group A's runner-up, the Equatoguinean national team then defeated Tunisia 2–1 with two goals from Balboa, the first being a penalty kick in the final moments of the regular time, and the second was in extra time. In the semi-final, however, they lost 0–3 to Ghana, and in the match for third place, drew 0–0 against DR Congo, ultimately losing 2–4 on penalties. The country finished the tournament in fourth place, being its best international participation to date and helping it reach a historical 49th position in the FIFA rankings.

AFCON 2022

Equatorial Guinea continued to fail in every qualification in AFCON as the team did not qualify for 2017 and 2019 editions. Likewise, the team had also failed to qualify for 2018 FIFA World Cup. During the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, they were grouped in group J along with powerhouse Tunisia, 2019 AFCON participant Tanzania and North African bedfellow Libya. The Nzalang Nacional performed poorly in their first two games, losing both with one goal margin to Tanzania away and Tunisia at home, and it appeared that Equatorial Guinea would just end up failing as usual as the team had never qualified throughout regular qualification outside hosting the competition twice.[10][11]

However, the COVID-19 pandemic led all AFCON qualification suspended until late 2020, when it resumed as Equatorial Guinea faced up against a rising spirit Libyan side that aimed to qualify for the first time since 2012. Despite this, Equatorial Guinea produced an outstanding comeback against Libya in Egypt, beating Libya 3–2 with two late goals by Pedro Obiang and Salomón Obama from being led 1–2 until injury times.[12] The Nzalang Nacional later hosted the same opponent at home, and like their game in Cairo, the Equatorial Guineans won again, 1–0, by virtual goal from Iban Salvador.[13] After beating Tanzania 1–0 on home soil, Equatorial Guinea managed a historic feat throughout regular qualification for the first time ever in its history.^{[citation needed]}

During AFCON 2021, the National Thunder were drawn in group E, alongside Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Algeria. Equatorial Guinea lost their opening match against Ivory Coast, but produced one of the tournament's surprised when they defeated trophy holders Algeria in their second match.[14] In their final match of the group, they defeated Sierra Leone and qualified for the round of 16, coming in second in the group, after Ivory Coast.[15]

In the round of 16, Equatorial Guinea was drawn against Mali, the winners of group F. The game ended in a goalless draw after 120 minutes and went to deciding penalties, where the Nzalang Nacional won the shoot-out 6–5 thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Jesús Owono, who managed to save two of the shots. The result meant that the national team qualified for the quarter finals of AFCON for the third time in their history (the first one advancing from the round of 16), where they will meet Senegal.[16]

Naturalised players controversy

This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2017)

In recent years, Equatorial Guinea has courted controversy by recruiting foreign players and giving them citizenship despite having little or no ties to the country. In 2009, South African journalist and FIFA archivist Mark Gleeson wrote that it was undermining the integrity of African football.[17]

In late 2005, and at the request of Ruslán Obiang Nsue, a son of President Teodoro Obiang, Brazilian coach Antônio Dumas recruited several Brazilian players to represent the Equatorial Guinea but the CAF and FIFA turned a blind eye, despite complaints from other nations.

In 2012, having lost the first leg of a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification round 4–0 to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea recruited nine Brazilian players to help overturn the deficit for the second leg. The team did manage to win the match 2–1, but it was not enough to overturn the aggregate and Equatorial Guinea were eliminated from the tournament. DR Congo head coach Claude Le Roy complained that the Equatorial Guinea were acting like the "United Nations of football".

Before the arrival of new coach Andoni Goikoetxea to Malabo, in March 2013, the Equatoguinean board made the squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Cape Verde and again called-up nine Brazilian players.[18] In May 2013, they joined Colombian-born, Ecuadorian-based Jimmy Bermúdez, to who was going to pay him €3,000 for each match he plays.[19]

During the qualifiers, in the series played against Mauritania, the Nzalang Nacional lost 1–0 away and won 3–0 in Malabo, qualifying to the next round to face Uganda. However, the Mauritanian Football Federation Submitted a complaint to CAF about the inclusion of ineligible players by Equatorial Guinea (Some with fake passports and false names), resulting in the expulsion of the Equatorial Guinean team, based on the particular situation of Thierry Fidjeu, while the cases of the other players remained under investigation.

Home stadium

Equatorial Guinea's home stadium is Estadio de Malabo in Malabo. It can hold up to 15,250 people. Equatorial Guinea played there when they hosted the 2012 African Cup of Nations During their participation in the tournament, they played in this stadium against eventual winners Zambia and runners-up the Ivory Coast. During the national side's participation in the 2012 African Cup of Nations, they also played in the newly constructed Estadio de Bata, in which they played and won both their games in the stadium against Libya and Senegal.[4]

Kit and colours

Equatorial Guinea wears a red and white uniform. The kit manufacturer is Erreà. When they play in Equatorial Guinea, they wear a solid red jersey and matching shorts with white stripes. The number, FEGUIFUT logo, and Erreà logo are located on the chest. The socks are red with white at the top.[20] When Equatorial Guinea is away, they wear all white shirt with blue stripes.

Recent schedule and results

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

  Win   Draw   Loss

2021

2022

2023

Coaches

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Coaches of local-based national team

Players

Current squad

The following players have been called up for a friendly match against Togo on 27 September 2022.[21]

Caps and goals updated as of 27 September 2022 after the match against Togo.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Aitor Embela	(1996-04-17)17 April 1996 (aged 25)	9	0	Somozas
12	1GK	Miguel Eyama	(1998-07-08) 8 July 1998 (age 24)	4	0	Deportivo Mongomo
13	1GK	Felipe Ovono	(1993-07-26) 26 July 1993 (age 29)	41	0	Sidama Coffee
2	2DF	Miguel Ángel Mayé	(1995-12-08) 8 December 1995 (age 26)	14	0	Futuro Kings
3	2DF	José Elo	(2000-10-21) 21 October 2000 (age 22)	1	0	Navalcarnero
5	2DF	Cosme Anvene (captain)	(1990-03-03) 3 March 1990 (age 32)	15	0	Deportivo Unidad
11	2DF	Basilio Ndong	(1999-01-17) 17 January 1999 (age 23)	34	0	Start
16	2DF	Vicente Esono	(2002-10-30) 30 October 2002 (age 20)	5	0	Cano Sport
20	2DF	Jorge Akapo	(1992-11-21) 21 November 1992 (age 29)	2	0	Atlético Semu
21	2DF	Esteban Obiang	(1998-05-07) 7 May 1998 (age 24)	18	1	Chindia
4	3MF	Federico Bikoro	(1996-03-17) 17 March 1996 (age 26)	40	5	Sandefjord
6	3MF	Joanet	(1999-03-01) 1 March 1999 (age 23)	7	0	Sabadell
8	3MF	Pedro Obiang	(1992-03-27) 27 March 1992 (age 30)	13	3	Sassuolo
10	3MF	Josete Miranda	(1998-07-22) 22 July 1998 (age 24)	33	2	Niki Volos
14	3MF	Cristián Nzang	(1990-07-27) 27 July 1990 (age 32)	10	0	Deportivo Mongomo
17	3MF	José Nze	(1992-04-03) 3 April 1992 (age 30)	1	0	Futuro Kings
19	3MF	Jesús Mansogo	(1997-08-10) 10 August 1997 (age 25)	5	0	US Tataouine
22	3MF	Gael	(2003-12-21) 21 December 2003 (age 18)	3	0	Cano Sport
7	4FW	Jordan Gutiérrez	(1998-07-08) 8 July 1998 (age 24)	9	0	Prat
9	4FW	Salomón Obama	(2000-02-04) 4 February 2000 (age 22)	14	1	Ethnikos Achna
15	4FW	Acasio Obama		1	0	Deportivo Unidad
18	4FW	Óscar Siafá	(1997-09-12) 12 September 1997 (age 25)	11	0	Niki Volos
23	4FW	Armando Juan Mañé	(1991-09-19) 19 September 1991 (age 31)	3	0	Cano Sport

Recent call-ups

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Manuel Sapunga	(1992-11-23) 23 November 1992 (age 29)	1	0	Polokwane City	v.  Rwanda, 24 September 2022 PRE
GK	Jesús Owono	(2001-03-01) 1 March 2001 (age 21)	17	0	Alavés B	v.  Libya, 6 June 2022
GK	Mariano Mba	(1999-08-03) 3 August 1999 (age 23)	0	0	Deportivo Unidad	2021 Africa Cup of Nations
DF	Luis Enrique Nsue	(1998-01-16) 16 January 1998 (age 24)	4	0	EO Sidi Bouzid	v.  Rwanda, 24 September 2022 PRE
DF	Marvin Anieboh	(1997-08-26) 26 August 1997 (age 25)	9	0	Utsiktens BK	v.  Libya, 6 June 2022
DF	Néstor Senra	(2002-01-04) 4 January 2002 (age 20)	4	0	Sevilla C	v.  Libya, 6 June 2022
DF	Javier Akapo	(1996-09-03) 3 September 1996 (age 26)	2	0	Montijo	v.  Libya, 6 June 2022
DF	Cristian Ebea	(2001-02-02) 2 February 2001 (age 21)	1	0	Sporting de Gijón B	v.  Libya, 6 June 2022
DF	Carlos Akapo INJ	(1993-03-12) 12 March 1993 (age 29)	28	1	San Jose Earthquakes	v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022 WD
DF	Luis Meseguer	(1999-09-07) 7 September 1999 (age 23)	14	1	Unión Adarve	v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022 WD
DF	Saúl Coco INJ	(1999-02-09) 9 February 1999 (age 23)	14	2	Las Palmas	2021 Africa Cup of Nations
MF	Pablo Ganet	(1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 (age 28)	33	4	Murcia	v.  Libya, 6 June 2022
MF	Rubén Belima	(1992-02-11) 11 February 1992 (age 30)	30	0	Unattached	v.  Libya, 6 June 2022
MF	Santiago Eneme	(2000-09-29) 29 September 2000 (age 22)	14	0	Nantes B	v.  Libya, 6 June 2022
MF	Álex Balboa	(2001-03-06) 6 March 2001 (age 21)	7	0	Alavés B	v.  Libya, 6 June 2022
MF	Jannick Buyla	(1998-10-06) 6 October 1998 (age 24)	13	1	Unattached	v.  Tunisia, 2 June 2022
MF	Niko Kata	(1993-01-15) 15 January 1993 (age 29)	14	0	Portugalete	v.  Angola, 29 March 2022
MF	Jimmi Ekua INJ	(1999-11-21) 21 November 1999 (age 22)	2	0	Moncarapachense	v.  Angola, 29 March 2022
MF	Silvestre Mba		0	0	Leones Vegetarianos	v.  Angola, 29 March 2022
MF	Iban Salvador INJ	(1995-12-11) 11 December 1995 (age 26)	32	4	Fuenlabrada	2021 Africa Cup of Nations
MF	José Machín	(1996-08-14) 14 August 1996 (age 26)	20	0	Monza	2021 Africa Cup of Nations
FW	Dorian Jr.	(2001-05-12) 12 May 2001 (age 21)	9	0	Leganés B	v.  Rwanda, 24 September 2022
FW	Pedro Oba	(2000-05-18) 18 May 2000 (age 22)	12	4	Futuro Kings	v.  Rwanda, 24 September 2022 PRE
FW	Emilio Nsue	(1989-09-30) 30 September 1989 (age 33)	34	13	Intercity	v.  Libya, 6 June 2022
FW	Celesdonio Abeso	(1998-08-15) 15 August 1998 (age 24)	5	1	Gran Tarajal	v.  Angola, 29 March 2022
FW	Wenceslao Afugu	(1992-09-16) 16 September 1992 (age 30)	1	0	Leones Vegetarianos	v.  Angola, 29 March 2022
FW	Luis Nlavo INJ	(2002-11-30) 30 November 2002 (age 19)	10	2	Braga B	v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022 WD
INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Previous squads

Records

As of 6 June 2022[22]

Players in bold are still active with Equatorial Guinea.

Competition records

FIFA World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record										FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1966	Part of  Spain									Part of  Spain
1970 to 1998	Did not enter									Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	2	5
2006										2	1	0	1	1	2
2010										6	1	0	5	4	10
2014										8	1	2	5	9	17
2018										2	1	0	1	1	2
2022										8	4	3	1	8	6
2026	To be determined								To be determined
Total	–	0/22	–	–	–	–	–	–	28	8	5	15	25	42

Africa Cup of Nations record

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957 to 1968	Part of  Spain
1970 to 1986	Not affiliated to CAF
1988	Withdrew
1990	Did not qualify
1992 to 1994	Did not enter
1996	Withdrew
1998 to 2000	Did not enter
2002 to 2010	Did not qualify
2012	Quarter-finals	7th	4	2	0	2	3	5
2013	Did not qualify
2015	Fourth place	4th	6	2	3	1	5	5
2017 to 2019	Did not qualify
2021	Quarter-finals	7th	5	2	1	2	3	4
2023	To be determined
2025
Total	Fourth place	3/33	15	6	4	5	11	14

African Nations Championship record

African Nations Championship
Appearances: 1
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not enter
2011
2014	Did not qualify
2016
2018	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	1	7
2020	Did not qualify
2022
Total	Group stage	1/7	3	0	0	3	1	7

Honours

• CEMAC Cup: 1

2006

Notes

References

External links

• Equatoguinean Football Federation (in Spanish)
• Equatorial Guinea at FIFA.com

На других языках

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- [en] Equatorial Guinea national football team

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[ru] Сборная Экваториальной Гвинеи по футболу

Сборная Экваториальной Гвинеи представляет Экваториальную Гвинею на международных турнирах по футболу и в товарищеских матчах. Управляющая организация — Федерация футбола Экваториальной Гвинеи. В 2015 году Экваториальная Гвинея была выбрана хозяйкой Кубка африканских наций вместо Марокко.

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