Equatorial Guinea national football team

Equatorial Guinea
Nickname(s)Nzalang Nacional (National Thunder)
AssociationFederación Ecuatoguineana de Fútbol
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationUNIFFAC
(Central Africa)
Head coachJuan Micha
CaptainEmilio Nsue
Most capsFelipe Ovono
Iván Zarandona (41)
Top scorerEmilio Nsue (13)
Home stadiumEstadio de Malabo
FIFA codeEQG
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 99 (31 March 2022)[1]
Highest49 (February 2015)
Lowest195 (December 1998)
First international
 China PR 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
Appearances3 (first in 2012)
Best resultFourth place (2015)
This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Equatorial Guinea women's national football team.

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.

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

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
Further information: Estadio de Malabo
Estadio de Malabo

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
Main article: Equatorial Guinea national football team results (2020–present)

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
25 March 2021 AFCONQ Equatorial Guinea  1–0  Tanzania Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
20:00 UTC+1
  • Nsue 90'
 Report Stadium: Estadio de Malabo
Referee: Bernard Camille (Seychelles)
28 March 2021 AFCONQ Tunisia  2–1  Equatorial Guinea Radès, Tunisia
14:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Stade Olympique de Radès
Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala (Congo DR)
3 September 2022 WCQ Tunisia  3–0  Equatorial Guinea Radès, Tunisia
20:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Stade Olympique de Radès
Referee: Daniel Laryea Nii Ayi (Ghana)
7 September 2022 WCQ Equatorial Guinea  1–0  Mauritania Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
17:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Estadio de Malabo
Referee: Hélder Martins de Carvalho (Angola)
7 October 2022 WCQ Equatorial Guinea  2–0  Zambia Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
17:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Estadio de Malabo
Referee: Hélder Martins de Carvalho (Angola)
10 October 2022 WCQ Zambia  1–1  Equatorial Guinea Lusaka, Zambia
18:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: National Heroes Stadium
Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)
13 November 2022 WCQ Equatorial Guinea  1–0  Tunisia Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
17:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Estadio de Malabo
Referee: Boubou Traoré (Mali)
16 November 2022 WCQ Mauritania  1–1  Equatorial Guinea Nouakchott, Mauritania
19:00 UTC±0
Report
Stadium: Stade Olympique de Nouakchott
Referee: Ahmad Imtehaz Heeralall (Mauritius)

2022
12 January 2021 AFCON Equatorial Guinea  0–1  Ivory Coast Douala, Cameroon
20:00 Report
Stadium: Japoma Stadium
Referee: Rédouane Jiyed (Morocco)
16 January 2021 AFCON Algeria  0–1  Equatorial Guinea Douala, Cameroon
20:00 Report
Stadium: Japoma Stadium
Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala)
20 January 2021 AFCON Sierra Leone  0–1  Equatorial Guinea Limbe, Cameroon
Report
Stadium: Limbe Stadium
Referee: Mohamed Marouf Eid Mansour (Egypt)
26 January AFCON Round of 16 Mali  0–0 (a.e.t.)
(5–6 p)		  Equatorial Guinea Limbe, Cameroon
Report Stadium: Limbe Stadium
Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)
Penalties
30 January AFCON QF Senegal  3–1  Equatorial Guinea Yaoundé, Cameroon
20:00
Report
Stadium: Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium
Referee: Victor Gomes (South Africa)
23 March Friendly Guinea-Bissau  3–0  Equatorial Guinea Óbidos, Portugal
Embalo 48', 59'
Camará 89'		 Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Óbidos
28 March Friendly Equatorial Guinea  0–0  Angola TBD, Portugal
Report

Coaches
Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Coaches of local-based national team
  • Rodolfo Bodipo (2017–2018)
  • Antonio Pancho (2019)
  • Felipe Esono (2019–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players have been called up for a friendly match against Guinea-Bissau and Angola on 23 and 29 March 2022.[21]

Caps and goals updated as of 29 March 2022 after the match against Angola.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Aitor Embela (1996-04-17)17 April 1996 (aged 25) 7 0 Somozas
12 1GK Manuel Sapunga (1992-11-23) 23 November 1992 1 0 Futuro Kings
2 2DF Néstor Senra (2002-01-04) 4 January 2002 3 0 Sevilla C
4 2DF Jorge Akapo (1992-11-21) 21 November 1992 2 0 Atlético Semu
5 2DF Cosme Anvene (captain) (1990-03-03) 3 March 1990 13 0 Deportivo Unidad
8 2DF Cristian Ebea (2001-02-02) 2 February 2001 0 0 Langreo
11 2DF Basilio Ndong (1999-01-17) 17 January 1999 30 0 Start
15 2DF Luis Enrique Nsue (1998-01-16) 16 January 1998 2 0 Cano Sport
9 3MF Niko Kata (1993-01-15) 15 January 1993 14 0 Futuro Kings
10 3MF Santiago Eneme (2000-09-29) 29 September 2000 12 0 Nantes B
14 3MF Silvestre Mba 0 0 Leones Vegetarianos
17 3MF Jimmi Ekua (1999-11-21) 21 November 1999 2 0 Serpa
6 4FW Gael Joel (2003-12-21) 21 December 2003 0 0 Cano Sport
7 4FW Joanet Eló (1999-03-01) 1 March 1999 4 0 Lleida Esportiu
16 4FW Wenceslao Afugu (1992-09-16) 16 September 1992 1 0 Leones Vegetarianos
18 4FW Dorian Jr. (2001-05-12) 12 May 2001 6 0 Langreo
21 4FW Armando Juan Mañé (1991-09-19) 19 September 1991 2 0 Cano Sport
22 4FW Celesdonio Abeso (1998-08-15) 15 August 1998 5 1 Gran Tarajal

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 Jesús Owono (2001-03-01) 1 March 2001 15 0 Alavés B v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022
GK Felipe Ovono (1993-07-26) 26 July 1993 41 0 Futuro Kings 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
GK Mariano Mba (1999-08-03) 3 August 1999 0 0 Deportivo Unidad 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
GK Pascasio Ebea (1995-02-22) 22 February 1995 0 0 Leones Vegetarianos v.  Mauritania; 7 September 2021
DF Marvin Anieboh (1997-08-26) 26 August 1997 8 0 Cacereño v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022
DF Carlos Akapo (1993-03-12) 12 March 1993 28 1 Cádiz v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022 WD
DF Luis Meseguer (1999-09-07) 7 September 1999 14 1 Navalcarnero v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022 WD
DF Miguel Ángel Mayé (1995-12-08) 8 December 1995 10 0 Futuro Kings v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022 PRE
DF Esteban Obiang (1998-05-07) 7 May 1998 16 1 Antequera 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Saúl Coco (1999-02-09) 9 February 1999 14 2 Las Palmas Atlético 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Rui da Gracia INJ (1985-05-28) 28 May 1985 33 1 Gimnástica Segoviana v.  Mauritania; 7 September 2021
MF Álex Balboa (2001-03-06) 6 March 2001 6 0 Alavés B v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022
MF Pablo Ganet (1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 31 4 Murcia v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022 WD
MF Jannick Buyla (1998-10-06) 6 October 1998 12 1 Gimnàstic v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022 WD
MF Federico Bikoro (1996-03-17) 17 March 1996 36 2 Hércules 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Iban Edú INJ (1995-12-11) 11 December 1995 32 4 Fuenlabrada 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Josete Miranda (1998-07-22) 22 July 1998 29 2 Niki Volos 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Rubén Belima (1992-02-11) 11 February 1992 29 0 Móstoles URJC 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
MF José Machín (1996-08-14) 14 August 1996 20 0 Monza 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Javier Akapo (1996-09-03) 3 September 1996 1 0 Ibiza Islas Pitiusas 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Óscar Siafá (1997-09-12) 12 September 1997 8 0 Olympiacos Volos v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022
FW Luis Nlavo (2002-11-30) 30 November 2002 10 2 Braga B v.  Guinea-Bissau; 23 March 2022 WD
FW Emilio Nsue (1989-09-30) 30 September 1989 32 13 Tuzla City 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Pedro Oba (2000-05-18) 18 May 2000 12 4 Futuro Kings 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Salomón Obama (2000-02-04) 4 February 2000 11 1 UE Santa Coloma v.  Zambia; 10 October 2021

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 29 March 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
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 1968Part of  Spain
1970 to 1986Not affiliated to CAF
1988Withdrew
1990Did not qualify
1992 to 1994Did not enter
1996Withdrew
1998 to 2000Did not enter
2002 to 2010Did not qualify
2012Quarter-finals7th420235
2013Did not qualify
2015Fourth place4th623155
2017 to 2019Did not qualify
2021Quarter-finals7th521234
2023To be determined
2025
TotalFourth place3/33156451114

African Nations Championship record
African Nations Championship
Appearances: 1
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
2009Did not enter
2011
2014Did not qualify
2016
2018Group stage15th300317
2020Did not qualify
2022To be determined
Total Group stage 1/6 3 0 0 3 1 7

Honours
2006

Notes

    References
    1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
    2. "Equatorial Guinea - List of International Matches". rsssf.com. RSSSF. 5 June 2006. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
    3. "Angola to host 2010 Nations Cup". bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 27 September 2006.
    4. "Nuevo Estadio de Malabo". stadiumguide.com. The Stadium Guide. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
    5. "Balboa dá vitória à Guiné Equatorial" [Balboa gives the victory to Equatorial Guinea]. abola.pt. A Bola. 21 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
    6. "Africa Cup of Nations: Equatorial Guinea in quarters as Senegal crash out". bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
    7. "Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia book quarter-final slot". bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. 29 January 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
    8. "Ivory Coast 3−0 Equatorial Guinea". espn.com. ESPN. 4 February 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
    9. "Orange CAN 2012 Best XI". cafonline.com. Confédération Africaine de Football. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
    10. "Afcon 2021 Qualifiers: Tanzania didn't collapse against Equatorial Guinea - Ndayiragije | Goal.com".
    11. "Cara y cruz para Alavedra y Ganet". 19 November 2019.
    12. "Equatorial Guinea leaves it late to beat Libya in Cairo | CAFOnline.com". Archived from the original on 13 November 2020.
    13. "Libya loses 1-0 to Equatorial Guinea | The Libya Observer".
    14. Stevens, Rob (16 January 2022). "Equatorial Guinea stun holders Algeria". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
    15. Stevens, Rob (20 January 2022). "Equatoguineans through as Sierra Leone out". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
    16. "Equatorial Guinea shock Mali on penalties". BBC Sport. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
    17. "African football's integrity is undermined, by Mark Gleeson". WorldSoccer.com. 9 March 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
    18. "Volante Neto é convocado pela Seleção de Guiné Equatorial" [Midfielder Neto is called for the national team of Equatorial Guinea] (in Portuguese). Barretos Esporte Clube. 10 March 2013. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
    19. "Archived copy" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    20. "Equatorial Guinea ANC Puma Home Shirt 2012". Football Shirts. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
    21. Nze, José Antonio (10 March 2022). "Micha, apuesta por 25 hombres para los amistosos del 23 y 29 de marzo". Milaang (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 March 2022.
    22. Mamrud, Roberto. "Equatorial Guinea - Record International Players". RSSSF.
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