Guinea-Bissau women's national football team
Association | Federação de Futebol da Guiné-Bissau | ||
---|---|---|---|
Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | ||
Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
Head coach | Lassana Cassama | ||
FIFA code | GNB | ||
|
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FIFA ranking | |||
Current | NR (25 September 2015) | ||
Highest | 92 (2009) | ||
Lowest | 148 (September 2015) | ||
First international | |||
Guinea-Bissau 1−1 Guinea (Bissau; 28 October 2006) |
Guinea-Bissau women's national football team is a FIFA-recognised team representing Guinea-Bissau in international association football matches. Guinea-Bissau have played in two FIFA-recognised matches, both in 2006 against Guinea. The country also has a national under-17 side which participated in the 2012 Confederation of African Football qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Football is the most popular women's sport in the country. A women's football programme was established in 2004, followed by the creation of a women's national league.
Team
In 1985, few countries had women's national football teams.[1][2] While the sport gained popularity worldwide in the ensuing years, Guinea-Bissau's team only began play more than two decades later. By the end of 2006, the team had played in two FIFA-recognised matches.[3] The first was on 28 October 2006 against Guinea in Bissau, which ended in a 1-1 tie after Guinea-Bissau led 1-0 at half-time. On 12 November 2006, the team played in their second FIFA-recognised match in Conakry, where Guinea-Bissau lost to Guinea 1-3.[3] At the time, the team held three training sessions a week.[2] The team has not participated in some of the major international and regional football competitions, including the Women's World Cup, the 2010 African Women's Championship and the 2011 All-Africa Games.[4][5][6]
The team's average FIFA world ranking since 2006 is 119th. Its highest-ever ranking was 92nd in December 2009, and its lowest ranking was 144th in December 2007. Guinea-Bissau's best-ever rise in the rankings came in March 2008, when the team climbed 23 places compared to its previous FIFA ranking.[7] In March 2012, the team was ranked the 135th in the world by FIFA and 30th in the Confederation of African Football.[8] In June 2012, they moved up five spots to 130th in the world but fell to the 33rd in Africa.[7]
Guinea-Bissau has a FIFA recognised under-17 football team, which was established in 2006 but did not play any matches that year.[2][9] The team competed in the Confederation of African Football qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Azerbaijan in September 2012. They did not advance beyond regional qualifiers.[10]
Background and development
The development of women's football in Africa faces several challenges, including limited access to education, poverty amongst women, inequalities and human rights abuses targeting women.[11][12][13][14] Many quality football players leave to seek greater opportunities in Europe or the United States.[15] Funding for women's football in Africa is also an issue: Most of the financial assistance for women's football comes from FIFA, not the national football associations.[15]
Guinea-Bissau won its independence in 1974, the same year its national football federation, Federação de Futebol da Guiné-Bissau, was founded.[4] The federation became a FIFA affiliate in 1986.[2][16] Women's football is provided for in the constitution of Federação de Futebol da Guiné-Bissau, and the organisation has four full-time staff members focusing on it.[2]
Football is the country's most popular sport for women, and is supported by football programmes in schools.[2] A national women's football programme was established in 2004.[9] By 2006, the country had 80 total football clubs, five of which were mixed and three of which were for women only.[2] There were 380 registered female players, and a women's teams played in a national football championship.[2] Three years later, there were 24 active women's teams in Guinea-Bissau.[9]
References
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