List of men's national association football teams

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This is a list of the men's national association football teams in the world.

Contents

[edit] Current FIFA affiliates

Map of the World with the six confederations.
Map of the World with the six confederations.

There are currently 208 men's national football teams affiliated to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the world's football governing body, through their national football associations. They 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.

Each of these national teams is also affiliated to one of the six confederations, according to their continental zones:

Below is a list of the national football teams by their confederations. Some national teams are full members of their confederation, but do not have membership of FIFA; these are listed with a note explaining this. There are also notes of teams who have left one confederation to join another.

[edit] AFC (Asia)

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

1: Formerly member of OFC (Joined AFC in 2006)
2: Official name of the national team of the Republic of China (Taiwan); OFC member 1975-1989
3: Official names used by FIFA and AFC; official names used by EAFF are "Hong Kong, China" and "Macau, China"
4: Iran is member of two sub-federations (WAFF and CESAFA).

NB: Flag of the Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Islands is an associate member of the EAFF, but also has associate membership of the OFC

[edit] CAF (Africa)

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

  • Council of East and Central African Football Associations (CECACAF) - represents nations generally regarded as forming the regions of East Africa and some nations of Central Africa.
  • Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) - represents nations generally regarded as forming Southern Africa, as well as island states off the coast of Southern Africa.
  • Union of West African Football Associations (WAFU) - one of two bodies that represent nations in West Africa.
  • Union of North African Federations (UNAF) - represents nations regarded as forming North Africa.
  • Union des Fédérations du Football de l'Afrique Centrale (UNIFFAC) - represents some of the nations that form Central Africa.
  • Union du Football de l'Ouest Afrique - one of two bodies that represent nations in West Africa.

1: Associate member of CAF but not FIFA member
2: Provisional member of NF-Board

[edit] 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: Geographically considered as part of North America, but member of the CFU.
2: Full CONCACAF member but not FIFA member.
3: Geographically part of South America, but member of CONCACAF (CFU).

[edit] CONMEBOL (South America)

[edit] OFC (Oceania)

1: Associate member of OFC but not FIFA member
2: Provisional member of NF-Board
3: Northern Mariana Islands is also an associate member of EAFF
4: Official Football Team Name of French Polynesia since 1970

[edit] UEFA (Europe)

1: Constituent country of the United Kingdom, but individual member of UEFA and FIFA
2: Formerly member of AFC (AFC 1972-1994; Joined UEFA in 1994)
3: Formerly member of AFC (Joined UEFA in 2002)

NB: Flag of Gibraltar Gibraltar was a provisional member of UEFA between 8 December 2006 and 26 January 2007 until the GFA had its application for full membership rejected.

[edit] Teams not affiliated to FIFA

These national teams are not affiliated to FIFA or their local confederation. Because their national associations are not FIFA members, they are ineligible to enter the FIFA World Cup, and their matches are not recognized as official. Some of these teams are affiliated to the NF-Board.

[edit] Associate members

These teams represent sovereign nations or territories: they have full, associate or provisional membership of their local confederations, but are not members of FIFA:

1: Full member of CONCACAF
2: Associate member of OFC
3: Associate member of CAF

[edit] NF-Board

These teams are full or provisional members of the Nouvelle Fédération-Board, an organisation 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.

Full Members

Provisional Members

1: Team name of British Indian Ocean Territory.

[edit] Federations

The NF-Board have begun to mirror the structure of FIFA with the admittance of regional confederations to its structure. At present, it has one confederation affiliated, the Consejo Sudamericano de Nuevas Federaciones (CSNAF), with 17 members from South America. A second confederation, the Confederation of European New Federations (CENF) is in discussions to join the NF-Board.

[edit] CSANF

Potencial Members

  • Quechuas
  • Flag of Antártica Chilena Province Magellanes Region
  • Mapuche
  • Isla Martín García
  • Flag of Saint Helena Saint Helena
  • Flag of San Andrés y Providencia Department San Andrés y Providencia
  • Flag of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia
  • Flag of Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha

Special Members

  • Armenians in Argentina

[edit] Currently unaffiliated sovereign nations

The football teams that represent the following sovereign nations are not members of FIFA, the NF-Board, or their local confederation:

The Flag of the Marshall Islands Marshall Islands are the only sovereign nation state which has no national football team with any records.

1. The Republic of Kosovo was unilaterally declared in February 2008. As of 2008-05-24, 41 countries have formally recognised Kosovan independence.
2. The United Kingdom has only traditionally played as a single team at the Olympic football tournament. The four constituent countries of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) all have their own national teams who are individual members of FIFA and UEFA.

[edit] Teams of non-sovereign or unrecognized nations

The following teams are either recognised in tables of international football teams, or operate as if they were full national teams, although the territories or ethnic groupings they represent are not sovereign nations.

Further information: List of non-national representative teams in men's football

[edit] Former national football teams

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

[edit] China PR

Integrated into Flag of the People's Republic of China China PR in 1945.
Integrated into Flag of the People's Republic of China China PR in 1948.

[edit] Czechoslovakia

Dissolved in 1993 into the independent nations of Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic and Flag of Slovakia Slovakia.
FIFA recognizes the Czech Republic as the successor of the Czechoslovakia national team and attributes its records to it.
Between 1918 and 1920 played international matches as Flag of Bohemia Bohemia; between 1939 and 1945 as Flag of Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ; and in 1993 as Flag of Czechoslovakia Czech And Slovak Republic.

[edit] French Equatorial Africa

Dissolved in 1960 into the four independent nations of Flag of the Republic of the Congo Congo, Flag of Gabon Gabon, Flag of the Central African Republic Central African Republic, Flag of Chad Chad.
FIFA recognizes Flag of the Republic of the Congo Congo as the successor of the French Equatorial Africa national team and attributes its records to it.[dubious ]

[edit] French West Africa

Dissolved in 1960 into the nine independent nations of Flag of Mali Mali, Flag of Senegal Senegal, Flag of Mauritania Mauritania, Flag of Guinea Guinea, Flag of Burkina Faso Burkina Faso, Flag of Benin Benin, Flag of Togo Togo, Flag of Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire, Flag of Niger Niger.
FIFA recognizes Flag of Mali Mali as the successor of the French West Africa national team and attributes its records to it.[dubious ]

[edit] Germany

Merged in October 1990 to form the unified national team of Flag of Germany Germany.
FIFA recognizes Germany as the successor of the West Germany national team and attributes their records to it.
Flag of Germany Germany was the official name until 1949 when it became Flag of West Germany West Germany.
Reintegrated in 1957 into Flag of West Germany West Germany.

[edit] Ireland

Dissolved in 1922 into Flag of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland and Flag of Ireland Republic of Ireland.
FIFA recognizes Flag of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland as the successor of Flag of Ireland Ireland and attributes its record to it.
Between 1922 and 1937 Republic of Ireland played international matches as Flag of Ireland Irish Free State.

[edit] Korea

Dissolved in 1945 into two independent nations Flag of South Korea Korea Republic and Flag of North Korea Korea DPR.
FIFA recognizes Flag of South Korea Korea Republic as the successor of Flag of Korea Korea and attributes its records to it.

[edit] Netherlands Antilles

Reintegrated in 1954 into Flag of the Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles.
Since 1991 has a representative team which is a full member of CONCACAF, but not a FIFA member.

[edit] Panama Canal Zone

Integrated into Flag of Panama Panama in 1979.

[edit] Sikkim

Integrated into Flag of India India in 1975.

[edit] Tanzania

Merged in 1964 to form the unified national team of Flag of Tanzania Tanzania.
FIFA recognizes Flag of Tanzania Tanzania as the successor of the Flag of Tanganyika Tanganyika national team and attributes their records to it.
The island of Zanzibar, part of Tanzania (and once an independent nation), is also an associate member of CAF and has played matches with other nations.

[edit] USSR

Flag of Estonia Estonia,Flag of Latvia Latvia and Flag of Lithuania Lithuania had already seceded from the Soviet Union and had formed national teams before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 into 12 independent nations, which played as Flag of Commonwealth of Independent States CIS in 1992, and subsequently launched their own national sides:
FIFA recognizes Flag of Russia Russia as the successor of the CIS, which was itself the successor of the USSR national team, and attributes the records of these two previous entities to it.
Flag of Russia Russia was the official name till 1917 when it became Flag of the Soviet Union USSR.

[edit] Vietnam

Merged in 1976 to form the unified national team of Flag of Vietnam Vietnam.
FIFA recognizes Vietnam as the successor of the South Vietnam national team and attributes its records to it.

[edit] Yemen

Merged in 1990 to form the unified national team of Flag of Yemen Yemen.
FIFA recognizes Yemen as the successor of the North Yemen national team and attributes its records to it.

[edit] Yugoslavia

Dissolved in 1992 into 5 independent nations:
Dissolved in 2006 into the independent nations of Flag of Serbia Serbia and Flag of Montenegro Montenegro
FIFA recognizes Flag of Serbia Serbia (and its predecessors Flag of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia and Flag of Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro) as the successor of the Yugoslavia SFR team and attributes its records to it.

[edit] New names

In addition to the unification or dissolution of nations, other nations have been renamed:

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] Sources