Football in Benin
| Football in Benin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governing body | Benin Football Federation |
| National team | national football team |
| Club competitions | |
| International competitions | |
Champions League CAF Confederation Cup Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup FIFA World Cup(National Team) African Cup of Nations(National Team) | |
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Association football, or soccer, is the most popular sport in Benin. Approximately 40% of the people in Benin are interested in football.[1]
Governed by the Benin Football Federation, the Benin national football team (Les Ecureuils ) joined both FIFA and CAF in 1969 as Dahomey.[2][3] Dahomey became Benin in 1975.
Les Ecureuils
[edit]Les Ecureuils (The Squirrels, as the national squad is nicknamed) have never qualified for the World Cup and made their only appearance in the African Cup of Nations in 2004.[4][5] They enjoyed their highest world ranking as of September 2007 with a rank of 79th in the world. The home stadium is Stade de l'Amitié in Cotonou. On August 22nd 2022, the national team nickname was changed to the Cheetahs.[6]
Notable Beninese footballers
[edit]Football stadiums in Benin
[edit]The Stade de l'Amitié is currently the largest stadium by capacity in Benin. It is used by the national football team of Benin.
| # | Stadium | City | Capacity | Tenants | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stade de l'Amitié | Cotonou | 20,000 | Benin national football team | 
|
| 2 | Stade Charles de Gaulle | Porto-Novo | 15,000 | AS Dragons FC de l'Ouémé | 
|
| 3 | Stade René Pleven d'Akpakpa | Cotonou | 15,000 | Requins de l'Atlantique FC |
Attendances
[edit]The average attendance per top-flight football league season and the club with the highest average attendance:
| Season | League average | Best club | Best club average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 350 | Coton | 843 |
Source: League page on Wikipedia
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ https://countrycassette.com/rankings-sports-football-fans-by-country/
- ^ "Benin: with voodoo on our side - Balls to Africa". FourFourTwo. 2010-06-07. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Ph.D, Toyin Falola; Jean-Jacques, Daniel (14 December 2015). Africa: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598846669. Retrieved 22 November 2016 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Benin's nickname change from Squirrels to Cheetahs awaits approval". The Star.
- ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Benin enjoying historic moment among big guns". CAFOnline.com.
- ^ "No more Squirrels: Benin football team change their nickname to Cheetahs". The Guardian. August 22, 2022.
- ^ "Stéphane Sessègnon back with the cheetahs and raring to go". FIFA. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
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