The Mauritania women's national football team (Arabic: منتخب موريتانيا لكرة القدم للسيدات, French: Équipe Nationale féminine de football de Mauritanie) represents Mauritania in international women's football and is controlled by the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (FFIRM). The team played its first international match in 2019 as a friendly against Djibouti in which they lost three to one. Fatou Dioup scored Mauritania's first international goal.
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Mourabitounes |
|---|---|
| Association | Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania |
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) |
| Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) |
| Head coach | Abdoulaye Diallo |
| Captain | Fatou Dioup |
| Top scorer | Fatou Dioup (1) |
| FIFA code | MTN |
| FIFA ranking | |
| Current | NR (14 June 2024)[1] |
| First international | |
 Djibouti 3–1 Mauritania  (Nouakchott, Mauritania; 30 July 2019)[2] | |
| Biggest defeat | |
Mauritania 0–7 Tanzania  (Le Kram, Tunisia; 14 February 2020) | |
| WAFU Zone A Women's Cup | |
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2023) |
| Best result | Group Stage (2023) |
History
editThe team
editIn 1985, almost no country in the world had a women's national football team,[3] including Mauritania who did not play in a single FIFA sanctioned match between 1950 and June 2012.[4] The country did not have a FIFA recognised national senior or junior team in 2006,[5] and was unchanged in 2009.[6] In 2010, the country did not have a team competing in the African Women's Championships during the preliminary rounds.[7] The country did not have a team competing at the 2011 All Africa Games.[8] In March 2012, the team was not ranked in the world by FIFA.[9]
Federation
editThe national association, the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, was founded in 1961 and became a FIFA affiliate in 1964.[5][10] Women's football is not represented by rule in the federation and they do not employ anyone specifically to manage the women's football.[5] The federation has not participated in any FIFA sanctioned training courses for women's football.[6] Most of the funding for women's football in the country and for the women's national team comes from FIFA, not the national football association.[11]
Background and development
editFootball is the second most popular women's sport in the country, behind basketball which is number one.[5] In 2006, there were 100 registered female football players in the country, the first time such numbers were tracked.[5] Opportunities for play are limited as there are only four women's football teams in the country, women's football is not organised at schools, and mixed football is not allowed.[5]
The lack of development of the national team on a wider international level is symptomatic of wider problems on the continent, including limited access to education, poverty amongst women in the wider society, and fundamental inequality present in the society (especially present in Muslim-majority religious state countries, Mauritania being one such country) that occasionally allows for female-specific human rights abuses.[12] Early development of the women's game at the time colonial powers brought football to the continent was limited as colonial powers in the region tended to take make concepts of patriarchy and women's participation in sport with them to local cultures that had similar concepts already embedded in them.[13] Continent wide, if quality female football players do develop, they leave for greater opportunities abroad.[11] Future, success for women's football in Africa is dependent on improved facilities and access by women to these facilities. Attempting to commercialise the game and make it commercially is not the solution, as demonstrated by the many youth and women's football camps held on the continent.[13]
Team image
editNicknames
editThe Mauritania women's national football team have been nicknamed the "Mourabitounes".
Results and fixtures
editThe following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Lose Fixture
2023
edit Mauritania| 22 January 2023 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup GS | Guinea-Bissau  | 1–0 | Mauritania | Sal, Cape Verde |
| 16:00 | Paulo Mendes  55' | Report (FCF) | Stadium: Estádio Marcelo Leitão |
Cape Verde| 24 January 2023 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup GS | Mauritania | 0–6 | Cape Verde | Sal, Cape Verde |
| 16:00 | Report (FCF) | Stadium: Estádio Marcelo Leitão Referee: Ngum Fatou (Gambia) |
Coaching staff
editCurrent coaching staff
edit- As of 2 December 2023
| Position | Name | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach |  Jordi Arimany | [14] |
Manager history
edit
Abdallahi Diallo (2019–2023)
Jordi Arimany (2023–present)
Players
editCurrent squad
editThe following list is the final squad for 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup in January 2023.[15]
Caps and goals accurate up to and including 9 July 2021.
Recent call-ups
editThe following players have been called up to a Mauritania squad in the past 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. | ||||||
Previous squads
edit- First match selection[16]
- WAFU Zone A Women's Cup
Records
edit*Active players in bold, statistics correct as of 2021.
Most capped playersedit
| Top goalscorersedit
|
Competitive record
editFIFA Women's World Cup
edit| FIFA Women's World Cup record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | GD | |
 1991 to  2015 | did not exist | ||||||||
 2019 | did not enter | ||||||||
  2023 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
 2027 | To be determined | ||||||||
| Total | 0/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Olympic Games
edit| Summer Olympics record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Pld | W | D* | L | GS | GA | GD | |
 1996 to 2016 | did not exist | ||||||||
 2020 to 2024 | did not enter | ||||||||
| Total | 0/8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Africa Women Cup of Nations
edit| Africa Women Cup of Nations record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | GD | |
1991 to  2018 | did not exist | ||||||||
| 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Africa | ||||||||
 2022 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2024 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| Total | 0/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
African Games
edit| African Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | GD |
 2003 to  2015 | Did Not exist | |||||||
| 2019 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2023 | Withdrawn | |||||||
| Total | 0/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
WAFU Women's Cup record
edit| WAFU Zone A Women's Cup | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
 2020 | did not enter | ||||||||
| 2023 | Groupe stage | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | |
| Total | - | 1/2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | |
Arab Women's Championship
edit| Arab Women's Championship record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 1 | |||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
 2006 | Did Not exist | ||||||||
| 2021 | did not enter | ||||||||
| Total | Third | 2/2 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 33 | 12 | +21 |
All−time record against FIFA recognized nations
editThe list shown below shows the Tunisia national football team all−time international record against opposing nations.
- As of 26 October 2021 after match against
Guinea-Bissau.
- Key
| Against | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Confederation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | −7 | CAF |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | CAF |
 Algeria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | CAF |
| Morocco | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | CAF |
 Tunisia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | CAF |
| Djibouti | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | CAF |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Sélections : Première sortie officielle des Féminines". Fédération de Footbal de la Mauritanie (in French). 23 July 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ Chrös McDougall (1 January 2012). Soccer. ABDO. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-61783-146-1. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ "Mauritania : Fixtures and Results". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "Women's Football Today" (PDF). FIFA. 2006. p. 128. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ a b "Goal! Football: Mauritania" (PDF). FIFA. 21 April 2009. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ "Fixtures – African Women Championship 2010 – CAF". Cafonline.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ "Groups & standings – All Africa Games women 2011 – CAF". Cafonline.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ "The FIFA Women's World Ranking". FIFA.com. 25 September 2009. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ "Goal! Football: Mauritania" (PDF). FIFA. 21 April 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ a b Gabriel Kuhn (24 February 2011). Soccer Vs. the State: Tackling Football and Radical Politics. PM Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-60486-053-5. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ Jean Williams (15 December 2007). A Beautiful Game: International Perspectives on Women's Football. Berg. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-84520-674-1. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ a b Peter Alegi (2 March 2010). African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World's Game. Ohio University Press. ISBN 978-0-89680-278-0. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ "JORDI ARIMANY, NOUVEAU SÉLECTIONNEUR DE L'ÉQUIPE FÉMININE" [Jordi Arimany, New head coach of the women's team]. ffrim.org (in French). FFIRM. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ @karlyboy71 (22 January 2023). "WAFU Zone a women's tournament Guinée-Bissau v Mauritania Line ups" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 March 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Football Féminin : Abdoulaye Diallo à dévoilé sa sélection pour le match amical contre le DJIBOUTI ET le tournoi international du COTIF". 29 July 2019.