Member Association Focus: Gambia
Our weekly member association focus falls on the Gambia, a member of the Confédération Africaine de Football since 1966.
NATIONAL TEAM
Gambia pulled off a shock 1-0 away win over heavyweights Tunisia in the last of their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in November but it was not enough to book them a place in this year’s tournament in Morocco.
They finished third in Group A with eight points behind the Comoros Islands and Tunisia, ending a run of successive appearances at the last two finals in Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire, and now turn their focus to the resumption of FIFA World Cup qualifying in March, where they host Kenya and then go away to face African champions Cote d’Ivoire.
Gambia have some catching up to do in Group F with one win and three defeats in their opening four matches.
Their women’s team will be taking on Niger in February at the start of the qualifiers for the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals.
CLUBS
Fortune FC were the last Gambian club to compete in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and almost pulled off a huge upset in the first round of the 2021-22 edition.
The ‘Petroleum Boys’ beat former champions Entente Setif of Algeria 3-0 in the first leg at home but then lost by the same score in the return and went out narrowly on post-match penalties.
Gambia have not had a team in the Champions League or the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for the past three editions. Red Scorpion competed for the first time in the qualifiers for the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League, but finished fourth out of five teams in the WAFU A tournament in Sierra Leone in August.
LEADERSHIP
Lamin Kaba Bajo has served as president of the Gambia Football Federation since 2014, winning re-election in both 2018 and 2022.
He is also president of the West African Football Union A Zone. He is a former military officer, cabinet minister and ambassador for his country.
HISTORY
Gambia have represented Africa twice at the U-20 FIFA World Cup, making a splash in their debut performance in Canada in 2007 when they overcame a first game defeat to Mexico to beat both New Zealand and Portugal and advance to the second round, where Austria narrowly beat them.
Pa Modou Jagne played in that tournament and later went onto feature for Gambia’s senior side when they made their Cup of Nations debut in the 2021 edition in Cameroon.
At U-20 level, Gambia also participated in the 2023 World Cup in Argentina where they topped their group but went out in the round of 16 to eventual winners Uruguay.