# Sierra Leone national football team
The Sierra Leone national football team represents [Sierra Leone](https://www.edgepedia.org/sierra-leone) in men's international association football. It is governed by the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), founded in 1960 and affiliated to FIFA and the [Confederation of African Football](https://www.edgepedia.org/confederation-of-african-football) (CAF), and its nickname is the Leone Stars.[1](https://slfa.sl/) The team has never qualified for a [FIFA World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-world-cup), and it has reached the Africa Cup of Nations three times, in 1994, 1996, and the 2021 edition played in January 2022.[2](https://fdb4.io/team/sierra-leone)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Governing body | Sierra Leone Football Association, founded 1960, affiliated to FIFA and CAF[1](https://slfa.sl/) |
| Africa Cup of Nations | Three appearances: 1994 (13th), 1996 (15th), 2021 edition (group stage)[2](https://fdb4.io/team/sierra-leone) |
| First recorded international | 8 October 1949, lost 0:2 to Nigeria in Freetown[3](https://www.eloratings.net/matches/Sierra_Leone) |
| FIFA ranking | 127th as of early 2024[4](https://www.sierraeyemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SIERRAEYE_DIGITAL-MARCH-2024-FINAL.pdf) |
## Early history
The earliest recorded representative match in the team's unofficial match list is a 0:2 loss to Nigeria in Freetown on 8 October 1949, followed through the 1950s by friendlies and regional cup games against Gambia, Gold Coast, and British Togoland.[3](https://www.eloratings.net/matches/Sierra_Leone) The SLFA was founded in 1960 and later affiliated to FIFA and CAF.[1](https://slfa.sl/)
## The 1990s
**The team's strongest period came in the 1990s.** At the 1996 tournament it finished 15th, with one win and two losses in three matches, scoring 2 and conceding 7; its results there included a 4-0 defeat by Zambia on 24 January 1996 and a 2-1 win over [Burkina Faso](https://www.edgepedia.org/burkina-faso) on 15 January 1996.[5](https://www.11v11.com/teams/sierra-leone/tab/stats/option/scores/comp/278/)
The following decades were disrupted.
## Return to the Africa Cup of Nations, 2021
Sierra Leone qualified for the 2021 [Africa Cup of Nations](https://www.edgepedia.org/africa-cup-of-nations) as the 24th and final team, sealing the place with a 1-0 win over Benin in which the only goal was scored by striker [Kei Kamara](https://www.edgepedia.org/kei-kamara).[5](https://www.11v11.com/teams/sierra-leone/tab/stats/option/scores/comp/278/) At the finals, played in January 2022, the Leone Stars drew 0-0 with Algeria, drew 2-2 with [Ivory Coast](https://www.edgepedia.org/ivory-coast), and lost 0-1 to Equatorial Guinea, exiting in the group stage.[2](https://fdb4.io/team/sierra-leone) Kamara missed a penalty in the Equatorial Guinea match that could have sent Sierra Leone into the last 16, and he stepped away from the national team afterward.[6](https://www.cafonline.com/news/kei-kamara-returns-as-kallon-names-first-sierra-leone-squad-for-world-cup-qualifiers/)
## Recent years
In 2024 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, Sierra Leone drew 2-2 with Burkina Faso, beat Ivory Coast 1-0 in Freetown on 15 October 2024, and drew with Chad, while losing 4-1 away to Ivory Coast and 0-2 at home to Zambia.[7](https://dailysports.net/team/sierra-leone/results/) In 2026 World Cup qualifying it beat [Guinea-Bissau](https://www.edgepedia.org/guinea-bissau) 3-1 and Ethiopia 2-0 at home, drew 1-1 away to Guinea-Bissau, and lost 1-0 away to Egypt.[2](https://fdb4.io/team/sierra-leone) New head coach Mohamed Kallon named Kei Kamara, then 40, in his first squad for those qualifiers after the striker came out of international retirement.[6](https://www.cafonline.com/news/kei-kamara-returns-as-kallon-names-first-sierra-leone-squad-for-world-cup-qualifiers/)
The team's standing has remained modest: a March 2024 Sierra Leonean publication placed the Leone Stars 127th in the FIFA rankings, just behind [The Gambia](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-gambia).[4](https://www.sierraeyemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SIERRAEYE_DIGITAL-MARCH-2024-FINAL.pdf)
## References
1. [Sierra Leone Football Association, official website](https://slfa.sl/)
2. [Sierra Leone, FDB4 match database](https://fdb4.io/team/sierra-leone)
3. [Unofficial list of Sierra Leone representative team matches, Elo Ratings](https://www.eloratings.net/matches/Sierra_Leone)
4. [Propelling Leone Stars to Footballing Glory, Sierra Eye Magazine, March 2024](https://www.sierraeyemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SIERRAEYE_DIGITAL-MARCH-2024-FINAL.pdf)
5. [Sierra Leone national football team statistics: scores, Africa Cup of Nations, 11v11](https://www.11v11.com/teams/sierra-leone/tab/stats/option/scores/comp/278/)
6. [Kei Kamara returns as Kallon names first Sierra Leone squad for World Cup qualifiers, CAF](https://www.cafonline.com/news/kei-kamara-returns-as-kallon-names-first-sierra-leone-squad-for-world-cup-qualifiers/)
7. [Sierra Leone National Football Team Results, DailySports](https://dailysports.net/team/sierra-leone/results/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › Teams and sporting organizations › National and representative association football teams*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license