Gambia National Team: The Scorpions Football Squad, Fixtures and African Kick Off Times

The Gambia national team, nicknamed the Scorpions, is the men's football side of The Gambia, run by the Gambia Football Federation and a member of CAF and the West African Football Union (WAFU). Its proudest result came at its first Africa Cup of Nations in 2021, when the Scorpions reached the quarter finals. South African readers searching for the Gambia soccer team will find the same side here, with the squad, fixtures, results and records in the live modules above and the story of the team written below.

Gambia reached the quarter finals on their AFCON debut in 2021. If you want to know who they are, how they got there and why a reader in Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Accra or Kampala should care, it is all here in plain order, from the first recorded international in 1953 to the AFCON debut in 2021.

Who Are the Gambia Scorpions, and Who Runs the Team?

The Scorpions are the senior men's team of The Gambia, governed by the Gambia Football Federation, which sits inside CAF for continental competition and inside WAFU for the West African zone. Their first recorded international came on 9 February 1953, a 2 to 1 home win over Sierra Leone in a friendly, played when the country was still British Gambia. So, the team has more than seven decades of football behind it.

The quick facts below cover what most readers want first: the nickname, the best AFCON finish, the ranking range, the home ground and the record holders. For the other sides covered across the continent and beyond, the national teams hub lists every team with its own guide, and you can explore other national teams there.

What Was Gambia's Biggest Moment at the Africa Cup of Nations?

Gambia's biggest achievement is the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, played in Cameroon, where the Scorpions reached the quarter finals at their first attempt. Their record across the tournament was 5 played, 3 won, 1 drawn and 1 lost, and the knockout win over Guinea in the Round of 16 is the match I would pick as their defining night. Gambia beat Guinea in the Round of 16 in 2021. The run ended against hosts Cameroon in the quarter finals, which is a respectable way for any first timer to go out.

The Scorpions returned for the 2023 AFCON, which showed the first trip was no accident, although that tournament ended in the group stage with three defeats (2 goals scored, 7 conceded). They did not qualify for the 2025 tournament. That being said, two finals appearances in a row for a nation of this size is a real step, and what would turn it into a habit is depth: more players at a high club level so that one absence does not reshape the whole side. Qualifying is where that depth shows first.

Have Gambia Ever Played at a World Cup?

Gambia’s 2026 qualifying campaign ended without qualification. Their group contained Ivory Coast, Kenya, Gabon and Seychelles, which is a demanding draw for any side.

Two of those results stand out. The 3 to 1 win over Kenya at Kasarani on 5 September 2025 ended Harambee Stars' hopes of reaching the tournament, and on 14 October 2025 Gambia beat Seychelles 7 to 0 in Mauritius. A wide win like that tells you a side can turn chances into goals when the space appears. So, if you are asking what a first World Cup would take, the answer is turning those strong nights into a steady run across a full group, because qualification rewards consistency over ten matches more than one famous evening.

Who Is in the Gambia Squad, and Who Coaches It?

The squad module above lists the latest called up players, the captain and the head coach, and it updates whenever the federation names a new group, so check it before any international window. Two names anchor the modern Scorpions. In the November 2026 records, Omar Colley held Gambia’s appearance record with 62 caps and Musa Barrow held the scoring record with 14 goals. The records module lets readers follow Gambian players alongside the national team. Coaches change more often than players, so the module, rather than the prose, is the place for the name in charge.

Gambia Fixtures and Results: What Time Is Kick Off Where You Live?

For Scorpions matches, consult the fixtures for scheduled starts in WAT, EAT, SAST and GMT, and the results module for completed scores. Gambia itself runs on GMT, so a home match at 16:00 GMT in Bakau starts at 17:00 WAT in Lagos and 16:00 GMT in Accra; Johannesburg has an 18:00 SAST start, while Nairobi and Kampala have a 19:00 EAT start. Kenyan and South African readers searching for Gambia fixtures will find this conversion the most useful part, because East and Southern Africa sit two or three hours ahead.

To follow Gambia's results, start with the most recent entry and read its competition label. Distinguish the Scorpions' friendlies from their AFCON and World Cup qualifiers when assessing results. Check the fixture information for viewing details in your country.

How Have Gambia Fared Against Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Uganda?

Kenya has the sharpest memory of the Scorpions, because Gambia's 3 to 1 win at Kasarani on 5 September 2025 ended Harambee Stars' World Cup qualifying hopes for 2026. Kenyan readers searching Gambia vs Kenya will be looking for exactly that night. It could be argued that a defeat at home stings more than one away, and that is what gives the next meeting its edge. What would change the story for Kenya is simple enough, a home result against the same opponent, and the head to head module above tracks every meeting with the score, date and competition.

Uganda's link comes at youth level. The Cranes eliminated Gambia in the play off for a place at the 2025 FIFA Under 17 World Cup, after Gambia went out of the Under 17 Africa Cup of Nations, so Ugandan fans may know the name from that route. Gambia vs Nigeria, Gambia vs Ghana and meetings with Bafana Bafana are all covered in the records module, which holds the full senior totals. Nigeria and Ghana share WAFU with the Scorpions, and all three of those nations are plausible opponents whenever AFCON qualifying groups are drawn.

Who Holds the Gambia Records, and How Far Back Does the History Go?

The history runs from that 2 to 1 win over Sierra Leone on 9 February 1953 to the 2026 qualifying campaign, and the records tell a story of patience. The heaviest defeat was 8 to 0 to Guinea on 14 May 1972, and the 7 to 0 win over Seychelles in October 2025 shows how far the attack has come since. The best FIFA ranking was 65th, in June 2009, and the lowest was 179th, in March 2017, which makes the climb to a first AFCON only four years after that low point all the more striking. Up to 29 September 2026 the all time record stood at 272 matches, with 75 wins, 83 draws and 114 defeats (262 goals for, 362 against). Those totals move with every match, so the records module carries the live figures.

Where Do the Scorpions Play Their Home Matches?

The Scorpions play at Independence Stadium in Bakau, which holds about 30,000 people. Bakau sits on the Atlantic coast near Banjul, the capital, and the stadium is the national home for senior internationals. For a country of Gambia's size, a 30,000 crowd is a large share of the football public in one place, and it gives home qualifiers a real atmosphere. The fixtures module shows the venue for every match, so check it rather than assuming Bakau, because qualifiers are sometimes moved.

That last point matters for planning. The Seychelles win in October 2025 was played in Mauritius rather than in either team's home country, which shows that the venue on the fixture list is the one to trust. If you are thinking of travelling to watch a match, the federation is the place for ticket information, and the kick off times above already account for the GMT start in Bakau. Fans in Lagos and Accra have the easiest trip on the map, while readers in Nairobi, Kampala and Johannesburg face a much longer journey across the continent.

Why Do the Scorpions Matter in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Uganda?

The Scorpions matter because they are the favourite small nation story of recent African football, and because their players are already on our readers' screens every weekend. The 2021 AFCON run gave neutral fans a second team to follow, the way a Lagos viewing centre will cheer an underdog once its own side is out. Gambian born and Gambian heritage players turn out in European leagues and the Gulf, so a Nigerian, Ghanaian or Kenyan fan following Colley or Barrow at club level is following the Scorpions without trying.

For Nigerian readers, the question I always ask is what a Gambia match means for the Super Eagles players involved. Gambia are WAFU neighbours, which makes them a plausible AFCON qualifying opponent, and in my opinion a tie against a well organised side used to being underestimated is exactly the test that sharpens a Super Eagles defence. Ghanaian readers checking Gambia vs Ghana and South African readers following Bafana Bafana face the same kind of test. Kenya and Uganda already have their own chapters with the Scorpions, written in 2025.

How Do You Read Gambia’s AFCON Qualifying Table?

Read the qualifying table alongside the competition rules and fixtures module. The fixtures module gives kick off times in WAT, EAT, SAST and GMT.