Mauritius national football team

History

Early years

Mauritius played its first competitive international game in 1947 against Réunion, which they won 2–1. For the next twenty years, they would only play Réunion and Madagascar (probably due to the proximity of the three islands to each other) in friendlies and the Indian Ocean Games Triangulaire, which existed from 1947 to 1963. Mauritius won the competition ten times over that time period, were runners-up twice, and came in third once.

1960s–1990s

Starting in 1967, Mauritius began competing against other countries, playing friendlies and entering in such competitions as the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, though they haven't found much success. While they have never qualified for the World Cup finals, they have qualified once for the Africa Cup of Nations, in 1974, however, they were eliminated in the group stages. Mauritius did manage to win the resurrected Indian Ocean Games in 1985. In 1999, after deadly riots caused by supporters of Scouts Club (renamed as Port Louis Sporting Club) angry about a controversial penalty awarded to Fire Brigade Sports Club (now renamed as Pamplemousses SC) in the championship deciding game, which gave Fire Brigade a 1–0 win, all domestic football was suspended for 18 months, and only the national team was allowed to play. This is regarded as the point at which Mauritian football, both on the domestic and international stage, started on a downward slope.

2000s–present

Throughout the new millennium, the national team's performances progressively declined. From a high of the 116th place in the FIFA rankings in 2000, they tumbled down to an all-time low of the 195th place in the summer of 2011.

A peak was reached in 2003, when Mauritius convincingly won the 2003 Indian Ocean Island Games, on home soil, under head coach Akbar Patel. They followed up with a 3-1 home win over Uganda in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification (CAF) first round in November 2003, although Uganda progressed on aggregate. Mauritius then reached the quarterfinals of the 2004 COSAFA Cup, beating South Africa 2–0 in January 2004. Mauritius eventually lost out 3–1 to the tournament's favorites Zambia. In the next few years, the team would go through a slump in performance, suffering their biggest defeats in the process and recording few official wins. Mauritius have also cycled through many head coaches, especially since the new millennium, but none have had true success.

During the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, Les Dodos achieved their best results in a decade, defeating both Mozambique and Rwanda. However, they were unable to build on these wins, losing to Comoros and then São Tomé and Príncipe in the preliminary round of the next two editions. In the 2023 AFCoN qualifiers, Mauritius faced São Tomé again in the preliminary round and lost 1–0 in the first leg and drew 3–3 at home, failing to progress. Following the result, CAF ruled that one of the São Tomé players was not eligible, awarding Mauritius a 3–0 victory and sending them into the group stages for the first time since 2017. However, this decision was reversed, following an appeal by São Tomé.

In 2023, Mauritius recorded impressive wins vs Kenya (1-0), who were in the FIFA rankings' top 100, and Angola (1-0; 0-0). However, in the 2025 AFCoN qualifiers, Mauritius lost to Chad in the preliminary round, marking four consecutive unsuccessful attempts to reach the group stage of the qualification round.

Team image

Media coverage

For most home games of significant importance, the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation provides televised coverage.

Kit providers

Supporters' groups

On 30 May 2011, the official fan club of Club M, Kop Moris, was launched. it was a massive moment for the entire country of Mauritius. The objective of this club is to build up excitement for Mauritius' games, fill up the stands as much as possible, and create a festive and family-friendly atmosphere. This fan club is officially sanctioned by the MFA.

Stadium

Mauritius now plays the majority of its games at the modern Complexe Sportif de Côte d'Or (cap. 7,000). Matches were previously hosted at Stade Anjalay (cap. 18,000) for high-profile matches, and Stade George V (cap. 6,200).

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2024

• Camargo

2025

• Semedo
• P. Mkhontfo
• Mabuza
• Rose
• Aristide
• Vincent
• Cabral
• Diney
• Nzola
• Fredy
• Zini
• W. François
• Ngamaleu
• Mbeumo

2026

Staff

Current staff

Managerial history

• ENG Harry Brophy (1957–59)
• MRI Joseph Le Roy (1959–63)
• SCO Danny McLennan (1963–64)
• MRI Mohammad Anwar Elahee (1970–88)
• GER Helmut Kosmehl (1976–88)
• GER Rudi Gutendorf (1993)
• MRI Mohammad Anwar Elahee (1994–96)
• MRI Akbar Patel (1996-97)
• GER Rudi Gutendorf (1997)
• MRI Ashok Chundunsing (1998)
• MRI Rajen Dorasami & MRI France L'Aiguille (1998–02)
• FRA Patrick Parizon (2002–03)
• MRI Akbar Patel & MRI Saoud Lallmahomed (2003)
• MRI Elvis Antoine & MRI Rajesh Gunesh (2003–05)
• MRI Sarjoo Gowreesunkur (2006)
• MRI Rajen Dorasami & MRI France L'Aiguille (2006)
• MRI Akbar Patel (2007)
• MRI Ashok Chundunsing (2007–08)
• MRI Benjamin Théodore (2008–09)
• MRI Akbar Patel (2009–14)
• FRA Didier Six (2015)
• FRA Alain Happe (2015–16)
• BEL Joe Tshupula (2016–17)
• BRA Francisco Filho (2017–18)
• MRI Akbar Patel (2018–19)
• ALG Boualem Mankour (2020–2021)
• MRI Tony François (2021–2023)
• MAD Fidy Rasoanaivo (2023–2024)
• FRA Guillaume Moullec (2024–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group D matches against Cameroon and Libya on 8 and 13 October 2025; respectively.

Caps and goals as of 8 October 2025, after the game against Cameroon.

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Mauritius squad within the last twelve months.

Player records

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Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Africa Cup of Nations

Main article: Mauritius at the Africa Cup of Nations

COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup

African Nations Championship

Head-to-head record

Honours

Regional

• Indian Ocean Games
  • Gold medal (2): 1985, 2003
  • Silver medal (3): 1990, 2011, 2019
  • Bronze medal (3): 1993, 2015, 2023
• Indian Ocean Games Triangulaire
  • Champions (10): 1947, 1948, 1949 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1957
  • Runners-up (2): 1955, 1958
  • Third place (1): 1963

References

References

1. "Mauritius 2000/01".
2. (17 May 2022). "Mauritius win 2023 AFCON qualifier slot after Sao Tome break covid rules".
3. (3 October 2025). "For the two matches against Cameroon and Libya, the national coach, Guillaume Moullec has summoned an expanded group of 28 players in which the great return of Kevin Bru is noted, a new expatriate, Léon Alizart and a newcomer, Mathieu Étrange". Mauritius Football Association.
4. "Mauritius – Record International Players".