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Seychelles
Nickname(s)	The Pirates
Association	Seychelles Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach	Ralph Jean-Louis (caretaker)
Captain	Benoit Marie
Most caps	Benoit Marie (64)
Top scorer	Philip Zialor (14)
Home stadium	Stade Linité
FIFA code	SEY
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	201 (19 December 2024)
Highest	129 (October 2006)
Lowest	202 (February 2020)
First international
	Réunion 2–0 Seychelles ; (Saint-Denis, Réunion; 13 February 1974)
Biggest win
	Seychelles 9–0 Maldives ; (Saint-Pierre, Réunion; 27 August 1979)
Biggest defeat
	Ivory Coast 9–0 Seychelles ; (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 17 November 2023)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances	14 (first in 2005)
Best result	Group stage (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024)

The Seychelles national football team, nicknamed the Pirates, represents Seychelles in international football and is controlled by the Seychelles Football Federation (SFF). SFF has been a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA since 1986.^[3] The team's home stadium is the 10,000-capacity Stade Linité located in Roche Caiman in the outskirts of Victoria, the capital of Seychelles.^[3]

History

Football was introduced to Seychelles in the 1930s. Its first official competition, the Challenge Cup, was organized in 1936. Then in 1941, a championship between five teams was set up with matches of 60 minutes, played barefoot.^[4]

In 1969, the president of the Seychelles Football Federation wanted to set up a national team. Engaged on a voluntary basis, Adrian Fisher arrived on the island in September to reorganize Seychelles football. He equipped all the players with shoes, introduced contemporary training techniques and extended the match time to 90 minutes. The newly-formed national team played their first matches at a friendly tournament in Kenya in April 1970. In Seychelles' first matches played on a real football pitch, they drew 2–2 against Feisal F.C. then lost 1–2 to Mwengi at Mombasa Municipal Stadium. When Fisher left Seychelles in 1973, the team had played six games against four clubs.

Seychelles played their first match against another national team on March 13, 1974, against Réunion. In this friendly match, the Pirates lost 0–2. Two years later, this time as an independent nation, the Seychelles faced Réunion again, losing 1–4. In September 1977, they played their first match against a FIFA-affiliated team, Mauritius, during a tournament played in Réunion, and lost 1–2. The team enjoyed its first victory the following year by beating Réunion 1–0 at home.

In 1979, Seychelles played their first tournament, the 1979 Indian Ocean Games. They lost their first game 3–0 to Réunion, and beat Maldives 9–0 in their second. In the semi-final, they knocked out Mauritius 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw, but in the final they lost 2–1 to Réunion.

Seychelles were eliminated from the group stage at the 1985 Indian Ocean Games but, on August 31, 1986, they played their first competitive match recognised by FIFA and CAF, following their affiliation with both organisations, a qualification match against Mauritius for the 1987 All-Africa Games, which they lost 1–2. They participated, for the first time, in the 1988 African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Mauritius but lost 1–3 over the two legs.

At the 1990 Indian Ocean Games, the team suffered the heaviest defeat in its history against Madagascar in the semi-final, losing 0–6. In the bronze medal match, they won against Comoros 3–1. Despite hosting the following games, the team failed to repeat this performance, losing all four games and finishing last in the competition.

After the elimination from the preliminary phase of the 1996 African Cup of Nations by Mauritius 2–1 over the two legs, Vojo Gardašević was hired to lead the team. Following that, the Pirates again finished third in the 1998 Indian Ocean Games and, two years later, competed in the World Cup qualifiers for the first time. Playing against Namibia they drew 1–1 in Stade Linité, thanks to a goal by Philip Zialor but lost the second leg 0–3. Seychelles were also eliminated in the preliminary round of the 2000 African Cup of Nations by Zimbabwe 0–6 over the two matches. Seychelles fared better in the qualification for the 2004 African Cup of Nations as the team, led by Dominique Bathenay then Michael Nees, finished third and recorded two prestigious home wins: beating Eritrea 1–0 with a goal by veteran Roddy Victor, and beating a Peter Ndlovu-led Zimbabwe team 2–1 with goals by strikers Alpha Baldé and Philip Zialor. Following that they achieved a bronze medal at the 2003 Indian Ocean Games, then were eliminated in the preliminary round of the 2006 World Cup by Zambia, 1–5 in the two games.

In 2011, Seychelles hosted the 2011 Indian Ocean Island Games and won the tournament for the first time, beating Mauritius in the final on penalties.^[5]^[6]

The rest of the 2010s saw little success for The Pirates with the high point achieved during 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification where they managed a 2–0 win over Lesotho and a 1–1 draw with Ethiopia to finish third in their four-team group.^{[citation needed]}

FIFA Goal programme

In 2006, a new technical centre in Mahé was opened, with help from the FIFA Goal programme.^[7] The project had a total cost of approximately 750,000 USD. James Michel, president of the Seychelles, was present at the inauguration. The technical centre houses the SFF headquarters, an auditorium, 20 bedrooms, two massage rooms, changing rooms and a restaurant. The centre is located next to the turf pitches that were also installed by the Goal programme in 2003.^[8]^[9]

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.

Win Draw Loss Fixture

2024

8 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Gambia	5–1	Seychelles	Berkane, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1	Badamosi 10', 66' Barrow 52' (pen.) Minteh 55' Sidibeh 78'	Report	Henriette 14'	Stadium: Berkane Municipal Stadium Attendance: 700 Referee: Joseph Odey Ogabor (Nigeria)

11 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Seychelles	1–3	Burundi	Berkane, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1	Hoareau 78'	Report	Abdallah 34' Kanakimana 62', 69'	Stadium: Berkane Municipal Stadium Referee: Mohamed Ali Moussa (Niger)

28 June 2024 COSAFA Cup	Lesotho	1–1	Seychelles	Gqeberha, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2	Thabantso 19'	Report	Hoareau 67'	Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

1 July 2024 COSAFA Cup	Angola	3–2	Seychelles	Gqeberha, South Africa
12:00 UTC+2	Depú 9', 58' Munza 79'	Report	Gamatice 26' Labrosse 46'	Stadium: Isaac Wolfson Stadium

3 July 2024 COSAFA Cup	Namibia	3–1	Seychelles	Gqeberha, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2	Muzeu 11' (pen.), 81' Kulala 48'	Report	Labrosse 87'	Stadium: Isaac Wolfson Stadium

Coaches

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Adrian Fisher (1969–1973)
Ulrich Mathiot (1991)
Helmut Kosmehl (1992–1993)
Vojo Gardašević (1997–2001)
Dominique Bathenay (2002)
Michael Nees (2002–2004)
Raoul Shungu (2006–2008)
Jan Mak (2008)
Ulrich Mathiot (2008)
Richard Holmlund (2009)
Jan Mak (2010)
Michael Nees (2010)
Andrew Amers-Morrison (2010)
Ralph Jean-Louis (2010–2011)
Gavin Jeanne (2012)
Jan Mak (2013–2014)
Ulrich Mathiot (2014–2015)
Bruno Saindini (2015)
Ralph Jean-Louis (2015–2016)
Joel de Commarmond (2017)
Rodney Choisy (2017)
Gavin Jeanne (2018–2019)
Jan Mak (2019)
Ralph Jean-Louis (2020–2021)
Osama Haroun (2021)
Vivian Bothe (2021–2023)
Ralph Jean-Louis (2023–)

Management and staff

Position	Name
Head Coach	Ralph Jean-Louis (caretaker)
Assistant Coaches	Ernest Vivien Lesley Guichard
Goalkeeping Coach	Frantz Boulle
Fitness Coach	James Fontaine
Match Analyst	Alexis Lafleur
Doctors	Dr. Daniel François Dr. Justine Valmont
Physiotherapists	Michael Payet Jules Hervé Richard Lemoine Thomas Hoareau
Team Coordinator	Gavin Jeanne
Technical Director	Vivian Bothe

Players

Squad

The following players were selected for the 2024 COSAFA Cup.^[10]

Caps and goals correct as of 28 June 2024, after the match against Lesotho.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Ian Ah-Kong	(1995-11-02) 2 November 1995 (age 29)	16	0	La Passe
1GK	Romeo Padayachy	(1993-02-18) 18 February 1993 (age 31)	3	0	Light Stars
1GK	Liam Esther		0	0	Northern Dynamo

2DF	Warren Mellie	(1994-10-01) 1 October 1994 (age 30)	38	3	Foresters Mont Fleuri
2DF	Don Fanchette	(1997-12-03) 3 December 1997 (age 27)	29	0	La Passe
2DF	Makhan Bristol-Cissoko	(2006-06-26) 26 June 2006 (age 18)	5	0	Foresters Mont Fleuri
2DF	Markus Payet	(2005-06-13) 13 June 2005 (age 19)	5	0	La Passe
2DF	Anil Dijoux	(2006-07-20) 20 July 2006 (age 18)	1	0	Northern Dynamo

3MF	Gervais Waye-Hive	(1988-06-11) 11 June 1988 (age 36)	50	6	Saint Louis Suns United
3MF	Dean Mothé	(2000-08-01) 1 August 2000 (age 24)	21	0	Saint Louis Suns United
3MF	Elie Sopha	(2004-11-03) 3 November 2004 (age 20)	8	0	St Michel United
3MF	Imra Raheriniaina	(2004-11-19) 19 November 2004 (age 20)	7	0	St Michel United
3MF	Lorenzo Hoareau	(2007-06-01) 1 June 2007 (age 17)	5	3	Foresters Mont Fleuri
3MF	Lucas Panayi	(1997-03-06) 6 March 1997 (age 27)	4	0	Northern Dynamo
3MF	Tyrone Cadeau	(2004-06-14) 14 June 2004 (age 20)	3	0	Stafford Rangers
3MF	Johan Gamatice	(1998-09-07) 7 September 1998 (age 26)	3	0	Saint Louis Suns United
3MF	Vince Fred	(2005-10-16) 16 October 2005 (age 19)	2	0	Light Stars
3MF	Nick Labiche	(1999-07-08) 8 July 1999 (age 25)	2	0	Rovers
3MF	Stephan Ladouce	(2005-06-14) 14 June 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Saint Louis Suns United
3MF	Laurence Leon	(1996-03-11) 11 March 1996 (age 28)	0	0
3MF	Saverio Tsiahoua	(2004-06-16) 16 June 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Anse Réunion

4FW	Brandon Labrosse	(1999-03-11) 11 March 1999 (age 25)	28	2	Foresters Mont Fleuri
4FW	Justin Riaz		0	0

Recent call-ups

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Alvin Michel	(1990-01-05) 5 January 1990 (age 35)	24	0	St Michel United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
GK	Jean-Paul Lesperance	(1990-06-29) 29 June 1990 (age 34)	1	0	Côte d'Or	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games

DF	Benoit Marie	(1992-12-28) 28 December 1992 (age 32)	64	0	Côte d'Or	v. Burundi; 11 June 2024
DF	Charmaine Häusl	(1996-01-27) 27 January 1996 (age 28)	4	0	SV Babelsberg 03	v. Burundi; 11 June 2024
DF	Julio Brown	(1996-08-30) 30 August 1996 (age 28)	8	0	St Michel United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Daryl Louise	(1998-08-12) 12 August 1998 (age 26)	4	0	Abingdon United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Juninho Mathiot	(2000-02-09) 9 February 2000 (age 24)	23	0	Saint Louis Suns United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Dean Ballette	(1995-06-09) 9 June 1995 (age 29)	11	0	St John Bosco	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Brandon Molle	(2000-04-17) 17 April 2000 (age 24)	4	0	Foresters Mont Fleuri	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Ramlee Pascal	(1991-09-19) 19 September 1991 (age 33)	5	0	St Michel United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
DF	Michael Mancienne	(1988-01-08) 8 January 1988 (age 37)	5	1	Retired	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games^RET

MF	Ryan Henriette	(2001-01-23) 23 January 2001 (age 23)	20	2	Foresters Mont Fleuri	v. Burundi; 11 June 2024
MF	Kenner Nourrice	(1995-06-10) 10 June 1995 (age 29)	17	0	St Michel United	v. Kenya; 20 November 2023
MF	Colin Bibi	(1995-06-05) 5 June 1995 (age 29)	23	1	Saint Louis Suns United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
MF	Neil Confiance	(1997-08-12) 12 August 1997 (age 27)	4	0	St Michel United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
MF	Thierry Camille	(2001-12-11) 11 December 2001 (age 23)	4	0	Saint John Bosco	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
MF	Gerrick Vidot	(1994-06-30) 30 June 1994 (age 30)	8	0	St John Bosco	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games

FW	Josip Ravignia	(2001-01-19) 19 January 2001 (age 23)	18	0	St Michel United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
FW	Hubert Jean	(1996-07-26) 26 July 1996 (age 28)	13	1	Saint Louis Suns United	2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
^INJ Withdrew due to injury ^PRE Preliminary/Standby squad ^RET Retired from the national team ^SUS Serving suspension ^WD Withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue ^COV Tested positive for COVID-19

Player records

As of 3 July 2024^[11]

Players in bold are still active with Seychelles.

Most appearances

Rank	Name	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Benoit Marie	64	0	2013–present
2	Gervais Waye-Hive	51	6	2012–present
3	Colin Esther	45	2	2008–2022
4	Eric Nelson Sopha	44	0	1996–2012
5	Jones Joubert	43	0	2006–2019
6	Warren Mellie	40	3	2017–present
7	Achille Henriette	39	6	2006–2016
8	Henny Dufresne [it]	33	1	2002–2014
8	Philip Zialor	33	14	1998–2009
10	Yannick Manoo [it]	32	1	2013–2022

Top goalscorers

Rank	Name	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Philip Zialor	14	33	0.42	1998–2009
2	Alpha Baldé [it]	6	20	0.3	1996–2011
	Achille Henriette	6	39	0.15	2006–2016
	Gervais Waye-Hive	6	51	0.12	2012–present
5	Perry Monnaie	4	17	0.24	2018–2020
	Don Annacoura [it]	4	27	0.15	2000–2011
	Brandon Labrosse	4	30	0.13	2019–present
8	Lorenzo Hoareau	3	7	0.43	2021–present
	Ralph Jean-Louis	3	10	0.3	1993–2000
	Wilnes Brutus [it]	3	12	0.25	2002–2011
	Leroy Coralie [es]	3	17	0.18	2016–2022
	Yelvanny Rose	3	18	0.17	2002–2007
	Nelson Laurence	3	25	0.12	2008–2018
	Godfrey Denis Armel	3	29	0.1	1998–2008
	Warren Mellie	3	40	0.08	2017–present

Competition records

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup									Qualification
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1974	Part of United Kingdom								Part of United Kingdom
1978 to 1986	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1990 to 1998	Did not enter								Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify								2	0	1	1	1	4
2006									2	0	1	1	1	5
2010									6	0	0	6	4	17
2014									2	0	0	2	0	7
2018									2	0	0	2	0	3
2022									2	0	0	2	0	10
2026	To be determined								4	0	0	4	2	22
2030									To be determined
2034									To be determined
Total	–	0/9	–	–	–	–	–	–	20	0	2	18	8	68

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record									Africa Cup of Nations Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957 to 1976	Part of United Kingdom								Part of United Kingdom
1978 to 1986	Not affiliated to CAF								Not affiliated to CAF
1988	Did not enter								Did not enter
1990	Did not qualify								2	1	0	1	1	3
1992	Withdrew								Withdrew
1994	Did not enter								Did not enter
1996	Withdrew								Withdrew
1998	Did not qualify								2	0	1	1	1	2
2000	Did not enter								Did not enter
2002	Did not enter								Did not enter
2004	Did not qualify								6	2	0	4	4	10
2006									2	0	1	1	1	5
2008									6	1	1	4	3	14
2010									6	0	0	6	4	17
2012	Did not enter								Did not enter
2013	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	0	7
2015	Withdrew								Withdrew
2017	Did not qualify								6	1	1	4	5	11
2019									6	0	1	5	3	25
2021									2	0	0	2	1	3
2023									2	0	1	1	1	3
2025	Excluded								Excluded
2027	To be determined								To be determined
2029	To be determined								To be determined
Total	–	0/35	–	–	–	–	–	–	42	5	6	31	24	100

Indian Ocean Island Games

Indian Ocean Island Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1979	Runners-up	2nd	4	1	1	2	11	6
1985	Group stage	6th	2	0	0	2	1	4
1990	Third place	3rd	3	1	0	2	3	9
1993	Fourth place	4th	4	0	0	4	3	12
1998	Third place	3rd	4	2	0	2	9	10
2003	Third place	3rd	4	1	2	1	3	6
2007	Group stage	5th	2	1	0	1	2	4
2011	Champions	1st	5	3	2	0	10	4
2015	Group stage	5th	3	1	0	2	4	3
2019	Fourth place	4th	4	0	2	2	2	8
2023	Group Stage	6th	2	0	0	2	0	2
Total	1 Title	11/11	36	10	7	20	48	68

CECAFA Cup

COSAFA Cup

Year	COSAFA Cup
Year	Round	Result	M	W	D	L	GF	GA
2000	Excluded
2001	Excluded
2002	Did not enter
2003
2004
2005	Round 1	11th	1	0	0	1	0	3
2006	Round 1	7th	2	0	1	1	1	3
2007	Round 1	13th	2	0	0	2	0	7
2008	Group stage	11th	3	1	1	1	8	2
2009	Group stage	13th	3	0	0	3	2	6
2013	Group stage	13th	2	0	0	2	2	8
2015	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	0	2
2016	Group stage	14th	3	0	0	3	0	10
2017	Group stage	14th	3	0	0	3	1	10
2018	Group stage	12th	3	0	2	1	2	3
2019	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	0	6
2021	Did not enter
2022	Group Stage	13th	3	0	0	3	1	6
2023	Group Stage	12th	3	0	0	3	2	9
Total	Group stage	11/19	34	1	6	27	19	75

Head-to-head record

As of 3 July 2024^[12]

FIFA members

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Algeria	2	0	0	2	0	6	–6
Angola	2	0	0	2	2	6	–4
Bangladesh	3	1	1	1	2	2	0
Botswana	2	0	0	2	0	3	–3
Burkina Faso	2	0	0	2	3	7	–4
Burundi	6	0	0	6	3	17	–14
Comoros	9	3	2	4	12	16	–4
Congo	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
DR Congo	2	0	0	2	0	7	–7
Eritrea	3	1	0	2	1	2	–1
Eswatini	4	0	1	3	1	7	–6
Ethiopia	2	0	1	1	2	3	–1
Gambia	1	0	0	1	1	5	–4
Ivory Coast	1	0	0	1	0	9	–9
Kenya	6	0	1	5	2	21	–19
Lesotho	5	1	2	2	5	6	–1
Libya	2	0	0	2	2	13	–11
Madagascar	13	0	4	9	6	28	–22
Malawi	2	0	0	2	0	5	–5
Maldives	8	4	1	3	21	10	+11
Mali	2	0	0	2	0	5	–5
Mauritius	31	6	8	17	32	51	–19
Mozambique	4	0	1	3	2	6	–4
Namibia	7	0	3	4	5	15	–10
Nigeria	2	0	0	2	1	6	–5
Palestine	1	0	0	1	0	1	–1
Rwanda	2	0	0	2	0	10	–10
San Marino	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Sierra Leone	1	0	0	1	0	2	–2
South Africa	3	0	1	2	0	9	–9
South Sudan	2	0	0	2	1	3	–2
Sri Lanka	4	2	1	1	8	5	+3
Sudan	2	0	0	2	0	5	–5
Tanzania	2	1	1	0	3	2	+1
Tunisia	4	0	0	4	0	14	–14
Uganda	3	0	0	3	2	8	–6
Zambia	4	0	1	3	3	11	–8
Zimbabwe	7	1	0	6	3	22	–19
Total	159	20	31	107	124	349	–225

Non FIFA members

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Mayotte	3	1	0	2	3	5	–2
Réunion	16	2	1	13	9	33	–24
Total	19	3	1	15	12	38	–26

Honours

Regional

Indian Ocean Island Games
- Gold medal (1): 2011
- Silver medal (1): 1979
- Bronze medal (3): 1990, 1998, 2003

References

^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 5 January 2025. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
^ ^a ^b "Sport in The Seychelles". topendsports.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
^ "History Of Seychelles Football & Federation". Cerf Resort. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
^ FIFA.com (27 August 2020). "Spectacular Seychelles' footballing passion". Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
^ FIFA.com (1 September 2011). "Seychelles making historic waves". Retrieved 25 September 2020.^{[dead link‍]}
^ "Seychelles FIFA Goal Project" (PDF). FIFA.com. 21 April 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
^ "Seychelles Football Federation & history". www.cerf-resort.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
^ "Goal Project 2-Seychelles' football house inaugurated". Seychelles Nation. 16 February 2006. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
^ "Final Squad". Facebook. Seychelles Football Federation.
^ "Seychelles". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Seychelles". Eloratings.net. 4 May 2023. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2023.