Sierra Leone national football team

The Sierra Leone national football team represents Sierra Leone in association football and is governed by the Sierra Leone Football Association. It has qualified for Africa Cup of Nations three times.

History
Sierra Leone's first match was at home on 10 August 1949 against another British colony, Nigeria, and was lost 2–0. In 1954 it played another British colony and British administered U.N trust territory, Gold Coast and Trans-Volta Togoland, and lost 2–0 away. On 22 April 1961, it hosted Nigeria and lost 4–2. On 12 November 1966, it hosted Liberia in its first match against a non-British colony and earned its first draw, 1–1. A week later, it lost 2–0 in Liberia. On 13 January 1971, it played its first match against a non-African team, West Germany's B-team. The match in Sierra Leone was won 1–0 by the Germans. Sierra Leone's first match outside Africa was its first against an Asian nation, China. It lost 4–1 in China on 5 April 1974.

In August 2014, Sierra Leone FA cancelled all association football matches in an effort to stop the spread of the 2014 Ebola virus epidemic in Sierra Leone, a week after Liberian FA did the same. Sierra Leonean players playing outside Sierra Leone, such as Michael Lahoud playing in the United States, were discriminated against, with opposition players refusing to swap shirts, shake hands and allow them to certain places of the stadium because they fear that they could be carrying the disease. The Sierra Leonean national team wasn't allowed to play home games and all players had to be foreign-based.

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
{{Football box collapsible }}
 * format    = 1
 * round     = Friendly
 * date      = 6 January
 * time      = {{UTZ|17:00|0}}}
 * team1     =
 * score     = 5–1
 * team2     = 🇸🇱 sierra leone
 * goals1    =
 * Diomande ⚽ 18'
 * Kessié ⚽ 36'
 * Bamba ⚽ 38'
 * Boga ⚽ 48'
 * Lazare ⚽ 84'
 * goals2    =
 * Michael ⚽ 86'
 * stadium   = Laurent Pokou Stadium
 * location  = San Pedro, Ivory Coast
 * attendance =
 * referee   = Dedjinnanchi Ahomlanto (Benin)
 * result    = L
 * report    = https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2024/01/06/world/friendlies/cote-divoire/sierra-leone/4293719/

Coaching history

 * Burkhard Pape (1966–1968)
 * Klaus Ebbighausen (1976–1978)
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Warwick Rimmer (1979)
 * 🇸🇱 Christian Cole (1989)
 * 🇸🇱 Christian Cole (1991)
 * 🇫🇷 Raymond Zarpanelian (1993–1994)
 * 🇸🇱 Roger Palmgren (1996)
 * 🇸🇱 John Sherington (1996–1997)
 * 🇸🇱 Abdulai Sesay (1997–2000)
 * Dušan Drašković (2000)
 * 🇸🇱 Christian Cole (2001)
 * 🇧🇷 José Antonio Nogueira (2003)
 * 🇸🇱 John Sherington (2003–2006)
 * 🇳🇬 James Peters (2006–2007)
 * 🇸🇱 Mohamed Kanu (2007–2009)
 * 🇸🇱 Daniel Koroma (2009–2010)
 * 🇸🇱 Christian Cole (2010–2011)
 * 🇸🇪 Lars-Olof Mattsson (2011–2013)
 * Johnathan McKinstry (2013–2014)
 * 🇸🇱 Atto Mensah (2014)
 * 🇸🇱 John Ajina Sesay (2014–2015)
 * 🇸🇱 John Sherington (2015)
 * 🇬🇭 Sellas Tetteh (2015–2017)
 * 🇸🇱 John Keister (2017–2019)
 * 🇬🇭 Sellas Tetteh (2019–2020)
 * 🇸🇱 John Keister (2020–2023)
 * 🇸🇱 Amidu Karim (2023–)

Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Djibouti and Burkina Faso on 5 and 10 June 2024.

Caps and goals are correct as of 11 January 2024, after the match against 🇲🇦 morocco.

Recent call-ups
The following players had been called up in 12 months preceding the above draft.

INJ Withdrew due to injury. PRE Preliminary squad / standby RET Had announced retirement from international association football. SUS Is serving a suspension.
 * Notes

PRI Absent due to private circumstances. WD Withdrawn.

Records

 * Players in bold are still active with Sierra Leone.