Liberia national football team

Liberia
Nickname(s)	The Lone Stars
Association	Liberia Football Association
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach	Mario Marinică
Captain	Oscar Dorley
Most caps	Joe Nagbe (77)
Top scorer	George Weah (18)
Home stadium	SKD Stadium
FIFA code	LBR
First colors	Second colors
FIFA ranking
Current	149 6 (24 October 2024)
Highest	66 (July 2001)
Lowest	164 (October–November 2010)
First international
	Ivory Coast 0–2 Liberia ; (Abidjan, Ivory Coast; unknown date 1954)
Biggest win
	Liberia 5–0 Djibouti ; (Monrovia, Liberia; 29 March 2016)
Biggest defeat
	Ghana 6–0 Liberia ; (Accra, Ghana; 6 April 1975)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	2 (first in 1996)
Best result	Group stage (1996 and 2002)

The Liberia national football team, nicknamed the Lone Stars, represents Liberia in men's international football and is controlled by the Liberia Football Association. Although the nation produced the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year, George Weah, its football team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup and has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations just twice—in 1996 and 2002. It is a member of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

History

African Cup of Nations

In 1965 Liberia played in first campaign 1965 qualification qualifying campaign, losing its first match 0–1 against Ivory Coast. They also won 3–2 against DR Congo however lost both returning fixtures and were eliminated in the first round. In 1967 Liberia played in 1968 qualification qualifying campaign, drawing its first match 2–2 against Guinea. They also drew against Senegal however lost both returning fixtures and were eliminated in the first round. Liberia returned to qualifying in 1976 but lost in the preliminary round to Togo, falling to defeat in both fixtures. After another absence, Liberia again joined AFCON qualifying in 1982 in the preliminary rounds but failed to progress after two draws against Gambia, losing on the away goals rule.

Liberia withdrew from qualifying for the 1984 African Cup of Nations, but the following tournament they managed to secure their first win during qualifying, a 3–1 first-leg victory over Mauritania. They failed to capitalize on this advantage, losing 3–0 in the second leg. Liberia then faced Sierra Leone and Mali during the 1988 qualification and 1990 qualification respectively, but again failed to progress. In 1992, Liberia withdrew from qualifying before playing a match (possibly due to the ongoing First Liberian Civil War), and in 1994, Liberia was put into a group with two participants that withdrew during qualifying (Tanzania and Burkina Faso) however they failed to take advantage of this and finished with zero points, having lost to Ghana twice.

In the 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification, Liberia managed to register three wins (against Togo, Tunisia and Mauritania) and four draws, which saw them finish the group in second place and qualify for their first African Cup of Nations tournament. Following the withdrawal of Nigeria, Liberia was placed in a group with Gabon and Zaire. Liberia opened the tournament with a 2–1 victory over Gabon with goals from Kelvin Sebwe and Mass Sarr Jr. but lost 2–0 to Zaire. This meant that Liberia finished bottom of the group on goal difference and failed to progress to the knock-out stages.

Liberia missed out on returning to the African Cup of Nations in 1998 as they finished one point off of qualification. In 2000, they defeated Niger in the preliminary rounds, but again failed to advance to the main tournament, this time finishing behind Algeria on goal difference.

In 2002 African Cup of Nations qualification, Liberia beat Cape Verde in the preliminary rounds, then they finished top of their group to qualify for the main tournament for the second time in their history. In the 2002 African Cup of Nations, Liberia drew their first game 1–1 with Mali (goal scored by George Weah) and drew their second game 2–2 against Algeria (goals from Prince Daye and Kelvin Sebwe), but in their final group game, needing a win against Nigeria, they lost 1–0.

FIFA World Cup

Liberia first entered the qualifying process for the FIFA World Cup in 1966, however, they withdrew in protest against the fact that too few places had been reserved for Africa and Asia, along with all fourteen other African nations that had initially entered qualifying.

Liberia next entered qualifying in 1982 against Guinea after receiving a bye in the first round. They lost 1–0 over the two legs and were eliminated. In 1986, Liberia was again eliminated without having scored a goal, falling 4–0 to Nigeria. In 1990, Liberia won its first FIFA qualifying match defeating Ghana to progress to the second round. Despite finishing second in their group, Liberia failed to advance to the final qualification round, ending two points behind group winners Egypt.

In 1998, Liberia beat Gambia in the first qualification round, but finished twelve points adrift of Tunisia in their group. In 2002, Liberia had their strongest qualifying campaign, however, a loss against Ghana in their penultimate group game gave Nigeria the opportunity to overtake them and secure the only qualification spot.

Team image

Kit supplier

Kit provider^[3]	Period
Hummel	1990–1993
Diadora	1994–1995
Adidas	1996–1998
Weah Sports	1999–2001
Unknown	2002
Adidas	2003–2004
Hummel	2004–2006
Kappa	2006–2008
Adidas	2008
Kubba	2009
Adidas	2010–2012
Erreà	2012
SPECS	2012–2013
Joma	2013–2014^[4]
Adidas	2015–2020
Puma	2021–present

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

2023

17 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Liberia	0–1	Malawi	Paynesville, Liberia
16:00 UTC±0		Report	Mphasi 78'	Stadium: Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex Referee: Antoine Effa (Cameroon)

2024

20 March AFCON 2025 qualification	Djibouti	0–2	Liberia	Marrakech, Morocco
22:00 UTC±0		Report	Sangare 23' (pen.) Dorley 35'	Stadium: Stade de Marrakech Referee: Mehrez Melki (Tunisia)

26 March AFCON 2025 qualification	Liberia	0–0 (2–0 agg.)	Djibouti	Paynesville, Liberia
16:00 UTC±0		Report		Stadium: Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex Referee: Karim Sabry (Morocco)
Note: Liberia won 2–0 on aggregate.

5 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Namibia	1–1	Liberia	Johannesburg, South Africa
18:00 UTC+2	Karuuombe 8'	Report	Sackor 65'	Stadium: Orlando Stadium Referee: Messie Jessie Oved Nkounkou Mvoutou (Congo)

9 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	São Tomé and Príncipe	0–1	Liberia	Oujda, Morocco
14:00 UTC+1		Report	Sesay 90'	Stadium: Stade municipal d'Oujda Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona (Madagascar)

Coaching staff

As of February 2024^[update]^[5]

Position	Name
Head coach	Mario Marinica
Assistant coach	Kelvin Sebwe
Assistant coach	Harold Gbotoe
Goalkeeping coach	Chris Wesseh
Fitness coach	Desmond Mulbah

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics

Josiah Johnson (1971–78)
Bert Trautmann (1978–80)
Paulo Campos (1986)
Walter Pelham (1986–1990)
Wilfred Lardner (1990–1998)
Kadalah Kromah (1999–2000)
Philippe Redon (2000–02)
Dominic George Vava (2002)
Kadalah Kromah (2002–04)
Joseph Sayon (2004–06)
Shawky El Din (2006)
Frank Jericho Nagbe (2006–08)
Antoine Hey (2008–09)
Bertalan Bicskei (2010–11)
Roberto Landi (2011–12)
Thomas Kojo (2012)
Kaetu Smith (2012)
Frank Jericho Nagbe (2013)
Thomas Kojo (2013)
James Debbah (2013–17)
Thomas Kojo (2018)
Peter Butler (2019–2022)
Ansu Keita (2022)
Thomas Kojo (2022–2023)
Ansu Keita (2023)
Mario Marinica (2024–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Togo and Equatorial Guinea on 6 and 9 September 2024.^[6]

Caps and goals correct as of 9 September 2024, after the match against Equatorial Guinea.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Tommy Songo	(1995-04-20) 20 April 1995 (age 29)	23	0	LISCR
1GK	Abdulai Koulibaly	(1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 29)	7	0	Global Pharma
1GK	Teddy Kollie	(2005-11-10) 10 November 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Watanga

2DF	Sampson Dweh	(2001-10-10) 10 October 2001 (age 23)	28	0	Viktoria Plzeň
2DF	Kemoh Kamara	(1995-07-03) 3 July 1995 (age 29)	20	0	Bea Mountain
2DF	Sabastin Teclar	(2000-02-28) 28 February 2000 (age 24)	6	0	LISCR
2DF	Natus Jamel Swen	(2004-11-18) 18 November 2004 (age 19)	5	0	Mġarr United
2DF	Philip Tarnue	(2005-12-25) 25 December 2005 (age 18)	3	0	Watanga
2DF	Nelson Laomie	(2005-04-04) 4 April 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Watanga
2DF	Musa Sesay	(2007-02-08) 8 February 2007 (age 17)	0	0	LPRC Oilers

3MF	Oscar Dorley (captain)	(1998-07-19) 19 July 1998 (age 26)	42	3	Slavia Prague
3MF	Mohammed Sangare	(1998-12-28) 28 December 1998 (age 25)	21	3	Bellinzona
3MF	Divine Teah	(2006-04-19) 19 April 2006 (age 18)	14	2	Hammarby
3MF	Nohan Kenneh	(2003-01-10) 10 January 2003 (age 21)	12	0	Hibernian
3MF	Chauncy Freeman	(2001-07-26) 26 July 2001 (age 23)	6	0	Watanga
3MF	Abdulai Bility	(1999-09-08) 8 September 1999 (age 25)	4	0	Heaven Eleven
3MF	Lawrence Kumeh	(2005-05-01) 1 May 2005 (age 19)	4	0	Paynesville
3MF	Sheku Sheriff	(1999-09-17) 17 September 1999 (age 25)	3	0	LPRC Oilers
3MF	Quiah Sholee	(1997-04-07) 7 April 1997 (age 27)	1	0	Invincible Eleven

4FW	Peter Wilson	(1996-10-09) 9 October 1996 (age 28)	16	2	Jerv
4FW	Terry Sackor	(1993-04-01) 1 April 1993 (age 31)	9	1	Bea Mountain
4FW	William Gibson	(2007-11-22) 22 November 2007 (age 16)	6	1	Heaven Eleven
4FW	Emmanuel Ernest	(2000-12-30) 30 December 2000 (age 23)	2	0	Aarau
4FW	Emmanuel Seih	(2006-10-11) 11 October 2006 (age 18)	0	0	TS Galaxy

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Emmanuel Deanneh	(1995-06-20) 20 June 1995 (age 29)	1	0	Bea Mountain	v. Djibouti; 26 March 2024
GK	Ashley Williams	(2000-10-30) 30 October 2000 (age 24)	19	0	LISCR	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023
GK	Boison Wynney	(1996-12-27) 27 December 1996 (age 27)	7	0	Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023

DF	Mark Pabai	(2000-09-30) 30 September 2000 (age 24)	10	0	Koper	v. São Tomé and Príncipe; 9 June 2024
DF	Joachim Adukor	(1993-05-02) 2 May 1993 (age 31)	6	0	Sliema Wanderers	v. Djibouti; 26 March 2024
DF	Jamal Arago	(1993-08-28) 28 August 1993 (age 31)	11	0	Al-Ahly	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023
DF	Joel Johnson	(1992-09-20) 20 September 1992 (age 32)	10	0	Charlotte Independence	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023
DF	Seth Hellberg	(1995-08-19) 19 August 1995 (age 29)	12	0	Brage	v. Morocco, 17 October 2023

MF	Sheikh Sesay	(2002-10-24) 24 October 2002 (age 22)	1	1	Gaborone United	v. São Tomé and Príncipe; 9 June 2024
MF	Marcus Macauley	(1991-10-27) 27 October 1991 (age 33)	28	5	PDRM	v. Djibouti; 26 March 2024
MF	Edward Ledlum	(1999-06-15) 15 June 1999 (age 25)	10	0	Bea Mountain	v. Djibouti; 26 March 2024
MF	Tonia Tisdell	(1992-01-02) 2 January 1992 (age 32)	18	1	Telecom Egypt	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023
MF	Brem Soumaoro	(1996-08-08) 8 August 1996 (age 28)	12	0	York United FC	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023
MF	Albert Korvah	(1999-02-02) 2 February 1999 (age 25)	5	0	Rivers United	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023
MF	Mohammed Kamara	(1997-10-31) 31 October 1997 (age 27)	4	1	Hapoel Haifa	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023
MF	Prince Saydee	(1996-02-20) 20 February 1996 (age 28)	3	0	Hartford Athletic	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023
MF	Saah Moses Jr.	(2007-07-10) 10 July 2007 (age 17)	2	0	Discoveries SA	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023

FW	William Jebor	(1991-11-10) 10 November 1991 (age 33)	27	13	Al-Minaa	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023
FW	Kpah Sherman	(1992-02-03) 3 February 1992 (age 32)	22	3	Pahang	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023
FW	Sylvanus Nimely	(1998-09-04) 4 September 1998 (age 26)	12	0	Surkhon	v. Equatorial Guinea; 20 November 2023
FW	Abu Kamara	(1997-04-01) 1 April 1997 (age 27)	9	0	Kuching City	v. Morocco, 17 October 2023

Records

As of 14 October 2024^[7]

Players in bold are still active with Liberia.

Most appearances

Rank	Name	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Joe Nagbe^[a]	77	0	1986–2011
2	George Weah^[b]	75	18	1986–2018
3	Kelvin Sebwe	62	10	1988–2008
4	James Debbah^[c]	58	13	1986–2018
5	George Gebro	48	1	1997–2012
6	Anthony Laffor	46	5	2004–2018
7	Teah Dennis Jr.	44	1	2011–2019
7	Oscar Dorley	44	3	2015–present
9	Varmah Kpoto	40	1	1997–2008
10	Fallah Johnson	37	0	1995–2004
10	Zizi Roberts	37	9	1995–2003

Top goalscorers

Rank	Name	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	George Weah^[b]	18	75	0.24	1986–2018
2	William Jebor	13	27	0.48	2011–present
2	James Debbah^[c]	13	58	0.22	1986–2018
4	Kelvin Sebwe	10	62	0.16	1988–2008
5	Zizi Roberts	9	37	0.24	1995–2003
6	Oliver Makor	8	32	0.25	1995–2008
7	Prince Daye	7	25	0.28	1996–2004
7	Jonathan Sogbie	7	27	0.26	1988–1998
9	Zah Rahan	6	35	0.17	2006–2017
10	Francis Doe	5	22	0.23	2004–2016
	Isaac Tondo	5	22	0.23	2000–2005
	Dioh Williams	5	24	0.21	2004–2016
	Marcus Macauley	5	28	0.18	2011–present
	Anthony Laffor	5	46	0.11	2004–2018

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record									Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1962	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1966	Withdrew								Withdrew
1970 to 1978	Did not enter								Declined participation
1982	Did not qualify								2	0	1	1	0	1
1986									2	0	0	2	0	4
1990									8	3	3	2	4	3
1994	Withdrew during qualifying								2	0	1	1	2	4
1998	Did not qualify								8	2	1	5	7	12
2002									10	6	1	3	11	2
2006									12	2	1	9	6	29
2010									6	0	3	3	4	12
2014									6	1	1	4	3	9
2018									4	1	1	2	4	6
2022									8	3	0	5	8	10
2026	To be determined								4	2	1	1	5	2
2030									To be determined
2034									To be determined
Total	—	0/15	–	–	–	–	–	–	72	20	14	38	54	94

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
Appearances: 2
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Not affiliated to CAF
1959
1962
1963	Did not enter
1965	Did not qualify
1968	Did not qualify
1970	Did not enter
1972
1974
1976	Did not qualify
1978	Did not enter
1980	Did not enter
1982	Did not qualify
1984	Withdrew
1986	Did not qualify
1988
1990
1992	Withdrew
1994	Did not qualify
1996	Group stage	13th	2	1	0	1	2	3
1998	Did not qualify
2000	Did not qualify
2002	Group stage	9th	3	0	2	1	3	4
2004	Did not qualify
2006
2008
2010
2012
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
2025
2027	To be determined
Total	Group stage	2/34	5	1	2	2	5	7

Honors

Regional

WAFU Nations Cup
- Third place (1): 2011
West African Nations Cup
- Runners-up (1): 1987
CEDEAO Cup
- Runners-up (1): 1987

Notes

^ Nagbe retired from international duty in 2001 but later played two farewell matches in 2011.
^ ^a ^b Weah retired from international duty in 2002 but later played a farewell match in 2018.
^ ^a ^b Debbah retired from international duty in 2004 but later played a farewell match in 2018.

References

^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
^ "Liberia Kit History". Football Kit Archive. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
^ Molaposc (July 21, 2014). "Molapo Sports Centre: A good win for Lesotho, but there is still work to do". Molapo Sports Centre. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
^ "Liberia Football Association LFA Unveils Marinica as men's senior national team head coach". Facebook. Liberia Football Association. February 19, 2024.
^ "Squad List". Instagram. Liberian FA.
^ "Liberia". National Football Teams.

External links

[Nagbe-8] Nagbe retired from international duty in 2001 but later played two farewell matches in 2011.

[Weah-9] Weah retired from international duty in 2002 but later played a farewell match in 2018.

[Debbah-10] Debbah retired from international duty in 2004 but later played a farewell match in 2018.

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.

[World_Football_Elo_Ratings-2] Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.

[3] "Liberia Kit History". Football Kit Archive. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.

[4] Molaposc (July 21, 2014). "Molapo Sports Centre: A good win for Lesotho, but there is still work to do". Molapo Sports Centre. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.

[5] "Liberia Football Association LFA Unveils Marinica as men's senior national team head coach". Facebook. Liberia Football Association. February 19, 2024.

[6] "Squad List". Instagram. Liberian FA.

[7] "Liberia". National Football Teams.

[1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[a]

[b]

[c]

v t e Liberia national football team
General	Liberia Football Association History Managers Records
Stadiums	Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex
Results	Results 2020–present
Africa Cup of Nations	Summary 1996 2002
Other Liberian teams	U20 U17 Women

v t e National football teams of Africa (CAF)
North Africa (UNAF)	Algeria Egypt Libya Morocco Tunisia
West Africa (WAFU)	Benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Togo
East Africa (CECAFA)	Burundi Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Rwanda Somalia South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zanzibar¹
Central Africa (UNIFFAC)	Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Congo DR Congo Equatorial Guinea Gabon São Tomé and Príncipe
Southern Africa (COSAFA)	Angola Botswana Comoros Eswatini Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Zambia Zimbabwe
Non-regional Members	Réunion¹
¹ Regional team, an associate member of CAF but not a member of FIFA Football in Africa portal