Football in Benin is a very popular sport. Governed by the Fédération Béninoise de Football

Fédération Béninoise de Football

The Fédération Béninoise de Football is the governing body of football in Benin. It was founded in 1962, affiliated to FIFA the same year and to CAF in 1969...

, the Benin national football team

Benin national football team

The Benin national football team, nicknamed Les Écureuils , is the national football team of Benin and is controlled by the Fédération Béninoise de Football. They were known as the Dahomey national football team until 1975, when Dahomey became Benin. They have never made the World Cup but have...

 (Les Ecureuils ) joined both FIFA

FIFA

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 and CAF

Confederation of African Football

The Confederation of African Football is the administrative and controlling body for African association football.CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental, national, and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those...

 in 1969 as Dahomey

Dahomey

Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...

. Dahomey became Benin

Benin

Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...

 in 1975.

Les Ecureuils

Les Ecureuils (The Squirrels, as the national squad is nicknamed) have never qualified for the World Cup

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 and made their only appearance in the African Cup of Nations

African Cup of Nations

The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...

 in 2004

2004 African Cup of Nations

The 2004 African Cup of Nations was the 24th edition of the African Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa . It was hosted by Tunisia. Just like in 2002, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...

. They enjoyed their highest world ranking as of September 2007 with a rank of 79th in the world. The home stadium is Stade de l'Amitié

Stade de l'Amitié

Stade de l'Amitie or Friendship Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Cotonou, Benin. It is currently used for football matches and also has facilities for athletics. The stadium has a capacity of 35,000 people.-External links:* at...

 in Contonou.

Notable Beninese footballers

• Romuald Boco
  Romuald Boco
  Romuald Boco is a Benin international footballer who plays for Shanghai East Asia as a midfielder or as a defender.-Accrington Stanley :...
  
  
• Laurent D'Jaffo
  Laurent D'Jaffo
  Laurent Mayaba D'Jaffo is a retired Beninese football player.D'Jaffo was born in France but moved to Africa at the two years old...
  
  
• Moussa Latoundji
  Moussa Latoundji
  Moussa Latoundji is a Beninese footballer.-Career:Latoundji played in more than 100 league matches for FC Energie Cottbus.-International career:...
  
  
• Stéphane Sessègnon
  Stéphane Sessegnon
  Stéphane Sessègnon is Beninese football player of Ivorian heritage who currently plays for English club Sunderland in the Premier League. He is a Benin international having starred for the nation at both the 2008 and 2010 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations...