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Football in the Gambia

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Football
National team(s)men's national team
Club competitions
International competitions

Football is the most popular sport in The Gambia and still growing in popularity.[1][2][3][4][5]

National football team

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The Gambia national football team, nicknamed The Scorpions, is the national team of the Gambia and is administered by the Gambia Football Association. They have never qualified for the World Cup. In the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Gambia reached the second round of the competition for the first time.[6]

Men's league system

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GFA League First Division

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The GFA League First Division currently has twelve clubs competing in it. The most successful club is Wallidan.

GFA League Second Division

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The GFA League First Division currently has ten clubs competing in it.

3rd Division Triangular Tournament

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promotion tournament to second division, top-2 qualify for second division.

National Third Division League

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Locally known as “Nawettan” (This word is derived from the Wolof tongue, one of several local languages, and means seasonal tournament). It is the third-highest competition in the country's national football rankings and is divided into eight mini-leagues of twenty teams each in different zones, of which all league champions from the different Local Governing Bodies (LGB) are contested in the Second Division, qualifiers and only the best three of the eight teams will proceed to battle it out in the Triangular play-offs. The emerging two best of the three teams are finally promoted to the National Second Division League.

Women's football

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National Football League Division One

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The National First Division currently has six clubs competing in it.[7]

National Football League Division Two

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The National First Division currently has five clubs competing in it.

Football stadiums

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The Independence Stadium is currently the largest stadium by capacity in Gambia. The Gambia national football team use the venue for home games.

Stadium Capacity City Tenants Image
Independence Stadium 20,000 Bakau Gambia national football team

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "FIFA reaffirms commitment to develop Gambian football - Daily Observer". Observer.gm. 2013-10-10. Archived from the original on 2013-12-10. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
  2. ^ "Gambia Football Federation – Manifesto - The Point Newspaper, Banjul, The Gambia". Thepoint.gm. 2013-07-23. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
  3. ^ "FIFA to engage in Gambia's football capacity building - The Point Newspaper, Banjul, The Gambia". Thepoint.gm. 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
  4. ^ "Swedish national to build state-of-the-art football academy in Gambia - Daily Observer". Observer.gm. 2013-09-16. Archived from the original on 2013-12-10. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
  5. ^ "Football in Gambia: Big dreams from Mustapha Kebbeh". Daily Maverick. 2013-09-30. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
  6. ^ "The Gambia clinch famous win over Guinea". BBC Sport.
  7. ^ Ceesay, Alieu (2013-01-02). "Gambia: GFF President Pledges Support to Female Football". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2013-12-06.