Ethiopia national football team

The Ethiopia national football team, nicknamed Walias, after the Walia ibex, represents Ethiopia in men's international football and is controlled by the Ethiopian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Ethiopia. The team has been representing Ethiopia in regional, continental, and international competitions since its founding in 1943.[4] The Walias play their home games at Addis Ababa Stadium located in the capital city of Addis Ababa. They are currently ranked 150th in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings and 44th in CAF.[2][5]

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Ethiopia women's national football team.

Ethiopia

Nickname(s)	Walia ibex
Association	Ethiopian Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	CECAFA (East & Central Africa)
Head coach	Abraham Mebratu
Captain	Shimelis Bekele
Most caps	Adane Girma (45)
Top scorer	Getaneh Kebede (23)
Home stadium	Addis Ababa Stadium Bahir Dar Stadium
FIFA code	ETH
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	146 (16 July 2020)[1]
Highest	86 (September 2006[2])
Lowest	155 (December 2001[2])
First international
French Somaliland 0–5 Ethiopia (French Somaliland; 5 December 1947)[3]
Biggest win
French Somaliland 2–10 Ethiopia (Ethiopia; 1 May 1954)[3]
Biggest defeat
Iraq 13–0 Ethiopia (Irbid, Jordan; 18 August 1992)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	10 (first in 1957)
Best result	Champions, 1962

This article contains several patronymic names rather than family names. These persons are addressed by their given name, and not by their inherited name.

Ethiopia was one of only three teams (along with Egypt and Sudan) to participate in the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations in 1957. It won the competition in 1962, while it was also the host. However, success has been elusive since the end of the 1960s. Under a previous coach Sewnet Bishaw, the team qualified for the 2013 African Cup of Nations after a 31-year absence.[4]

Early history

Ethiopia has a long football tradition and was among the pioneers of international competition in Africa, playing its first international match in 1947, defeating French Somaliland 5–0.[3] The EFF joined FIFA in 1952,[4] and was one of the founders of the Confederation of African Football in 1957.[6] The team took part in the inaugural African Nations Cup in 1957, where it finished second.[7] In 1959, Ethiopia entered the 1962 World Cup qualifiers for the first time and faced Israel in the second round after a bye. The team lost both games; and with an aggregate score of 2–4 was knocked out of the competition.[8]

The team won the African tournament on home soil, in 1962.[9] Nine countries entered the competition, including the reigning champions, the United Arab Republic, meaning for the first time a qualification tournament was required. As with previous tournaments, the finals only included four teams. The United Arab Republic, as holders, and Ethiopia as hosts, qualified automatically meaning each needed to play only one game to reach the final. Ethiopia won the tournament for the first time after extra time in the final against the United Arab Republic. Mengistu Worku and Badawi Abdel Fattah were joint top-scorers, both with three goals each, but the award itself was given to Worku because his team had won the title.[10] This was the greatest feat ever achieved by the Ethiopian National team, and the only African Cup of Nations title it has ever won. Luciano Vassalo was the team's captain,[11] and the coach was Ydnekatchew Tessema.

In the 1963 African Cup of Nations, they finished fourth, after losing the third place battle against the United Arab Republic.[12] The 1965 edition was even more of a disappointment for Ethiopia, as the national team was eliminated in group phase by Tunisia and Senegal, finishing at the bottom of the group, with only one scored goal.[13]

The next African Cup of Nations was the 1968 edition. Again, but this time on home soil, the team finished in fourth place after losing to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the semi-finals, and losing the third place match to Ivory Coast 0−1.[14] But two years later, the team went through a real disaster, as they finished at the bottom of the group phase, with a goal difference of 3–12. The worse was yet to come for Ethiopia as they did not qualify for the 1972 African Cup of Nations at all, losing to Kenya in the qualifying tournament with a 0–3 aggregate. Almost the same thing happened for the 1974 African Cup of Nations. This time, they were eliminated by Tanzania.

Ethiopia hosted the Nations Cup tournament in 1976, but failed to progress to the final four, finishing third in the group, behind Guinea and Egypt.[15] In 1977, they played Mauritius in the qualifiers for the 1978 African Cup of Nations. After a 4–2 win on aggregate, they had to play Uganda. After a 0–0 draw from the first match, Uganda won the second match, 2–1, and progressed to the final tournament. They also missed the 1980 African Cup of Nations. Ethiopia last qualified for the tournament in 1982, under coach Mengistu Worku, legendary former player. They failed to make it past the groups stage.[16]

Later history (2000–2011)

Earlier success in CECAFA Cup (2001–2007)

Main article: CECAFA Cup

In the 2001 CECAFA Cup, Ethiopia beat Zanzibar 5–0[17] and tied 1–1 with Rwanda B[18] to advance to the quarterfinals against Burundi.[19] After a 2–2 tie in regulation, they beat Burundi 5–4 in penalty kicks.[20] Ethiopia went on to beat Rwanda A 1–0[21] in the semi-finals and Kenya 2–1[22] in the finals to win the championship for the first time since 1987.[23] Because of their success in 2001 with Asrat Haile at the helm, Ethiopia jumped 17 spots in FIFA rankings from 155th to 138th.[24][25] Despite their success, the EFF chose to replace Asrat with German coach Jochen Figge in August 2002.[26]

In the 2002 CECAFA Cup, Ethiopia failed to qualify past the group stage of the competition; they lost all four of their games against Zanzibar,[27] Uganda,[28] Somalia, and Rwanda.[29] In 2003 CECAFA Cup, Ethiopia withdrew just before the start of the tournament.[30] The competition only had six participating countries with Burundi, Djibouti, Somalia, and Tanzania also choosing not to participate.[31] The EFF fired Figge in May 2003, even though the team had won two games and was second in their group in the 2004 African Cup of Nations qualifiers. Then assistant coach, Asrat was appointed interim coach.[32] Ethiopia failed to qualify by 3 points with a loss in the final game in Guinea.[33] Asrat was soon replaced by Seyoum Kebede whose tenure with the "Walias" was also short lived.

The next challenge was the 2004 CECAFA Cup in Addis Ababa. There were 9 teams in regional tournament: Burundi, Zanzibar, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Somalia.[34] Ethiopia was led by captain Zewdu Bekele, and again by coach Asrat who was recalled to the position a mere two weeks before the beginning of the tournament.[35] After defeating Burundi, tying with Rwanda and beating Tanzania, and Zanzibar, the team advanced to the semi-finals for the first time since 2001. Ethiopia advanced to the championship after a dramatic nail-biting penalty shootout with Kenya.[34] The team went on to beat Burundi 3–0 and win the 2004 CECAFA Cup on 25 December 2004.[36][37] That night, people all across Addis Ababa sang and danced in the streets.

The Ethiopian national team was the champion of the same CECAFA Cup competition again in 2005, in Kigali, Rwanda.[38] This time coached by Sewnet Bishaw—after a 0–0 draw with Uganda and a 3–1 victory over Sudan—Ethiopia thrashed Djibouti in a 6–0 victory.[39] They then went on to beat Somalia 3–1. Semi-finals saw Ethiopia whip Zanzibar 4–0, with Fikru Tefera scoring a hat-trick. In the final match, Andualem Negusse's goal allowed Ethiopia to take the cup again with a 1–0 win over Rwanda.[40]

The Ethiopian team did not fare as well in the next three appearances at the CECAFA Cup. At the 2006 CECAFA Cup in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia lost to Tanzania[41] but beat Djibouti and Malawi in the group stage to advance to the quarterfinals against Zambia.[42][43] They lost 0–1 with a very late goal by Zambia's Jonas Sakuwaha in the 87th minute of the game.[44] On 6 December, a CECAFA emergency committee made the extraordinary decision to have the match replayed because referee Issa Kagabi (Rwanda) supposedly had whistled the end of the match prematurely. Zambia announced they would refuse to play Ethiopia again. CECAFA secretary general Nicholas Musonye—not present at the emergency committee meeting—threatened that he'd cancel the entire tournament should match be replayed. Ethiopian Football Federation declined to have the match replayed and graciously withdrew from the tournament.[45]

At 2007 CECAFA Cup, Ethiopia suffered a 1–3 loss to Zanzibar and a hard-fought 0–0 draw with Sudan in which they failed to produce a goal despite star Fikru Tefera's call up.[46] This was enough to eliminate Ethiopia from the tournament.[47]

Suspension and reinstatement (2008–2009)

In the 2008 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, Ethiopia finished bottom of their group after losing their last two games.

In July 2008, a FIFA Emergency Committee decided to suspend the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) due to their failure to comply with the road map to normalize the federation agreed upon in February 2008 by FIFA, CAF and EFF.[48] The road map was established in Feb 2008 following the dismissal of the country's football federation president Ashebir Woldegiorgis by the countries authorities. One of the main points of the road map was the organization of an "extraordinary general assembly" to deal with the "motion of dismissal". In addition, the EFF offices were to be handed over to the recognized leadership of the federation.[49][50]

The suspension of the EFF came into force on 29 July 2008, the day on which the federation had officially been notified of its suspension. Ethiopia played four group level matches in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification before FIFA announced the immediate suspension of the Ethiopian Football Federation. On 12 September 2008, FIFA excluded the Ethiopian team from the 2010 World Cup qualifiers and the results of their matches were cancelled.[51] Ethiopia's exclusion from the World Cup also led to their exclusion from the Africa Cup of Nations. While it was not clear if the team was also explicitly excluded from the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, their failure to complete the remaining fixtures effectively eliminated them from the tournament because the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification was also used to determine the qualification for 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.[52] The team also missed the 2008 CECAFA Cup due to this suspension.[53]

In July 2009, the EFF was reinstated after organizing the extraordinary general assembly and electing new leaders as instructed by FIFA. FIFA's executive committee had voted a month before to lift the suspension so long as that EFF organized and chaired an elective general assembly.[54] FIFA confirmed that it was satisfied with the election.[55]

Continued troubles (2009–2011)

At the 2009 CECAFA Cup, Ethiopia defeated Djibouti 5–0,[56] but lost 0–1 to Zambia and 0–2 to Kenya, thus finishing third in the group and getting eliminated from the regional tournament.[57]

At the 2010 CECAFA Cup, in Tanzania, Ethiopia was in Group C with Uganda, Kenya and Malawi. After the 1–2 loss to Uganda,[58] Ethiopia beat Kenya 2–1 and came to a 1–1 draw with Malawi. Next opponent was Zambia, and Ethiopia won 2–1 by two goals.[59][60] In semi-finals however, they lost to Ivory Coast 0–1.[61] In the third-place battle to follow, they lost 3–4 to Uganda to come in fourth place in the tournament.[62] Tournament's star players and goal scorers were Shimelis Bekele of Awassa City and Oumed Oukri of Defence Force. The team had exceeded fans’ expectations by reaching the semi-final stage.

In April 2011, the Ethiopian Football Federation fired national coach Iffy Onuora – just 9 months after he took charge of the Ethiopian national football team. Ethiopian Football Federation cited disciplinary grounds for his dismissal just a month after the team's 4–0 defeat at the hands of the Nigerian Green Eagles in Group B of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification in Abuja.[63] The Ethiopian national team had played 11 matches during coach Onuora's tenure, winning 4, drawing in 1 and losing 6 matches. The team scored 12 goals and conceded 21 goals in those matches.[64]

In May 2011, the EFF appointed former Zimbabwe and Namibia manager Tom Saintfiet as coach in place of Iffy Onuora.[65] However, Tom Saintfiet left his job as Ethiopia's national soccer coach after just five months, citing "broken promises" as the reason for his departure.[66] Saintfiet had been in charge for three 2012 African Cup of Nations qualification matches, including a 2–2 draw with Nigeria that contributed to the Super Eagles missing out on 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.[66]

Recent history (2012–present)

2013 African Cup of Nations

Qualification

Main article: 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

In the qualification for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Ethiopia tied 1–1 with Benin after a goalless draw in the first leg at home to progress to the last round of qualification because of the away goals rule.[67] In the last round of qualification, Ethiopia again won on the away goals rule after a 5–5 draw in aggregate score against Sudan.[68] This qualified Ethiopia to the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 31 years.[69]

Ethiopia  v  Benin

29 February 2012	Ethiopia	0 – 0	Benin	Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa
16:00 UTC+3		Report		Referee: Sylvester Kirwa (Kenya)

Benin  v  Ethiopia

17 June 2012	Benin	1 – 1	Ethiopia	Stade de l'Amitié, Cotonou
16:00 UTC+1	Poté  19'	Report	Adane G.  44'	Referee: Bakary Papa Gassama (Gambia)

1–1 on aggregate. Ethiopia won on the away goals rule and qualified for the second round.

---

Sudan  v  Ethiopia

08 September 2012	Sudan	5 – 3	Ethiopia	Khartoum Stadium, Khartoum
20:00 UTC+3	Careca  7' Bisha  15' Omar  45+1' Tahir  83' (pen.), 90'	Report	Getaneh  14', 50' Adane G.  68'	Referee: Néant Alioum (Cameroon)

Ethiopia  v  Sudan

14 October 2012	Ethiopia	2 – 0	Sudan	Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa
16:00 UTC+1	Adane G.  61' Salhadin  64'	Report		Referee: Badara Diatta (Senegal)

5–5 on aggregate. Ethiopia won on the away goals rule and qualified for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Group C

Main article: 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Group C

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Burkina Faso (A)	3	1	2	0	5	1	+4	5
Nigeria (A)	3	1	2	0	4	2	+2	5
Zambia	3	0	3	0	2	2	0	3
Ethiopia	3	0	1	2	1	7	−6	1

Source:
(A) Advanced to the quarterfinals.

Key to colours
Top two placed teams advance to the quarterfinals
Third and fourth placed teams are eliminated
Win               Draw               Loss

Zambia  v  Ethiopia

21 January 2013	Zambia	1–1	Ethiopia	Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
17:00 UTC+2	Mbesuma  45+3'	Report (CAF) Report (BBC)	Adane G.  65'	Attendance: 10,000[70] Referee: Eric Otogo-Castane (Gabon)

Burkina Faso  v  Ethiopia

25 January 2013	Burkina Faso	4–0	Ethiopia	Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
20:00 UTC+2	Traoré  34', 74' D. Koné  79' Pitropia  90+5'	Report (ESPN) Report (BBC)		Attendance: 35,000[71] Referee: Bernard Camille (Seychelles)

Ethiopia  v  Nigeria

29 January 2013	Ethiopia	0–2	Nigeria	Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
19:00 UTC+2		Report (ESPN) Report (BBC)	Moses  80' (pen.), 90' (pen.)	Attendance: 15,000[72] Referee: Bouchaïb El Ahrach (Morocco)

2014 World Cup qualification

Main article: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

With a 5–0 aggregate victory over Somalia, The team advanced to the group stage of the CAF qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Ethiopia joined South Africa, Botswana and Central African Republic (CAR) in Group A.[73]

Somalia  v  Ethiopia

12 November 2011	Somalia	0–0	Ethiopia	Stade National Gouled, Djibouti (Djibouti)[note 1]
15:45 UTC+3		Report		Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Mohamed Hassan Ourouke (Djibouti)

Ethiopia  v  Somalia

16 November 2011	Ethiopia	5–0	Somalia	Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa
16:00 UTC+3	Oumed O.  5' Shimelis B.  62', 65' Getaneh K.  87', 90+2'	Report		Attendance: 22,000 Referee: Med Said Kordi (Tunisia)

Ethiopia won 5–0 on aggregate and advanced to the Second round.

Group A

Main article: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Second Round

Ethiopia drew 1–1 with South Africa away from home[75] and beat CAR at home 2–0[76] to top the group after the first two games. They beat Botswana twice, 1–0 on 22 March 2013 at home in Addis Ababa and 2–1 on 7 June in Botswana. However, the 7 June win was later awarded to Botswana by a score of 3–0 after it was discovered that Ethiopia fielded an ineligible player. They beat South Africa 2–1 at home on 16 June and secured Ethiopian advancement to the third round after beating CAR away in their final match.[77] The team eventually was eliminated by Nigeria with two defeats in the Third Round.[78]

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Ethiopia	6	4	1	1	8	6	+2	13		—	2–1	1–0	2–0
South Africa	6	3	2	1	12	5	+7	11		1–1	—	4–1	2–0
Botswana	6	2	1	3	8	10	−2	7		3–0[lower-alpha 1]	1–1	—	3–2
Central African Republic	6	1	0	5	5	12	−7	3		1–2	0–3	2–0	—

Source:
Notes:

1. Awarded

South Africa  v  Ethiopia

3 June 2012	South Africa	1–1	Ethiopia	Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
15:00 UTC+2	Mphela  77'	Report	Saladin S.  28'	Attendance: 13,611 Referee: Hamada Nampiandraza (Madagascar)

Ethiopia  v  Central African Republic

10 June 2012	Ethiopia	2–0	Central African Republic	Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa
16:00 UTC+3	Saladin S.  36', 88'	Report		Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Anthony Ramsy Raphael (Malawi)

Ethiopia  v  Botswana

24 March 2013	Ethiopia	1–0	Botswana	Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa
16:00 UTC+3	Getaneh K.  88'	Report		Attendance: 22,000 Referee: Rédouane Jiyed (Morocco)

Botswana  v  Ethiopia

8 June 2013	Botswana	3–0 Awarded[note 2]	Ethiopia	Lobatse Stadium, Lobatse
15:00 UTC+2		Report		Referee: Dennis Batte (Uganda)

Ethiopia  v  South Africa

16 June 2013	Ethiopia	2–1	South Africa	Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa
15:00 UTC+2	Getaneh K.  42' Parker  70' (o.g.)	Report	Parker  33'

Central African Republic  v  Ethiopia

7 September 2013	Central African Republic	1–2	Ethiopia	Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat, Brazzaville (Congo)
14:30 UTC+1	Kéïta  23'	Report	Saladin S.  48' Minyahil T.  61'	Referee: Mohamed Benouza (Algeria)

Third round

Main article: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Third Round

In the third round of the qualifiers, Ethiopia lost to Nigeria 4–1 on aggregate and failed to qualify for the World Cup.

Ethiopia  v  Nigeria

13 October 2013	Ethiopia	1–2	Nigeria	Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa
16:00 UTC+3	Assefa  57'	Report	Emenike  68', 90' (pen.)	Attendance: 22,000 Referee: Néant Alioum (Cameroon)

Nigeria  v  Ethiopia

16 November 2013	Nigeria	2–0	Ethiopia	U. J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar
16:00 UTC+1	Moses  20' (pen.) Obinna  81'	Report		Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)

Competition records

World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record										FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D *	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1954	Did not enter									Did not enter
1958	Entry not accepted by FIFA									Entry not accepted by FIFA
1962	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	2	4
1966	Did not enter									Did not enter
1970	Did not qualify									4	1	1	2	7	7
1974										5	1	3	2	6	5
1978										2	0	0	2	1	5
1982										2	0	1	1	0	4
1986										2	0	1	1	4	5
1990	Did not enter									Did not enter
1994	Did not qualify									6	1	1	4	3	11
1998	Did not enter									Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	4
2006										2	0	1	1	1	3
2010	Disqualified due to FIFA suspension									Disqualified
2014	Did not qualify									10	5	2	3	14	10
2018										4	1	0	3	7	7
2022	To be determined									To be determined
2026	To be determined									To be determined
Total	-	0/21	-	-	-	-	-	-		41	10	10	22	47	65

Africa Cup of Nations record

Main article: Ethiopia at the Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
Appearances : 10
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Runners-up	2nd	1	0	0	1	0	4
1959	Third place	3rd	2	0	0	2	0	5
1962	Champions	1st	2	2	0	0	8	4
1963	Fourth place	4th	3	1	0	2	4	7
1965	Group stage	5th	2	0	0	2	1	9
1968	Fourth place	4th	5	3	0	2	8	6
1970	Group stage	6th	3	0	0	3	3	12
1972	Did not qualify
1974
1976	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	4	3
1978	Did not qualify
1980
1982	Group stage	8th	3	0	1	2	0	4
1984	Did not qualify
1986	Withdrew
1988	Withdrew during qualifying
1990	Did not qualify
1992	Withdrew during qualifying
1994	Did not qualify
1996
1998
2000	Withdrew
2002 to 2008	Did not qualify
2010	Disqualified
2012	Did not qualify
2013	Group stage	14th	3	0	1	2	1	7
2015	Did not qualify
2017
2019
2021	To be determined
2023	To be determined
2025	To be determined
Total	1 Title	10/32	27	7	3	17	29	61

Achievements

Africa Cup of Nations :

• 1 time Champion (1962)
• 1 time runners-up (1957)
• 1 time third-place finish (1959)
• 2 time fourth-place finish (1963, 1968)

CECAFA Cup :

• 4 times Champion (1987, 2001, 2004, 2005)
• 2 time third-place finish (2000, 2015)
• 2 time fourth-place finish (1995, 2010)

Recent results and fixtures

Ethiopia  v  Sudan

13 August 2017 2018 CHANQ	Ethiopia	1–1	Sudan	Awasa, Ethiopia
16:00 EAT	Abdurhamn  85'	Report	Bakhit  75'	Stadium: Hawassa International Stadium Referee: Alex Muhabi (Uganda)

Sudan  v  Ethiopia

19 August 2017 2018 CHANQ	Sudan	1–0 (2–1 agg.)	Ethiopia	Al-Ubayyid, Sudan
20:00 EAT	Saadeldin  48'	Report		Stadium: Al-Ubayyid Stadium Referee: Andrew Otieno (Kenya)

Ethiopia  v  Burundi

2 September 2018 Friendly	Ethiopia	1–1	Burundi	Awasa, Ethiopia
16:00 EAT	Getaneh  72'	Report	Shabani  58'	Stadium: Awassa Kenema Stadium Referee: Biruk Yemanabran Kassaun (Ethiopia)

Ethiopia  v  Sierra Leone

9 September 2018 2019 AFCONQ	Ethiopia	1–0	Sierra Leone	Awasa, Ethiopia
16:00 EAT	Getaneh  35' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Hawassa International Stadium Referee: Sadok Selmi (Tunisia)

Ethiopia  v  Kenya

10 October 2018 2019 AFCONQ	Ethiopia	0–0	Kenya	Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
16:00 EAT		Report		Stadium: Bahir Dar Stadium Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)

Kenya  v  Ethiopia

14 October 2018 2019 AFCONQ	Kenya	3–0	Ethiopia	Kasarani, Kenya
16:00 EAT	Olunga  23' Johana  27' Wanyama  67' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Moi International Sports Centre Referee: Ahmad Imtehaz Heeralall (Mauritius)

Ethiopia  v  Ghana

18 November 2018 2019 AFCONQ	Ethiopia	0–2	Ghana	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
16:00 EAT		Report	J. Ayew  3', 24' (pen.)	Stadium: Addis Ababa Stadium Referee: Victor Gomes (South Africa)

Sierra Leone  v  Ethiopia

22 March 2019 2019 AFCONQ	Sierra Leone	Cancelled	Ethiopia	Sierra Leone
		Report
Note: The match was cancelled by the CAF on 30 November due to the disqualification of Sierra Leone after FIFA's suspension of the Sierra Leone Football Association on 5 October 2018.

Ethiopia  v  Lesotho

4 September 2019 (2019-09-04) 2022 WCQ	Ethiopia	0–0	Lesotho	Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
16:00 UTC+3		Report (FIFA)		Stadium: Bahir Dar Stadium Referee: Mohamed Maarouf (Egypt)

Lesotho  v  Ethiopia

8 September 2019 (2019-09-08) 2022 WCQ	Lesotho	1–1 (1–1 agg.)	Ethiopia	Maseru, Lesotho
15:00 UTC+2	Seturumane  56'	Report (FIFA)	Lerotholi  50' (o.g.)	Stadium: Setsoto Stadium, Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Messie Nkounkou (Congo)

Ethiopia  v  Uganda

13 October 2019 Friendly	Ethiopia	0–1	Uganda	Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
15:00		Report	Okwi  20'	Stadium: Bahir Dar Stadium

Madagascar  v  Ethiopia

16 November 2019 (2019-11-16) 2021 AFCONQ	Madagascar	1–0	Ethiopia	Antananarivo, Madagascar
16:00 UTC+3	Raveloson  18'			Stadium: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium

Ethiopia  v  Ivory Coast

19 November 2019 (2019-11-19) 2021 AFCONQ	Ethiopia	2–1	Ivory Coast	Mekelle, Ethiopia
16:00 UTC+3	Dagnachew  16' Bekele  26'		Aurier  4'	Stadium: Bahir Dar Stadium

Players

Current squad

The following players were selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho on 4 and 8 September 2019.

Caps and goals correct as of: 4 September 2019, after the match against  Lesotho

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Mintesinot Allo	(1999-12-17) 17 December 1999	1	0	Bahir Dar Kenema
22	1GK	Jemal Tassew	(1989-04-27) 27 April 1989	28	0	Fasil Kenema
23	1GK	Lealem Birhanu	(1986-06-12) 12 June 1986	1	0	Saint George
2	2DF	Getu Hailemaryam	(1998-01-29) 29 January 1998	1	0
3	2DF	Desta Tura	(1998-03-27) 27 March 1998	0	0
4	2DF	Anteneh Tesfaye	(1991-01-20) 20 January 1991	21	0	Dire Dawa City
12	2DF	Ramadan Yusef		1	0	Shire Endaselassie
13	2DF	Ahmed Reshid	(1998-12-11) 11 December 1998	7	0	Ethiopian Coffee
15	2DF	Aschalew Tamene	(1991-11-22) 22 November 1991	36	1	Saint George
16	2DF	Yared Baye	(1995-01-22) 22 January 1995	8	0	Fasil Kenema
21	2DF	Mujib Kasim	(1995-10-19) 19 October 1995	6	0	Fasil Kenema
5	3MF	Haider Sherefa		0	0	Mekelle 70 Enderta
6	3MF	Gatoch Panom	(1994-11-30) 30 November 1994	34	6	Al-Anwar
8	3MF	Amanuel Yohannes	(1999-03-14) 14 March 1999	3	0	Ethiopian Coffee
10	3MF	Beneyam Demte	(1998-07-18) 18 July 1998	17	0	Umeå FC
18	3MF	Shimelis Bekele	(1990-01-02) 2 January 1990	46	8	Misr Lel Makkasa
19	3MF	Canaan Markneh	(1998-03-30) 30 March 1998	2	0	Adama City
20	3MF	Yonas Berta		0	0
-	3MF	Tafesse Solomon	(1993-05-04) 4 May 1993	0	0	Ethiopian Coffee
-	3MF	Yehun Endeshaw	(1992-11-05) 5 November 1992	0	0	imma Aba Jifar F.C.
-	3MF	Surafel Dagnachew	(1997-11-11) 11 November 1997	0	0	Fasil Ketema FC
7	4FW	Amanuel Gebremichael	(1999-02-05) 5 February 1999	4	0	Mekelle 70 Enderta
9	4FW	Mesfin Tafesse		1	0	Hawassa City
11	4FW	Oumed Oukri	(1990-10-05) 5 October 1990	40	11	Smouha
14	4FW	Addis Gidey	(1996-01-21) 21 January 1996	10	0	Sidama Coffee
17	4FW	Fuad Fereje		0	0

Recent call-ups

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Abel Mamo	(1994-06-09) 9 June 1994	14	0	Defence
GK	Tariku Getnet	(1994-12-03) 3 December 1994			Dedebit
GK	Yidnekachew Beyene	(1989-10-31) 31 October 1989	2	0	Defence Force SC	2016 African Nations Championship
GK	Dereje Alemu	(1990-04-30) 30 April 1990	3	0	Dashen Beer	2014 African Nations Championship
DF	Seyoum Tesfaye	(1989-12-19) 19 December 1989	39	4	Dedebit
DF	Naanol Tesfaye	(2003-08-13) 13 August 2003	0	0	Vasalunds IF	2018 African Nations Championship
DF	Shimelis Tegne	(1991-01-16) 16 January 1991	1	0	Bishoftu City	2014 African Nations Championship
MF	Mulualem Mesfin	(1990-05-26) 26 May 1990	8	0	Saint George
MF	Behailu Assefa	(1989-12-30) 30 December 1989	19	1	Saint George
MF	Fitsum Teklehaimanot	(1987-02-15) 15 February 1987	2	0	Saint George	2014 African Nations Championship
MF	Fasika Asfaw	(1986-04-27) 27 April 1986	3	0	Ethiopian Coffee	2014 African Nations Championship
MF	Tesfaye Alebachew	(1988-08-27) 27 August 1988	16	1	Saint George	2014 African Nations Championship
FW	Ephrem Ashamo	(1994-09-11) 11 September 1994	4	0	CBE SA
FW	Dawit Fekadu	(1986-04-29) 29 April 1986	22	3	Dedebit
FW	Saladin Said	(1988-10-29) 29 October 1988	28	14	Saint George
FW	Getaneh Kebede	(1992-02-05) 5 February 1992	42	21	Saint George S.C.
FW	Manaye Fantu	(1990-09-24) 24 September 1990	1	0	Defence	2014 African Nations Championship
FW	Aschalew Girma	(1991-09-11) 11 September 1991	0	0	Ethiopian Coffee	2014 African Nations Championship

Notes:

• RET = Retired from the national team

List of coaches

• Edward Virvilis
• Jiri Starosta (1959)
• Slavko Milošević (1961)
• Ydnekatchew Tessema (1961–1962)
• Slavko Milošević (1962)
• Ydnekatchew Tessema (1963)
• Szűcs Ferenc (1968–1969)
• Luciano Vassalo (1969–1970)
• Peter Schnittger (1974–1976)
• Mengistu Worku (1977, 1978, 1980[80]-1982, 1987)
• Klaus Ebbighausen (1987–1989)
• Kassahun Teka (1992–1993)
• Gebregiorgis Getahun (1993)
• Kassahun Teka (1994–1995)
• Seyoum Abate (1996)
• Oko Idiba (1997)[81]
• Kassahun Teka (1997)
• Seyoum Abate (1998–2000)[82]
• Asrat Haile (2001)
• Jochen Figge (August 2002 – May 2003)[83]
• Asrat Haile (May 2003 – September 2003, caretaker)[84]
• Seyoum Kebede (September 2003[84] –November 2004 )
• Asrat Haile (November 2004 – December 2004, caretaker)[85]
• Sewnet Bishaw (2004 – September 2006)
• Seyoum Abate (October 2006)
• Diego Garzitto (November 2006 – February 2007)
• Tesfaye Fetene (April 2007)
• Tsegaye Desta (June 2007)
• Abraham Teklehaymanot (April 2008 – 2010)[86]
• Iffy Onuora (July 2010 – April 2011)[63]
• Tom Saintfiet (May 2011 – October 2011)[65][66]
• Sewnet Bishaw (November 2011 – January 2014)[87][88]
• Mariano Barreto (April 2014– April 2015)[89]
• Yohannes Sahle (April 2015 – May 2016)[90][91]
• Gebremedhin Haile (May 2016–October 2016)[92]
• Ashenafi Bekele (February 2017– December 2017)
• Abraham Mebratu (July 2018–)[93]

Notes

1. Due to the lack of security in Mogadishu, Somalia's home game was played at a neutral venue. An earlier Somali request for the match to be played in Nairobi was rejected by FIFA due to a ban on international matches being played in Kenya.[74]
2. FIFA awarded Botswana a 3–0 win as a result of Ethiopia fielding the ineligible player Minyahil Teshome. The match originally ended 2–1 to Ethiopia.[79]

References

1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA.com. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
4. "Ethiopia Football Federation Information". FIFA. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
5. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - African Zone". FIFA.com. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
6. "Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF)". CAF. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
7. "African Nations Cup 1957 – Details and Scorers". R.S.S.S.F. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
8. "World Cup 1962 qualifications". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
9. Thomas, Durosimi (20 October 2012). "BBC Sport – New dawn for Ethiopia after Nations Cup qualification". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
10. Maasho, Aaron. "FEATURE-Soccer-Ethiopia's 'Walyas' look to make up for lost time". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
11. "Africa Nations Cup". GhanaWeb. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
12. "Africa Cup of Nations 1963 Results - Africa Soccer". www.soccer24.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
13. "Africa Cup of Nations 1965 Results - Africa Soccer". www.soccer24.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
14. "Africa Cup of Nations 1968 Results - Africa Soccer". www.soccer24.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
15. "Africa Cup of Nations 1976 Results - Africa Soccer". www.soccer24.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
16. "Africa Cup of Nations 1982 Results - Africa Soccer". www.soccer24.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
17. "Cecafa quarter-finals decided". BBC. 14 December 2001. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
18. "Rwanda teams in quarter-finals". BBC. 16 December 2001. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
19. "Cecafa results and fixtures". BBC. 11 December 2001. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
20. "Home teams into semis". BBC. 20 December 2001. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
21. "Rwanda miss final berth". BBC. 21 December 2001. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
22. "Thousands salute Ethiopia". BBC. 23 December 2001. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
23. "2001 East and Central African Championship (CECAFA)". R.S.S.S.F. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
24. "African countries leap up Fifa rankings". BBC. 16 January 2002. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
25. "Best/Worst Ranking". FIFA. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
26. "All change at the top". BBC. 21 August 2002. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
27. "2002 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup". BBC News. 13 December 2002. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
28. "Cranes soar past Ethiopia". BBC. 4 December 2002. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
29. "2002 East and Central African Championship (CECAFA)". R.S.S.S.F. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
30. "2003 East and Central African Championship (CECAFA)". R.S.S.S.F. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
31. "Tanzania shamed again". BBC. 1 December 2003. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
32. "Ethiopia sacks Figge". BBC. 12 May 2003. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
33. "2004 African Nations Cup". R.S.S.S.F. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
34. "2004 Cecafa Cup". BBC Sports. 11 December 2004.
35. Semaegzer, Henok (24 December 2004). "Ethiopia face Burundi". BBC. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
36. "2004 East and Central African Championship (CECAFA)". R.S.S.S.F. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
37. Semaegzer, Henok (26 December 2004). "Ethiopia win Cecafa Cup". BBC. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
38. Nene, John (13 December 2005). "Uganda to host Cecafa Cup". BBC. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
39. "Cecafa Cup 2005 results". BBC. 25 November 2005. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
40. "2005 East and Central African Championship (CECAFA)". R.S.S.S.F.
41. Zewdie, Anteneh (25 November 2006). "Tanzania stun Ethiopia in Cecafa". BBC. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
42. "Tanzania seal quarter-final spot". BBC. 28 November 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
43. "Tanzania clinch Group A at Cecafa". BBC. 1 December 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
44. "Rwanda & Zambia in Cecafa semis". BBC. 5 December 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
45. "2006 East and Central African Championship (CECAFA)". R.S.S.S.F. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
46. "2007 East and Central African Championship (CECAFA)". R.S.S.S.F. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
47. Muga, Emmanuel (15 December 2007). "Sudan reach Cecafa last eight". BBC. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
48. "Ethiopian Football Federation suspended". FIFA. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
49. "FIFA and CAF establish a road-map to normalize the Ethiopian FF". FIFA. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
50. "Ethiopian football – meeting yesterday at FIFA". FIFA. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
51. "Ethiopia excluded from the preliminary competition". FIFA. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
52. "South Africa to play World Cup Qualifiers". World Cup Blog. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
53. "Kimanzi set to name Stars squad on Sunday". Tanzania Sports. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
54. "Brazil 2014 host cities confirmed". FIFA. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
55. "Soccer-FIFA lifts suspension of Ethiopia". Reuters. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
56. "CECAFA Day 3: Ethiopia 5:0 Djibouti". Futaa.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
57. "CECAFA Cup 2009". WildSoft. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
58. "CECAFA Cup: Uganda defeats Ethiopia 2–1 in Group C Opener". Ethiosports. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
59. "Uganda to face Tanzania in Cecafa Cup semis". BBC. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
60. "Ethiopia Stun Zambia". Lusaka Times. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
61. "CECAFA Cup Semi-final: Ethiopia 0 Ivory Coast 1". Ethiosports. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
62. "CECAFA Cup Final: Tanzania 1 Ivory Coast 0; 3rd Place: Ethiopia 3 Uganda 4". Ethiosports. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
63. Maasho, Aaron. "Soccer-Ethiopia sack British coach Onuora after cows comment". Reuters UK. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
64. Berhanu, Markos (17 April 2011). "Ethiopian Football: EFF sacks Coach Iffy Onuora". Ethiosports. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
65. "Ethiopia name Saintfiet as coach". BBC Sport. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
66. "Ethiopia coach Tom Saintfiet quits". BBC Sport. 30 October 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
67. "Orange 2013 AFCON: Ethiopia advance after 1–1 tie with Benin". StarAfrica. Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
68. "Ethiopia 2–0 Sudan: East African battle goes the way of Ethiopians". www.goal.com. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
69. "Cameroon crash out, Ethiopia qualify". FIFA. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
70. "Zambia vs. Ethiopia 1−1". int.soccerway.com. Soccerway. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
71. "Burkina Faso vs. Ethiopia 4−0". int.soccerway.com. Soccerway. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
72. "Ethiopia vs. Nigeria 0−2". int.soccerway.com. Soccerway. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
73. "Ethiopia defeat Somalia 2014 World Cup group phase". BBC Sports. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
74. "Somalia/Ethiopia World Cup 2014 match venue switched". CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
75. "South Africa 1–1 Ethiopia: Slow start to World Cup qualifiers for Bafana". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
76. "Saladin Said delivers for Ethiopia again beating CAR 2–0 at home". nazret.com. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
77. "2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Ethiopia". FIFA. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
78. "2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Ethiopia Profile". FIFA. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
79. "Ethiopia sanctioned for fielding ineligible player". FIFA.com. 1 July 2013.
80. http://www.allworldcup.narod.ru/1982/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/CAF/ETHVSZAM.HTM
81. http://www.11v11.com/matches/morocco-v-ethiopia-31-may-1997-247765/
82. "Egypt: U-20 Walyas Fly To Cairo- Seyoum Abate In Charge Again". allAfrica. 23 August 1998. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
83. Zane, Damian (4 July 2003). "Ethiopia's tough mission". BBC. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
84. "Kebede gets Ethiopia job". BBC. 25 September 2003. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
85. Semaegzer, Henok (26 December 2004). "Ethiopia without a coach". BBC. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
86. "Pretenders take aim in Africa". FIFA.com. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
87. "Ethiopia out to build on their draw in South Africa". BBC Sport. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
88. "Ethiopia sack coach Bishaw". BBC Sport. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
89. "Ethiopia agree deal with Portuguese coach Barreto". BBC Sport. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
90. Betemariam Hailu (27 April 2015). "Ethiopia appoint Yohannes Sahle as new coach". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
91. "Ethiopia replace coach Yohannes Sahile's with a caretaker". BBC Sport. 3 May 2016. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
92. Maasho, Aaron. "Ethiopia name ex-striker Gebremedhin as national coach". Reuters UK. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
93. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44901241

External links

• Official website
• Ethiopian Team Profile at FIFA.com