Football in the Gambia explained

Boxwidth:	250
Football
Sport:	association football
Nationalteam:	men's national team
Club List:	GFA League First Division
Intl List:	Champions League CAF Confederation Cup Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup FIFA World Cup(National Team) African Cup of Nations(National Team)

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

National football team

See main article: The Gambia national football team. 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

GFA League First Division

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

GFA League Second Division

See main article: GFA League Second Division. The GFA League First Division currently has ten clubs competing in it.

3rd Division Triangular Tournament

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

National Third Division League

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

National Football League Division One

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

National Football League Division Two

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

Football stadiums

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

See also

• Gambian Cup
• GFA League First Division
• List of football clubs in the Gambia
• Lists of stadiums

Notes and References

1. Web site: FIFA reaffirms commitment to develop Gambian football - Daily Observer . Observer.gm . 2013-10-10 . 2013-12-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131210100807/http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/fifa-reaffirms-commitment-to-develop-gambian-football . 2013-12-10 . dead .
2. Web site: Gambia Football Federation – Manifesto - The Point Newspaper, Banjul, The Gambia . Thepoint.gm . 2013-07-23 . 2013-12-06.
3. Web site: FIFA to engage in Gambia's football capacity building - The Point Newspaper, Banjul, The Gambia . Thepoint.gm . 2013-10-10 . 2013-12-06.
4. Web site: Swedish national to build state-of-the-art football academy in Gambia - Daily Observer . Observer.gm . 2013-09-16 . 2013-12-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131210100802/http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/swedish-national-to-build-state-of-the-art-football-academy-in-gambia . 2013-12-10 . dead .
5. Web site: Football in Gambia: Big dreams from Mustapha Kebbeh . Daily Maverick . 2013-09-30 . 2013-12-06.
6. News: The Gambia clinch famous win over Guinea. BBC Sport .
7. Web site: Ceesay . Alieu . Gambia: GFF President Pledges Support to Female Football . allAfrica.com . 2013-01-02 . 2013-12-06.