:Gambia women's national football team

In 1985, few countries had women's national football teams.{{cite book|author=Chrös McDougall|title=Soccer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2nrhG5ovUSQC&pg=PA45|access-date=13 April 2012|date=1 January 2012|publisher=ABDO|isbn=978-1-61783-146-1|page=45}} While the sport gained popularity worldwide in later decades, the Gambia's national team only played its first game in 2007.{{cite journal|last=Saavedra |first=Martha |author2=Centerfor African Studies, University of California, Berkeley |title=Women's Football in Africa |journal=Third Transnational Meeting on Sport and Gender, Urbino |date=December 2007 |url=http://africa.berkeley.edu/Courses/SportDevelopment/WomenFB-Africa07.pdf |access-date=17 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228195939/http://africa.berkeley.edu/Courses/SportDevelopment/WomenFB-Africa07.pdf |archive-date=28 December 2013 }} That game was not FIFA-recognized.

The Gambian Senior National Team's first appearance at a major event occurred in April 2018 when they lost a 1–2 result at Burkina Faso in the opening round of qualifying for the 2018 Africa Cup of Nations. In the second leg of the fixture, the Gambia produced a 2–1 victory of their own. As the results of both legs were identical, a penalty shoot-out was required to determine which squad would advance. The Gambia converted all five of its penalty kicks, and advanced to the second round of qualifying.http://www.cafonline.com/en-us/competitions/11theditionwomenafcon-ghana2018/Fixtures?roundId=b5b9XUlkEPMAUe1kOhsANknd7oWMBWxJVgdPBHTlgJr9z70IRXPNalV%2b6nUnzydk 2018 CAF Cup of Nations Qualifying First Round Fixtures The Gambia drew the defending Cup of Nations champions Nigeria as their second round opponent. They failed to score against the Super Falcons, and were eliminated from the tournament with a 0–7 aggregate line.http://www.cafonline.com/en-us/competitions/11theditionwomenafcon-ghana2018/Fixtures?roundId=s0WFLeaiyMTF9ZW6A2P2K1bFD4SeGhnZHUqvKvqW40oxroG0RTQDjUw1wbfCebMP 2018 CAF Cup of Nations Qualifying Second Round Fixtures

The country did not have a FIFA-recognised youth national team until 2012, when the Gambia under-17 women's team competed in Confederation of African Football qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, to be held in Azerbaijan in September 2012. The Gambia fielded a team of 24 players, narrowed from an initial pool of 49 young women.{{cite web|url=http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/news-and-stories/stories/child-care/pages/goal-for-the-girls.aspx |title=Goal for the girls! |publisher=SOS Children's Villages International |date=21 January 2012 |access-date=2012-04-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531114459/http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/News-and-Stories/Stories/Child-Care/Pages/Goal-for-the-girls.aspx |archive-date=31 May 2012 }}{{cite web|url=http://sierraleonefootball.com/index.php/sponsors/770-sierra-leone-host-gambia-in-fifa-womens-u-17-qualifying-match-in-makeni |title=Sierra Leone host Gambia in FIFA Women's U-17 qualifying match in Makeni |publisher=Sierra Leone Football |access-date=3 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808043043/http://sierraleonefootball.com/index.php/sponsors/770-sierra-leone-host-gambia-in-fifa-womens-u-17-qualifying-match-in-makeni |archive-date= 8 August 2014 }} Two girls from the SOS Children’s Village Bakoteh were chosen as a members of the team. The Gambia first played Sierra Leone in a pair of qualifying matches for the tournament. The Gambia won the first match 3–0 in Banjul, the Gambia's capital. The return match was delayed for 24 hours and played in Makeni. The Gambia beat Sierra Leone 4–3 to qualify for the final round.{{cite web|url=http://www.gambiafa.com/7-gfa-news/56-gambia-beat-tunisia-on-1st-leg-of-final-round.html |title=Gambia beat Tunisia on the 1st lega of the Final Round |publisher=Gambia Football Association |location=Gambia |access-date=3 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528004329/http://www.gambiafa.com/7-gfa-news/56-gambia-beat-tunisia-on-1st-leg-of-final-round.html |archive-date=28 May 2012 }} The Gambia then beat Tunisia 1–0 at home and won 2–1 in the away fixture. Adama Tamba and Awa Demba scored the Gambia's goals. Tunisia's only goal was a Gambian own goal. The win qualified the Gambia for the 2012 Azerbaijan World Cup.{{cite web |url=http://www.gambiafa.com/7-gfa-news/58-gambian-girls-make-heroic-return.html |title=Gambian Girls Make Heroic Return |publisher=Gambia Football Association |location=Gambia |access-date=3 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528001138/http://www.gambiafa.com/7-gfa-news/58-gambian-girls-make-heroic-return.html |archive-date=28 May 2012 }}

The Gambia also has an Under -19 team that was to play in the 2002 African U-19 Women's Championship. That Gambian squad's first match was to be against Morocco, but the team withdrew from the competition.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/afr-wom-u19-02.html |title=African Women U-19 Championship 2002 |publisher=Rsssf.com |access-date=13 April 2012}}

The development of women's football in Africa faces several challenges, including limited access to education, poverty amongst women, inequalities and human rights abuses targeting women.{{cite book|author=Jean Williams|title=A Beautiful Game: International Perspectives on Women's Football|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VuIp04RvKX8C&pg=PA157|access-date=13 April 2012|date=15 December 2007|publisher=Berg|isbn=978-1-84520-674-1|page=186}}{{cite book|author1=Richard Giulianotti|author2=David McArdle|title=Sport, Civil Liberties and Human Rights|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LxBU1FE5l6wC&pg=PA77|access-date=28 June 2012|year=2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-7146-5344-0|page=77}}{{cite book|author1=Chris Hallinan|author2=Steven J. Jackson|title=Social And Cultural Diversity In A Sporting World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8BuCcSj8HoC&pg=PA40|access-date=28 June 2012|date=31 August 2008|publisher=Emerald Group Publishing|isbn=978-0-7623-1456-0|pages=40–41}}{{cite book|author=Jean Williams|title=A Game for Rough Girls?: A History of Women's Football in Britain|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V62Qau3-HCIC&pg=PA173|access-date=28 June 2012|date=18 December 2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-26338-2|pages=173–175}} Funding is another issue impacting the game in Africa, where most financial assistance comes from FIFA and not national football associations.{{cite book|author=Gabriel Kuhn|title=Soccer Vs. the State: Tackling Football and Radical Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BwmsLxiWvnwC&pg=PA34|access-date=13 April 2012|date=24 February 2011|publisher=PM Press|isbn=978-1-60486-053-5|page=34}}

Another challenge is the retention of football players. Many women footballers leave the continent to seek greater opportunity in Europe or the United States.

Gambia's national football association was founded in 1952, and became affiliated with FIFA in 1968.{{cite book|title=The dictionary of football : the complete A-Z of international football from Ajax to Zinedine Zidane|first1=John|last1=Ballard|first2=Paul|last2=Suff|location=London|publisher=Boxtree|date=1999|isbn=0752224344|oclc=59442612|page=258}}{{cite journal|author=FIFA|title=Women's Football Today|year=2006|url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/afdeveloping/women/93/77/21/factsheets.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120814213100/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/afdeveloping/women/93/77/21/factsheets.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 14, 2012|access-date=17 April 2012}} Football is the most popular women's sport in the country, and was first played in an organized system in 1998. A national competition was launched in 2007,{{cite web|access-date=16 April 2012|publisher=FIFA|url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/goalproject/gan_eng.pdf|date=21 April 2009|page=1|title=Goal! Football: Gambie}}{{dead link|date=October 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} the same year FIFA started an education course on football for women.{{cite web|access-date=16 April 2012|publisher=FIFA|url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/goalproject/gan_eng.pdf|date=21 April 2009|page=3|title=Goal! Football: Gambie}}{{dead link|date=October 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Competition was active on both the national and scholastic levels by 2009. There are four staffers dedicated to women's football in the Gambia Football Association, and representation of women on the board is required by the association's charter.

In September 2016, Fatim Jawara, a member of the national team, left Serrekunda in her homeland the Gambia and crossed the Sahara Desert to Libya.{{cite news|last1=France-Presse|first1=Agense|title=Gambian national goalkeeper dies during Mediterranean crossing|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/02/gambian-national-goalkeeper-drowned-crossing-mediterranean|access-date=3 November 2016|work=The Guardian|date=2 November 2016}} In November 2016, she travelled with others on two boats across the Mediterranean Sea, heading towards the Lampedusa island of Italy.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/03/gambian-goalkeeper-who-died-in-mediterranean-wanted-to-play-for-major-club |title=Gambia goalkeeper who died in Mediterranean wanted to play in Europe |author=Jason Burke |work=the Guardian |date=2016-11-03 |access-date=2016-11-04 |language=en }} She did this as she sought to smuggle herself into Europe, where the national team was due to play Casa Sports F.C. from Senegal as part of a festival to celebrate women's football. Due to a severe storm, their boats capsized and Jawara drowned at the age of 19, with her family was contacted several days after the tragedy.{{cite news|title=Gambia goalkeeper dies trying to reach Europe|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-37858611|access-date=3 November 2016|work=BBC News|date=3 November 2016}} Lamin Kaba Bajo, President of the Gambia Football Federation, said "We are grieving at the moment as this is a great loss to the national soccer team and the nation."

{{Empty section|date=November 2020}}

{{Main|Gambia women's national football team results}}

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

;Legend

{{legend2|#CCFFCC|Win|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|#FFFFCC|Draw|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|#FFCCCC|Lose|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|#FFFFFF|Fixture|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{Football box collapsible

| format = 1

| date = {{Start date|2025|2|19|df=y}}

| time = {{UTZ|16:00|1}}

| round = 2026 WAFCON qualifying

| score = 0–2

| report = https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2025/02/17/africa/africa-women-cup-of-nations-qualification/niger-niger/gambia-gambia/4569713/

| team1 = {{fbw-rt|NIG}}

| goals1 =

| team2 = {{fbw|GAM}}

| goals2 =

• Sonko {{Goal|21}}
• Kanteh {{Goal|45}}

| stadium = Stade Général Seyni Kountché

| location = Niamey, Niger

| attendance =

| referee = Aline Umutoni (Rwanda)

| result = w

}}

{{Football box collapsible

| format = 1

| date = {{Start date|2025|2|24|df=y}}

| time = {{UTZ|14:00|0}}

| round = 2026 WAFCON qualifying

| score = 2–1

| aggregatescore = 4–1

| report = https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2025/02/26/africa/africa-women-cup-of-nations-qualification/gambia-gambia/niger-niger/4569729/

| team1 = {{fbw-rt|GAM}}

| goals1 =

• Darboe {{Goal|11}}
• Kanteh {{Goal|25}}

| team2 = {{fbw|NIG}}

| goals2 = Ahmed Sidi {{Goal|23}}

| stadium = Stade Lat-Dior

| location = Thiès, Senegal

| attendance =

| referee = Dorsaf Ganouati (Tunisia)

| result = w

| note = Gambia won 4–1 on aggregate.

}}

{{Football box collapsible

|format = 1

|date = {{Start date|2025|5|20|df=y}}

|time = 19:00

|round = 2025 WAFU Zone A Cup GS

|team1 = {{fbw-rt|SLE}}

|score =

|team2 = {{fbw|GAM}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 =

|location = Nouakchott, Mauritania

|stadium = Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium

|attendance =

|referee =

|report =

|result =

}}

{{Football box collapsible

|format = 1

|date = {{Start date|2025|5|22|df=y}}

|time = 19:00

|round = 2025 WAFU Zone A Cup GS

|team1 = {{fbw-rt|GAM}}

|score =

|team2 = {{fbw|SEN}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 =

|location = Nouakchott, Mauritania

|stadium = Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium

|attendance =

|referee =

|report =

|result =

}}

{{Football box collapsible

|format = 1

|date = {{Start date|2025|5|25|df=y}}

|time = 17:00

|round = 2025 WAFU Zone A Cup GS

|team1 = {{fbw-rt|GUI}}

|score =

|team2 = {{fbw|GAM}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 =

|location = Nouakchott, Mauritania

|stadium = Ksar Stadium

|attendance =

|referee =

|report =

|result =

}}