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Benin
Nickname(s)	Les Ecureuils (The Squirrels)
Association	Fédération Béninoise de Football
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Head coach	Reinhard Fabisch
Home stadium	Stade de l'Amitié
FIFA code	BEN
FIFA ranking	97
Highest FIFA ranking	79 (August 2007)
Lowest FIFA ranking	165 (July 1996)
Elo ranking	140
Home colours 　 Away colours
First international
Dahomey 0 - 1 Nigeria (Dahomey; 8 November 1959)
Biggest win
Dahomey 6 - 2 Chad (Dahomey; 15 April 1963) Benin 4 - 0 Tanzania (Cotonou, Benin; 8 September 2002)
Biggest defeat
Nigeria 10 - 1 Dahomey (Nigeria; 28 November 1959)
African Nations Cup
Appearances	1 (First in 2004)
Best result	Round 1, 2004

The Benin national football team, nicknamed Les Ecureuils (The Squirrels), 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 and, prior to their qualification for the 2008 African Cup of Nations, made their only African Nations Cup appearance in 2004.

They first entered the FIFA World Cup in the qualifying rounds for Germany 1974. Then still known as Dahomey, they lost twice in the first round against Ghana. After a 12-year wait, Tunisia proved too strong an opponent in the 1986 competition. In the qualifying rounds for USA 1994, Benin was drawn into a group with Tunisia, Morocco and Ethiopia and although they managed to beat Ethiopia at home, they finished bottom of the group. In the qualifying rounds for Korea/Japan 2002, they were knocked out by eventual finalists Senegal in the first round.

Ahead of Germany 2006, the Squirrels finished bottom of Group 3 with a mere five points, gleaned from one win, two draws and seven defeats.

The team nevertheless managed to turn things around in astounding fashion for the qualifiers for the 2008 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations. Benin racked up three wins and two draws in their six matches to finish ahead of Togo and qualify; a single point adrift of Mali.

• 1930 to 1970 - Did not enter
• 1974 - Did not qualify
• 1978 to 1982 - Did not enter
• 1986 - Did not qualify
• 1990 - Did not enter
• 1994 - Did not qualify
• 1998 - Did not enter
• 2002 to 2006 - Did not qualify

• 1957 to 1970 - Did not enter
• 1972 - Did not qualify
• 1974 to 1976 - Withdrew
• 1978 - Did not enter
• 1980 - Did not qualify
• 1982 - Did not enter
• 1984 to 1986 - Did not qualify
• 1988 to 1990 - Did not enter
• 1992 to 1994 - Did not qualify
• 1996 - Withdrew
• 1998 to 2002 - Did not qualify
• 2004 - Round 1
• 2006 - Did not qualify
• 2008 - Qualified

• Romuald Boco
• Laurent D'Jaffo
• Moussa Latoundji

(May, 2007)

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