Mali National Team: Les Aigles Football Squad, Fixtures and African Kick Off Times

The Mali national team, known as Les Aigles (the Eagles), is the senior men's football side of Mali, and it has played international matches since a 4 to 3 win over the Central African Republic on 13 April 1960. Mali finished runners up at their first Africa Cup of Nations in 1972, reached the semi finals in 1994, 2002, 2004, 2012 and 2013, and did not reach the 2022 senior men's World Cup finals after Tunisia qualified from their final round tie. For South African readers searching for the Mali soccer team, it is the same side, and the fixtures, results and squad modules above update after every match.

Readers in Lagos and Accra can compare Mali's fixtures with Nigeria and Ghana meetings in the head to head module. Readers in Johannesburg, Nairobi and Kampala can use SAST and EAT to plan their viewing.

Who Are Les Aigles, and Why Are Mali Called the Eagles?

Les Aigles are Mali's senior men's team, whose nickname Les Aigles means the Eagles. They play home matches at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako. Their first official international came on 13 April 1960, a 4 to 3 win over the Central African Republic. So, the side is older than many fans assume, and it has spent most of the decades since as a familiar face at continental tournaments.

Their place in African football is that of a nation that asks hard questions of the bigger names and rarely gives a match away cheaply. In my opinion, Mali are like a trusted stall at Balogun market, not always the one with the biggest sign, but the one the regulars return to because it delivers every time. The drums, the green, yellow and red, and the large travelling support at the Africa Cup of Nations are part of the picture too. As such, a neutral watching from Accra or Kampala usually knows within ten minutes that Mali have arrived at a tournament.

Mali Fixtures: What Time Is Kick Off Where You Live?

Mali play on Greenwich Mean Time, so a home kick off in Bamako reads one hour later in Lagos, two hours later in Johannesburg and three hours later in Nairobi and Kampala. Take a 16:00 GMT start as the example: that is 16:00 in Accra, 17:00 WAT, 18:00 SAST and 19:00 EAT. The fixtures module above lists every match with all four times side by side, and it updates itself once a date is confirmed. But, the competition label matters as much as the clock, because a qualifier and a friendly carry very different weight for the ranking and for the group.

The fixtures module identifies the competition and stage for each match. Readers in Kenya and Uganda can check the confirmed opponents there to find meetings involving Mali, the Harambee Stars or the Uganda Cranes. Results land in the module beside the fixtures with the score, the date and the scorers. So, if you are planning an evening around a match, read the venue first, then the time in your own zone, then the stage of the competition.

Who Is in the Mali Squad?

The squad module lists each selected player's club and position. The squad module above lists the latest call up by position, with clubs and caps, and it changes whenever a new group is named. The club column helps readers identify connections with players from their own national teams. That being said, the strength of the side has long come from depth in the centre of the pitch rather than from one star, which is why a Mali squad list is worth reading line by line.

For Nigerian readers, the interesting part is how often Malian players line up against Super Eagles players in European leagues before meeting them again in an international window. In my opinion, that is the real reason Lagos follows Les Aigles so closely, because a Malian midfielder pressing a Nigerian forward on a Saturday in France or England is a preview of the continental meeting to come. So, when the squad module refreshes, check the club column, because it tells you which Super Eagles, Black Stars or Bafana Bafana players will already know their opponent well.

Who Coaches Mali, and How Do They Play?

The current coach is listed in the squad module, because the role has changed often enough that any name written in prose could go out of date. Tom Saintfiet led Mali at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, and on 13 January 2026 the Ministry of Youth and Sports wrote to the federation asking it to end that working relationship after the campaign. Whoever holds the job, the identity of the side has tended to hold steady, in my opinion: a compact midfield, quick breaks and a willingness to compete physically with anyone on the continent. Perhaps the best guide to a new coach is the results module, which shows whether the side is keeping clean sheets or chasing games.

How Do You Read Mali's Ranking and Qualifying Tables?

The FIFA ranking is a running score built from results, and Mali reached 23rd in June 2013 and were ranked 117th in October 2001. That spread tells a story on its own, from the early 2000s, when Mali went on to host the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, to the peak around the semi finals of 2012 and 2013. The live ranking sits in the records module rather than in the copy, because it moves after every international window. So, read the trend across a year rather than a single month's figure.

Qualifying groups work like a league table (or a log, as many South African readers say), with three points for a win and one for a draw. In AFCON qualifying the top places go through, and the group table above shows points, goal difference and games played for every side. Head to head records against West African rivals such as Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal sit in the records module too. As such, you can check the full history before a meeting, rather than relying on a memory from a viewing centre argument that has grown with every retelling.

What Have Mali Achieved at AFCON and the World Cup?

Mali finished Africa Cup of Nations runners up in 1972, their debut tournament, when they lost the final 3 to 2 to Congo. They reached the semi finals in 1994, 2002 (as hosts), 2004, 2012 and 2013. The one match I would point any newcomer to is the 2010 group game against Angola, when Mali came back from 4 to 0 down to draw 4 to 4. In my opinion, nothing explains Les Aigles better than that match, because it is the clearest example of a side that keeps running long after the scoreboard has told it to stop.

At the 2025 finals, Mali beat Tunisia on penalties in the round of 16 on 3 January 2026, then lost 1 to 0 to Senegal in the quarter finals on 9 January 2026. Mali did not reach the 2022 senior men's World Cup finals after Tunisia qualified from their final round tie. They went out to Libya in the 2002 preliminary round. Tunisia qualified ahead of Mali from the 2022 final round.

Who Holds the Mali Records?

The updating records module lists Mali's record cap holder and top scorer, with their appearances and goals. Mali beat Mauritania 11 to 0 on 1 October 1972, the same year as that first AFCON final. They lost 7 to 0 to Algeria on 13 November 1988 and 8 to 1 to Kuwait on 5 September 1997, both from the years before the side's rise up the ranking. The records module will show any change to the records as soon as it happens, so the history and the live numbers always sit together.

Where Do Mali Play, and What Else Have They Won?

Home matches are played at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako, and the fixtures module confirms the venue for each game, so you are never caught out by a change of ground. Ticket details come from the federation close to each home international, which means its own announcements are the place to watch. Away from home, Malian supporters are known for travelling in large numbers to the Africa Cup of Nations, with drums and the national colours. So, if your country hosts a tournament that Mali reach, expect a stand that sounds like a home crowd.

Beyond the senior side, Mali have a strong record in the African Nations Championship (CHAN), the tournament for players based in their home leagues. They first entered in 2011 and finished runners up in 2016 and 2020. The Under 23 side reached the quarter finals of the 2004 Athens Olympics, losing to Italy, which remains a landmark for the age group pipeline. In my opinion, that pipeline is a big part of why the senior squad rarely runs short of options, and youth fixtures are worth following in the same way you would follow a Golden Eaglets or Black Satellites campaign.

Why Do Mali Matter in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and Uganda?

Ghanaian readers can use the head to head module to explore meetings between Mali and the Black Stars. Select Ghana to read the dates, competitions and results of those meetings. For Nigeria, the mix up between two sets of Eagles is part of the fun, and the Super Eagles against the Mali Eagles is a meeting with AFCON and CHAN history behind it. So, when a Nigerian reader checks Mali, the real question is usually what a Malian midfield would do to the Super Eagles' forwards, and the head to head module answers that with the record rather than the noise.

South African readers can select South Africa in the head to head module to read Mali's results against Bafana Bafana by date and competition. Readers in Kenya and Uganda can check the fixtures module for confirmed opponents and any scheduled meetings with the Harambee Stars or the Uganda Cranes. Before any of those meetings, check the venue, the kick off in your own zone, the club column in the squad module and the recent results, in that order.

Is It the Mali Football Team or the Mali National Team?

Both phrases point to the same side, the senior men's football team of Mali, and anyone searching for the Mali national team in search of fixtures or a squad means Les Aigles. The wording can also bring up the country's national symbols, which is why the football answer comes first, followed by the live modules. For readers in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, Mali Eagles and Les Aigles are the same team, while South African readers often search for the Mali national football team in the same way. For other sides across the continent and beyond, our hub of national teams lists every profile with the same kick off times and modules.