The Comoros national football team was formed in 1979, representing the island nation situated in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa. Its earliest competitive outings came at the 1979 Indian Ocean Island Games, where the side claimed a bronze medal — a feat they would repeat in 1985. For many years, international fixtures were rare, and the team had little presence on the continental stage.
Comoros joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2003 and gained full FIFA membership in 2005, which opened the door to qualification campaigns for the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations. Progress was gradual but steady. A landmark moment came during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2015, when the side — nicknamed Les Coelacantes, after the rare fish found in Comorian waters — advanced past the first round of World Cup qualifying for the first time.
The defining breakthrough arrived when Comoros qualified for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, their first appearance at a major international tournament. They made an immediate impact, defeating Ghana 3–2 in the group stage in a result widely regarded as one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history. That victory announced Comoros as a genuinely competitive force in African football.
Through the 2020s, the team has continued to develop, reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 COSAFA Cup and finishing third at the 2025 edition. Their identity is built on resilience and the collective pride of a small island nation punching well above its weight on the African continent.