the 2002 World Cup qualifiers for the first time, losing in the first round to Zimbabwe. They reached the final of the inaugural CEMAC Cup, losing to an amateur Cameroon team that they'd drawn with a week earlier in the tournament. Promising victories (2009–present) In 2009, Central African Republic hosted the 2009 CEMAC Cup where they defeated Equatorial Guinea 3–0 in the final, with goals from Salif Kéïta and a brace from Hilaire Momi to claim their first trophy. During the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Central African Republic achieved a historic 2-0 home victory over the top seeded Algeria, a team that had recently competed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In July 2011, they climbed to 89th place in the FIFA world rankings, having occupied 202nd place as recently as August 2010. On 2 June 2012, they obtained their first victory in World Cup qualification, beating Botswana 2-0 at home. Despite that positive result, Central African Republic finished bottom of their group. On 15 June 2012, despite being reduced to ten men, they achieved another impressive victory, beating Egypt (3–2) in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, inflicting the first home defeat on the Egyptians in AFCON qualifiers since 1965. Thanks to a 1-1 draw at home in the second leg, Central African Republic eliminated the Egyptians, but in the second round they were defeated by Burkina Faso. Results and fixtures 2021 2022 2023 Coaching history Caretaker managers are listed in italics. Jules Accorsi (2010–2012) Herve Lougoundji (2012–2014) Raoul Savoy (2014–2015) Blaise Kopogo (2015) Herve Lougoundji (2015–2017) Raoul Savoy (2017–2019) François Zahoui (2019–2021) Raoul Savoy (2021–present) Players Current squad The following players were selected for the 2023 AFCON qualification matches against Angola on 1 June and Ghana on 5 June 2022. Caps and goals as of 5 June 2022, after the match against Ghana. Recent call-ups The following players have also been called up to the Central African Republic squad within the last twelve months. INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue. Records Players in bold are still active with Central African Republic. Most appearances Top goalscorers Competitive record FIFA World Cup Africa Cup of Nations Head-to-head record As of 17 November 2020 after match against FIFA ranking history End of each year only Achievements CEMAC