Unrest both inside and outside of the country has meant that the development of football has been impeded all too frequently. Football is though the number one sport in the Central African Republic

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...

. The national association has made conscious efforts to participate in all of the top international and regional championships. A 2-0 win over Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire national football team

The Côte d'Ivoire National Football Team or Ivory Coast National Football Team, nicknamed Les Éléphants , represents Côte d'Ivoire in international football and is controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football...

 in the qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations

African Cup of Nations

The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...

in 1972 still ranks as the nations biggest ever success, even though the return leg ended in a 4-1 defeat.