Football was introduced to the region during the early 20th Century. The men's national team played its first friendly against Dutch Guiana (now Suriname) in 1936 losing 1 to 3. They met Dutch Guiana again for their first competitive match in the Coupe des Caraibes, losing again 2:4. Known as Yana Dòkò, the team gained its first victory in a competitive match against British Guiana(now Guyana) in October 1948 with a score of 3:2.[1]
Despite being geographically in the subcontinent of South America, the local authorities chose to participate in the competition where most of the countries and dependent territories of the Caribbean area are located. The Ligue de Football de la Guyane was founded in 1962[2] has been affiliated to the FFF since 1963 and a member of the Caribbean Football Union since 1978.[3] French Guiana gained full membership to CONCACAF in 2013 having been an associate member since 1978.[4]
League system
The French Guiana football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football including the top two professional leagues in the department. The highest tier of men's football, the French Guiana Régional 1, is equivalent to the sixth tier of football in France.[5] There are twelve participants in Régional 1, with teams finishing in the two bottom spots being relegated to the Régional 2.