Somalia national football team

The Somalia national football team (Somali: Kooxda Qaranka Soomaaliya, Arabic: الاتحاد الصومالي لكرة القدم), nicknamed the Ocean Stars, represents Somalia in international football and is controlled by the Somali Football Federation (SFF), a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Somalia's first national team captain was Mohamed Shangole, while its longest serving captain has been Hasan Babay.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Women's football in Somalia.

Somalia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Ocean Stars
AssociationXiriirka Soomaaliyeed ee Kubbadda Cagta
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationCECAFA
(Central & East Africa)
Head coachRachid Lousteque
CaptainAhmed Said Ahmed
Most capsYasin Ali Egal (19)
Top scorerAbdullahi Sheikh Mohamed (3)
Home stadiumMogadishu Stadium
FIFA codeSOM
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 194 Increase 2 (21 September 2023)[1]
Highest158 (April–June 1996)
Lowest203 (April–May 2019)
First international
 Kenya 5–1 Somalia
(Mombasa, Kenya; 1958)[2]
Biggest win
 Somalia 5–2 Mauritania 
(Casablanca, Morocco; 7 August 1985)
Biggest defeat
 North Korea 14–0 Somalia 
(Jakarta, Indonesia; 14 November 1963)
CECAFA Cup
Appearances26 (first in 1973)
Best result5th
Arab Games
Appearances1 (first in 1985)
Best result7th

History

The first Somali football teams were established in the 1940s. The competitions were basic in structure and were associated with the anti-colonial movement. The Somali Youth League (SYL), the nation's first political party, had put together a team of local youth to play against the Italian expatriate teams. The soccer team the FYL had assembled, which would later change its name to Bondhere, won the first several competitions. In 1951, the Somali Football Federation (SFF) was founded. The first Somali commissioner for sport was later established in 1958.

Although the Somali national football team took part in preliminary matches, it has never qualified for the World Cup. For many years after the outbreak of the civil war in the early 1990s, FIFA-sanctioned games could not be played within the country. Qualifying matches for the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup were instead contested away from home. However, following the pacification of the capital Mogadishu in 2011, the SFF began preparations for the first major sporting event to be held in years at the Mogadishu Stadium, in December 2012.

Prior to 2019, the Somali FA decided they would admit to all their young and upcoming youth talents and put out local trials to fortify both Olympic and national football teams.

In addition, many from the Somali diaspora in the past have produced quality football players such as Islam Feruz and Mukhtar Ali.

On 5 September 2019, Somalia won their first qualifying match since 1984 (against Kenya - AFCON Qualifying) and their first-ever FIFA World Cup qualifying match, beating Zimbabwe by 1–0.[3] They nearly advanced to the second round but lost 3–1 in Zimbabwe after two late goals for the warriors, consigning the Ocean Stars to an early exit.

Team image

Kits and crest
Kit provider Period
Germany Adidas 2015–2021
Somalia A2Z Sports 2021–present

From the 1970s up until the 1990s, the Somali national football team used to wear solid sky blue shirts and socks with white shorts for home kits and the inverse as away kits,[4] the two primary colours of the Somali national flags, in the 2010s up until the present, the national team have now replaced the solid sky blue shirts for vertically blue and white striped shirts.

The crest of the Somali national team used to be the coat of arms of Somalia but it is now replaced with the Somali Federation crest. The Ocean Stars plays their home games in the Mogadishu Stadium, (As the stadium was being rebuilt, the national team played matches at Engineer Yaarisow Stadium, which is Mogadishu's secondary stadium for sporting events).

Somalia's first colours in the 1970s–1990s
Somalia's second colours in the 1970s–1990s

Results and fixtures
Main article: Somalia national football team results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023
14 October Friendly Somalia  0–3  Niger Berrechid, Morocco
16:30 UTC+1 Amoustapha 9'
A. Wonkoye 26' (pen.)
Goumey 74'		 Stadium: Berrechid Municipal Stadium
17 October Friendly Somalia  0–2  Sierra Leone Berrechid, Morocco
19:30 UTC+1 Turay 26' (pen.), 59' Stadium: Berrechid Municipal Stadium
19 October Friendly Somalia  0–0  Libya
15 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Algeria  v  Somalia
18 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Somalia  v  Uganda

Coaches
Head coach Charles Livingstone Mbabazi, having talks with the players during a training session.
The national team doing drills as part of preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
Name Nat Period Matches Wins Draws Losses Win rate
Qi Wusheng China 1978–1979
Klaus Ebbighausen West Germany 1980
Hussein Ali Abdulle Somalia May 1999 – Dec 2000 8 0 1 7 6.3%
Awil Ismail Mohamed Somalia Nov 2001 – Dec 2002 7 1 2 4 28.6%
Ali Abdi Farah Somalia Oct 2003 – Dec 2005 9 1 0 8 11.1%
Daniel Muwathe Kenya Oct 2006 – Dec 2006 6 0 0 6 0%
Hussein Ali Abdulle Somalia Oct 2007 – Dec 2007 4 0 0 4 0%
Ali Abdi Farah Somalia Sept 2008 – Dec 2009 8 2 0 6 25%
Mohamed Farayare Somalia Jan 2010 – Mar 2010 2 1 0 1 50%
Yousef Adam Qatar Oct 2010 – Dec 2010 3 0 0 3 0%
Alfred Imonje Kenya Oct 2011 – Dec 2011 5 0 1 4 10%
Sam Ssimbwa Uganda Dec 2011 – Oct 2013 6 0 0 6 0%
Sam Ssimbwa Uganda Mar 2014 – Sept 2015 2 0 0 2 0%
Charles Mbabazi Uganda Sept 2015
Haruna Mawa Uganda Nov 2016 – Nov 2019
Bashir Hayford Ghana Mar 2019 – 2019 7 2 2 3 42.8%
Said Abdi Haibeh Somalia Dec 2019 – May 2021 4 1 2 1 25%
Abdellatif Salef Morocco May 2021 – June 2021 0 0 0 0 0%
Salad Farah Somalia June 2021 – February 2022 2 0 0 2 0%
Pieter de Jongh Netherlands February 2022 – May 2022 2 0 0 2 0%
Rachid Lousteque Morocco July 2022 – 0 0 0 0 0%

Players

Current squad

The following players were selected for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Eswatini on 23 and 27 March 2022 respectively.[5]

Caps and goals correct as of 27 March 2022, after the match against Eswatini.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Mustaf Yuusuf (1998-01-01) 1 January 1998 12 0 Sweden Oskarshamns
1GK Ayub Ahmed (2000-11-28) 28 November 2000 0 0 United States Minnesota
1GK Yusuf Lampanza (1999-07-05) 5 July 1999 0 0 Somalia Elman
1GK Abdirahman Jama (2000-08-04) 4 August 2000 0 0 Somalia Elman
2DF Abel Gigli (1990-08-16) 16 August 1990 6 1 Italy Ravenna
2DF Saadiq Elmi (2000-11-11) 11 November 2000 3 0 Norway Grorud
2DF Ahmed Said Ahmed (1998-07-04) 4 July 1998 10 0 Italy Castelnuovo Vomano
2DF Ahmed Ali (1990-10-23) 23 October 1990 8 0 England Halesowen Town
2DF Haji Abdikadir (1998-10-15) 15 October 1998 1 0 Republic of Ireland Athlone Town
2DF Mohamed Hussein Curka (1997-06-23) 23 June 1997 1 0 Sweden Onsala
2DF Omar Hussein (1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 0 0 Sweden Korsnäs
2DF Yonis Farah (1999-09-04) 4 September 1999 7 0 Free agent
2DF Abdi Mohamed (1996-10-25) 25 October 1996 3 0 United States Columbus Crew 2
3MF Liban Abdulahi (1995-11-02) 2 November 1995 7 0 Netherlands TEC
3MF Omar Jama (1998-05-21) 21 May 1998 1 0 Finland JäPS
3MF Abdulsamed Abdullahi (1997-01-19) 19 January 1997 4 0 Netherlands TEC
3MF Isse Ismail (1999-04-20) 20 April 1999 2 0 Sweden Haninge
3MF Abdiqafar Cise Ismail (1997-04-04) 4 April 1997 0 0 Sweden Som United
3MF Abdullahi Telli (1996-03-26) 26 March 1996 0 0 Turkey Karaman Beleyespor
3MF Ayuub Abdi (1996-11-15) 15 November 1996 1 0 Finland PK-35
3MF Sak Hassan (2001-03-21) 21 March 2001 2 1 England Hashtag United
3MF Anis Nuur (1997-01-24) 24 January 1997 1 0 England Metropolitan Police
4FW Hussein Mohamed (1997-03-20) 20 March 1997 8 0 Finland JäPS
4FW Jama Boss (1994-05-03) 3 May 1994 1 0 Australia St Albans Saints
4FW Amin Askar (1985-10-01) 1 October 1985 0 0 Norway Kristiansund
4FW Mukhtar Suleiman (1998-08-10) 10 August 1998 2 0 Netherlands Katwijk
4FW Ibrahim Ilyas (2000-03-05) 5 March 2000 2 0 Somalia Horseed
4FW Ali Musse (1996-01-01) 1 January 1996 4 0 Canada Cavalry
4FW Mohamed Awad (1994-05-07) 7 May 1994 4 0 Malta Sliema Wanderers
4FW Siad Haji (1999-12-01) 1 December 1999 2 0 United States FC Tulsa
4FW Handwalla Bwana (1999-06-25) 25 June 1999 0 0 United States Charleston Battery
4FW Bilal Hersi (2001-10-29) 29 October 2001 1 0 United States Siena Saints

Recent call ups
Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Abdi Salim (2001-04-01) 1 April 2001 0 0 United States Orlando City - [6]

Player records
As of 27 March 2022[7]
Players in bold are still active with Somalia.

Competitive record

See also

Notes

    References
    1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
    2. Hassan, Mohammed Sheik (2008). History of Somali football (1938–2007). Scansom. p. 20. ISBN 9789185945986. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
    3. "World Cup qualifying: Somalia national team's history-making driving instructor". BBC News. 8 September 2019. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
    4. "Somalia vs Yemen PDR for Arab Cup Qualification 1985 (Arabic)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
    5. "squad for AFCON 2023 qualification". Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
    6. https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/october-international-window-which-mls-players-were-called-up
    7. "Somalia". National Football Teams.
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