The Somalia national football team (Somali: Kooxda Qaranka Soomaaliya, Arabic: الإتِّحَاد الصُّومَالِي لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم), 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.
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| Nickname(s) | The Ocean Stars | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Xiriirka Soomaaliyeed ee Kubbadda Cagta | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | CECAFA (Central & East Africa) | ||
| Head coach | ina jamac | ||
| Captain | Ahmed Said Ahmed | ||
| Most caps | Yasin Ali Egal (19) | ||
| Top scorer | Abdullahi Sheikh Mohamed (3) | ||
| Home stadium | Mogadishu Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | SOM | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 199  1 (4 April 2024)[1] | ||
| Highest | 65 (April–June 1996) | ||
| Lowest | 203 (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 | |||
| Appearances | 26 (first in 1973) | ||
| Best result | 5th | ||
| Arab Games | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 1985) | ||
| Best result | 7th | ||
History edit
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.[4] 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 edit
Kits and crest edit
| Kit provider | Period |
|---|---|
 Adidas
|
2015–2021 |
| 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,[5] 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 edit
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 edit
| 14 October Friendly | Somalia | 0–3 |  Niger | Berrechid, Morocco |
| 16:30 UTC+1 |
|
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 | Khouribga, Morocco |
| 19:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Phosphate Stadium |
| 16 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Algeria  | 3–1 | Somalia | Algiers, Algeria |
| 18:00 UTC+1 | Abdi 2' (o.g.) Bounedjah 31'Slimani 80' |
Report | Ahmed 65' |
Stadium: Nelson Mandela Stadium Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Boubou Traore (Mali) |
| 21 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Somalia | 0–1 |  Uganda | Berkane, Morocco |
| 14:00 UTC+1 | Report |
|
Stadium: Stade Municipal de Berkane Attendance: 200 Referee: Pedro Ndong Ovono Obono (Equatorial Guinea) |
2024 edit
| 20 March 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | Somalia | 0–3 |  Eswatini | |
| Figuareido 40' Ginindza 45', 56' |
| 26 March 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | Eswatini | 2–2 (5–2 agg.) | Somalia | |
| Note: Eswatini won 5–2 on aggregate. | ||||
Coaches edit
| Name | Nat | Period | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qi Wusheng | 
|
1978–1979 | |||||
| Klaus Ebbighausen |
|
1980 | |||||
| Hussein Ali Abdulle |
|
May 1999 – Dec 2000 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6.3% |
| Awil Ismail Mohamed |
|
Nov 2001 – Dec 2002 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 28.6% |
| Ali Abdi Farah |
|
Oct 2003 – Dec 2005 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 11.1% |
| Daniel Muwathe | 
|
Oct 2006 – Dec 2006 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0% |
| Hussein Ali Abdulle |
|
Oct 2007 – Dec 2007 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0% |
| Ali Abdi Farah |
|
Sept 2008 – Dec 2009 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 25% |
| Mohamed Farayare |
|
Jan 2010 – Mar 2010 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
| Yousef Adam | 
|
Oct 2010 – Dec 2010 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| Alfred Imonje |
|
Oct 2011 – Dec 2011 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 10% |
| Sam Ssimbwa |
|
Dec 2011 – Oct 2013 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0% |
| Sam Ssimbwa |
|
Mar 2014 – Sept 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| Charles Mbabazi |
|
Sept 2015 | |||||
| Haruna Mawa |
|
Nov 2016 – Nov 2019 | |||||
| Bashir Hayford | 
|
Mar 2019 – 2019 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 42.8% |
| Said Abdi Haibeh |
|
Dec 2019 – May 2021 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25% |
| Abdellatif Salef | 
|
May 2021 – June 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Salad Farah |
|
June 2021 – February 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| Pieter de Jongh | 
|
February 2022 – May 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| Rachid Lousteque |
|
July 2022 – 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Players edit
Current squad edit
The following players were selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Algeria and Uganda on 16 and 21 November 2023, respectively.[6]
Caps and goals correct as of 21 November 2023, after the match against Uganda.
Recent call ups edit
The following players have also been called up to the Somalia squad within the last twelve months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF | Haji Abdikadir | 15 October 1998 | 3 | 0 |  Athlone Town
|
v. Libya; 19 October 2023
|
| MF | Muqtar Ahmed | 15 April 2005 | 1 | 0 |  Winterthur II
|
v. Libya; 19 October 2023
|
| MF | Abdi Sharif | 1 January 2001 | 1 | 0 |  Wigan Athletic
|
v. Libya; 19 October 2023
|
| FW | Bilal Njie | 13 June 1998 | 2 | 0 |  FK Haugesund
|
v. Libya; 19 October 2023
|
Player records edit
- As of 21 November 2023[7]
- Players in bold are still active with Somalia.
Most appearances edit
| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yasin Ali Egal | 19 | 0 | 2003–2011 |
| 2 | Mustaf Yuusuf | 16 | 0 | 2015–present |
| 3 | Omar Ibrahim Abdulkadir | 14 | 0 | 2000–2007 |
| 4 | Abubakar Nur Abdikarim | 12 | 0 | 2011–2015 |
| 5 | Mohamed Ali Abdiaziz | 11 | 2 | 2006–2011 |
| 6 | Cisse Aadan Abshir | 10 | 1 | 2003–2011 |
| Ahmed Said Ahmed | 10 | 0 | 2019–present | |
| Hussein Mohamed | 10 | 0 | 2019–present | |
| Mahad Mohamed Haji | 10 | 0 | 2010–2015 | |
| Abdinur Mohamud | 10 | 0 | 2011–2019 |
Top goalscorers edit
| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abdullahi Sheikh Mohamed | 3 | 6 | 0.5 | 2000–2005 |
| 2 | Abdilahi Abdi | 2 | — | — | ?–? |
| Mohammed Abdi | 2 | — | — | 1985–1994 | |
| Omar Mohamed | 2 | 6 | 0.33 | 2019 | |
| Farhan Mohamed Ahmed | 2 | 8 | 0.25 | 2019–present | |
| Mohamed Ali Abdiaziz | 2 | 11 | 0.18 | 2006–2011 |
Competitive record edit
FIFA World Cup edit
Africa Cup of Nations edit
African Nations Championship edit
Olympic Games edit
All-Africa Games edit
CECAFA Cup edit
FIFA Arab Cup edit
^1 The 2009 edition was cancelled during qualification. Arab Games edit
Minor tournaments edit
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See also edit
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ Hassan, Mohammed Sheik (2008). History of Somali football (1938–2007). Scansom. p. 20. ISBN 9789185945986. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Somalia vs Yemen PDR for Arab Cup Qualification 1985 (Arabic)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ "Final Squad". Facebook. Somali Football Federation 1951.
- ^ "Somalia". National Football Teams.
External links edit
