Somalia national football team

The Somalia national footballers team (Somali: Xeegada Qaranka Soomaaliya, Arabic: الاتحاد الصومال 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, whilst its longest serving captain has been Hasan Babay.

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

Somalia

Nickname(s)	Ocean Stars
Association	Somali Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	CECAFA (Central & East Africa)
Head coach	Said Abdi Haibeh
Captain	[[]]
Most caps	Ciise Aden Abshir Abdinur Mohamud Hasan Babay (10)
Top scorer	Abdelaziz Ali (3)
Home stadium	Mogadishu Stadium
FIFA code	SOM
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	196 (16 July 2020)[1]
Highest	158 (April–June 1995)
Lowest	207 (April–May 2018)
First international
Kenya 5–0 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; 12 November 1963)

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 final stages of a 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 Feiruz 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.

Coaches

Head coach Charles Livingstone Mbabazi, having talks with the players during a training session.

Name	Nat	Period	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	Efficiency %
Qi Wusheng		1978–1979
Anas Shido		1984-1987	28	19	7	2	59%
Hussein Ali Abdulle		May 1999 – Dec 2000	8	0	1	7	6.3%
Awil Ismail Mohamed[4][5]		2004–2005	5	0	1	4	10%
Ignacio Gonzalez		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%
Mohammed Shidane		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%
Callum Cawkwell[6][7][8]		Nov 2013 – Mar 2014	3	0	0	3	0%
Sam Ssimbwa		Mar 2014 – Sept 2015	2	0	0	2	0%
Charles Mbabazi		Sept 2015
Haruna Mawa[9]		Nov 2016 – Nov 2019	2	0	0	2	0%
Bashir Hayford		Nov 2019 – Dec 2019	2	0	0	2	0%
Said Abdi Haibeh		Dec 2019 –	0	0	0	0	0%

Recent schedule and results

Main article: Somalia national football team results

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

  Win   Draw   Loss

2019

Somalia  v  Zimbabwe

5 September 2019 (2019-09-05) 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - 1st round	Somalia	1–0	Zimbabwe	Djibouti City, Djibouti[note 1]
	Shakunda  87'	Report		Stadium: El Hadj Hassan Gouled Aptidon Stadium

Zimbabwe  v  Somalia

10 September 2019 (2019-09-10) 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - 1st round	Zimbabwe	3–1 (3–2 agg.)	Somalia	Harare, Zimbabwe
15:00 UTC+2	Munetsi  77' Muskwe  86' Billiat  90'	Report (FIFA)	Mohamed  85'	Stadium: National Sports Stadium Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona (Madagascar)

The national team doing drills as part of preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup Qualification record Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA 1930 Part of Italy & UK Part of Italy & UK 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 Did not enter Did not enter 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 Did not qualify 2 0 2 0 1 1 1986 Did not enter Did not enter 1990 1994 1998 2002 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 6 2006 2 0 0 2 0 7 2010 1 0 0 1 0 1 2014 2 0 0 2 0 5 2018 2 0 0 2 0 6 2022 2 1 0 1 2 3 2026 To be determined To be determined Total 0/21 13 1 2 10 3 29 Africa Cup of Nations record Africa Cup of Nations Appearances: 0 Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA 1957 Part of  Italy & UK 1959 1962 to 1972 Banned 1974 Did not qualify 1976 1978 Did not enter 1980 to 1988 Did not qualify 1990 to 2010 Did not enter 2012 Banned 2013 to 2021 Did not enter 2023 To be determined 2025 Total 0/32 Olympic Games record Olympic Games Appearances: 0 Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA 1896 – 1960 Part of Italy & UK 1964 Did not enter 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 Did not qualify 1996 Did not enter 2000 2004 Did not qualify 2008 2012 2016 2020 To be determined Total 0/25 Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since the 1992 edition. All-Africa Games record All-Africa Games Appearances: 0 Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA 1965 Did not enter 1973 Did not qualify 1978 1987 Did not enter 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 To be determined Total 0/11 Prior to the Cairo 1991 campaign, the Football at the All-Africa Games was open to full senior national teams. African Nations Championship record African Nations Championship Appearances: 0 Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA 2009 Did not enter 2011 Did not qualify 2014 Did not enter 2016 2018 Did not qualify 2020 To be determined 2022 Total 0/5 CECAFA Cup record Main article: CECAFA Cup CECAFA Cup Appearances: 26 Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA 1973 Group Stage 6th 2 0 0 2 2 12 1974 5th 2 0 1 1 2 3 1975 Did not enter 1976 Group Stage 7th 3 0 0 3 2 7 1977 5th 3 1 1 1 2 2 1978 5th 4 0 1 3 3 10 1979 Did not enter 1980 Group Stage 6th 2 0 1 1 1 3 1981 Did not enter 1982 1983 Group Stage 7th 3 0 1 2 3 5 1984 5th 3 1 1 1 3 3 1985 Did not enter 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1994 Group Stage 5th 3 1 0 2 3 8 1995 8th 3 0 0 3 1 15 1996 Did not enter 1999 Group Stage 12th 2 0 0 2 0 5 2000 9th 4 0 1 3 1 11 2001 9th 3 0 1 2 0 6 2002 8th 4 1 0 3 1 4 2003 Did not enter 2004 Group Stage 8th 3 0 0 3 0 7 2005 7th 4 1 0 3 6 10 2006 10th 3 0 0 3 0 8 2007 10th 3 0 0 3 0 6 2008 9th 4 1 0 3 1 9 2009 10th 3 0 0 3 1 6 2010 12th 3 0 0 3 0 11 2011 12th 3 0 0 3 1 11 2012 12th 3 0 0 3 1 13 2013 11th 3 0 0 3 0 7 2014 Not held 2015 Group Stage 10th 3 0 0 3 0 9 2016 Not held 2017 Withdrew 2018 Not held 2019 Group Stage 5th 4 1 2 1 1 2 Total 0 Titles 26/40 80 7 10 63 35 193 Arab Nations Cup record Arab Nations Cup Appearances: 0 Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA 1963 Did not enter 1964 1966 1985 1988 1992 1998 2002 2009 Did not qualify ^1 2012 Did not enter Total 0/9 ^1 The 2009 edition was cancelled during qualification. Pan Arab Games record Pan Arab Games Appearances: 1 Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA 1953 Part of Italy & UK 1957 1961 Did not enter 1965 1976 1985 Group Stage 7th 3 1 0 2 5 6 1992 Did not enter 1997 1999 2004 No tournament 2007 Did not enter 2011 Withdrew Total Group Stage 1/11 3 1 0 2 5 6 Minor Tournaments record Minor Tournaments Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA 1963 GANEFO Group Stage 11th 2 0 0 2 0 23 1969 Friendship Cup Group Stage 6th 2 0 0 2 1 14 Total 0 Titles 4 0 0 4 1 37

Players

Current squad

The following players were selected for the 2019 CECAFA Cup in December 2019.[10]

Caps and goals correct as of: 7 December 2019, after the match against  Djibouti

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Said Aweys Ali	(2000-09-21) 21 September 2000	6	0	Mogadishu City Club
19	1GK	Usaama Yussuf	(1998-11-06) 6 November 1998	0	0	Genc Osman
20	1GK	Abdiasis Xasan		0	0	Tower United
3	2DF	Yonis Farah	(1999-09-04) 4 September 1999	5	0	Ytterhogdals IK
2	2DF	Mohamud Ali Mohamed	(1994-07-08) 8 July 1994	6	0	Southport
4	2DF	Ahmed Said Ahmed	(1998-07-04) 4 July 1998	6	0	VJS Vantaa
5	2DF	Liban Abdulahi	(1995-11-02) 2 November 1995	2	0	Unattached
12	2DF	Guled Abdirizak Ahmed	(1996-05-12) 12 May 1996	2	0	NK Zrinski Jurjevac
16	2DF	Farhan Omar	(1992-06-20) 20 June 1992	0	0	Pargas IF
18	2DF	Omar Sharif Kale		3	0
6	3MF	Omar Mohamed	(1996-05-18) 18 May 1996	6	2	Greenville Triumph
10	3MF	Abd-El-Aziz Yousef	(1999-10-05) 5 October 1999	6	0	HFX Wanderers
11	3MF	Abdulsamed Abdullahi	(1997-01-19) 19 January 1997	2	0	Den Bosch
8	3MF	Abdulkadir Said Ahmed	(1999-07-17) 17 July 1999	3	0	VJS Vantaa
14	3MF	Mohamed Abukar	(1998-01-10) 10 January 1998	0	0	Brightlingsea Regent
17	3MF	Said Ali Hussein	(2000-07-01) 1 July 2000	1	0	Avanti '31
9	4FW	Hussein Mohamed	(1997-03-20) 20 March 1997	3	0	HIFK
15	4FW	Ali Musse	(1996-01-01) 1 January 1996	4	0	Valour FC
7	4FW	Hassan Abdinur Gesey	(1998-05-05) 5 May 1998	7	0	Horseed
19	4FW	Anwar Shakunda	(1999-04-12) 12 April 1999	3	1	Elman

Recent call-ups

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Hassan Ibrahim Ali	(1996-11-04) 4 November 1996	2	0	Dekedaha	vs.  Zimbabwe, 10 September 2019
GK	Abbas Bashir Hashi	(1999-10-10) 10 October 1999	0	0		vs.  Zimbabwe, 5 September 2019
DF	Ayman Mohamed Hussein	(2000-12-12) 12 December 2000	3	0	Midnimo	vs.  Zimbabwe, 10 September 2019
DF	Abel Gigli	(1990-08-16) 16 August 1990	2	0	Caratese	vs.  Zimbabwe, 10 September 2019
DF	Ahmed Ali (C)	(1990-10-23) 23 October 1990	6	0	Halesowen Town	vs.  Zimbabwe, 10 September 2019
DF	Ibrahim Abdi Mohamed	(1999-01-01) January 1, 1999	2	0	Horseed	vs.  Zimbabwe, 10 September 2019
DF	Abdi Mohamed	(1996-10-25) 25 October 1996	1	0		vs.  Zimbabwe, 5 September 2019
MF	Abas Amin	(1996-01-01) 1 January 1996	6	1	Dekedaha	vs.  Zimbabwe, 10 September 2019
MF	Fahad Ishmail	(1996-09-02) 2 September 1996	1	0	Unattached	vs.  Zimbabwe, 10 September 2019
MF	Mohamed Abubakar Mohamed	(1998-01-10) 10 January 1998	3	0		vs.  Zimbabwe, 10 September 2019
MF	Suleyman Sidali Abdi		0	0		vs.  Zimbabwe, 5 September 2019
MF	Ali Omar Ali		0	0		vs.  Zimbabwe, 5 September 2019
FW	Farhan Mohamed Ahmed	(2000-11-15) 15 November 2000	6	1	Horseed	vs.  Zimbabwe, 10 September 2019
FW	Mohamud Abdinur	(1997-09-13) 13 September 1997	9	0	Horseed	vs.  Zimbabwe, 5 September 2019

See also

• Somalia national beach soccer team
• Somalia League
• Somalia Cup
• Somali Football Federation

Notes

1. Played in Djibouti due to security concerns from the ongoing civil war

References

1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
2. Hassan, Mohammed Sheik (2008). History of Somali football (1938–2007). Scansom. p. 20. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
3. "World Cup qualifying: Somalia national team's history-making driving instructor". BBC News. 8 September 2019.
4. "Somali-FA-technical-director-Awil-Ismail-Mohamed - Somchess.net". somchess.net.
5. "Kenya/Somalia: Don't Write Off Somalia, Says Coach". 14 November 2002 – via AllAfrica.
6. "Somalia v Zambia, 04 December 2013". 11v11.com.
7. "Somalia v Tanzania, 01 December 2013". 11v11.com.
8. "Burundi v Somalia, 28 November 2013". 11v11.com.
9. Isabirye, David (5 November 2016). "Mawa beats Isabirye to Somalia head coach job". Kawowo.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
10. Festus Chuma (3 December 2019). "CECAFA 2019: Somalia Name Strong Squad For The Tournament". Ducor Sports. Retrieved 18 December 2019.

External links

• Somali Football Federation
• FIFA – Somalia
• List of international matches at RSSSF