Somalia national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Somalia Football Federation

Nickname(s)	The Ocean Stars
Association	Somali Football Federation (Xiriirka Soomaaliyeed ee Kubbadda Cagta)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	CECAFA (Central & East Africa)
Head coach	Rachid Lousteque
Captain	Abdulsamed Abdullahi
Most caps	Yasin Ali Egal (20)
Top scorer	Abdullahi Sheikh Mohamed (3)
Home stadium	Mogadishu Stadium
FIFA code	SOM
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	204 (7 February 2019)
Highest	65 (April–June 1996)
Lowest	203 (April–May 2019)
Elo ranking
Current	203 3 (3 March 2019)
Highest	126 (1973)
Lowest	205 (2015)
First international
Kenya 4–1 Somalia (Mombasa, Kenya; 1958)
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	Fifth place (1974, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1994, 2019)
Arab Games
Appearances	1 (first in 1985)
Best result	Seventh place (1985)

The Somalia national football team, also known as the Ocean Stars, represents Somalia in international football games. The team is controlled by the Somali Football Federation (SFF), which is part of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The first captain of Somalia's national team was Mohamed Shangole, and Hasan Babay has been the longest-serving captain.

History of Somali Football

The first football teams in Somalia started in the 1940s. These early games were simple and connected to the movement against colonial rule. The Somali Youth League (SYL), which was Somalia's first political party, created a team of young local players. This team played against teams made up of Italian people living in Somalia. The SYL's football team, which later became known as Bondhere, won the first few competitions.

In 1951, the Somali Football Federation (SFF) was officially started. A special government office for sports in Somalia was created in 1958.

Challenges and Comebacks

Even though the Somali national football team has played in many qualifying matches, it has never made it to the main FIFA World Cup tournament. For many years after the civil war started in the early 1990s, official FIFA games could not be played in Somalia. Because of this, qualifying matches for the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup had to be played in other countries.

However, after the capital city of Mogadishu became peaceful again in 2011, the SFF started getting ready for a big sports event. In December 2012, the first major game in years was held at the Mogadishu Stadium.

Before 2019, the Somali FA decided to find new, talented young players. They held local tryouts to make both the Olympic and national football teams stronger. Many great football players from the Somali community living abroad, like Islam Feruz and Mukhtar Ali, have also joined the team.

On September 5, 2019, Somalia won their first qualifying match since 1984. This was also their first-ever win in a FIFA World Cup qualifying game! They beat Zimbabwe 1–0. They almost made it to the next round but lost 3–1 in Zimbabwe after two late goals from the other team.

Team Look: Kits and Crest

The Somali national football team has had different kit providers over the years:

Kit provider	Period
Adidas	2002–2019
A2Z Sports	2020–2021
Puma	2021–2022
A2Z Sports	2022–present

From the 1970s to the 1990s, the team wore solid sky blue shirts and socks with white shorts for home games. Their away kits were the opposite: white shirts and socks with blue shorts. These colors are the main colors of the Somali national flag. In the 2010s, the team changed to vertically striped blue and white shirts.

The team's badge used to be the coat of arms of Somalia. Now, it's the Somali Federation crest. The Ocean Stars play their home games at the Mogadishu Stadium. While the main stadium was being rebuilt, they played matches at Engineer Yaarisow Stadium, which is Mogadishu's second stadium for sports.

Somalia's first colors in the 1970s–1990s

Somalia's second colors in the 1970s–1990s

Recent Games and Coaches

The Somali national team plays matches throughout the year for different tournaments. Here are some of their recent results:

• On November 16, 2023, Somalia lost 3–1 to Algeria in a World Cup qualifying game.
• On November 21, 2023, they lost 0–1 to Uganda in another World Cup qualifier.
• In March 2024, they played Eswatini in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, losing one game 0–3 and drawing the other 2–2. Eswatini won 5–2 overall.
• In June 2024, they lost 2–1 to Mozambique and 1–3 to Botswana in World Cup qualifying matches.

Coaches of the Team

Many coaches have led the Somali national team over the years. They come from different countries, including Somalia itself, Germany, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Qatar, Morocco, and the Netherlands.

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

The national team practices for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Players

The team's players come from Somalia and also from the Somali community living in other countries around the world.

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games in June 2024 against Mozambique and Botswana.

The number of games played (Caps) and goals scored are correct as of June 10, 2024, after the match against Botswana.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Abdirahman Mohamud	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 24)	3	0	Dekedaha
	1GK	Abdi Samad		0	0	Waxool
	1GK	Aleeleya Sheikh Saeed		0	0	Coast Stars
	2DF	Ahmed Banu Hirabe	(1997-12-12) 12 December 1997 (age 27)	12	0	Horseed
	2DF	Saadiq Elmi	(2000-11-11) 11 November 2000 (age 24)	11	0	Moss
	2DF	Mohamud Ali	(1994-07-08) 8 July 1994 (age 30)	10	0	Atherton Collieries
	2DF	Abel Gigli	(1990-08-16) 16 August 1990 (age 34)	10	1	Correggese
	2DF	Abdi Salim	(2001-04-01) 1 April 2001 (age 24)	5	0	Orlando City
	2DF	Isse Abdulkadir	(1999-07-01) 1 July 1999 (age 26)	3	0	Elman
	2DF	Fahad Mohamed	(2000-03-21) 21 March 2000 (age 25)	4	0	Ekenäs
	3MF	Abdulsamed Abdullahi	(1997-01-19) 19 January 1997 (age 28)	8	0	FK Dečić
	3MF	Ismail Liban	(2001-07-29) 29 July 2001 (age 23)	4	0	Altona Magic
	3MF	Ismael Shirwa	(1994-03-13) 13 March 1994 (age 31)	4	1	Werribee City
	3MF	Mohamed Sheik Ahmed		0	0	Ohio Dominican Panthers
	3MF	Zakariyah Nur	(2005-12-12) 12 December 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Cumberland United
	3MF	Abdullahi Osman	(1999-04-05) 5 April 1999 (age 26)	1	0	Perth
	3MF	Mohamed Omar	(1999-01-22) 22 January 1999 (age 26)	0	0	San Antonio
	4FW	Mohamed Awad	(1994-05-07) 7 May 1994 (age 31)	10	1	Sliema Wanderers
	4FW	Sak Hassan	(2001-03-21) 21 March 2001 (age 24)	10	2	Hashtag United
	4FW	Yusuf Ahmed	(1997-04-24) 24 April 1997 (age 28)	8	1	Avondale
	4FW	Mukhtar Suleiman	(1998-08-10) 10 August 1998 (age 26)	8	0	SV Spakenburg
	4FW	Issa Adim Abatari	(2002-02-13) 13 February 2002 (age 23)	6	0	Mogadishu City
	4FW	Yusuf Ali		1	1	Avondale
	4FW	Handwalla Bwana	(1999-06-25) 25 June 1999 (age 26)	0	0	Unattached

Players Called Up Recently

These players have also been called to play for Somalia in the last year.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mustaf Yuusuf	(1998-01-01) 1 January 1998 (age 27)	18	0	IFK Berga	v.  Eswatini; 26 March 2024
GK	Ibrahim Ahmed Hussein	(2005-12-23) 23 December 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Waxool	v.  Eswatini; 26 March 2024
GK	Ahmed Mayow Shariff	(2002-02-08) 8 February 2002 (age 23)	0	0	Horseed	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
DF	Abdiwali Abdirahman Mohamed	(2000-01-01) 1 January 2000 (age 25)	6	0	Elman	v.  Eswatini; 26 March 2024
DF	Ayman Mohamed Hussein	(2000-12-12) 12 December 2000 (age 24)	6	0	Horseed	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
DF	Abdi Mohamed	(1996-10-25) 25 October 1996 (age 28)	7	0	New Mexico United	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
DF	Ahmed Isse	(2001-02-03) 3 February 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Real Balompédica Linense	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
MF	Isse Ismail	(1999-04-20) 20 April 1999 (age 26)	5	0	Stocksund	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
MF	Omar Jama	(1998-05-21) 21 May 1998 (age 27)	5	0	JäPS	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
MF	Abdulkadir Sidow		2	0	Elman	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
MF	Haji Adan		1	0	Dekedaha	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
MF	Haji Abdikadir	(1998-10-15) 15 October 1998 (age 26)	3	0	Athlone Town	v.  Libya; 19 October 2023
MF	Muqtar Ahmed	(2005-04-15) 15 April 2005 (age 20)	1	0	Winterthur II	v.  Libya; 19 October 2023
MF	Abdi Sharif	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 24)	1	0	Wigan Athletic	v.  Libya; 19 October 2023
FW	Ibrahim Ilyas	(2000-03-05) 5 March 2000 (age 25)	6	0	KMC	v.  Eswatini; 26 March 2024
FW	Hussein Mohamed	(1997-03-20) 20 March 1997 (age 28)	11	0	JäPS	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
FW	Farhan Mohamed Ahmed	(2000-11-15) 15 November 2000 (age 24)	9	2	Horseed	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
FW	Mahad Mohamed Abdulkadir	(2001-08-19) 19 August 2001 (age 23)	3	0	Horseed	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
FW	Siad Haji	(1999-12-01) 1 December 1999 (age 25)	2	0	FC Tulsa	v.  Uganda; 21 November 2023
FW	Bilal Njie	(1998-06-13) 13 June 1998 (age 27)	2	0	Odds BK	v.  Libya; 19 October 2023

Player Records: Most Games and Goals

Here are some records for players who have played the most games or scored the most goals for Somalia. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for the team.

Most Appearances

This list shows the players who have played the most games for the Somali national team.

Top Goalscorers

This list shows the players who have scored the most goals for the Somali national team.

Tournament History

The Somalia national football team has taken part in many international tournaments. While they haven't yet qualified for the main stages of the biggest competitions like the FIFA World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations, they continue to compete and improve.

FIFA World Cup

Somalia has tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup several times. They first entered the qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup. Since then, they have played in various qualifying rounds but have not yet made it to the final tournament.

Africa Cup of Nations

The team has also participated in the qualifying rounds for the Africa Cup of Nations, which is the main football tournament for African countries. They have not yet qualified for the main tournament.

CECAFA Cup

The CECAFA Cup is a regional tournament for teams in Central and East Africa. Somalia has played in this cup many times, with 26 appearances. They have reached fifth place several times, showing their strength in regional competitions. Their best performances were in 1974, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1994, and 2019.

Other Tournaments

Somalia has also competed in other tournaments like the African Nations Championship and the Arab Games. In the 1985 Arab Games, they reached seventh place.

See also

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