Somalia’s national football team are in the final stages of their training ahead of a crucial FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against Guinea.
The Group G clash scheduled for 5 September holds immense significance for a squad looking to escape the bottom of a competitive group that includes Algeria, Mozambique, Botswana and Uganda.
In their last encounter in March in Cote d'Ivoire, Somalia and Guinea drew 0-0, with Guinea now standing fifth and Somalia sixth in their group.
Somalia’s national team, known as Ocean Stars, are currently training in Kampala, Uganda, a country they will also face on 8 September.
The team is at the heart of a quiet revolution. More than half of the players were born abroad, a testament to the growing trend of diaspora talent choosing to represent their ancestral homeland.
The influx of foreign-born players has injected new life and skills into the Ocean Stars as well as boost the country’s football revival.
Assembled by head coach Yusuf Ali Nur, this new generation of players is determined to turn their fortunes around in the World Cup qualifying campaign after a difficult start.
Double-barrel training
Despite currently sitting at the bottom of Group G with just one point, the Ocean Stars are hoping their match against Guinea in Kampala will change their fortunes.
Their preparations are twofold, as they’re also gearing up for the FIFA Arab Cup qualifiers. Somalia is slated to face Oman in a single-leg playoff in Qatar in November.
A victory would see them advance to the main tournament’s Group B, where they would join football giants Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and either Yemen or Comoros.
The roster is a fascinating mix of international talent, with notable names like Mohamed Omar of San Antonio FC in the US.
He is joined by Cavalry FC attacker Ali Musse, who is in red-hot form after being named the Canadian Premier League’s Player of the Month for August 2025.
Other international players include Norway-based Yasir Abdiqadir Sa’Ad, Saudi league player Faisal Othman, Handwalla Bwana of South Georgia Tormenta FC, and, perhaps most notably, Abdi Sharif, a former youth standout from Premier League defending champions, Liverpool.
