| Somalia Football Federation | |
| Nickname: | The Ocean Stars |
| Badge: | Somali Football Federation logo 3.png |
| Badge Size: | 180px |
| Fifa Trigramme: | SOM |
| Association: | Somali Football Federation (Somali: Xiriirka Soomaaliyeed ee Kubbadda Cagta) |
| Sub-Confederation: | CECAFA (Central & East Africa) |
| Confederation: | CAF (Africa) |
| Coach: | Vacant |
| Captain: | Abdulsamed Abdullahi |
| Most Caps: | Yasin Ali Egal (20) |
| Top Scorer: | Abdullahi Sheikh Mohamed (3) |
| Home Stadium: | Mogadishu Stadium |
| Fifa Max: | 65 |
| Fifa Max Date: | April–June 1996 |
| Fifa Min: | 203 |
| Fifa Min Date: | April–May 2019 |
| Elo Max: | 126 |
| Elo Max Date: | 1973 |
| Elo Min: | 205 |
| Elo Min Date: | 2015 |
| Pattern La1: | _estoril1819a |
| Pattern B1: | _SOM_h22 |
| Pattern Ra1: | _estoril1819a |
| Pattern Sh1: | _shorts |
| Pattern So1: | _socks |
| Leftarm1: | 73C2FB |
| Body1: | 73C2FB |
| Rightarm1: | 73C2FB |
| Shorts1: | 73C2FB |
| Socks1: | 73C2FB |
| Pattern La2: | _zenit2122a |
| Pattern B2: | _SOM_a22 |
| Pattern Ra2: | _zenit2122a |
| Pattern Sh2: | _shorts |
| Pattern So2: | _socks |
| Leftarm2: | FFFFFF |
| Body2: | FFFFFF |
| Rightarm2: | FFFFFF |
| Shorts2: | FFFFFF |
| Socks2: | FFFFFF |
| First Game: | 4–1 Somalia (Mombasa, Kenya; 1958)[1] |
| Largest Win: | 5–2 (Casablanca, Morocco; 7 August 1985) |
| Largest Loss: | 14–0 (Jakarta, Indonesia; 14 November 1963) |
| Regional Name: | CECAFA Cup |
| Regional Cup Apps: | 26 |
| Regional Cup First: | 1973 |
| Regional Cup Best: | Fifth place (1974, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1994, 2019) |
| 2Ndregional Name: | Arab Games |
| 2Ndregional Cup Apps: | 1 |
| 2Ndregional Cup First: | 1985 |
| 2Ndregional Cup Best: | Seventh place (1985) |
The Somalia national football team (so|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.
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.[2] 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.
| Kit provider | Period | |
|---|---|---|
| Adidas | 2002–2019 | |
| A2Z Sports | 2020 - 2021 | |
| Puma | 2021 - 2022 | |
 A2Z Sports | 2022–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,[3] 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).
See 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.
| 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% |
The following players were selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Mozambique and Botswana on 7 and 10 June 2024, respectively.[4]
Caps and goals correct as of 10 June 2024, after the match against Botswana.
The following players have also been called up to the Somalia squad within the last twelve months.
Players in bold are still active with Somalia.
| width=20px | Rank | Name | width=50px | Caps | width=50px | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yasin Ali Egal | 20 | 0 | 2003–2011 | |||
| 2 | Mustaf Yuusuf | 18 | 0 | 2015–present | |||
| 3 | 14 | 0 | 2000–2007 | ||||
| 4 | Abubakar Nur Abdikarim | 12 | 0 | 2011–2015 | |||
| 5 | Mohamed Ali Abdiaziz | 11 | 2 | 2006–2011 | |||
| Mohamed Abdi Hajir | 11 | 2 | 2005-2011 | ||||
| Farhan Mohamed Ahmed | 11 | 2 | 2019-present | ||||
| 8 | 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 | ||||
| width=20px | Rank | Name | width=50px | Goals | width=50px | Caps | width=50px | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abdullahi Sheikh Mohamed | 3 | 6 | 2000–2005 | |||||
| 2 | Mohammed Abdi | 2 | — | — | 1985–1994 | ||||
| Omar Mohamed | 2 | 6 | 2019 | ||||||
| Sak Hassan | 2 | 10 | 5 | 2022–present | |||||
| Farhan Mohamed Ahmed | 2 | 11 | 2019–present | ||||||
| Mohamed Abdi Hajir | 2 | 11 | 2005–2011 | ||||||
| Mohamed Ali Abdiaziz | 2 | 11 | 2006–2011 | ||||||
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | |||||||||||||
| 1930 to 1958 | Part of &  United Kingdom | Part of & United Kingdom | |||||||||||||
 1962 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
| 1966 to 1978 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
 1982 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| 1986 to 1998 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
 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 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |||||||||
| 2022 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||
  2026 | To be determined | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 9 | ||||||||
 2030 | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
 2034 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 17 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 6 | 38 | |||||||||
| Africa Cup of Nations record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | |||||||||||||
 1957 | Part of & United Kingdom | Part of & United Kingdom | |||||||||||||
| 1959 | |||||||||||||||
 1962 | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | |||||||||||||
| 1963 | |||||||||||||||
 1965 | |||||||||||||||
| 1968 | |||||||||||||||
| 1970 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
 1974 | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||
| 1976 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| 1978 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
 1980 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
 1982 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
| 1984 | Did not qualify | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 1986 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| 1988 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||
 1990 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
 1992 | |||||||||||||||
| 1994 | |||||||||||||||
| 1996 | |||||||||||||||
 1998 | |||||||||||||||
 2002 | |||||||||||||||
| 2004 | |||||||||||||||
| 2006 | |||||||||||||||
| 2008 | |||||||||||||||
 2010 | |||||||||||||||
  2012 | |||||||||||||||
| 2013 | |||||||||||||||
| 2015 | |||||||||||||||
| 2017 | |||||||||||||||
| 2019 | |||||||||||||||
 2021 | |||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||
| 2027 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
| Total | 0/35 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 24 | ||||||||
| African Nations Championship record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | |||||||||||||
 2009 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
| 2011 | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||
| 2014 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
 2016 | |||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | |||||||||
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| Total | 0/6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 20 | ||||||||
| Olympic Games record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 0 | |||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | |||||||
| 1896–1960 | Part of & | ||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||
| Total | 0/26 | ||||||||
| All-Africa Games record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 0 | |||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | |||||||
 1965 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1973 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 1978 | |||||||||
| 1987 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1991 | |||||||||
 1995 | |||||||||
| 1999 | |||||||||
| 2003 | |||||||||
| 2007 | |||||||||
 2011 | |||||||||
| 2015 | |||||||||
| 2019 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| Total | 0/11 | ||||||||
See main article: CECAFA Cup.
| CECAFA Cup record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 26 | |||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | |||||||
| 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 | |
| 2021 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| Total | 0 titles | 26/42 | 80 | 7 | 10 | 63 | 35 | 193 | |
| Arab Games record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 1 | |||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | |||||||
| 1953 | Part of & | ||||||||
 1957 | |||||||||
| 1961 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1965 | |||||||||
| 1976 | |||||||||
| 1985 | Group stage | 7th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1992 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1997 | |||||||||
 1999 | |||||||||
| 2004 | Not held | ||||||||
| 2007 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 2011 | Withdrew | ||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 1/11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |
| Minor tournaments record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | |||||||
 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 | ||