Rival Watch: Somalia name 23-man squad for Ghana AFCON 2027 double-header

Somalia head coach Yusuf Ali Nur has named a 23-man squad for the country's two Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027 qualifying matches against Ghana in November.

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Somalia will face the Black Stars twice in Group C, with the first encounter scheduled for Thursday, November 12, before the return fixture on Monday, November 16.

The squad consists of 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 6 midfielders and 6 forwards.

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Goalkeepers: Abdirahman Mahamud Jama, Ibrahim Ahmed Hussein, Khalid Mohamed Nor.

Defenders: Abel Gigli, Ali Mohammed Omar, Mohamud Ali, Ahmed Abdullahi Abdi, Abdulle Abdullahi Abdulle, Faysal Abubakar Osman Omar, Abdiwali Abdirahman Mohamed, Mohamed Hassan Mohamed.

Forwards: Mubashir Nour, Sakariya Hassan, Issa Adan Yusuf, Ali Muse, Muse Jailani Bile, Bilal Njie Cali.

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Somalia head into the double-header without a point after losing their opening two Group C matches. They suffered a 2-1 defeat to The Gambia before losing 2-0 to Côte d'Ivoire.

The team currently sit third in the group, ahead of Ghana, who are fourth on goal difference. Both countries have lost their opening two matches, while Côte d'Ivoire and The Gambia lead the group with six points each.

Somalia will use the Essipong Sports Stadium in Sekondi as their home grounds because the country does not have a CAF-approved stadium to host the return fixture.

Both games are scheduled to kick off at 3:00 p.m.

The top two teams in Group C will qualify for the 2027 AFCON finals, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.