The Somalia national under-20 football team, nicknamed the Ocean Stars, represents Somalia in international youth football competitions. Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the senior national team. The team competes in a variety of competitions, including the biennial FIFA U-20 World Cup and the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, which is the top competitions for this age group.
History The Somalia national under-20 football team was first established to participate in the 1987 African Youth Championship. In their debut, they achieved a remarkable feat by defeating Uganda in the first round. Although they lost to Zimbabwe in the subsequent round, Zimbabwe was disqualified for fielding ineligible players, allowing Somalia to advance to the semifinals, where they faced Nigeria. However, after this, the team did not participate in any major tournaments until the 2001 African Youth Championship, where they were disqualified in the preliminary round against Uganda. In the 2003 edition, they suffered a significant 6–0 defeat against Nigeria, one of Africa’s football powerhouses.
In 2021, Somalia re-entered the international youth football scene, competing in the 2020 CECAFA U-20 Championship, which also served as a qualifier for the 2021 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Mauritania. Despite being placed in a challenging group with Tanzania and Djibouti, they narrowly lost 2–1 to Djibouti and recorded a heavy 8–1 defeat to Tanzania..In 2023 Somalia did not enter to the 2023 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualification nor the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualification in 2025.
Competitive record
FIFA U-20 World Cup record FIFA U-20 World Cup recordYearRoundGPWD1LGSGA 1977Did not qualify 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2023 2025 2027to be determinedTotal0/25000000 1Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
See also Somalia national football team Somalia national under-17 football team
References
External links (archived) Somalia at CAF Somalia at FIFA List of international matches at RSSSF