# Somalia youth football teams: under-17, under-20 and under-23

> Somalia's youth national football teams: the 2022 CECAFA U-17 title and 2023 U-17 AFCON, the 1987 U-20 semi-final, recent U-20 results, and the U-23 team.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/somalia-youth-football-teams/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
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## Under-17: the 2022 CECAFA title

Somalia's under-17 team played its first match on 2 March 1998, losing 0–1 to Angola in Lubango ([Somalia national under-17 football team, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia_national_under-17_football_team)). In 2022 it won the CECAFA under-17 championship, the East and Central African tournament, beating South [Sudan](/en/diaspora/sudan/) in the final. ([CAF, 2022](https://www.cafonline.com/news-center/news/somalia-beat-south-sudan-to-win-cecafa-u-17-title); [Somali Dispatch](https://www.somalidispatch.com/latest-news/somalia-wins-the-east-and-central-africa-under-17-cup/)).

Both finalists qualified for the 2023 under-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria, played from 29 April to 19 May 2023 ([CAF](https://www.cafonline.com/news-center/news/south-sudan-somalia-qualify-for-totalenergies-u-17-afcon-2023)). Somalia played its group matches there, including against Congo ([CAF match centre](https://www.cafonline.com/total-u17-africa-cup-of-nations/2023/matches/2354228/)). The team has not reached a FIFA under-17 World Cup. The under-17 team plays its home matches at Horseed Stadium and other grounds ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia_national_under-17_football_team)).

## Under-20: the 1987 semi-final

The under-20 team was first formed for the 1987 African Youth Championship. It beat Uganda in the first round, lost to Zimbabwe in the next, then went through when Zimbabwe was disqualified for fielding ineligible players, and met Nigeria in the semi-final ([Somalia national under-20 football team, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia_national_under-20_football_team)).

Later results ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia_national_under-20_football_team)):

- **2001:** disqualified in the preliminary round against Uganda.
- **2003:** lost 6–0 to Nigeria.
- **2019:** CECAFA under-20 Challenge Cup; South Sudan beat Somalia to top Group C ([Kawowo Sports, 25 September 2019](https://kawowo.com/2019/09/25/cecafa-u20-challenge-cup-south-sudan-defeat-somalia-to-top-group-c/)).
- **2020:** CECAFA under-20 championship, a qualifier for the 2021 Africa Cup: lost 2–1 to Djibouti and 8–1 to [Tanzania](/en/diaspora/tanzania/) ([CECAFA](https://cecafaonline.com/afcon-u-20-qualifiers-djibouti-recover-to-defeat-somalia/); [CECAFA](https://cecafaonline.com/afcon-u-20-qualifiers-eight-star-tanzania-book-semi-final-berth/)).
- **2023 and 2025:** Somalia did not enter qualifying for the under-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

## Under-23

The under-23 side, nicknamed "the star of the oceans", is a recent team. Wikipedia records one match, against Rwanda's under-23s in 2017 qualifying, after which Somalia's coach, Mbabazi, said his side was "too weak for Rwanda U23" ([Somalia national under-23 football team, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia_national_under-23_football_team); [Soka25East](http://www.soka25east.com/somalia-u23-coach-mbabazi-admits-team-too-weak-for-rwanda-u23/)). Yousef Adam coached the team in 2010.

## Read more

- [Somalia national football team](/en/society/somalia-national-football-team/)
- [Somali Football Federation](/en/society/somali-football-federation/)
- [Women's football in Somalia](/en/society/somali-womens-football/)

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