# Somaliland national football team, league and regional games

> Somaliland football: the national team in ConIFA, its first matches, the 2016 ConIFA World Cup, the Somaliland league, the regional games and Hargeisa stadium.

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Last checked: 2026-11-12
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## Outside FIFA, inside ConIFA

[Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/) declared itself independent of Somalia in 1991. Its football team is not a member of FIFA or the Confederation of African Football. It is an associate member of ConIFA, the Confederation of Independent Football Associations, set up in 2014 for teams of dependencies, unrecognised states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions outside FIFA ([Somaliland national football team, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland_national_football_team); [ConIFA, Somaliland](http://www.conifa.org/en/members/somaliland/)).

## First matches

- **6 November 2002:** Somaliland's first known match, a 1–2 defeat by Ethiopia ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland_national_football_team); [RSSSF, 2003 matches](https://www.rsssf.org/intldetails/2003matches.html#oth)).
- **17 May 2014:** what Wikipedia calls its first "proper" international, a 2–2 draw with Sealand in [London](/en/diaspora/london/) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland_national_football_team)).

## The 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup

ConIFA invited Somaliland to its 2016 World Football Cup, hosted by Abkhazia, the team's first international tournament ([Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty](https://www.rferl.org/a/abkhazia-conifa-world-cup-somaliland/27775266.html); [The Guardian, 3 June 2016](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jun/03/world-cup-unrecognized-states-football)). Its results:

| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| Group D: Sápmi | lost 0–5 |
| Group D: Panjab | lost 0–5 |
| Placement round 1: Chagos Islands | won 3–2 |
| Placement round 2: Székely Land | lost 3–10 |

Somaliland finished tenth of twelve teams ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland_national_football_team)). Roads and Kingdoms followed the squad to the tournament ([Roads and Kingdoms, 2016](http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2016/the-unrecognized/)). Saxafi Media has written about what the team means to players and fans ([Saxafi Media](https://saxafimedia.com/for-the-somaliland-national-team-recognition-means-more-than-acclaim/)).

## The Somaliland league

The Somaliland Football Association runs a national league of 12 semi-professional clubs, backed by public bodies and private companies. It also holds an inter-regional tournament every two years: all of Somaliland's regions play group stages around the country, and the four group winners play the semi-finals in Hargeisa ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland_national_football_team)).

## Somaliland Regional Games

The Somaliland Regional Games are a multi-sport event between Somaliland's regions. They were first held in 2011 and have been held every two to four years since, under the Ministry of Youth and Sports with the football association supervising ([Somaliland Regional Games, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland_Regional_Games); [Hiiraan Online, September 2011](https://www.hiiraan.com/news/2011/sept/wararka_maanta18-15047.htm); [Somaliland Post](https://somalilandpost.net/wasaarada-ciyaaraha-oo-iclaamisay-wakhtiga-ay-qabsoomay-ciyaaraha-gobolada/)).

## Stadium

The national team's home is Hargeisa National Stadium, with 12,000 seats ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland_national_football_team); [World Stadiums](http://www.worldstadiums.com/africa/countries/somalia.shtml)).

## Read more

- [Somalia national football team](/en/society/somalia-national-football-team/)
- [Sport in Somalia](/en/society/sport-in-somalia/)
- [Hargeisa and Woqooyi Galbeed](/en/regions/woqooyi-galbeed/)

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