Match: Ghana v Somalia Venue: Essipong Stadium (Sekondi-Takoradi) Date: Thursday 12th November, 2026 Kick-off time: 4 pm Referee: Andre
Match: Ghana v Somalia
Venue: Essipong Stadium (Sekondi-Takoradi)
Date: Thursday 12th November, 2026
Kick-off time: 4 pm
Referee: Andre Onesime Kolissala-Mbangui (Central African Republic)
Preview
Group C will be out of reach for whoever loses this make-or-break fixture on Thursday afternoon at the Essipong Stadium in Sekondi-Takoradi. Ghana and Somalia have both lost their two opening fixtures to Ivory Coast and Gambia, who have every chance of winning the two slots.
The Black Stars will be managed by Swedish head coach Kim Lars Bjokegren, who will replace Portuguese head coach Carlos Queiroz. The veteran Portuguese tactician stepped down after a disastrous run of matches where he won only once in seven attempts, drawing two and losing the last four.
The mood in Ghana’s camp can never be buoyant because of recent performances. Ghana’s last competitive victory came against Panama at the FIFA World Cup’s opening game.
The 44-year-old Linköping-born has been the head coach of the Black Queens of Ghana, taking them to the semi-finals of the 2024 WAFCON. It was a bit shocking to see him getting the interim Black Stars job, but he now has every opportunity to be the permanent boss, starting with two crucial games against Somalia.
Somalia, on the other hand, has looked very impressive in their performances against The Gambia and Ivory Coast. Many thought they were going to be smashed into pieces in their first two games but rather scared their opponents.
Ranked 200th by FIFA, the lowly side has not conceded or lost by a four-goal margin in any fixture since 2019, when Uganda defeated them 4-1.
Head coach Yusuf Ali Nur, 48, has been at the helm since 2025, and it looks clear that they are improving. The former midfielder avoided defeats in the playoff ties against Mauritius, winning on penalties to secure a place in the main qualifiers. Ali Nur has recorded two wins as head coach for Somalia, with both coming against Bahrain in international friendlies in November 2025.
Team News (Ghana)
Kim Lars Bjokegren’s 26-man squad includes returnees; skipper Jordan Ayew, who missed the last international break due to fitness concerns. Midfielder Thomas Partey received a call-up after also missing the games against Ivory Coast and Gambia. Samartex, left back, Afful Isaac, after almost two years, was given a call-up.
Daniel Kofi Kyere returns after the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Mohammed Kudus, after 13 months, was given a call-up, making this break an emotional one for Black Stars.
Manchester City superstar Antoine Semenyo and Spartak Moscow’s defender Alexander Djiku are missing due to injuries.
Gideon Mensah, Benjamin Asare, Jerome Opoku, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, and Brendan Thomas-Asante are all included.
Team News (Somalia)
Almost all the squad that faced Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia were given a call-up for the games against Ghana. Njie Mousa, Abdulrahman, Hussein Ibrahim and Othman Faisal are all included in the squad for Ghana’s trip. Big absentees and injuries have not been reported yet from their camp.
Form
Last 5 matches (Ghana)
LLLLD
2-4 Gambia (L)
0-2 Ivory Coast (L)
0-1 Colombia (L)
1-2 Croatia (L)
0-0 England (D)
Last 5 matches (Somalia)
LLWDL
0-2 Ivory Coast (L)
2-0 Gambia (L)
0-0 (4-2) pen Mauritius (W)
0-0 Mauritius (D)
0-0 Oman (1-4) pen (L)
Ghana probable XI
4-2-3-1
Ati Zigi (GK)
Peprah, Adjetey, Opoku, Mensah (DF)
Partey, Yirenkyi (DM)
Fatawu, Kudus, Nuamah (AM)
Thomas-Asante (ST)
Somalia probable XI
4-3-3
Hussein (GK)
Mohamed, Gigli, Omar, Othman (DF)
Omar, Sherif, Suleiman (MDF)
Njie M, Njie B, Hassan (FW)
History behind the fixture
The Black Stars have a perfect record against Somalia, having won both encounters 23 years ago in World Cup qualifiers. A brace each from Nana Arhinduah and Isaac Boakye and a strike from Asamoah on 16th November 2003 condemned Somalia to a 5-0 defeat. Three days later (November 19th), goals from Stephen Appiah and Lawrence Adjei helped Ghana record a 2-0 win over Somalia, securing a superb 7-0 aggregate win.
H2H
Wins: 2 for Ghana
Draw: 0
Losses: 2 for Somalia
Prediction
Ghana 3-1 Somalia
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