The Somalia national football team, the Ocean Stars, recorded a remarkable double victory over Bahrain in November 2025, winning both international friendly matches as part of preparations for the FIFA Arab Cup qualifying campaign.
The first match was played on 17 November 2025 at the Bahrain National Stadium, where Somalia came from behind to defeat the hosts 2–1. Bahrain opened the scoring through Mohamed Al-Romaihi before Mohamed Omar brought Somalia level. Issa Adam then scored the decisive goal to complete Somalia’s comeback.
The victory was particularly significant as it marked Somalia’s first international win since 2019, according to the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA). The match was also used by both teams as preparation for their upcoming FIFA Arab Cup qualifying fixtures.
Four days later, on 21 November 2025, Somalia defeated Bahrain again, this time by 1–0 in Riffa. The result gave the Ocean Stars two consecutive victories against the same opponent during the November international window.
A New Era Under Yusuf Ali Nur
The two victories came during the early stages of Yusuf Ali Nur’s return as head coach of the Somalia national team. Nur was appointed in March 2025 and took charge of a team undergoing a rebuilding process, with a younger squad and several players from the Somali diaspora being integrated into the national setup.
FIFA highlighted the development of Somalia’s squad under Nur, describing the team as being in a new cycle and noting the influence of experienced players such as Abel Gigli within the younger group.
The Bahrain victories provided an important boost to that rebuilding project. They demonstrated Somalia’s ability to compete against a higher-ranked opponent and, more importantly, to produce consecutive positive results.
At the time of the first match, CECAFA reported that Bahrain were ranked 90th in the FIFA rankings while Somalia were ranked 202nd, making the 2–1 victory a notable result for the Ocean Stars.
Recognition from CAF
Yusuf Ali Nur continued in charge of Somalia into 2026. During the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) referred to Nur as Somalia’s head coach following the team’s progress against Mauritius.
CAF reported that Somalia displayed defensive discipline and growing confidence under Nur during the two-legged preliminary-round tie. Somalia advanced after a 0–0 draw in both legs and a 4–2 victory on penalties in the second leg.
The progression reflected the continued development of a national team that had begun rebuilding under Nur the previous year.
Building Confidence in Somali Football
The victories over Bahrain represented more than two friendly-match results. They provided an important moment of confidence for Somali football and for a national team seeking to establish greater consistency at international level.
Under Yusuf Ali Nur, Somalia have increasingly focused on combining locally based players with members of the Somali football diaspora, while giving younger players opportunities to gain international experience.
The consecutive victories in Bahrain therefore became an important milestone in the Ocean Stars’ rebuilding process and one of the strongest results of Somalia’s recent international football campaign.
With FIFA and CAF competitions providing increasingly important opportunities for Somalia, the results against Bahrain offered a positive foundation for the team’s continued development under Yusuf Ali Nur.