The Ocean Stars of Somalia have qualified for the group stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027 qualifiers.
After a 0-0 draw over two legs against Mauritius, the Ocean Stars qualified for the first time after edging the hosts 4-2 in penalty shootouts in a match played on Tuesday.
The Somalia team has now joined other teams from the CECAFA Zone South Sudan, Eritrea, Burundi and Ethiopia.
In Eswatini, Ibrahim Sulieman Ibrahim netted a brace for Eritrea to win 2-1. The Red Sea Camels who had most players on the squad plying outside the African continent qualified on a 4-1 goal aggregate.
“Scoring four goals and conceding one means that the team played well and we are happy to qualify for the next stage,” said Eritrea’s coach Hasham Yakan.
Ethiopia also scored a lone goal through Ghernet Gugsa to beat Sao Tome & Principe 1-0 in the return leg played at the Dire Dawa Stadium. The Ethiopians qualified on a 4-0 goal aggregate.
Burundi thrashed Chad 4-0 in Bujumbura to record a huge 8-0 goal aggregate. The five teams from the CECAFA Zone that qualified from the preliminary stage of the qualifiers include; South Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Burundi and Ethiopia.
The AFCON 2027 will be hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Source:Africatopsports
