Yusuf Ali Nur stays on as Somalia coach

Yusuf Ali Nur will remain as head coach of the Somalia national team for the remainder of 2026 World Cup qualifying. Nur was appointed as head coach of the Ocean Stars in March 2025, ahead of the fifth and sixth round from 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

Nur, the former attacking midfielder, helped his country earn a hard-fought point against Guinea in a goalless draw during his debut as head coach of Somalia.

Since then, the national side has lost three games in a row. During the September edition of the World Cup qualifiers, Somalia lost 3-0 to Guinea and 2-0 to Uganda.

The Somalia Football Federation has retained Nur as head coach. Somalian media claimed that Belgian coach Patrick De Wilde would be named as the new coach in the coming days. Nur’s recent handling of games has been criticized by some fans, as Somalia is bottom of Group G.

The former Elman and Dekedaha coach previously managed the national side between 2010 and 2012. He is expected to remain in the hot seat for the remainder of the World Cup qualifiers and the FIFA Arab Cup preliminary round against Oman in November 2025.

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