AFCON 2027 qualifiers: Somalia vs Ivory Coast – Preview, talking points and match details

Somalia host Ivory Coast on Tuesday as both sides continue their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaigns, with the Ocean Stars looking to recover from their opening-day defeat by Gambia.

The match will be played on 29 September at 19:00 GMT, with Ivory Coast arriving in confident mood after beginning Group C with a 2-0 victory over Ghana.

Somalia struggling for goals

Somalia have found goals difficult to come by in recent matches, scoring in only two of their last nine games.

The Ocean Stars have been shut out in seven of those nine matches, including four heavy defeats during World Cup qualifying last year.

Their only goals during that period came in a friendly victory over Bahrain and their most recent competitive fixture, a 2-1 defeat by Gambia.

Somalia have also not scored twice in a match since November last year, highlighting the attacking problems facing the side ahead of the Ivory Coast clash.

Ivory Coast arrive with confidence

The Elephants made an impressive start to their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign by beating Ghana 2-0 in Bouake last Thursday.

Malick Yalcouye opened the scoring before Franck Kessie converted from the penalty spot to secure all three points for the Ivorians.

Ivory Coast have also scored in each of their last nine matches and have kept five clean sheets during that run.

Four of those clean sheets came against opposition ranked at a higher level than Somalia, including Scotland and Ecuador, although the Elephants will need to maintain their defensive discipline in Tuesday’s qualifier.

Match details

Match: Somalia vs Ivory Coast
Competition: 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers
Date: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Kick-off: 19:00 GMT

Somalia will be looking to produce a stronger attacking display, while Ivory Coast will aim to make it two wins from two at the start of their qualifying campaign.

Prediction:

Somalia 0-5 Ivory Coast