Somalia will face Cote d’Ivoire in the second round of the CAN 2027 qualifiers on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, with the match being played at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana.
Although Somalia are the designated home side, the fixture will take place at the neutral venue as both teams look to build on their opening results in Group C.
The Ocean Stars are seeking a response after losing 2-1 to the Gambia. Despite that defeat, coach Yusuf Ali Nur remains confident and could adopt a more defensive system against the Ivorians.
Somalia are expected to focus on quickly moving the ball when recovering possession and during attacking transitions as they look to cause an upset.
Somalia's probable line-up
Goalkeeper: Ibrahim Ahmed Hussein
Defenders: Abdulle Abdullahi, Abel Gigli, Ali Omar, Faisal Othman, Abdiwali Abdirahman Mohamed
Midfielders: Abdi Sabriye, Abdulsamed Abdullahi, Abdi Sharif, Sakariya Hassan
Striker: Bilal Njie
Cote d’Ivoire arrive in Accra in a more settled position after opening their campaign with a convincing 2-0 victory against Ghana.
The Elephants have no injury or suspension concerns in the squad, leaving coach Herve Renard with the option of selecting the same starting XI or rotating his players against a Somalia side still searching for consistency.
Cote d’Ivoire's probable line-up
Goalkeeper: Yahia Fofana
Defenders: Luck Zogbe, Ousmane Diomande, Evan Ndicka, Ghislain Konan
Midfielders: Christ Inao Oulai, Malick Yalcouye, Franck Kessie
Attackers: Nicolas Pepe, Ange-Yoan Bonny, Yan Diomande
The match represents Somalia’s second fixture in the CAN 2027 qualifying campaign, while Cote d’Ivoire will attempt to maintain the momentum generated by their win over Ghana.
The listed betting odds make Cote d’Ivoire strong favourites. 1xbet prices a Somalia victory at 22,00, with the draw at 8,00 and a Cote d’Ivoire win at 1,21.