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Somalia and Eswatini lock horns at the Stade El Abdi in neutral Morocco on Wednesday for the first leg of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in the preliminary round.
The winner of the tie will enter the draw for the next round of qualifiers, set to begin in September.
Ranked 198th in the FIFA Rankings, Somalia are one of the weakest sides in the world. They've never qualified for any major international tournament before and come into the fixture on the back of a poor run of form too.
The Ocean Stars failed to win a single game in 2023, losing four and drawing once from five outings, while also netting just one goal during this run - against Algeria in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier clash.
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Eswatini, for their part, didn't cover themselves in glory last year either. In 11 matches, the southern African side won just once and lost seven times, including both their opening games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Head coach Dominic Kunene has called up 20 players for this month's double-header against Somalia, including veteran forward Sabelo Ndzinisa, who has 15 goals for the side from 63 games.
Somalia vs Eswatini Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- There have only been two previous clashes between the sides, with Eswatini winning both.
- In March 2022, Somalia and Eswatini were drawn together in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers, with the latter winning 3-0 in the first leg followed by a 2-1 win at home in the return.
- Somalia's last win came back in December 2019, when the East African side beat Burundi (1-0) in the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Cup.
- Eswatini are ranked 149th in the world, whereas Somalia are ranked 198th.
Somalia vs Eswatini Prediction
Somalia are one of the weakest sides in the world. They haven't won an AFCON qualifier in years and haven't won an official match in over four years now. Eswatini beat them home and away two years ago, and we expect the same to happen here too, starting on Wednesday.
Prediction: Somalia 0-2 Eswatini
Somalia vs Eswatini Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Eswatini to win
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No
