Somali women are defying Al-Shabaab threats and conservative norms to play football, with a new league growing from 80 to 600 players in two years.
HUNDREDS of Somali spectators recently cheered as two women’s football teams played in a Mogadishu stadium. This scene was unimaginable just years ago in the conservative, conflict-hit nation.
Such events were heavily threatened by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group Al-Shabaab, which frowns on entertainment like football. The group especially opposes women playing the sport.
While Al-Shabaab retains influence, the security situation has markedly improved. The main stand at Tuesday’s match was mostly segregated but included some men and women sitting together.
The Ilays women’s team crushed their opponents Nasiib 5-0, but that did not dampen the mood. “If you were in Mogadishu a couple of years ago, an occasion like this… would not have been possible,” said spectator Ali Muhidin.
The women’s football championship was created in 2024 with only 80 players. Barely two years later, 600 are participating across 10 teams from Mogadishu and other regions.
“No one could have imagined that one day Somali women would play football in their country,” said Ali Abdi Mohamed, president of the Somali Football Federation. He told AFP that something “we couldn’t even dream of has become a reality.”
He conceded not everyone allows their daughters to play but said they have faced no serious complaints. Somalia is currently ranked 200th in the FIFA men’s rankings.
Its women’s team, the “Ocean Queens,” played its first friendly in October in Djibouti. They are preparing for their first international tournament, an under-17s event in May in Tanzania.
“For women to play football is not shameful or taboo,” said Ocean Queens midfielder Ramas Abdi Salah. Like her teammates, she wears thick tights and a long-sleeved shirt under her sports kit, plus a black headscarf.
“As you can see, I’m fully covered except for my face and my hands,” said the 17-year-old. She added she has her family’s approval and has received no bad comments.
Goalkeeper Najma Ali Ahmed let in five goals during the match. “I’m sending a message to female footballers to work toward the dream of joining the national team,” she said.
