Former Sierra Leone attacking midfielder Amidu Karim, who was part of the Leone Stars 1994 and 1996 African Cup of Nations squad, has been appointed provisional head coach of the national team.
The former U23 technician will be assisted By former homebased coach Francis Zappa Koroma and Bo Rangers Alhaji Foray as they start their groundwork ahead of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
The SLFA say Karim and his team will take charge of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers starting in November. Karim, 49, who has been assistant under John Keister during the AFCON in Cameroon and the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, will start a new journey in his coaching career.
His Leone Stars’ journey to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Mexico and Canada will begin in November 2023. His first task will be a doubleheader against Walia Ibex of Ethiopia before hosting the African powerhouse Egypt.
The draw for the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup finals placed Sierra Leone in Group A with five teams: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, and Djibouti.
About the World Cup qualifiers Nine (9) Groups Fifty-four (54) Teams
The Africa Zone (CAF) qualifiers for the 26 FIFA World Cup will begin on 13 November 2023 and end in November 2025.
Qualification process – The African teams will play across two rounds – the first contest of the group stage, with nine groups of six teams each.
Each team will play ten home and away matches -the top finisher in each group will qualify for World Cup 26.
The second round will pit the four best runners-up in two one-off semi-finals, followed by a final. The winner of this second round will participate in the FIFA Play-off Tournament.
Sierra Leone appoint Ex-International Amidu Karim as New Leone Stars head coach @SLFA_sl have confirmed Amidu Karim as the new Leone Stars head coach for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. #SaloneTwitter #FSLNEWS #AfricanStories #AfricanFootball pic.twitter.com/FDmsPqAe78
— @football_sierra (FSL Media) 🇸🇱 website (@football_sierra) October 3, 2023
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