Veteran English defender Curtis Davies has been drafted to provisional head coach Amidu Karim’s 25-man sqaud for friendlies in Morocco.
The Cheltenham Town defender is set to join eleven (11) other foreign-based players for friendlies against Benin and Somalia in Casablanca, Morocco.
Sierra Leone to kick start the groundwork for World Cup 2026 qualifiers with matches against Benin and Somalia. The Leone Stars will take on the Cheetahs of Benin on the 14th before hosting the Ocean Stars of Somalia on the 17 October.
All engagements are for preparatory assessments for November’s World Cup qualification.
Somalia are in Group G alongside Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique and Botswana. Benin is in Group C against Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho in the race to the 2026 World Cup.
The Leone Stars defeated Benin 1-0 in their last meeting through a Kei Kamara spot kick during the AFCON race to Cameroon in Guinea in June 2021 as Sierra Leone secured a place at the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 1996.
Ranked 124 in the global standings, Leone Stars’ journey to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Mexico and Canada will begin in November 2023.
Coach Karim and the technical team will use these games in the North African region to assess the squad ahead of his first major task against Group A opponents Ethiopia and powerhouse Egypt in November.
The others in Group A are Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau and Djibouti in the race to the 2026 World Cup.
Leone Stars last outing in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying, Group Stage A final match ended in 2-1 defeat to Guinea-Bissua at the Estádio 24 de Setembro in September.
Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 head coach Amidu Karim names first squad for this months friendlies in Morocco 🇲🇦 #InternationalFriendlies #SaloneTwitter @football_sierra @benin_football @NationalSomalia pic.twitter.com/frbneWmtJX
— Alie Bittar (@bittar32) October 9, 2023
Connect with us @football_sierra on Facebook/ Instagram, Football Sierra Leone, the writer Alie Bittar on Twitter @bittar32, Contact Bittar@footballsierraleone.net. National News.
