The Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca will host Sierra Leone’s 2026 World Cup opening qualifier against the Walia Ibex of Ethiopia on Wednesday, 15th of November 2023, the SLFA have announced.
The Leone Stars’ second match in the race to the USA, Mexico and Canada is against the Pharaohs of Egypt. The tie is set to be played in the Liberian Capital, Monrovia, on Sunday, 19th November 2023.
Group A comprised of Egypt, Burkina-Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, and Djibouti.
During the 2022 World Cup preliminary, Liberia eliminated Sierra Leone 3-2 on aggregate after the Lone Star won the first leg 3-1 and suffered a 1-0 defeat in Freetown, both matches played in September 2019.
Sierra Leone played to a 1-1 draw against Benin on October 14th before defeating Somalia 2-0 in a recent training camp in Morocco three days later.
However, with the latest format of 48 teams competing with a minimum of nine African sides guaranteed places for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many Sierra Leoneans believe this is Leone Stars’ best chance ever.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the 23rd FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted in three countries, Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The nine groups will play a home and away, starting in November this year. They will take place over ten matchdays during the next two years: 13-21 November 2023 – 3-11 June 2024; 17-25 March 2025; 1-9 September 2025; 6-14 October 2025; 10-18 November 2025 (Playoffs).
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