South West State Pulls Out of Somalia Football Tournament

By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter

Somalia, 16 December 2025 – South West State has announced that it will not participate in the federal member states and the Banadir region football tournament scheduled to kick off on 24 January in Mogadishu.

South West State's Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the local football federation said the decision is based on “unresolved grievances and issues faced by the South West State football team” in the last tournament for which no satisfactory solution has been reached by the tournament organizers.

During the 2024 tournament, held in Mogadishu, some South West State football players were injured by supporters who were allegedly from Galmudug, following a fiercely contested game in which the former suffered defeat against the Galmudug football team. The South West team later refused to play a return match against Hirshabelle after the incident.

The administration also added that the timing of the tournament was not appropriate for the team’s full participation.

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The football tournament is one of the most eagerly awaited local competitions in Somalia and attracts huge crowds of supporters from various parts of the country. The 2024 competition was won by Galmudug, marking their first-ever tournament victory

Puntland has already announced its withdrawal due to ongoing political disagreements with the federal government. Like Puntland, Jubaland State is also involved in a long running political dispute with the federal government, however, it has not announced its withdrawal.

North Eastern State, the youngest Federal Member State, is expected to participate for the first time. The tournament is scheduled to begin on 24 January and the fixture draw for the matches will take place on 22 December.

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