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Somalia football slowly becomes a women's game

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Football players of the U17 Somalia national team take part in a practice session at the Eng. Yariisow Stadium in Mogadishu on February 17, 2026, as the team continues to train despite criticism from some religious conservatives who view women’s football as 'un-Islamic'. [Hassan Ali Elmi/AFP]

Hundreds of Somali spectators cheered as they watched two teams of young women play football in a Mogadishu stadium -- an unimaginable scene in the conservative, conflict-hit country just a few years ago.

Such events were heavily threatened until recently in Somalia's capital by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group Al-Shabaab, which frowns on entertainment like football, especially when played by women.

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