CAN 2027 qualifiers: Gomez Da Rosa kicks off Leone Stars' campaign with an all-local training camp

Didier Gomez Da Rosa has sprung into action. At the SLFA Academy in Freetown, the head coach of the Leone Stars has opened a training camp featuring a squad made up entirely of home-based players.

The idea is to lay the groundwork ahead of the first two CAN 2027 qualifying matches in September. Sierra Leone will host Zimbabwe before taking on Equatorial Guinea. This evaluation camp will allow the Portuguese tactician to observe, test, and select the players capable of rising to the occasion.

A return to the CAN in sight after missing two editions

Sierra Leone knows the road well. The team played its third Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 in Cameroon, 26 years after its previous appearance. Exiting in the group stage, Sierra Leone then missed out on the 2023 and 2025 editions. This time, the ambition is to return. But the task is anything but simple. Drawn into Group E, Sierra Leone will face DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Zimbabwe—three sides well-versed in continental showdowns.

By starting with the domestic players, Gomez Da Rosa aims to build a competitive core before the arrival of the overseas contingent. The countdown is on to give the Leone Stars another shot at shining on the African stage.

Nafongo TRAORE |

News Editorfr, ar, en

Nafongon Moussa TRAORE, Burkinabè de 25 ans, est passionné de football, est rédacteur pour Foot Africa et commentateur pour BurkiFoot.

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