The Scorpions will face Somalia at home on September 25th and then play away against Ghana in Accra four days later. The game against Somalia will mark the Scorpions’ return to Bakau’s Independence Stadium after a lengthy period of renovation.
Yankuba Minteh misses out through injury, while 21-year-old Nfansu Njie has earned his first senior call-up. Omar Colley, Musa Barrow and Alieu Fadera are among the stars headlining the squad.
Minteh was injured against Roma
The Brighton winger was sidelined for two to three months after undergoing surgery on a right leg injury.
Minteh sustained a contact injury to his right leg following a challenge with Roma captain Bryan Cristante during pre-season on August 8th.
Speaking on the injury, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler said, as quoted by the club website: “He (Minteh) will miss for a long period, and it’s definitely a problem for us because he is a key player, but we will find a way to manage this.”
Minteh’s injury has prompted coach McKinstry to look elsewhere while naming the squad for the qualifiers.
Gambia will be seeking to qualify for a third AFCON with the 2027 edition scheduled for East Africa from June 19th to July 17th.
The first time was for the 2021 edition in Cameroon, where the team reached the quarter-finals.
Gambia debuted with a 1-0 win over Mauritania, followed by a 1-1 draw with Mali. They qualified for the round of 16 with a game to spare and defeated Tunisia 1-0 in their final group match. They finished with the same points as Mali, who won the group due to a better overall goal difference.
Gambia continued to impress in the Round of 16, defeating Guinea 1-0 to advance to the quarter-finals. After a 0-0 draw in the first half, Gambia lost 2-0 to host nation Cameroon in the last eight in Douala.
The team also reached the following edition, which was played in Ivory Coast, where they were eliminated from the group stage.
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According to the Gambia Football Federation, the team would likely play a potential friendly before the qualifiers.
“Since the next window is extended and allows national teams to play up to four matches, McKinstry’s team is negotiating a potential friendly in Bakau on or before the October 6 deadline,” read part of the statement.
“However, this plan still needs to be confirmed.”
The 2027 edition of AFCON will be the first to be hosted by three countries, and the first in five decades to be organised in the CECAFA region, since it was hosted by Ethiopia in 1976.
‘There is great excitement’
Speaking while unveiling the squad, McKinstry said the Scorpions were looking forward to playing on home soil after a very long period.
“There is great excitement across the group about finally returning to the Independence Stadium,” said McKinstry.
“This will be the Scorpions’ first home match since March 2021 and our first in front of our supporters since November 2019. For many of our players, it will be their first chance to represent The Gambia on home soil,” added McKinstry.
“It has also been pleasing to see so many players start the club season strongly, with several delivering standout performances.
“That made selecting this preliminary 35-player squad difficult, and reducing it to the final group assembling in Banjul on September 21st will be even tougher.
“But that competition is a positive one. We know we will arrive with a group that is in form, highly motivated and ready to perform for The Gambia.”
Gambia squad for 2027 AFCON qualifiers;
Goalkeepers: Baboucarr Gaye (Shkendija), Sheikh Sibi (Virtus Verona), Ebrima Jarju (Paide).
Defenders: Omar Colley (Al-Diriyah), Sheriff Sinyan (Rapid Bucharest), Yaya Bojang (Alverca), James Gomez (Odense BK), Mamadou Jobe (Stockport County), Alagie Saine (AC Horsens), Joseph Colley (KF Tirana), Tijan Sonha (Radnik Surdulica), Ibou Touray (Bradford City), Sainey Sanyang (Botev Vratsa), Joseph Ceesay (Empoli).
Midfielders: Ebou Adams (Portsmouth FC), Abubakr Barry (RB Salzburg), Mouhamadou Drammeh (Universitatea Cluj), Mahmudu Bajo (FC Crvena Zvezda), Karamba Gassama (Gaziantep), Saidou Khan (Club Africain).
Forwards: Suleiman Camara (Slovan Bratislava), Abdoulie Manneh (Cercle Brugge), Musa Barrow (Al Khaleej), Ebrima Colley (Konyaspor), Abdoulie Sanyang (Hajduk Split), Alieu Fadera (Cagliari), Salieu Drammeh (Standard Liège), Musa Juwara (Pogon Szczecin), Alasana Yirajang (Slovan Bratislava), Nfansu Njie (ETO FC), Adama Sidibeh (Stockport County), Abdoulie Ceesay (St. Pauli), Adama Bojang (Charleroi), Alassana Jatta (Casa Pia), Mohamed Badamosi (Riga).
