Ethiopia fight back to hold Djibouti

Ethiopia fought back to hold Djibouti to a 1-1 draw in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match played at the Ben M’Hamed El Abdi Stadium in El Jadida, Morocco on Sunday.

The result saw Ethiopia and Djibouti remain fifth and sixth respectively in the A standings with seven matches left. Djibouti will be away to Burkina Faso when the World Cup qualifiers resume in March 2025 and Ethiopia will play host to Egypt.

Although Walia Ibex saw most of the ball, it was the Shoremen of the Red Sea who broke the deadlock. Ghana-born striker Gabriel Dadzie hit the back of the net in the 29th minute to hand Dijbouti a 1-0 lead.

However, Ethiopia fought back and they responded with a goal in the 32nd minute when Minyelu Wondimu leveled matters with Mesfin Tafesse providing the assist and the score was 1-1 during the half-time break.

With his side looking to take the lead for the first time on the night, Ethiopia head coach Gebremedhin Haile introduced the attack-minded Biniam Fikre 22 minutes into the second-half which had few chances.

Haile’s Djibouti counterpart Abdourahman Okie Hadi responded by making a double substitution – introducing Awaleh Hoch Gedo and Ahmed Omar in the 71st minute, but neither side was able to score and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Djibouti (1) 1 (Dadzie 29′)

Ethiopia (1) 1 (Wondimu 32′)

Djibouti: Luyima S, Abdi Abdillahi M (Gedo 71′), Aden A (Omar 71′), Akinbinu S (Elmi 83′), Dadzie G (Hassan 90’+5), Elabeh D (Abillahi R 83′), Farada A. Y, Mohamed I. I, Moussa A, Osman M, Yabe S.

Ethiopia: Habtamu S, Bekele B, Belay B, Gezahegn W (Biniam 82′), Jemal F, Kassaye Y, Markneh C, Panom G, Solomon M, Tafesse M (Fereje 90′), Wondimu M (Fikre 67′).

Djibouti news page »

Ethiopia news page »

2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers - Africa tournament »