Since Yacine Bourhane made his Comoros debut in October 2020, the Coelacanths have climbed 27 places in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking, from 133rd to 106th.
This significant progress was largely thanks to the archipelago’s impressive start to the African qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026™. “We got off to a flying start, winning three of our first four matches. We were on a good run,” the midfielder, who currently plies his trade at Cypriot side Aris Limassol, told FIFA. “Then, for some reason, we dropped off. We lost momentum, matches and some confidence too – it was a downward spiral.”
That spiral led the Coelacanths to finish four points short of second place in Group I, which could potentially have taken them to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament due to be held in Mexico between next Thursday and the following Tuesday. Comoros will instead take part in the FIFA Series 2026™, first playing Kazakhstan in Astana next Wednesday, before facing either Kuwait or Namibia.
Stefano Cusin – who played a major role in Comoros’ recent success – parted ways with the African team on the first day of this month after a series of underwhelming results. Aside from a mixed record in the African qualifiers for the upcoming World Cup (five wins and five losses), the island nation was also eliminated in the first round of the most recent edition of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
“That AFCON is a regret of mine,” Bourhane admitted. “Given the quality of our squad, we could definitely have done much better. Our performance was not good enough, and we let down the people of Comoros.”
With Hubert Velud arriving to replace Cusin, the Comorians will face Kazakhstan next Wednesday in FIFA’s prestigious friendly tournament with a new head coach at the helm. “We’ll get to know the coach while we’re out there,” explained the former Chamois Niortais midfielder, who also played for Danish Superligaen outfit Esbjerg fB.
“We’ll get to learn about his approach to training, his philosophy and how he manages a team. As we’re playing two matches in quick succession, it will be hard to fully grasp his tactical approach, but it will still provide a glimpse of what’s to come. It will also be interesting to play against countries from other continents, such as Kazakhstan.”
In Astana, the new coach – who managed Burkina Faso between 2022 and 2024 – will be able to count on an in-form Bourhane. The Noisy-le-Grand native has been delivering strong performances for his club for a number of weeks now. His ambitions are no secret. “The sky is the limit at club level. I want to go as far as I can, and then we’ll see what happens,” said the 27-year-old, who lists Vitinha and Pedri among his inspirations.
“For the national team, the objective is clear: to qualify for every AFCON. It would be unrealistic to say that qualifying for the World Cup is our main objective, but it’ll always be a dream of ours.”
This is a dream that could be realised within the next four years, as long as they continue on their upward trajectory and set their ambitions high. “At the national team, we often talk as a group about ambition: Comorian ambition. That ambition is about telling ourselves that we too can play for Europe’s top clubs, that we too can play in the UEFA Champions League. We mustn’t rest on our laurels; we shouldn’t tell ourselves, ‘I’m happy with my small contract in Ligue 2 in France’, or in Cyprus in my case. Wanting to shoot for the moon will raise everyone’s level, because I know we have what it takes to get there.”
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll end up among the stars. This ambition is what could make the Comorian people even prouder in the coming years. “This is the country where my parents were born and raised, so it’s obviously a great source of pride for me to wear this shirt,” Bourhane added. “You can’t help but feel proud to play for Comoros when you see the enthusiasm and love that its people have for their players. Even more so when you consider where we come from and everything the country has endured.”
Given the size and resources of the archipelago, it is certainly worth celebrating that it has a national team striving for continuous improvement. If they come out on top at the FIFA Series in Kazakhstan, they will take another step towards entering the top 100 in the FIFA/Coca Cola Men’s World Ranking.
