Middle Eastern Conflict Robs Lincoln City Players Of Chance To Face Each Other

Changes to the FIFA Series tournament in Azerbaijan have denied Lincoln City supporters the chance to see two Imps players potentially face each other on international duty later this week.

The FIFA Series 2026 tournament has been altered after Oman withdrew from the competition due to heightened military tensions in the Middle East. The tournament, originally planned as a small four-team mini-competition, has now been reduced and reorganised, meaning some fixtures will no longer take place.

Originally, the format would have seen St Lucia, Azerbaijan, Sierra Leone and Oman all play, with results determining further fixtures across the short international window. That opened up the possibility of Lincoln teammates facing one another, with Reeco Hackett involved for St Lucia and Kamil Conteh part of the Sierra Leone setup. St Lucia are 167th in the world, so could feasibly have lost to Azerbaijan (126th). Sierra Leone (120th) would have been the favourites to lose to Oman (78th), setting up the Imp on Imp action.

However, Oman’s withdrawal has forced FIFA to restructure the tournament. Azerbaijan, as hosts, will now play two matches instead, facing St Lucia on March 27 and Sierra Leone on March 30, both at the Mehdi Huseynzada Stadium in Sumgayit.

Revised Fixtures

That change means the scenario in which Hackett and Conteh could have played against each other is no longer possible, which is a shame given how rare it is for Lincoln teammates to meet on the international stage.

Earlier this season, supporters were also denied a similar moment when Dexter Lembikisa and Justin Obikwu looked set to face each other at international level, only for Obikwu to be left out of the Trinidad and Tobago squad.

Conteh has not played for Sierra Leone since 2024, but he will be hoping to add to his international appearances if selected for the upcoming fixture against Azerbaijan. With Sierra Leone now only scheduled to play once rather than potentially twice, his chances of adding to his cap tally may be reduced slightly. Hackett has missed the last two St Lucia squads, but has appeared three times for his country, scoring twice.

It is an unusual situation, but the FIFA Series itself is something of an unusual competition anyway, designed to give developing football nations more opportunities to play international matches outside of traditional qualification campaigns and tournaments.